We were living in Chicago for nine years, but began renting a suburban townhome when we were expecting our second child in 2013. When our landlord decided to put the townhome on the market, that was our to begin looking for our long-term house. We attended an open house at the Glens of Connemara and were drawn to the open layout of the Carna plan, especially when we were told we could open things up even more. That was important to us as we have big families and enjoy hosting get-togethers. The other thing that impressed us was the quality materials that were standard. Granite countertops, James Hardie siding, and a brick exterior weren’t things we needed to add in because they were already in the base price. The process was so orderly and always respectful. We started with structural and exterior selections, such as the elevation and brick, and progressed toward more detailed selections like paint colors, which, honestly, might have been the hardest part. We had two hours for each meeting, so we never had this experience of ‘Hurry up and pick.’ We had time to digest things and make the right decisions for us. In between these meetings, then, we could go back and look at items on the 5th Avenue website and play around with different options to see how they impacted the final price. Eventually, we decided to add plumbing for a future half-bathroom in the basement and to reconfigure two bedrooms to accommodate a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. If there’s been any little issue due to the home settling, we’ve called up 5th Avenue and they’ve been Johnny on the spot taking care of the problem. We’ve appreciated how sincere and responsive they’ve been.