Meet the Leal-Castellanos Family

When Jesus and Ana Paula first moved to Houston from Tampa, Florida, they were not only looking for houses but also planning their wedding. We sat down with these newlyweds to find out why they chose Elyson, what they love about their Brookfield Residential home, and how they’re settling into their new neighborhood.

Returning to Texas

Both Jesus and Ana Paula grew up in South Texas, but they had moved to Tampa for work — Jesus is an engineer, and Ana Paula works in graphic design. After getting engaged in 2024, the couple knew they wanted to move back to Texas to be closer to family. “We knew we wanted a big city, so we chose Houston,” Jesus said. “We did look around a lot of areas of Houston, and in Katy, we found Elyson. It offered everything we were looking for. It’s not even that far from downtown, and there are great school districts. Everything was here. It made it easy to sign the contract and make this our home.”

“Our plane leaves in two hours!”

On their first visit to the neighborhood, the couple knew they were home when they saw the Rutgers floor plan from Brookfield Residential. “When we saw Elyson the first time, we looked at each other and said this is what we’re looking for, where we want to raise our family,” Jesus said. “Belinda was super kind. She told us all the new neighbors she had already sold to, young couples with their first kids, and we loved it. We told her, “Our plane leaves in 2 hours,” and she showed us the house — she didn’t waste any time! She moved everything to help out with our dream home. We signed the contract that day.”

Room for Everyone

Jesus and Ana were drawn to the Rutgers because of its amazing flow. “It accommodates everyone in the family,” Jesus said. “It has so many features, when we saw it, we couldn’t say no to that one. We wanted the laundry pass-through into the Primary closet.”

“And the hidden stairs are a must,” Ana Paula added. “Some people like stairs in the front, but we like stairs to be out of sight!”

Making It Their Own

Ana Paula and Jesus enjoyed getting to make interior and exterior choices in the Design Center. “It was nice being able to pick the different options rather than just buying something prebuilt,” Jesus said. “It was really nice to design from the bottom and to pick the brick, the cabinets, the doors, the color on the siding and even the color of the stucco. It was almost a custom home, even though there were restrictions. It was super smooth, and I thank Belinda more than anyone. The customer service was wonderful — we felt super comfortable with Brookfield.”

At Home in Elyson

Today, the Leal-Castellanos family is enjoying life in their new community. “I think what we love is that it’s family oriented, with all the parks and amenities, not only for kids but for adults as well,” Jesus said. Our parents love hanging out by the pool! My dad feels like a kid!”

“Our family comes to visit, and we love taking our nieces to the fire pits,” Ana Paula said. “It’s one of our favorite amenities! We love spending nights there making s’mores.”

“It’s a community, not just a place where houses are,” Jesus said. “They do a lot of events where you can get to know your neighbors. Eventually, we want to have kids, and there’s a brand new school right in front of our house, it’s really nice.”

Better with Brookfield

It’s not only Elyson that they appreciate. “Everything about Brookfield is great,” Jesus said. “After buying, the service is impeccable. Alfredo has been on top of things, letting us know when to check on things regarding our home warranties. It’s amazing to have that type of customer service. We would definitely recommend Brookfield.”