Meet Rachel Rogers
After spending time living in the heart of Austin’s east side, Rachel Rogers was looking for a forever home for herself and her son, Anthony. “I loved my neighbors, but it was just a little bungalow. When I moved there, it was just me and one dog,” Rachel said. “I had known my whole life I wanted to foster a child, and if it was a situation where I was a safe landing spot, I was open and happy to be a permanent home.”
After getting a call in 2024 about a child who needed a family, Rachel drove to North Texas to meet 3-year-old Anthony. The next weekend, he came for a visit at her house where he met her parents, and the following weekend, he came to live with her in Austin. “I knew I needed to find permanence,” Rachel said. “I had been looking for a house for a while, but I didn’t know which child would come into my life and what their needs would be. I looked at a lot of new builds all over, even in Liberty Hill. I realized I couldn’t get too far out there — I wanted to be close to Dell Children’s Hospital.”
Rachel toured a lot of houses, but with aging parents and an active toddler, she had a specific list of needs. “I didn’t want a 2-story house — I was set on getting a one-story house with good sight lines and lots of natural light,” Rachel says. “To make it more complicated, I primarily work from home, so I knew I needed a designated workspace. I knew when I found the right house I would know it.”
As time got closer to Anthony’s adoption date, Rachel still wasn’t finding what she was looking for. And then she saw Easton Park online. “I looked at the houses online, and I thought it looked pretty cool,” Rachel said. “The elementary school is right there, and I wanted to live in the area where Anthony would be in school, so he’d see the same kids in soccer or at the playground. I wanted him to get some buddies to make the transition from preschool to kinder more comfortable.”
Rachel was especially excited about a move-in ready home in Easton Park’s Pilot Park neighborhood. “We pulled up, and it was so cute,” Rachel said. “ As we got out of the car, Steve (the New Home Counselor) told me there’s a playground at the end of the block, and I was like, you’re kidding me. Wow! That’s not even on my must-have list, that’s like a fantasyland dream! I was trying to play it cool, but the door is my favorite color! Then, we opened the door, and I gasped at the flooring — I’ve always wanted herringbone! It was a light, natural wood-finish tile. We looked at the office nook, and I loved the finishes on the office hardware. I loved the kitchen countertop. At this point, my brain had stopped processing. I asked Steve to make sure this house was really available.”
There were lots of unexpected features that Rachel appreciated. “The laundry is close to the office nook, so if I go to fill up my water, that’s in my walking path,” Rachel said. “And I loved the placement of the primary bedroom in the back — it was all perfect. And there are 2 closets in the primary bedroom! I don’t even need that!”
Rachel said, “My brother and his family came to see the house, and when I showed Anthony and my little nephew Skyline Park and the pool, they were slackjawed looking at me.”
Rachel closed on her new home about a month before Anthony’s adoption was final, and she was impressed with the quality and care that Brookfield provided. On adoption day, the movers hauled over their furniture while they were in the courtroom with loved ones. “I left that morning living in the bungalow as a foster mom, and came home that night as his mom, to our new home,” Rachel says. “The whole experience was wonderful. I did get choked up when they handed me the keys. This was the permanence I wanted to deliver to my child.”
Now, Rachel, Anthony, and Bella and Dobby (their two doggos) are enjoying life in their new neighborhood. “Anthony’s starting soccer soon at Easton Park Sports Academy, and we got to go buy cleats and shin guards,” Rachel said. “Last night, I found him asleep clutching his cleats. Every day, I’m reminded that this was the right choice. I’m so glad I made this decision. I’m so glad for Anthony to be comfortable with the area, starting soccer, and getting into the groove before he starts kindergarten.” We’re glad, too, Rachel!
Want to live in a community with lots of parks and an elementary school just around the corner? Come be our neighbor! Browse our builders or come out and see the model homes for yourself!
