In the late 1800s and early 1900s many people who lived on farms moved to the city. My parents grew up in small Greek villages and went through this same transition, but in the mid-1900s. I learned about this village/farming life through an extended family vacation to Greece and watching my parents do housework and house maintenance on their own. The self-care savings provided much needed financial security.
As I grew up, they encouraged me to pursue an education so I could live a simpler – easier – more luxurious life. I had no interest in simpler but easier and luxurious sounded great. I remember my first car, and how I would wash and wax it each weekend. My neighbors and friends teased me – “You still wash and wax your car?” The desire to do that hasn’t returned since that first car. I started to think about the entire issue of hired/paid personal maintenance, dining, and home care as 1 topic. You could take care of yourself and your car by hiring: doctors; laundry & drycleaner; shoe shine; hair/nail – trim & color & style; car wash & wax & detail & oil change & repairs and the list go on. Most people willingly hire many of these services.
You could eat by purchasing: fast food; prepared food; Uber Eats; casual dining; fine dining; un-assembled meals delivered; and the list goes on. Most people purchase many of their weekly meals or dine out.
You could hire home maintenance: lawn cutting & tree trimming & seasonal color planting & mulch; tree trimming; fence repairs & replacement; exterior painting; foundation or driveway or walkway repairs; gutter cleaning; chimney sweep; wash windows & exterior; and the list goes on, and on, and on, and is huge if you want to do it right. Most people reluctantly do some of the above and hire the rest. At Grenadier Homes, we bring in and direct professional HOA Management to do all the above, and even more, at a cost savings to the buyer due to bulk buying power; and knowledge of the cost and access to the trades doing repairs.
What about safety? Over 600,000 people are injured from ladder falls in the US annually. This, along with visiting my dad in the hospital as a teenager after such a ladder fall was enough for me, and I am not taking any risks by cleaning gutters via the ladder.
What about contractors? Who to hire and how much to pay them? Meeting them or more likely waiting for them for bids if a repair is needed. This is especially tough on anyone who is vulnerable due to lack of free time or knowledge; which is almost everyone.
If you asked my parents what they miss the most about the village, they would talk about the fresh herbs & fruits & vegetables and local meats, the village friends & how they walked the streets at night and all talked, and time spent at the cafés and tavernas in the center of the village. In many ways, the simpler life they led was the most luxurious. My wealthy friends and many of our homeowners take vacations to places to re-create this same village lifestyle my parents took for granted.
The master-planned places we build our homes give our homeowners a chance to create that simpler but exciting lifestyle at home and provide cost savings and peace of mind with professional management allowing many more worry-free travels.
The Grenadier Homes Mission is that we build smart-sized homes in neighborhoods where people know each other, and our homes provide a lower cost, carefree yet exciting lifestyle.
- Why smart sized? It is less costly and easier to self -maintain.
- Why professional HOA maintenance? It is less costly and mostly hassle free and creates time for other items.
- Why Master Planned? They allow more opportunities for meeting neighbors and recreation and living a simpler yet exciting lifestyle.
- Why Grenadier? TIME and $MONEY savings allow you to hire the rest and LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.
One day in the future, many people will be living in HOA managed homes and asking others, “You still self-manage your home?” And it will remind me of, “You still wash and wax your car?”
Photo Courtesy Corgi Home Plan
