The Villages at Rancho El Dorado Real Estate in Maricopa, AZ

Updated June 2026

The Villages at Rancho El Dorado is a large, amenity-focused master plan in Maricopa, AZ, in zip code 85138, off Smith-Enke Road. It is the Phase II section of the Rancho El Dorado area, built around an entry lake, a clubhouse with a fitness center, and two community pools. Built by several builders from about 2004 to 2018, with a newer Richmond American section, homes run three to six bedrooms and roughly 1,261 to 4,307 square feet. The HOA is billed quarterly; call for current dues.

The Villages at Rancho El Dorado is the amenity heavyweight of the Rancho El Dorado area. While the original Rancho El Dorado is built around golf and The Lakes is built around its lake, The Villages is built around a full recreation complex: two pools, a clubhouse with a gym, an entry lake, tennis, pickleball, and roughly ten playgrounds. If a resort-style amenity package is high on your list, this is one of the first Maricopa communities to see. The community profile, including lot count, amenities, and school assignment, is in the Villages guide.

This page is the honest guide. What the community is, how it differs from the other Rancho El Dorado communities, what the amenities are, and how to buy or sell here.

If you want to skip the article and talk to a Maricopa specialist, call 520-838-8037.

What is The Villages at Rancho El Dorado in Maricopa, AZ?

The Villages at Rancho El Dorado is a large master-planned community in 85138, Maricopa, Pinal County, off Smith-Enke Road near John Wayne Parkway. It is the Phase II section of the broader Rancho El Dorado area and one of the largest single associations in the city, with its amenity complex and entry lake near the front. Homes are mostly detached single-family, one to three stories. Call 520-838-8037.

The Villages sits on the Smith-Enke side of 85138, with Smith-Enke and the parkway giving direct routes north toward Chandler and Phoenix.

The count is 1,941 homes on 1,941 lots, which is what makes this one of the largest single associations in the city.

The Villages is 1,941 homes on 1,941 lots, fully built out per the InMaricopa HOA directory, on the east side of State Route 347 south of Smith-Enke Road, spanning 85138 and 85139 in Pinal County.

How is The Villages different from Rancho El Dorado and The Lakes?

This trips up a lot of buyers, so here it is clearly. The Villages is the amenity master plan, built around the clubhouse, two pools, and a lake. Rancho El Dorado's golf core is built around The Duke golf course. The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado is the newer waterfront community on the 40-acre lake. All three share the Rancho El Dorado name but are distinct communities with different amenities and pricing, so when you compare listings, confirm which one it is actually in. We will keep them straight for you.

Rancho El Dorado proper is 3,132 lots, has The Duke Golf Club (Maricopa's only community golf course), has Pima Butte Elementary inside it at 42202 W Rancho El Dorado Pkwy, and bills HOA dues quarterly through First Service Residential. The Villages has no golf course, two pools instead of one, and Butterfield Elementary inside it.

What amenities does The Villages have?

This is the headline. The Villages has a play pool and a lap pool, a heated spa, and a splash pad, anchored by a clubhouse with a fitness center and media room, plus an entry lake with a fountain, tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts, and around ten playgrounds throughout. It is one of the most complete amenity packages in town, and the kind of recreation most Maricopa communities do not offer. The Duke golf course, Copper Sky, and the Smith-Enke retail corridor are all minutes away.

Households that will use the two pools (one heated lap pool and one regular pool), the splash pad, fitness center, tennis courts, basketball courts, walking paths, tot lots, or clubhouse every week get that access without a Copper Sky Recreation Complex membership, which is the trade most buyers weigh against the quarterly dues.

Who built The Villages, and what are homes like?

The Villages was built by several builders, including Hacienda, Centex, Ryland, and Canterra, between about 2004 and 2018, with a newer Richmond American section added more recently. Plans are mostly detached single-family homes, one- to three-story, three- to six-bedroom, two- to four-bath, ranging from about 1,261 to 4,307 square feet. That wide range means you can find a right-sized starter or a large home with room to spread out, all sharing the same amenities.

Is The Villages new construction or resale?

Mostly resale, with some new. The bulk of The Villages is established and trades on resale, but the newer Richmond American section adds current new-build plans within the same master plan. So you can choose an established home with a finished yard and mature landscaping, or a brand-new Richmond home, while getting the same amenity access either way. Call for what is available now.

What schools serve The Villages, and what is the HOA?

The Villages is in the Maricopa Unified School District, generally served by Butterfield Elementary, Maricopa Wells Middle School, and Maricopa High School, though the newer sections may be assigned differently. The Governing Board updated attendance boundaries on December 10, 2025, effective 2026-2027, so confirm the specific street with MUSD at 520-568-5100. On the HOA, The Villages is managed by City Property Management and billed quarterly, funding the pools, clubhouse, fitness center, lake, and courts. Dues can change, so call 520-838-8037 for the live numbers; we never publish a figure that can go stale.

