NEW COMMUNITY SUITS EXPECTANT COUPLE
New home with yard will provide plenty of space to start and raise a family in Airdrie
Nothing changes what people need from their home quite like the arrival of a new baby.
Andres and Carolina Zuleta can relate. The young couple, expecting their first child, knew their 600-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in southeast Calgary wasn’t going to last them much longer.
“We were looking for a bigger place,” says Andres.
A family-friendly area was important, too, he adds.
This brought the couple to Georgetown at Reunion, a community by Slokker Homes on the northwest end of Airdrie.
Andres works part-time as a school bus driver, and recently finished his civil engineering degree. Carolina works for Samaritan’s Purse as a project manager.
Along with developing the area, Slokker is also building duplexes in Georgetown, offered in two floor plan options, each including an attached single-car garage.
The Monarch is available from the $340,000s, and the Monarch XL is from the $370,000s. In both cases, this includes the lot and GST. After launching nine months ago, Georgetown is 55 per cent sold.
The Monarch is about 1,320 square feet and the Monarch XL is about 1,521 square feet. Both are currently displayed as show homes in the community at 163 Reunion Loop.
These homes are available in Craftsman or Arts and Crafts exterior architecture.
Each floor plan is available with a second level orientation of three bedrooms, which is standard, or one of two versions of two-bedroom layouts — including one with a loft, and another where one of the bedrooms has a large sitting area.
Andres and Carolina went for the three-bedroom Monarch, taking possession late last year.
“The three most important things were the yard, the garage — and the 2.5 bathrooms,” says Andres, adding at their apartment, “We only had one.”
He also calls the presence of a garage a “deal maker” for the couple.
One of the cornerstones of Slokker’s homes is the high-calibre specification that comes standard.
“They gave us pretty much all of the upgrades,” says Andres.
Among them are landscaping, fencing and blinds — making the move-in easy — along with quartz counters, laminate floors, ninefoot ceilings, a full-sized laundry area, rough-in gas line, private rear yard and deck.
“It has a lot to do with value,” says Paula Beauchamp, Slokker’s manager, marketing and communications, on the appeal of Georgetown. “I think (homebuyers) are seeing high quality and lots of extras included in the base price, so that has been very appealing to them.”
For the Zuletas, the kitchen was also significant — with the island
The three most important things were the yard, the garage — and the 2.5 bathrooms ... We only had one.
and large cabinets ticking boxes on their wish list.
The couple is originally from Bogota, Colombia, and they keep their new cooking space busy with tasty Colombian dishes including bandeja paisa, arepas, and a soup called ajiaco.
With the yard, in addition to being a space for their future little one to spend time in the fresh air, it’s also a welcome feature for Bruno, their lovable Italian mastiff.
The Zuletas have also taken Bruno out to enjoy the large, scenic parks and pathways in Airdrie — including one that’s about a 10-minute drive from their new home that allows dogs to be off-leash.
“That was important for my wife and me — to be able to go out to play with the dog,” Andres says.
Overall, the transition to Airdrie has been seamless.
“Everything is here,” Andres says. “The Superstore, schools ... you have a registration office, clinics.”
This includes the community, itself. “From this location, everything is close,” he says, describing their drive to the nearest Superstore as being “three minutes away.”
Some of the homes in Georgetown at Reunion overlook the nearby Woodside Golf Course.
“If people are looking for a quiet, peaceful lifestyle, this is an excellent place to be,” says Beauchamp. “(The community) borders on to farm land but you’re still a really quick trip up Veterans Boulevard to (Highway 2).”
“Another thing about Airdrie is all of the exciting new businesses and shopping and dining opportunities that are opening within Airdrie,” Beauchamp says. “You can drive pretty quickly to CrossIron Mills, but within Airdrie, you also have great restaurants.
“You don’t have to go into the big city to go out and have a great meal.”