We just moved into our last home, our retirement dream home. It started almost exactly a year ago…read more I saw a sign for a home community in Mesa, Arizona after mountain bike riding with a friend, who I learned ) months later also lived in a Blandford Home Community in East Mesa.
The wow experience started with the beautiful gated entrance with fabulous landscaping and abundant palm trees. As I followed the signs to the models, I noticed the generous space between the backyards of the homes. Lots of open space with walking trails and again, beautiful landscaping.
I walked through the 3 models and immediately knew that the third one, Residence 12 would become the final home we would live in. I walked back to the office with lots of questions and met Terry Lents, who over the next 12 months would become much more than a sales associate but a trusted friend.
Terry's patient communication style, always listening and carefully answering my questions started the process of building the trust I quickly appreciated. He spent about 90 minutes walking 4 different Residence 12's at various stages of construction. This first encounter became the foundation of dozens upon dozens of phone calls, texts and face to face visits.
Next up, the product itself. I loved the floor plan, the high ceilings (12 feet), the beautiful finishes and the quality seen in so many details. I brought my Wife over the next day, concerned that the community in Mesa: Reserve at Red Rock would be too remote for our agreed upon vision of living in the Arcadia area of Phoenix.
But, she had the same experience I described as we drove from the gates through the community to the models. This place felt special. I didn't take her to the first 2 models, I took her directly to Residence 12. She walked through and I kept my my shut so she could come to her own conclusion. We wrote a deposit check that afternoon.
A few weeks later, we had our next "10-on-a-10 scale" experience with Bernadette at their Design Center. Terry had given us access to this area which was on property the week before so we could begin to put together our design ideas. When we met with Bernadette, she listened and saw our vision, then brought her creativity and experience with their various products to bring it fully to life. We had 5 full hours with her and never felt rushed or pushed to make decisions. She was like having a Sherpa on a long hike, she provided confidence and focus while giving us the time to do some exploring as we made our decisions.
At this stage, Terry was also a huge help sorting through all of the available options that Blandford Homes offers in a floor plan. While it's not a custom home from scratch with a blank sheet of paper, it felt like building a semi-custom home. We have lived in 3 new homes over our 32 year marriage, one was also semi-custom and the other two were models already complete. This was our best experience of all new homes.
The 8 month building experience was also worthy to describe. The homesite was kept neat and tidy along every step. I appreciated this care and sense of pride I saw in the various sub contractors. We lived out of the state in New Mexico and visited about once every 2-3 weeks until the last few months where we came almost weekly to visit. Terry made it a point to take pictures for us in between visits so we were able to feel like we were part of every stage. Terry and his Son Justin were also great about giving us the "green" construction key as we flew in for visits. Since they had another community under construction about 3 miles away, it was easy to swing by their sales office to benefit from this accessibility once the unit was locked. (The last few months)
The final part of the experience I want to highlight is the 3 hour orientation and walk through with our Construction Supervisor, Brian. Brian has been with Blandford Homes over 25 years, had done this walk through 1,497 times before (his count), yet it felt like he genuinely wanted us to know everything possible about our new home. We had minimal "blue tape" moments that were addressed 100% on the same day. He never made us feel we were nitpicking or too detailed. Again, hospitality and warmth and care.
So if you've read this review to this point, I hope you walk away with a sense of confidence if you choose Blandford to build your next home. We have shared our positive experience with my Son-in-Laws Folks who are considering moving to the Valley, along with 2 other couples that we know well. We can't wait to meet all of our new Reserve at Red Rock neighbors. Terry tells us we will be meeting lots of special people that he has gotten to know over the 3-year community build out. We bought the last lot and are so blessed to plant roots here.
