PHOTOS BY EXPOSURE IT REAL ESTATE MEDIA

When Cindy and Brian Keady traded their four-bedroom, single-family home for a maintenance-free townhouse, they thought they would enjoy leaving yard work and home projects behind. 

In the new Hastings Community Development by Charter Homes in South Fayette, they chose to build The Crosby Model, a three-bedroom, 2½-half bathroom corner unit at 2124 Westcott Lane. 

The community had everything the empty nesters wanted, including plenty of community activities and amenities, plus a convenient location. Still, something was missing. 

“My husband really misses doing the yard work and gardening,” Cindy says. “So we are on the hunt for another single-family home, just not as large as the last one.” 

They’ve listed their 2-year-old townhouse for $399,900 (MLS#1588402, April Bartley, Howard Hanna Real Estate, 412-804-8521, howardhanna.com). It is open by appointment.

Featuring 1,723 square feet of living space over three levels, the townhouse has a terrific layout that’s enhanced by lots of little extras added by the couple. 

On the main floor is a laundry room, utility room and a large closet. The entry is painted a rich, dark blue and has easy-to-maintain luxury vinyl plank floors. Because it’s the end unit, the townhouse has an extra-wide garage. There also is space for other equipment and for bikes, which the Keadys would ride on the nearby Montour Trail.  

“We added an extra refrigerator and garage shelving there,” Cindy says. 

Heading upstairs, the main living space has a large, open floor plan that includes a kitchen with white cabinets, an 8-foot-long island, a large pantry and white quartz countertops. Complementing the space is a gas range and an upgraded LG French-door-style refrigerator.

“We had extra space and went to 84 Lumber and ordered more cabinets for a coffee bar area,” Cindy says. “We are the only unit that has it; I love having it there.” 

There is a generous living area and room for a six-seat dining table, which sits in front of a large picture window. The corner unit also has extra windows that fill the entire layout with light. 

Upstairs, the three bedrooms and two full bathrooms include the primary suite, which has a spacious shower with double sliding doors, a vanity with an offset single-bowl sink and plenty of storage space. 

“We have a very large closet that we added to the top of the second floor,” Cindy says. “It is 7 feet wide and goes up to the ceiling. It holds a lot of storage and linens.” 

The home is within walking distance to the neighborhood’s business district, which includes the popular Recon Brewing, a yoga studio, a veterinarian and the Over the Bar Bicycle Cafe at Hastings. 

“We go to Recon Brewing and listen to live music and play trivia; there is also a juice bar called Salud,” Cindy says. 

The monthly HOA fee of $100 includes membership to the community gym, snow removal and landscape maintenance. Hastings also is surrounded by 600 acres of preserved park land and century-old trees, according to the Charter website. 

While their experience living in the neighborhood has been a good one, Cindy says her husband is just a “doer” who likes to keep busy. 

“He remodeled our entire basement just before we sold our last house,” she says. “We really didn’t get to use it.” 

Drawing on her years of experience covering the region’s real estate industry, Rosa Colucci’s Hot Property takes an inside look into unique and historic homes currently on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh area home.  And four times a year, Hot Property will give an in-depth look at the region’s real estate market in Pittsburgh Magazine HOME, track housing prices and sales and detail where the hot properties can be found. Rosa can be reached at onecordovaroad@gmail.com.

About: South Fayette (southfayettepa.com)
Population: 18,358
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: A 26-minute commute to the airport.
School: South Fayette Township School District (southfayette.org) has thriving theater arts and athletic programs and an AP class curriculum at the high school level. 
Neighborhood:  The township is easily accessible from Interstate 79 and has a rich community life that includes recreational programming for children to seniors; youth camps and family activities that include movies, holiday celebrations and concerts.