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Monday, April 09, 2007

Hot Gilbert Neighborhood: Agritopia

One of the Best Phoenix Area Neighborhoods








I am so excited and pleased to announce that I finally have a neighborhood profile for the amazing Agritopia neighborhood in Gilbert, AZ. Brent Hagerman, who owns a beautiful home I am selling in Chandler, mentioned that his sister, Misty lives in Agritopia. I was able to interview her to see if this beautiful neighborhood is as amazing as it looks.

Apparently, it is. Let me give you some background. A few years ago, local farmer-turned-land-developer, Joe Johnson, decided he wanted the community that was to be built on his farmland to be special and unique. He wanted a family-focused community that didn’t look like all the rest, as well as to keep the agriculture-heritage Gilbert, AZ is known for.

The result is a community that looks like Pleasantville, without the weirdness. Every home has green grass in front (HOA maintained) and huge front porches. The streets are lined with trees and there are multiple beautiful parks. The homes even have basements, so rare in Arizona but so needed with our summer heat.

Misty says the people that live there all wanted to raise there families in a safe and beautiful setting. So people wave and say hi and spend a lot of time outdoors, chatting with their neighbors. You will see kids playing and riding bikes, neighbors chatting on their front porches and walking the dogs. Probably to the new dog park, right next door.

That’s not all. Misty says the HOA coordinates many family activities, mainly centered around the holidays. Fourth of July picnics and Easter celebrations allow neighbors to enjoy each other’s company. When it’s not a holiday, friends find each other at the community clubhouse (see pic), working out or taking a dip in the pool. Or maybe even going a round on the putt-putt golf course.

Since I love food, my favorite part of the community is the fact that they retained about 20 acres of the original farm land and are using it to grow organic crops. You can buy these crops at the farmer’s market, or you can enjoy them at the Coffeehouse or Joe's Grill, right onsite. The Grill was created from the original farmhouse that Joe grew up in. I will say that their burgers are the best in Gilbert and their Sweet Potato Fries are to die for. Maybe it’s good I don't live in Agritopia, or I would be huge!

I could go on and on but why don't you watch the 60 second movie and see for yourself. Or better than that, call me and I'll show you around. The Cottages start from the 200s and the Classics go right on up to much more than that. If you are relocating to the Phoenix area and want to make sure you get in the best possible neighborhood for your family, you might have just found it.

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Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 7:58 AM
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Friday, April 06, 2007

Friendly Gilbert Neighborhood, Mine!

I realize with chagrin, that I haven't even profiled my own neighborhood! How silly is that! Luckily I feel like my neighborhood is quite family friendly and I can easily brag about it.

Country Lane is a new community in the heart of Gilbert, AZ. Many of us built a home here for the top two reasons, location and affordability. We gave up some other things but it was worth it I think. The location is superb. At Lindsay and Warner in Gilbert, we have within 2 square miles: Target, Albertsons, Fry's, Home Depot, Lowe's, movie theatre, restaurants, and fabulous schools. Not to mention, Barro's Pizza, best pizza in town. :) Also about three miles away, a brand new Nordstrom-anchored mall is going in. Dangerous, I know.

The affordability comes into play with the style and structure of the homes. They are cluster style with most homes sharing a common driveway. Also, the backyards are generally quite small. Maybe 10x20 feet. Since the HOA maintains the front yard, most of us just feel lucky to not be slaves to our backyards every weekend. With this style, you can get a 2000 sq ft, 2 year old home for $20-50k cheaper than a "non-cluster" home. Worth it for me!

There is a neighborhood park which is the center of the family friendliness, I think. Every Wednesday moms (and grandmoms) from Country Lane, and the nearby Neely Commons, gather for a community playgroup. After spending multiple mornings with neighbors, you get to know them extra well and care about your community a little more. I like that.

Monday through Friday, 7-9 am you'll find little groups of moms and strollers heading off for their daily exercise. The Gilbert school district sends multiple schools buses nearby so there are lots of clusters of school aged kids and their moms hanging out. Another plus is that three of the top-rated charter schools are within 2 miles or so of our community. So the education options abound.

One of my favorite parts of our community is the variety of people. We have quite a few young professionals who are toying with the idea of having kids, retired people that lend an air of wisdom and security, many working parents who treasure their time at home with their kids, and lots of stay at home moms who gather for community.

Most nights around sunset, you can usually count on a few families gathering at the park again. Dads are usually home so it's fun for couples to get together and enjoy the Arizona winter sunshine. The vibrant Tuscan colors of our homes reflect the different stages of life we're all in, we compliment each other just right.

If you would like to take a Virtual Tour of one of the homes for sale in the neighborhood, click here.

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Elena Thurston, Family Realtor @ 3:38 PM
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Name: Elena Thurston, Family Realtor
Home: Gilbert, Arizona, United States
About Me: My passion is Family Real Estate. Families need more than just a nice house, they need a neighborhood and community where they can give and receive a feeling of home. I am one of the rare Arizona natives. I received my bachelors degree at Arizona State University and my real estate license at Arizona School of Real Estate and Business.
See my complete profile


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