When Sue Kelly talks about how family-friendly Lafayette Farms is, she knows what she's talking about. Kelly has raised her kids in this quiet Manchester subdivision, taking them as young children across the street to the massive Queeny Park and watching them as teenagers tear off on its trails on mountain bikes.

Now teamed with business parnter Karen Thebeau, Kelly spoke with BlockShopper.com about the value for the price of homes in Lafayette Farms, its kid-friendly atmosphere and how anything you'd ever want is within two miles of the subdivision.

BS: Why do people look to buy in Lafayette Farms?

SK: The homes are all decent sized — they're two stories with a two-car garage at Lafayette Farms. And the homes are the best value for the area. If you go one street east, the home prices jump up to well over $500,000. The average price in Lafayette Farms is right around $400,000. The homes also aren't a dime a dozen and, for their value, it's hard to find something in this price range in the area.

BS: Are the homes built in any particular style?

SK: When people come here, they say the houses look East Coast-like. It's a New England-style look that's really quaint and really cute. It's a tree-lined neighborhood next to a park and it's just a very friendly community where everybody knows everybody. We've got original owners of the homes from when they were built 28 years ago to young families just moving in with young children.

BS: How about upkeep and updates?

SK: The insides are updated and very nice in the Lafayette Farms homes. I have one listing at 2951 Chavaniac for $434,900, for instance, that has an updated kitchen with a huge center island and custom 42-inch cabinets. This is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom house with 3,000 square feet of space which, for that price, is a lot of living space. It also has a four seasons room on the back that's nicely finished, and a walk-out lower level with a huge rec room. These homes are all in ready to move into condition.

BS: What's bringing young families to the neighborhood?

SK: Lafayette Farms has access to Queeny Park, which is across the street, and has a giant playground. It also has 10 miles of trails for biking, running and hiking, a complex for indoor skating and all kinds of activities are held at the complex. The symphony plays there, they have horse shows in the spring and summer, and there are dog shows and art shows held there. It's a huge park. Any time of the day that you go on the walking path, there are people out walking their dogs, pushing strollers or hiking around. There is also a lot of common ground in Lafayette Farms. There's three main sections of common grounds that the kids can use. On holidays, there are all sorts of childrens' events. At Halloween, there's a party and a parade. There's an Easter egg hunt on Easter and Santa comes around at Christmas. It's really a kid-friendly neighborhood.

BS: What's the surrounding area like?

SK: In this location, within a two-mile radius, there's anything you'd ever want. There's a new Target Supercenter, a Home Depot, a Bed, Bath and Beyond, a Whole Foods and there's a new Costco going in. You can literally drive in a square around the subdivision and have all of your needs met. There are banks, gas stations and a 24-hour Walgreens. It's just so convenient to everything.