"We moved from Massachusetts, about thirty miles West of Boston, where we had lived for many years. We were fortunate to have the luxury of having our horses on our property. When we moved there originally, there were many places close by to ride trails. But soon after arriving, housing developments started springing up all around us, which cut off all access to the trails and miles of state forests we had moved there to enjoy. Bridle paths were replaced by jogging and mountain bike trails. Even the country roadways we had walked along, became congested with heavy construction equipment and made horseback riding to reach those trails still available, dangerous. We were forced to purchase a trailer to transport our horses, miles from where we lived to be able to enjoy a leisurely trail ride. We found the drawback to keeping our own horses, was that when we tried to go away on a vacation, to the beach or on a fishing trip, or just south to escape the harsh and 6 month long New England winters, there was no one available to tend to our animals, and further, found ourselves missing them when we were away.

In April, three years ago, leaving snow on the ground in Massachusetts, we drove South to North Carolina to visit relatives who had just the previous year moved down. After coming from such a highly congested area of every inch of available land being used for commercial property and housing, we immediately fell in love with the area, i.e. the countryside, the climate and the friendly outgoing nature of all of the people we met. While here, we read through some of the real estate magazines and found that there were many specially designed neighborhoods, for those folks who enjoyed golfing. We thought we might, purchase some old place with enough acreage to keep our horses. Then much to our delight and amazement we found that there were actually housing developments designed for people with horses.

Well, after two years, many trips South, several Real Estate Agents later and lots of hours on my own on the Internet, on the computer one evening, I chanced on an advertisement that read, "Come home to McLendon Hills". Further, I read it was designed for families with and without horses. People could either have their horses attended to at the state of the art Equestrian Center, or purchase a track of land and have McLendon Hills Construction Company build you a custom home and keep them on your property, as we had always done. In addition, there is a large lake for small boating, stocked for fishing, a beach for swimming, and best of all 6 1/2 miles of bridle paths that every home keeping horses on their property, abuts and has full access to. This would not just be coming home, it was better, we would be living our vacation.

As we have a young child, it was important that there be children close by and the school system she'd be attending be comparative to that we had grown accustomed. My research proved very enlightening. Not only was the neighborhood diverse with many different age groups of children, but the schools are as good, if not better than that we'd be leaving.

January of 2002, I flew down to meet with the McLendon Hills Development Team. I toured some of the homes they had built, and was impressed with the overall construction and materials used in addition to the attention to detail. With so many beautiful lots with magnificent views of the lake and surrounding forest, our most difficult decision was not to move down, but which house design and lot to choose.

I returned to Massachusetts, and as a family, we chose our lot, picked the house plans and proceeded to arrange for our move. Our house sold faster that we had anticipated, which left us potentially homeless until our new home was scheduled to be complete. The McLendon Hills Team came to our rescue and helped locate a lovely rental house nearby so we could be close, to watch the final stages of our new home come together. They even assisted us in locating a local Mortgage Lender.

The McLendon Hills Team, made up of the Developers, Realtors, Construction Manager and Design Consultant all were able to help make our dream come true via e-mail and a few phone calls. When questions arose they were quick to return phone calls and get us the answers we needed. They are always courteous and highly professional, yet they always make us feel as though we're all family. We moved into our new home in just under 7 months from the start.

This was not our first new house we had had built, but our third since marriage, so we had experience dealing with different Developers and Builders. Without a doubt, this was the easiest and most pleasurable. But the entire experience didn't stop when we signed the papers of ownership and moved in, as had been our experience in the past. They have always been quick to act on any minor problem, and been most accommodating. We're so taken with them, that we contracted for them to custom build our barn.

They even organize gatherings and events for the neighborhood families to get together. They truly have welcomed us home, made us feel like family, and we're living our vacation.

Our many thanks go out to the "Team", the folks who made it all possible, Gail, Cristy, Gary, Craig and Tom."

