Crystal Valley Blog

When Abby Dew and her partner Dave Rieco started house hunting, there was nothing priced right in the resale market that appealed to them. “Frankly, everything we looked at was a dump! But we still put in offers – and got outbid by tens of thousands of dollars!”

Dave is a car enthusiast — both personally and professionally — and works on German-made vehicles for a living, so the one thing they knew they needed was a good-sized garage. Abby is an in-home service provider for people with special needs while she attends school to become a behavioral therapist. Both have managed to weather the pandemic, and kept shopping for a home throughout 2020 — despite the challenges.

Location, Location, Location

“We’re renting a walkout basement apartment in Highlands Ranch and were thinking we’d be moving north – where most of my clients live.” But the realtor Abby and Dave have been working with practically begged them to please just look at the new builds in Castle Rock. “So, we looked – first at townhomes, but there was no room for Dave to work on cars, or for our two dogs.” 

And so, Dave Googled and found one of the fastest-growing communities in Castle Rock.

“We had no idea Crystal Valley even existed,” Abby says. “And then driving in, the hills, and the sun was setting and the farms and ranches — it’s just beautiful there!” She says when she first moved to Colorado there wasn’t much to Castle Rock but the historic town. 

“Now there’s just so much to do,” she says. “We like to mountain bike and hike and there are so many trails in Crystal Valley. And Castlewood Canyon’s down there – I’m super excited to move.” 

Space, Light, and Miles of Trails

Abby says Dave’s eyes lit up when he got his first look at the garages, he could envision his favorite hobby in the roomy space. But Abby was dubious about the rest of the proposition. “I was still kind of like, ummmm, can we even afford this?!” 

Turns out, it was not just achievable, but the right decision. The couple settled on the Peridot built by Richmond American Homes and they’ve been meeting their neighbors on the residents’ Facebook page until they can move in this May.

“We chose Richmond because they let us choose our own finishes,” she says, and fell in love with the wall of windows that let in so much light. “That’s the reason I said, ‘Let’s do it!’” Abby says. And of all the locations in Castle Rock, Crystal Valley was so beautiful and matched their outdoorsy lifestyle the best. 

A New Life Adventure

“I love to bake more than anything and looking at those old musty houses with hardly any light and tiny kitchens,” she says, trailing off. “Now I can just picture myself on Saturday mornings baking and looking out those kitchen windows, watching the sun spill in and the dogs playing outside!”

Abby and Dave are looking forward to their “fun, new life”, in a home where they hope to host out of state family for holidays. “I get my own office now, there’s enough bedrooms, and,” she says, “our house has already gone up in value by $30 to $40 thousand!”

Plenty of Choices in Crystal Valley

One of the best things about the new homes in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley is the variety – from overall designs, floor plans and incentives, to exterior elevations and available lots. Surrounded by nature and minutes from historic Castle Rock, the beautiful models from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes, Century Communities and D.R. Horton – in ranch or two-story models – are priced from the $400s. Come see what all the fuss is about!