Seeking a home with one level and a location near her sister, Janice Ashurst and her husband, Eddie, moved from Gwinnett County into a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home with a full basement in Monroe's Alcovy Lakes last year. She chatted about her home-buying experience.

Q: What prompted the move?

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Janice and Eddie Ashurst bought a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home on one level in Alcovy Lakes in Monroe.

Getting there Take U.S. 78 to Monroe. Take the Ga. 11 south exit and travel about five miles. Turn right onto Alcovy Mountain Road. Alcovy Lakes has two entrances. The first one will be on the right.

A: My husband has Parkinson's disease. We needed to get a house with the master on the main level. We were getting that and getting out of Gwinnett County. Growth was getting so bad. We just love it out there. It's country.

Q: How long did you look?

A: We had our house on the market for a year and three months. When we sold our house, my brother-in-law had watched this house being built. He said, "Oh, I know the perfect house for y'all." We came out here and I fell in love with it right away. We had to be out of our house in three weeks. We came here and [the builder] had just finished this house. He was just putting it on the market. Everything was done in neutral color, so everything we had pretty much just fit.

: What appealed to you about Alcovy Lakes?

A: It's just quiet and peaceful out here. We have deer that run around, and we see fox squirrels out in the yard a lot. We look out and see nothing but beautiful land and trees.

Q: How is the style different from your previous home?

A: We had a traditional house before, so nothing was open. We love that our living room, our dining room, our den is all open. I have a big, nice kitchen. This is a great layout for the house.

Q: Is there a drawback about the move?

A: I miss the big grocery stores, the convenience of having it five minutes away. We're 20 minutes from Loganville, 30 minutes from Athens. But that's no big deal. It's worth that to be out here.

TRACT FACTS

Address: 1790 Alcovy Mountain Road, Monroe 30655

County: Walton

Information: 404-285-2658, www.triciahinton.com

Price range: $399,900-$629,900

Number of homes: 52

Square footage: about 3,000-4,200

Lot sizes: 2-4 acres, on average

Standard features: four-sided brick, granite countertops, hardwood floors in all living areas

Amenities: two lakes, park

Homeowners fees: $550 annually

Developer: Alcovy Development

Builder: Therrien Homes

Broker: Tricia Hinton, Avalar Realty East

Schools: Monroe Elementary, Carver Middle, Monroe Area Comprehensive High School

More on schools: www.ajchomefinder.com/schoolguide