Q: Which home did you choose and why?

A: We purchased the Mason, which is a 1,810-square-foot home that has four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. We are only two people, but we have some family and friends from out of town that will come to visit often. So we wanted to make sure we had plenty of space for them, as well as an office for myself as I own my own children’s photography business.

Q: Where is your home located and why you did you pick that neighborhood?

A: Our home is located in Queen Creek, Arizona, which is a very quickly growing community. Because it’s still in the process of expanding, we were able to take advantage of lower prices before they increase in value which was ultimately the goal. There is so much construction around us — commercial and residential — that the day we signed our papers, we already had a significant amount of equity in our home.

I grew up not too far from here in Gilbert, Arizona. With this home, we are able to invest our money into something that will continue to make us more money over time.

Q: What is your favorite feature of the home?

A: Being in Arizona, I have to say my favorite feature of the home is the spray foam insulation. I know that probably sounds silly, but it really works, and we are able to keep our house nice and cool in the 115-degree heat. Our energy bill hasn’t been near what we were anticipating! I had an AC guy up in the attic the other day, and he was very impressed and even jealous that he didn’t get it in his own home.

Another great feature is the large laundry room. I have so much storage and space in there that it makes life so much easier.

Q: What was it like working with Meritage Homes?

A: We had a great experience working with Meritage. The sales counselors in the office were always so pleasant and quick to answer all of my many questions! Once the build was done, the team did a great job walking me through the home, showing me all of the features, and taking care of any little things I wanted to get adjusted or any repairs that needed to be made.

Q: What’s the best part of being in your new home?

A: The best part of being in our new home is the space! We’ve never had our own garage before, let alone an entire house. It’s so nice not having to put stuff in storage and we have the space for everything.

Another really exciting part for me specifically is the decorating. I love interior design, and it has made me so happy to find my style and really be able to bring it to life. During the building process, I spent the whole time shopping, buying furniture and decor, and looking online for inspiration, so finally seeing it all put together and make it feel like our home has been great.

Lastly, we love our neighbors! We recently had a neighborhood party over Memorial Day weekend where some neighbors were able to cook a ton of food, rent a water slide bounce house and have a corn hole tournament, and we had the opportunity for all the new neighbors to mingle and meet everyone. It was a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to more parties like that.