“Terrie, you deserve this!” chorused Terrie DuHadway’s friends as they lifted champagne flutes and toasted her mid-November move into a stunning new detached luxury villa in The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, Payne Family Homes’ multi-product neighborhood in St. Peters.
Terrie’s response illustrates the gracious personality of this world-traveling professional and proud mother of three. “The best reward,” she replied, “is to live the way you want to.”
An executive publisher of medical journals with Elsevier, Terrie raised her children, now all in their twenties, in a large two-story home in St. Charles County. By the fall of 2009, the youngest was off to college, and Terrie was ready for a more manageably-sized home-– one that would free her from yardwork, allow her to enjoy the “empty-nester” lifestyle, and still provide plenty of space for entertaining, family gatherings, and the collegians coming home for school breaks.
Accompanied by a close friend, Terrie embarked on an exhaustive new-home search. The Pointe was one of their first stops, and Terrie found herself returning again and again. “I fell in love with the open floorplan of the Cape Cod ranch display, and nothing else ever compared,” she recalls.
Last spring, she made her purchase decision and, in spite of the slow housing market, her existing home sold quickly. Another good friend welcomed Terrie, her dog Isabelle, and cat Paco as house guests while the Cape Cod was under construction, a kindness for which Terrie is most grateful.
What followed was a picture-perfect homebuilding experience. According to Julie Jones, community sales manager for The Pointe, “Terrie is the homeowner we wish we had every time! She has great taste and a terrific sense of humor. When I stopped by with her housewarming gift, she even had gifts waiting for us!”
Terrie was equally appreciative of Jones’ expertise, saying, “The choices [with Payne Family] are endless, and Julie could visualize exactly what I wanted. It was fun!” Superintendent Dave Wilcoxen earned similar accolades. “Dave went through every detail with me! After meeting with him, I knew my house would be built well and built right.”
Terrie personalized a few design elements, chose a contemporary décor, and finished the villa’s lower level with an optional recreation area, sewing studio, and a third bedroom suite (dubbed the “man cave”) for her son. Progress photos were sent to the kids regularly via phone (the newly-dug foundation was humorously labeled “our hole”), and future neighbors stopped by the site often, assuring Terrie that she would love living in The Pointe.
The elegant villa was completed in time for a gala Thanksgiving celebration. “My kids are thrilled,” she concludes, “and I feel like I’m living in a luxury vacation home!”
Blessed with a wonderful family, great friends, treasured pets, and a gorgeous new home, Terrie DuHadway is enjoying the “best reward”… living just the way she wants to in The Pointe.
