Profile of an Allen Edwin Home Buyer - Third in a Series

Allen Edwin Homes
We value what you value

Third in a series

This is a busy household I remember thinking to myself as I stepped into 1812 Rock Valley Drive. I soon learned just how busy. Antonio and Michelle Mitchell keep pace with two children, Antonio age 12 and Danielle age 7. They also balance two full-time jobs and the demands of Michelle’s course work for a master’s degree.

And squeezed in between the cracks? The familiar stuff of life—laundry, yard work, church, grocery shopping, household errands and chores. On top of all this, they
found time to talk to me about how Allen Edwin had helped simplify their busy lives.

The Rock Valley Drive home is actually the third house the Mitchells have occupied. Michelle, a financial director for the Christian Life Center,Allen explains: “We had been looking for about a year, but mostly in Portage because nobody seemed to be building in Kalamazoo.” Although they had been looking at newer homes, they hadn’t really concentrated on new construction because they didn’t think it was affordable.

Then came the Promise.

Was the Kalamazoo Promise a major factor in their decision to locate here? “It was a significant factor in keeping us here,” says Antonio. “We had actually thought about moving elsewhere after Michelle had her degree. But now we look forward to using the Promise over the next 10 years or so.”

So why did they choose Allen Edwin? There certainly was no shortage of homes on the market. And even though there may not have been a lot of new construction in the Kalamazoo school district, there were plenty of newer homes.

“Value. It was all about value, bang for the buck.”

Since Antonio is a realtor himself, he knows a thing or two about value in housing. “Allen Edwin simply delivers more square footage for the dollar. This house is one of their Value Homes at 2,860 square feet. And we have four bedrooms and two and a half baths. I just don’t think we could have gotten all this for the same money from another builder.

“Michelle was looking for square footage. I was focused on value, the maximum square footage for the dollar. Allen Edwin gave us both what we wanted—space for Michelle and value for me.”

Their Rock Valley Drive home was already partially built when they purchased it, so the Mitchells didn’t really go through the Allen Edwin design process. Nor did they opt for
upgrades or make changes. They did, however, do some kitchen upgrading of their own since their arrival in March of 2006.

More choices . . . .

Since Allen Edwin actually offers homes in a number of neighborhoods in the Kalamazoo school district, I asked why they chose Nichols Landing. “Danielle goes to school right across the street (at Indian Prairie Elementary), and we saw things going on over here—houses being built. So we came to check it out.”

From there things fell into place fairly quickly, and the whole process is remembered as pretty painless. The kids are happy, especially Danielle. In her old neighborhood there were no playmates. In the new neighborhood, playmates abound.

More advantages . . . .

From Antonio’s real estate perspective, Allen Edwin may be comparable to other builders, but there are some key differences. “They’re bigger, and they have the horsepower to get out and tell their story better than other builders. They’ve also developed products for people in specific niches in the market. They’re successful because they have filled these voids.”

Could the Mitchells have had a new home without Allen Edwin? “Perhaps,” they say. “But we didn’t really think about it once we found this.”

I asked Antonio and Michelle if they thought Allen Edwin had changed their lives for the better, and here’s how Antonio answered. “I would give God the credit for changing our lives for the better. But maybe He used Allen Edwin as a vehicle for that change.”