Leigh Builder and her husband, Allen, a financial adviser, considered moving to a condo after nearly a year of looking at single-family homes, particularly in the Buckhead area. It was plans for The Aberdeen in Vinings that persuaded them. Leigh, who teaches anxiety and stress management skills, chatted about their Aberdeen condo.
Q: Where did you move from?
A: We had lived for 20 years in an old English Tudor home on Peachtree Battle in Buckhead. As soon as I got the information on The Aberdeen, it was a done deal. I just knew it was going to be the right choice for us. We were so impressed with them (developer Taz Anderson Realty and architect Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart) from the get-go.
Q: Why did it change your mind?
A: I guess what attracted us to even considering a condo was the vision that Taz Anderson had of creating a manor- home feel without the manor-home headaches. We weren't that interested in the cliché sleek contemporary condo building. The architecture of The Aberdeen has a very European feel. We didn't want a large building with hundreds of units. It was a small boutique building of only about 55 homes.
Q: How long did you look?
A: We probably were looking for a year. All these were homes. We had planned on staying in Buckhead. But the location, we're so close (to Buckhead). Those taxes in Cobb County are wonderful. They're going to be probably less than half of what we were paying on Peachtree Battle.
Q: What impact did the economy have on the process?
A: When the economy kind of changed, we thought maybe we wouldn't stay with the project. Our concern was sometimes with these economic times, a lot of properties might be cutting corners with their quality. Taz Anderson did not cut any corners. We were so impressed with them that we decided to stay.
Q: What do you enjoy about your condo?
A: There are so many things. The standard products like Waterworks bath fixtures and Thornhill cabinetry are wonderful. We had a friend from another condo building visit us. They moved [into] their condo a couple of years ago. They were saying that the quality of our standard cabinetry was better than their high-end cabinetry offered.
Q: Can you describe your views?
A: The views are absolutely stunning. I see downtown and Buckhead. Even when the clouds come in, it's like you're above the clouds and it's like the Scottish moors. All the terraces are on one side and they're overlooking the pool area. One thing we also like about this building is it is a more mature buyer. We probably won't have a lot of young singles and rock stars and celebrities partying poolside into the wee hours of the morning.
Q: What other amenities appealed to you?
A: My husband and I are both golfers, so having the putting green, we love. Also, they have a very nice golf simulator. On the other side of the pool is boccie ball courts. I don't know how to play boccie ball, but a lot of my friends do. I can't wait to have a boccie ball party.
Allen and Leigh Builder’s condo in The Aberdeen has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths and about 4,300 square feet of space, including the terrace. They purchased it in January.
The Aberdeen
Address: 2700 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta 30339
County: Cobb
Information: 770-435-6428, www.aberdeenatl.com
Price range: $689,000- $2.9 million
Homes: 55
Square footage range: 1,728-4,900
Standard features: Custom cabinets by Thornhill, Viking Professional Series of appliances, granite counter tops, Waterworks bath fixtures, heated Jacuzzi tubs in master baths, travertine bathroom floors, site-finished white oak flooring, terraces with storage rooms
Amenities: Putting green, heated saltwater pool with sun shelf and lap swim, hot tub, boccie court, picnic pavilion with Viking appliances, virtual golf, wine cellar with unit owners' wine lockers, club room with fireplace, big screen TV, game tables, and adjacent catering kitchen and board room for private functions, pet walk and pet shower, covered reserved parking with remote activated garage doors, monitored security system, and 24-hour concierge services, including valet parking, professional property management
Homeowners’ fees: 36 cents per square foot (two-month reserve contribution due at closing)
Schools: Teasley Elementary, Campbell Middle, Campbell High
More on schools: schools.ajc homefinder.com
Getting there
Take I-75 north to Exit 255 (West Paces Ferry Road) and turn left under the overpass onto Paces Ferry Road. Travel west on Paces Ferry Road, across the Chattahoochee River and up the hill into Vinings. The Aberdeen is on the left at the top of the hill.
For sale
$689,000: 2700 Paces Ferry Road S.E., Unit #203, Atlanta 30339. A two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a den.
$2.9 million: 2700 Paces Ferry Road S.E., Unit #1101, Atlanta 30339. A four-bedroom, 4 1/2 bath condo with a coffered ceilings and a wet bar in the den and a fireplace in the master suite.
Recent sales
$2.328 million: 2700 Paces Ferry Road S.E., Atlanta 30339. A three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath unit with a den, formal living room and formal dining room.
$2.024 million: 2700 Paces Ferry Road S.E., Atlanta 30339. A three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath unit with a den, two master suites and a terrace with a fireplace.
