One September 2013 Award Home Winner has a Picturesque View

Susan Elser has never known anything other than south side living. “My children are third generation Archers,” she said. “I’ve always loved the south side of town.” Four years ago, when it came time to find a new home, the decision to move to Southwood Park was easy. “I knew exactly where I wanted to live,” she grinned. And she ended up at 4312 Pembroke.

As for the house itself, there was one feature that attracted Susan. “To be honest,” she said, “I bought the house because of the solarium.” She can be found in that room most days of the year, reading a newspaper in her wingback chair, or just watching the neighborhood pass by. “In the winter, if you get up early enough, it almost looks like a Thomas Kinkade picture,” she smiled.Since moving in, Susan has done a lot to fix up her house, including tearing up carpet, redoing the kitchen, putting new windows in the bedroom, redoing the bathroom, and a lot of painting. “I think my front door is going to be next,” she said.While she isn’t in any hurry to move, Susan knows that Southwood Park isn’t her forever home. She has an appreciation for the natural turnover of homes and families moving in and out. “I like that I’m seeing so many younger couples moving in,” she said. “I think that’s important to keeping the integrity of the neighborhood.”When it’s Susan’s time to leave (probably to move closer to her grandkids), she knows she’s going to miss the neighborhood. “I have great neighbors and I just love it here.”