Sincerely,

The Abbondanzio Family

"Mary and I have been impressed by all McLendon Hills construction staff and the way they have exceeded our expectations since the purchase of the land, during the architectural reviews, during the build and finishing up on punch list items. Most of what was accomplished occurred via long distance phone calls and e-mailing of pictures during the construction phase. The attention to detail has been fantastic. Gary Henry, the construction manager, was always helpful and took the time to explain things that were going on during the build. After we moved in, he has followed up on remaining items in a timely and professional manner. Additionally, the location of the properties in McLendon Hills and the added benefit of the lake and equestrian facility make this development one of the premier locations in Moore County."

~ Dave and Mary Anisansel from NY

"We recently moved into our dream home in McLendon Hills. It would not have been possible without the wonderful construction and competent assistance provided by McLendon Hills Construction and the entire staff working together to support us. Our new home was the culminaton of over four years of searching for the right property, planning the home layout and deciding on a builder. McLendon Hills Construction listened to our needs, provided expert advice and gave their full attention to the smallest of details during the building of our home. Their patience and support throughout our many changes was indicative of the Mclendon Hills Construction personnel. We could not be happier with our dream home and with McLendon Hills Construction for helping make "the dream" a reality."

~ Carl and Cassi Chandler

"In October 2006, after an exhaustive research of home designs, Karen and I decided to move ahead and build our dream home. We took our plans to Tom Carr and McLendon Hills Construction because we were impressed with Tom's forthrightness about the land purchase process. In our meetings, we found both Tom and staff (Gary and Bob) to be knowledgeable and helpful. This was the first custom house we had ever attempted to build, and they walked us through our plans and pointed out concerns and ways to resolve them. They also made recommendations about ways of saving costs and additions that were relatively inexpensive but would add greatly to the home's value and overall appeal.

We selected McLendon Hills Construction after a succession of meetings. But you see we had a logistical problem - our home was going to be constructed while we were still living in southern California. A scary and unappealing situation to be sure, but we had an enormous amount of confidence in Tom and his staff. We found them to be honest in their evaluation of our plans, and trusted them to build our dream home knowing they would build it as if it were their own.

Gary and Bob updated us often and also sent us pictures at different stages so we could see the progress. We made two trips from California during the construction process to view the progress and to make final decistions on certain construction phases (i.e. flooring, doors, hardware, etc.). Gary facilitated the setting up of meetings so our few days here would not be wasted. We often discussed changes, and admittedly there were some decisions I made that Gary diplomatically talked me out of, for which I am grateful.

On September 10, 2007, we arrived from California, and were excited to find our new, completed home that not only met, but exceeded our every expectation."

~ Clark and Karen Marshall

"Our house in McLendon Hills is the fourth house that we have had built. Working with McLendon Hills Construction, and particularly with Gary Henry and Bob Shackleford, was a real pleasure. It was, by far, our best construction experience, and we highly recommend McLendon Hills Construction to anyone considering building in our wonderful neighborhood."

~ Bob and Kaye Zalkan

"In 2005, we decided to relocate from southern California to be closer to our children and grandchildren. After looking without success in the mountains, seashore and other areas of North Carolina, a realtor suggested we visit McLendon Hills. We wanted a single level home on a body of water with a dock and boat.

Two adjoining lots on the lake just happened to become available when we visited in August 2005. It was easy to decide to become McLendon Hills residents based on the location of the development and the beautiful lake in the rolling sandhills. Then Cristy Hunt made it easy to decide on the type of home by locating some designs for us! After a bit of tweaking, and with the professional help of Lee Russell, plans were completed quickly for what later became the 2007 Moore County Home of the year.

The construction and landscaping by subcontractors were selected and supervised by Gary Henry and Bob Shackleford, two creative employees of McLendon Hills. Both did stellar jobs of supervising the work and kept the job on track at the detail level during our absence. The foundation, driveway, brick, deck, flooring, cabinetry, retaining walls, Jacuzzi, HVAC and landscaping were challenges well handled by everyone. We did not have to worry about any of those details.

We simply love the residents, the home and the beautiful surroundings. Come join us!"

~ Joe Krallinger