Laura and her teenage daughter made a big decision to move—they were living in a vintage home that had been in their family for a long time. “The home was beautiful. I was the 3rd generation homeowner. My grandparents were the original owners, then my parents, and then me. It was a big deal to sell this house because it was still family central for my family,” said Laura. Needless to say, the decision was not made lightly.
“The house was really big, and I got sick of maintaining a vintage home,” said Laura. “I started to thinking about what I wanted to do and decided a townhouse would be perfect for me in my current stage of life. I was sick of exterior maintenance, but didn’t want to move into a condo with an interior hallway entrance. I still wanted an exterior front door. All of that prompted us to move.”
So Laura started looking when her daughter was in 8th grade. She wanted her daughter to start the next school year in a new high school. As she looked around at various new townhome builders and communities, she settled on Lexington because of the way the finishes are handled. “The included finishes are high end and nicer than some of the other new building townhomes that go up. You can get nice finishes with other builders, but they are all upgrades and it starts to feel dirty—like you’re being nickeled and dimed.”
She also loved that, when picking finishes, there was just the right amount of limited choices. As opposed to feeling overwhelmed making decisions with a kitchen designer on a remodel where the options are endless, she felt she had a great selection of stylish and attractive finishes that she liked.
She ended up buying a townhouse at Lexington Crossing in Rolling Meadows. She was drawn to the incredible high schools of District 214, and the idea of a fresh start in a new town. They found the perfect floorplan in the 2-bedroom Warrington Model.
She involved her daughter in the whole process. “It’s our home together, and I wanted her to be as excited about it as I was. I even brought her to my meetings with Lexington about costs, so she could learn a lesson about the process and finances—that a new home doesn’t just pop out of a Pottery Barn catalog,” said Laura. “Also, she’s really artistic and has great thoughts about design. She helped me pick out everything—she was really involved and I trusted her.”
They have been in the home for over a year, and they love how it all turned out. When asked about their favorite features, Laura said her daughter’s favorite was easy: “She loves her room. The Warrington 2 Bedroom floorplan is practically like having two master suites. She has her own en-suite bathroom and a walk-in closet. She loves having her own really nice sized bedroom and a bathroom she doesn’t have to go in the hall to access. She has lots of sleepovers, and her friends love it.”
(Also, Laura noted the difference in a new home vs. their old vintage home—her daughter couldn’t believe the modern convenience of outlets throughout every room. She was used to 1-2 outlets maximum spread out in a room.)
And Laura’s favorite? “I love having a kitchen island because—this will sound hokey—it brings her and me together. A teen girl loves to be alone and in her own world. I love that she sits at the island while I’m making meals, or she eats there, or even when I’m cleaning up, she’s right there. We are connecting a lot more than ever before—it’s changed the quality of our relationship for the better.”
She also loves her new community. “When you move into a brand new community, it’s a lot different than buying a resale home because you are all new together—you are all in it together. I know more of my neighbors in my new development than I knew in the neighborhood I lived in forever. You are all new, so you are all putting yourself out there more,” said Laura.
Laura loved the process of working with Lexington. “The fact that they’ve done this so much—they know exactly what the steps are along the way, what’s next, and what you will be doing at the next step. It made it really easy,” said Laura. And when she was unsure about how it would feel to be in an interior unit, Lexington went the extra mile to find a current homeowner who would give her a look at a finished interior unit so she could be comfortable.
She clearly does not regret her decision. “This move was a completely transformative thing for my life, having a fresh clean start,” said Laura. “I still have those moments where I wake up in the morning and am like, ‘Oh my god, I love my house—I’m so happy I live here’.”
We at Lexington loved working with Laura and her daughter. We are so happy to know that she loves her home and still finds herself surprised by joy from her new home and lifestyle.
Interested in checking out a home at a Lexington community? Find your new home today!
