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The Rosas — Uruguay-born Cesar and Miami native Melissa — transferred from Washington to Atlanta for Cesar's job a year ago. Married for seven years, Cesar is a training specialist for the property management company Archstone, and Melissa is a marketing professional who has family in the area. They looked forward to finding the right house for themselves and their Boston terrier mix, Tango.

Photos by JAYSON JANOWSKI / Special (ENLARGE)

Great curb appeal

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Big screened porch

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A different look

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Cesar and Melissa Rosas.

The process:

Tango needed a fenced backyard, and Melissa and Cesar were looking for a three-bedroom, two-bath with an open floor plan, comfortable master bedroom, and requiring little — if any — work. They met Realtor Joan Kaplan of the Chuck and Marshall Group, Re/Max Metro Atlanta at one of Joan's open houses, and, Cesar says, "We liked her from the first minute." They soon discovered that Kaplan's intimate knowledge of Atlanta's neighborhoods and schools was just what they needed. "We knew she would find exactly what we were looking for."

Choice #1: The Rosas immediately liked the look of this three-bedroom, two-bath brick ranch in DeKalb County's Diamond Head subdivision. Built in 1963 and listing at $349,900, the house had been updated, was in a family-friendly neighborhood and a great school district. The Rosas also loved the partially finished basement and open floor plan.

Choice #2: Another classic brick ranch in the Diamond Head subdivision, this three-bedroom, two-bath listed at $309,000. It was built in 1964 and had a front yard the couple liked, and a large screened patio. It had beautiful hardwood floors, great built-ins in the dining room and a roomy kitchen with an eat-in area.

Choice #3: Listed at $347,950, this three-bedroom, three-bath, two-story European traditional was built in 1996 and is in Three Oaks in the Briarlake area of DeKalb County. Cesar and Melissa liked the two-car garage, the hardwoods on the main floor, and the fireplace in the master bedroom.

Which home did they choose? House No. 3. "We pulled into the driveway and both said, 'This is the house we were looking for,' " Cesar says. Besides a fireplace that the master bath shares, the large master bedroom has two walk-in closets. And the master bath has a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. "We don't have to fight over space anymore," Cesar and Melissa laugh. Their favorite part of the new house? Tango loves the backyard, and Cesar and Melissa love the double hammock they installed there. Now if they could just relocate some of Atlanta's mosquitoes ...

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