DEL.ICIO.USThe Search
Couple ready to be owners
For the AJC
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Our house hunters:
Although they grew up just two minutes apart in Marietta, Chris and Jennie Barry didn’t meet each other until Chris’ senior year and Jennie’s junior year at Wheeler High School. They took a class together and began dating. Their romance continued despite different colleges — Berry College and UGA, respectively — and they married nearly two years ago after Chris had joined Jennie in Athens to attend grad school. After graduation, Chris took the director of youth and children’s music position at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Buckhead, and Jennie went to work with her brother’s Internet business, Grill Part Search. It was time for them to become homeowners.
The process:
They had rented a house in Athens, so “we knew we had enough stuff” for a three-bedroom house, Chris said, laughing. They wanted at least three bedrooms and two baths, a big yard for their 70-pound “mutt” Charlie, as well as plenty of room for their marmalade tabby cat, Fiyero — and room to grow. Since so many of their family members and friends live close by, they needed room to entertain and somewhere for Chris to put his charcoal and gas grills. So who would help them find their dream home? “It was serendipitous,” Jennie said, smiling. Through a complicated series of connections, they met Vickie Bracewell of the Chuck and Marshall Group, Re/Max Metro Atlanta and felt comfortable instantly. “I went from my car directly into hers, and as soon as I sat down, I felt like we knew each other,” Chris recalled. Jennie agrees and says she also appreciated Bracewell’s ability to help the first-time home buyers decide exactly what they wanted. “Being a first-time home buyer can be kind of scary,” she said, “and Vickie always gave us her opinions, which was great because we didn’t know very much. She also made sure that what we thought was what was important to her. … She soaked up everything we said” and helped them find just the right house.
Choice #1: Nice flow
Located in Tucker’s Hunter’s Walk subdivision, this four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath traditional was built in 1984 and listed for $199,500. The couple liked the floor plan; downstairs, the kitchen overlooked a breakfast area and a big den with a fireplace, and they also had a large sunroom. “The backyard was fenced and also had a lot of older trees,” Chris recalled.
Choice #2: Vaulted ceilings
Chris and Jennie loved the vaulted ceilings in this 1996 traditional located in Tucker’s Arbor Cove subdivision. The three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath traditional was in great shape and was listed for $193,000. “It had a beautiful yard and also a great porch,” Jennie said. Lots of windows made it bright and sunny inside, and the master bath had a separate tub and shower, and dual vanities.
Choice #3: Awesome porch
An “awesome porch” instantly caught Jennie’s eye. Chris liked the spacious deck that gave him plenty of room for his grilling. The 1963 split-level had a beautiful sunroom, three bedrooms and three baths, including a bathroom in the large walk-out basement. Listed for $199,000, it was on a corner lot in the Henderson Estates subdivision of Doraville.
Which house did they choose?
No. 1. Chris and Jennie love their new home — its location, size, floor plan, yard. But most of all they love it because “it’s ours!” Jennie said, laughing. Chris agrees, adding that they both liked the idea that they could put their own stamp on it. “We could move in and live in it just fine,” he said, “and as we grow into it, we can fix it up ourselves so that it reflects our own personalities.” So far, they’re also enjoying the sunroom, the huge master suite and the upstairs washer and dryer. They’ve been in the house less than a month and have already completed one room, their den. “It’s our own place to come home to … ours,” Chris said, smiling. And how about entertaining? Terrific, Chris reports. Friends and family celebrated Jennie’s dad’s birthday at their house this year, and there was room for everyone.