SundayNewspaper

At Home in theNorthwest 18 FEATURED HOME BONNEY LAKE— Tehaleh is known for its many attractive amenities, including front-row views of Mount Rainier, 20-plus miles of trails, 11 parks, two award-winning on-site elementary schools, and a Caffé D’arte. And once home shoppers visit the state’s top-selling master-planned commu- nity, they discover an- other ingredient that makes Tehaleh special: a sense of community with a giving spirit. Whether it’s running into familiar faces on the Tehaleh trails, chatting up neighbors in line for coffee at Caffé D’arte, or taking friends and family to seasonal events like the Fourth of July parade, Harvest Day Festival or Tour of Homes, residents describe Tehaleh as having a small-town, community feel, with access to all the amenities of the big city. With numerous groups, clubs and events, there are many ways to be active and involved as a resident — and many spend their time giving back. On Dec. 14, home shop- pers can not only tour the Puget Sound’s largest col- lection of homebuilders and floor plans, they can also experience the small town- feel of Tehaleh with free photos with Santa at The Post from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If kids write a letter to Santa and place it in the special holiday mailbox at The Post, they will receive a personal letter back from the North Pole. And if families would like, they may join in on Te- haleh’s annual giving trees, which make Christmas wishes come true for nearly 200 local children and families. Shoppers can tour 12 of Tehaleh’s latest model homes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Homes are priced from the mid-$300,000s and include features ranging from rooftop decks to chef’s kitchens to trending smart-home tech. The lineup of award-winning builders includes Azure North- west Homes, Brookstone Homes, HC Homes, Lennar, MainVue Homes, Noffke Homes, Richmond American Homes and Trilogy at Tehaleh, a 55-and-older community. “The home we sold in Seattle was older. Coming here and being able to buy a brand new, updated home with no to-do lists? We absolutely loved that,” says Tehaleh resident Sandra Merritt- Shea. “And the value —we got so much more house for the price than we could in Seattle.” Merritt-Shea says she and her husband found their perfect home with Lennar. The builder is a popu- lar choice among home shoppers, thanks in part to its signature Everything’s Included! Feature. Buyers receive top-notchWi-Fi connectivity, stainless kitchen appliances, home- automation features, land- scaping fencing, and blinds at no additional cost. “Moving to Tehaleh… we found a close-knit com- munity feel that we never had in our neighborhood in Seattle,”Merritt-Shea says. “It’s like a village where ev- erybody’s looking out for each other, and it makes you want to give more of your time and energy into whatever is your niche. For me, it was working with children.” Throughout the year, Te- haleh visitors and residents can give blood at the on-site blood drives every six weeks, participate in food drives that support the local food bank, and donates. Volunteering is popular with many residents, and there are many opportunities at Tehaleh. Merritt-Shea has lived in the community for a year now and volunteers two days a week. As a retired preschool teacher, she volunteers her time tutoring students on subjects like math and read- ing at one of the two on-site elementary schools, Tehaleh Heights Elementary, which has a rich STEM curriculum. The Valetta design from Trilogy at Tehaleh features a kitchen with an island and bar seating, as well as a connected dining area. On clear days, Mount Rainier can be viewed from many points around Tehaleh. Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily at 19001 Cascadia Blvd. E., Bonney Lake Prices: Base prices from the mid- $300,000s to the high $700,000s Information: 253-205- 8190 or tehaleh.com TEHALEH During Tour of Homes, find a great community that gives back PROVIDED BY TEHALEH Tehaleh is owned in a joint-venture partnership between North America Sekisui House LLC (NASH), the U.S. business unit and a subsidiary of Sekisui House, Ltd., of Japan, and Newland, the master developer of the community. Tehaleh is one of more than 20 communities the NASH-Newland partnership owns together across the U.S.