The Search: ‘We got ourselves in a better financial position'
Mark and Tina Hapner decided to sell their 5-year-old home in the excellent Walton High School district in east Cobb County after both daughters graduated. They wanted to buy a less expensive home to reduce their mortgage debt and help pay for college expenses.
They were looking for new homes under $400,000, and searched in Roswell, Alpharetta, Woodstock and Canton, with the help of Boh Bohorquez, an agent with Harry Norman, Realtors.
Many of the homes they saw had been sitting empty for two or three years, said Tina, 45, who works for a global advertising agency. Mark, 48, is a registered nurse at North Fulton Hospital.
Their previous home spent a year and a half on the market, and the Hapners dropped the price more than $400,000. Within a week of that home going under contract, they started making offers.
“Your house is only going to bring what the market can bear, and that’s what we really found out,” Tina said. “If we were serious about selling and getting ourselves into a better financial position, we had to be willing to come down to the price point where the market could bear.”
No. 1: Detailed and new
The five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home on Harris Walk in Canton's Governor's Preserve neighborhood was started in 2007, but it was just completed this year. Reduced from the mid-$500,000s to $365,000, it had some of the details the couple had in their previous home, plus unexpected features. Those included 10-piece crown molding, a stained pine wood vaulted ceiling in the great room, and granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. The home, with about 4,100 square feet, boasted a bonus room over the three-car garage. The location, however, was 35 miles from east Cobb and wasn't as convenient to downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
No. 2: Room for a pool
The Hapners were moving from a home with a pool, and the new home on Brannon Drive in Canton had a big enough backyard to add one. The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath residence in the Brannon Estates neighborhood featured a large floor plan, with about 4,300 square feet. The kitchen was beautiful, Tina said, with custom cabinets, granite countertops and a breakfast area. Other details included coffered ceilings and a master on the main in the home, which was built in 2007 and listed for $469,900.
No. 3: Exterior appeal
The new four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home on Addie Lane in Canton featured stone, brick and cement siding that created an impressive presence from the curb. "We loved the exterior," Tina said. A spacious kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops opened up to the great room. The home, at about 4,000 square feet, featured multiple fireplaces, two bonus rooms and a vaulted keeping room. It was listed at $499,900. The couple, however, would not be able to add a pool. The neighborhood, Brannon Estates, did have a pool and tennis courts, among other amenities.
The choice
No. 1
The couple purchased the Harris Walk home from the bank in June and negotiated a price lower than the asking price. “We were very fortunate in that it was a very quick process with the bank. We made an offer and closed in 30 days,” Tina said. They previously put an offer on the Addie Lane home, with no response from the agent, and they also had been told their offer on the Brannon Drive home was too low. “We got our mortgage where we wanted it. We got ourselves in a better financial position,” Tina said. “We gave up being close to a lot of shopping and the airport. You have to be willing to do that. I think you see very few people do what we do.”
