After getting engaged in December 2011, Rick Lara and Marissa Lucret decided to buy a home together. When they found two possibilities, the couple had to determine a final choice.
Lara, 44, who works in hotel management, and Lucret, 31, who works in human resources, chatted about their Roswell home.
Q: What did you want in a home?
Rick: I wanted something that was a little outside the city, preferably north. I wanted something that had hardwood floors. I wanted something that had a lot of character, and features like a fireplace and an office were pretty critical to me.
Q: Where did you search?
Marissa: We mainly concentrated on the Roswell area. We branched out into Alpharetta and Johns Creek but really determined Roswell was where we wanted to be — just the charm and character of the city and a good school system.
Q: What were you finding on the market?
Marissa: We found that by the time it came to the weekend and securing the tour, a lot of homes had gone under contract. It turned out to be a little more difficult than we originally expected.
Q: How did you decide on the one you purchased?
Marissa: There were two homes that we finally decided, "These both fit what we're looking for." One I had more of a preference for, and one Rick had more of a preference for. We would have been fine either way. We made an offer on the other house first, and the homeowners decided not to sell. So we made the offer on the home we're in now. I think initially we were somewhat taken aback because it was being sold through a relocation company. It wasn't a typical purchase.
Q: What was it like to buy from a relocation company?
Marissa: There was a lot more paperwork involved in the process than I think either of us would have imagined. A lot of things with that process turned out in our favor. The company did its full inspection of the home. A lot of the items that needed repairs or bringing up to code had been in the works. By the time we got our inspection, there were only a few things that needed to be fixed.
Q: What do you love about the house?
Rick: The built-in bookshelves, the fireplace and the vaulted ceiling in the living room were a huge plus for me. I like the office space. The master suite has a little tiny porch outside. There's a large deck and patio out back.
Marissa: I really like that the kitchen and living room space are open and connected. The kitchen had already had some updates. They had recently put in granite countertops and stainless appliances. They had done some remodeling of the master bathroom with nice stone tile work and a separate Jacuzzi tub and shower.
Q: What’s the neighborhood like?
Marissa: The house is in a fantastic community. The subdivision has a little lake with a gazebo. It's quaint. It's in a smaller subdivision, which is nice. I feel like we've gotten to know some of our neighbors better than we had in a larger community. It has felt like home quickly for us.
Q: What’s a tip for buyers?
Rick: It's important not to rush into a purchase.
Marissa: I went into this process thinking we would fall in love with a home a lot sooner than we actually did. It's the biggest purchase you're going to make in your life. You want to be able to get into a home where you know you want to stay and develop some resale value and equity in the home.
At a glance
Rick Lara and Marissa Lucret’s home, built in 1998 in Roswell’s Darien Park neighborhood, has four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and about 2,700 square feet. They bought it in April, assisted by Laurie Nixon with Redfin. Homes in Darien Park are in the high $200,000s to low $300,000s.
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