The quarterly dues include basic cable, a line item most Maricopa HOAs do not cover. Call 520-838-8037 for the current figure.

Butterfield Elementary (PK-5, MUSD) sits inside the community at 43800 W Honeycutt Rd, and received an A on the Arizona Department of Education report card for 2022-2023, the most recent grade MUSD has announced. Only three Maricopa communities have an MUSD school inside their boundaries: The Villages (Butterfield), Rancho El Dorado (Pima Butte Elementary), and Alterra (Maricopa Elementary, 18150 N Alterra Pkwy). Middle school assignment is Desert Wind or Maricopa Wells and high school is Maricopa High or Desert Sunrise, by MUSD boundary; confirm the 2026-2027 assignment for a specific address through the School Finder at musd20.org. Charter options nearby include Heritage Academy Maricopa (6-12) and Legacy Traditional School (K-10). HOA dues are billed quarterly through City Property Management, 602-437-4777. Verify current dues with City Property before contract.

How do you buy a home in The Villages?

Buying here, the amenities come with every home, so the decision is about the house and the section: established resale or a newer Richmond build, and which size and street fit you. Because the size range is so wide, matching the right plan to your needs matters. Have a buyer's agent for amenity master-plans set up alerts and tour quickly, including Spanish-speaking representation with David Ruiz.

The The Villages Listing Record

Here is the record. These are closed sales in The Villages over the trailing twelve months, August 26, 2025 through August 25, 2026, per ARMLS as compiled by the James Sanson Team. Homes sold directly by a builder are excluded, so these numbers describe what happens when a homeowner lists.

For context, the City of Maricopa as a whole ran a median of 69 days over the same window, with 60.3 percent of sellers cutting their price and 38.1 percent of listings passing 90 days. The Villages moved faster than the city overall.

What a price cut costs in The Villages

Those 68 sales split into two groups with very different outcomes.

79 more days on the market, and 4.8 percentage points less of the original asking price. That is the measured cost of starting too high and correcting later, and 55.9 percent of The Villages sellers ended up in the second group.

The pattern holds citywide. Across 1,156 qualifying City of Maricopa closings in the same window, sellers who cut took a median of 102 days and closed at 93.7 percent of their original ask. Those who never cut took 33 days and closed at 100.0 percent.

This is not an argument for underpricing. The sellers who never cut were not the cheapest listings. They were the ones priced where the market already was on day one, which is why they never had to move.

How to use this

Take these numbers to any listing appointment, including ours. If an agent proposes a price for your The Villages home, ask what it implies about the 55.9 percent and the 35.3 percent above, and ask to see the The Villages listings they took in the last twelve months, including the ones that expired or cancelled without selling.

The Record describes what has already happened. It does not predict what your home will do. Condition, floor plan, lot, and timing all move the outcome. What it does is start the pricing conversation from the full record instead of the flattering half of it.

Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice. For contract, title, or tax questions, talk to an attorney or a CPA.

James Sanson | Real Broker LLC | Licensed in Arizona

How do you sell a home in The Villages?

Selling here, you are marketing a lifestyle as much as a house: two pools, a gym, and a lake are a real draw, so lead with the amenities, then the home's size, upgrades, and lot. Price against recent Villages sales in your size band, since a six-bedroom and a three-bedroom here are different markets. Request a comp set from a listing agent for master-planned communities or call 520-838-8037.

Why work with a Maricopa specialist in The Villages?

A large master plan with multiple builders, a wide size range, and two sibling communities that share its name make local knowledge the difference in pricing and navigation. Pulling the right comparables and keeping the three Rancho El Dorado communities straight is what a Maricopa team does every week.

The James Sanson Team has been Maricopa-focused since 2004. 24+ years in real estate, 1,300+ closed sales, 250+ five-star Zillow reviews, FastExpert 2026 Top Agent, and Zillow Showcase Partner status. James handles all listings personally. David Hoos and David Ruiz handle buyer-side work, with David Ruiz available for Spanish-speaking clients. Visit our Maricopa team page for credentials and bios.

Ready to talk?

If you are buying or selling in The Villages at Rancho El Dorado, call 520-838-8037. We will answer the phone, pull a real comp set, and tell you what we would do in your situation.

You can also use the form on this page. We respond within an hour during business hours.

Nearby Maricopa communities to compare

The Villages is in the Rancho El Dorado area off Smith-Enke. If you are comparing nearby 85138 neighborhoods, look at the Glennwilde community, Senita's big floor plans, and Rancho Mirage homes in 85138. You can also open the Maricopa neighborhoods index, or call 520-838-8037 to talk it through.