Submitted by Barb Lally for Rob Rice Homes
It is hard to imagine a place that could offer more convenience than the Rob Rice Community at Kensington in Lacey. Add to it the neighborhood amenities, carefree front lawns, and premium features that can’t be found anywhere without paying for upgrades, this lovely community is a real find.
Convenient and carefree
Kensington is less than half a mile to Lacey Crossroads, where a popular watering hole, several restaurants, a bank, varied retail shops, a Starbucks and the area Lowes are all located. And the grocery stores are just as close.
Walkers enjoy the neighborhood’s entrance to the Western Chehalis Trail and the half-mile jaunt to one of Lacey’s recreation jewels, Rainier Vista Park. A short walk to the bus stop can get you almost anywhere in town.
For those looking to escape yard work, the homes are attractively landscaped with irrigated front lawns, kept up by the community’s homeowners’ association. Lawns stay lush without the owner ever having to think about it.
All kinds of buyers
Downstairs master bedrooms and low maintenance living are what attracts many retirees to Kensington.
“They are moving from a bigger home and ‘right-sizing’ to our homes with a lot of premium features and a huge amount of neighborhood amenities,” say Lucia Arroya, the community sales manager. “There is less care for their yard and more time to enjoy life. The downstairs masters allow them to live on the first floor and use upstairs bedrooms for when family visits.”
Families find it remarkable that schools – elementary, middle and high school are all within a short distance of this ideally-located community. And again, for busy lives, with soccer practices or shooting hoops, grocery runs, coffee stops and running to a home improvement store for weekend errands—all are just around the corner.
Green space abounds in Kensington and includes a children’s playground for families to enjoy right in the neighborhood. The skate park at Rainier Vista Park is a big attraction for children and teens.
Come early for premium design choices
“In our homes we have standard features that would be upgrades in other places, like the white mill woodwork throughout,” says Lucia.
If you buy a home at Kensington early enough in the construction process, there is a large selection of the homes’ top quality features: 16 hardwood floor finishes and 15 different granite tile counters. There are three different kitchen cabinet finishes, choices in carpeting, designer tile backsplash and a large selection of fixtures from Olympia Lighting.
“Buyers assume there will be one or two choices,” says Lucia. “But when they end up at the showroom consulting with a designer or see all the fixtures they can choose from at Olympia Lighting, they are absolutely amazed.”
Quality construction stands the test of time
“A lot of buyers say they want to see Kensington because they watched the video by Rob Rice on his website and were convinced of the local builder’s commitment to quality,” says Lucia.
“I get many repeat buyers here, people who have bought a Rob Rice home once, twice or even three times,” Lucia continues. “They know that they are getting a good investment.”
Lucia hands out a sheet that shows established communities that Rob has built. She invites buyers to drive through them. Some are more than 15 years old with homes that have retained their crispness and quality and beautiful landscaping that has matured to form a rich backdrop to the communities.
Hands on to protect your investment
“If I see any builder driving around neighborhoods, it is usually Rob Rice,” says Lucia who also lives in a Rob Rice community.
Rob Rice stays involved in the homeowners association even after all the homes have been purchased. There is no better way to make sure his buyers are protecting their investment than to be part of the neighborhood, even attending the homeowners’ association meetings.
After buyers do their research and go out and look at other homes, the difference becomes obvious. For convenience, carefree living and long lasting quality, Kensington is the choice for many buyers.
Rob Rice is Thurston County’s largest local home builder and was voted the Best of South Sound for 2013. He and his wife Helena live in Olympia with their two sons; Alex Michael and Carson. Rob is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in construction management and architecture.
For more information about a Rob Rice Homes community please visit our website.
