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Just like the little neophyte who finds out he must walk before he can run, the home is only a home after its structure has been completed and the last coating of paint has dried.

The Villages at Godley Station is a young community just settling into Pooler but quickly establishing itself as a showcase community that will soon be the envy of everyone in the town.

Built just off the Pooler Parkway near Wal-Mart, The Villages at Godley Station is minutes from the West Chatham YMCA and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. And above everything else, these homes, some as old as three years in existence and some just born in the last few months, have something that their older communities would give anything to have - a prime location - in one of the fastest growing areas of the Coastal Empire.

West Chatham County has undergone a major industrial and real-estate boom in the past year, with the development of new subdivisions, strip malls, and office buildings. In the future, Pooler and the surrounding area will be home to a new golf community, Multi-Plex cinema, and shopping mall. The housing community is an added-to bonus to the wealth of riches the area is currently enjoying with new restaurants and strip malls being currently built. It is just part of the development excitement that is continuing to build off the Pooler Parkway.

Drive into the Villages at Godley Station, and immediately you enter a world unto itself. The long winding roads and the rows of homes already established in the subdivisions is much like its own little community. Plush green grass and country-club amenities are visible throughout the drive around the community. While a row of homes may be occupied by families with small children playing in the front yard, other structures are still under construction waiting to be sold by various contractors in the Coastal Empire.

Steve Petro, director of sales marketing for the Villages at Godley Station, said the community continues to grow. This growth has a positive effect on the surrounding community.

"This is the fastest growing community or subdivision in the city," said Petro, who has been in the real-estate business for over 25 years. "We are making people happy."

Petro said the appeal of the Villages at Godley Station is a simple one the community promotes family values. "We offer true value. We have an array of sizes of homes, ranging from the $130s to the $300s. It really just depends on how the home is dressed out," Petro said.

Petro also added that the close proximity of I-95 and I-16 is also very appealing to home buyers. Currently, the community still rests on 400 acres of land and 1,081 homes built out in the area.

The Villages' first neighborhood "Copper Village" consists of 251 home sites. Lifestyle is what is important to the residents at The Villages at Godley Station. You can purchase a home in many different locations, but to find a recreation complex like "Village Park" is not an easy task.

The 5,000- square-foot Clubhouse is the hub of activity for the community. An exercise room, a meeting room, a full- service kitchen and a comfortable parlor area make you feel as if you are home.

The junior Olympic pool highlights the warm weather activities.

Petro said that showing potential homeowners the opportunities that lie within the subdivisions is still a rewarding experience for him. And because there are solid schools and educational opportunities for children in the area, it just adds to the luster of the area.

The Villages at Godley Station built its reputation in much the same way that Southbridge (in west Chatham County) did as a premier home community that can appeal to anyone's sense of style and taste. With two large housing communities within the same part of town, Petro said that this can only help to bring more people into the growing area.

The growth and development of the west part of town was aided in the last year by the plan for DaimlerChrysler to build a van plant off of I-16 and Dean Forest Road.

Since the announcement was first made, stores, banks, and restaurants have come to Pooler.

This has also added in the positive growth and development of a community that five years ago lacked the Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and restaurants that line the streets of Highway 80 and the Pooler Parkway.

"Even though DaimlerChrysler is not coming, the news may have tempered things a little bit. I think it has given the City of Pooler time to grow and develop in an orderly fashion," Petro said. "We don't want people living on top of each other."

This is also an added attraction to families that live across the state line in South Carolina that might be looking for a new change of scenery.

"This is perfect for them. One parent may work in Bluffton or Beaufort, and the other might travel to Savannah daily. We currently have several families that work in both Georgia and South Carolina. This is a perfect location for them," Petro said.

Now because of the interest rate, Petro said families should be looking at buying homes. While other investments may have positive results, real estate is still the soundest and strongest investment people can make.

David M. Levin is the Publications Coordinator for the Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at 652-0227 or at dlevin@savannahnow.com