Commute is a breeze now

Kenneth and Deborah Anderson didn’t have to research the schools when moving within Gwinnett County - they wanted to buy as close to their boys’ Christian school as possible. Deborah, in between doing homework with 10-year-old K.J. and 5-year-old A.J., chatted about the new home in Norcross’ Buchanan Station.

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Photos by Christopher Oquendo / AJC Special

Kenneth and Deborah Anderson’s home at Buchanan Station in Norcross.

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Homeowners Kenneth and Deborah Anderson love the fact that their commute is so much easier now.

Getting there

Take I-85 north to I-285 West to Exit 31B (Peachtree Industrial Boulevard/Ga. 141 North). Travel about 3.8 miles, forking to the right onto Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at the Ga. 141/Peachtree Industrial split. Turn right onto Holcomb Bridge Road. Follow to West Peachtree Street and turn right. Buchanan Station is located on the left side of West Peachtree Street at the intersection of West Peachtree Street and Hunter Street.

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See more photos of Buchanan Station

Q. Where did you move from?

A. Lawrenceville.

What prompted the move?

We attend Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, which is right down the hill from us, and our sons go to Hopewell Christian Academy, so it helps with the commute after school. Traffic used to get us home about 6:30 p.m. on average. So by the time we got the boys fed, we’d be starting homework about 7 o’clock or 7:30, and it just made for a late night. Now it takes a minute to get from school to the house. We get started earlier with dinner, which makes our whole schedule a lot earlier.

How long were you looking?

We actually had been looking for about two years and nothing materialized. We wanted it to be 5-10 minutes away from the school.

We also had another house to sell, so that was a part of it. We put the house on the market and it didn’t sell. It still hasn’t sold. We’re going to rent it out.

How are you making it work financially?

The mortgage of this home is not due until February. So we are just very hopeful that we’ll have a renter by the time this mortgage is due.

What did you use for the down payment?

We used a 401(k). We knew that was the only place we could get it from.

Why did the architecture of the Buchanan Station homes appeal to you?

I like the style of the homes in (historic Norcross) anyway. They sent us to look at a home in Decatur so that we would know the types of homes that they were building, and we liked that particular style.

What did you like about the floor plan?

The living room or the great room/dining room and kitchen combination is one big area, which is how we specifically asked that it be designed so that we could watch the kids from the kitchen.

Is that your favorite area in the home?

That is my favorite area, and the shower. When we looked at the home they sent us to, it had a bench in the shower. So we asked that we have a (tile) bench in our shower. So after a long day you can just sit and let the water hit you.

At a Glance

Kenneth and Deborah Anderson’s home has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and more than 2,000 square feet of liveable space. They moved in during late December.

Buchanan Station

Address: 174 Hunter St., Norcross 30071

County: Gwinnett

Information: 404-847-9080, Buchanan Station

Price range: $400,000-$575,000

Homes: 18

Square footage: 2,000-2,700

Lot sizes: Average one-fourth of an acre

Standard features: Two-car garage, front porches, 10-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances

Amenities: Sidewalks

Homeowners fees: $1,150 a year ($750 initiation fee)

Developer: McClure Communities, EpiCity

Builder: McClure Construction Co.

Broker: Marcia Reese, Keller Williams Realty

Schools: Susan Stripling Elementary, Summerour Middle, Norcross High

More on schools: ajchomefinder school guide

For sale

$420,000: 174 Hunter St., Norcross 30071. A new 4-bedroom, 3-bath home with granite countertops, tile backsplash and an island in the kitchen.