Testimonial: The Barker Family

The Barker family, long term residents of Urbana and University of Illinois employees, had outgrown their starter home, where they had lived for 20 years. When it became time to find a new house they knew they wanted to stay in Urbana; they liked the local amenities, and wanted their son to stay in the Urbana School District. Initially, the family started looking at existing homes but were unable to find what they were looking for within their budget. Their solution was to use Think Urbana to help build a new construction home.

Knowing they were looking for a new home, some friends told them about Think Urbana. The Barker’s were intrigued by the savings, and after learning that the program was available in subdivisions they were interested in, they decided to look into the program further. They compared the cost of a new construction home after Think Urbana savings to that of existing homes and decided building a new home would get them more of what they wanted for their budget.

Using Think Urbana was easy for the Barkers, there was not a lot to do other than meet with the builder and let him know they would be using the program. Because Think Urbana savings are attached to land and not the owner, their builder was able to complete the full process of building a new home, and the Barker’s could gain the tax savings without having to take out a construction loan.

The Barker’s are now happily living in their new home, which they absolutely love. The savings the Barker’s gained through Think Urbana enabled them to build out a finished basement, put in upscale lighting, install granite countertops throughout the whole house, and purchase custom blinds. They are happy to have more space and they love their neighborhood.

Contact wakolschowsky@urbanaillinois.us or (217) 384-2444 for more information or with questions