Bob and Jenny Lee Allgood found a cabin in Mineral Bluff’s Piney Ridge community with a floor plan different than others they had seen in their vacation home search. Bob, 53, a manager for Verizon Wireless, and Jenny Lee, 47, a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, chatted about their purchase.
Why Mineral Bluff: "We thought about the beach, but it's so far," Bob said. "We wanted something closer that we could just hop up to for the weekend." They also wanted a view, and the home they chose sat on about 1.5 acres with views of mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Their home: The three-bedroom, three-bath foreclosure was built in 2004 and had been vacant for months. The couple had been looking for a furnished home, but Scott Nichols, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker High Country Realty, decided at the end of the day to show them this cabin, which was unfurnished. "He said, 'The heat's not going to be on and there's no (furniture), and I know you wanted it furnished, but it is workable," Jenny Lee said. "It was beautiful. It was different from anything we had seen." They also didn't immediately walk into the kitchen when entering, unlike others, and the floor plan separated the bedrooms on all three levels. They purchased furniture from Town and Country Furniture in Blue Ridge, choosing a microfiber sofa with two ottomans for the great room, and a sectional and entertainment center in the basement. The home, which they call "The Spruce Roost," has a screened porch, a wraparound porch and a covered deck.
How far from home: About two hours, from Suwanee.
How often they're there: About twice a month.
What they do when they're there: The couple and their kids, Anna, 12; John, 9; and Bo, 7, have been exploring all the activities, such as whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River in Tennessee, tubing, hiking, watching movies at the Swan Drive-In Theatre in Blue Ridge and visiting nearby small towns.
What they love about it: "When you go on a vacation for a week and you come back, you have to get over the vacation basically. It doesn't feel like that at all, it just feels like you're home," Jenny Lee said. "It is awesome to just go up there, stop the world and get off."
The buying process: Extra paperwork was involved, but overall, it was a pretty easy process, Bob said. They put in an offer before last Thanksgiving, and negotiated with a bank in California, which accepted their offer in late December. The bank also paid to have the plumbing repaired because several pipes burst in December, and paid the bulk of the closing costs. They sold some investments to come up with a down payment and locked in at a 4.5 percent interest rate.
At a glance
Bob and Jenny Lee Allgood’s home in Mineral Bluff has three bedrooms, three baths and about 1,752 square feet of livable space, according to tax records. They purchased it in January.
Community overview
The Piney Ridge community is centrally located to historic downtown Blue Ridge and attractions such as the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway and the Ocoee Adventure Center (for whitewater rafting and kayaking). Residents can explore, hike and mountain bike in the Chattahoochee National Forest; more than 40 percent of the land in Fannin County is national forest land. Piney Ridge is a small, informal community with paved roads and about two dozen cabin-style homes, most of which are vacation homes, Nichols said. Listings range from $195,000-$310,000. Most cabins have outstanding views of the mountains of North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, he said.
Information
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
www.blueridgemountains.com
Coldwell Banker High Country Realty
www.MountainsOfGeorgia.com
Getting there
Take I-75 north to I-575 north, which turns into Ga. 5/515. Go through Jasper, Ellijay and Blue Ridge. About 5 miles north of Blue Ridge, take a left on Ga. 60. Take a right on Humphrey Mill Road. Turn right onto Piney Road.
For sale
$270,000: 1090 Spruce Circle, Mineral Bluff 30559. A two-bedroom, 2 ½-bath cabin built in 2007 on 1.7 acres with a full unfinished basement.
$310,000: 926 Spruce Circle, Mineral Bluff 30559. A three-bedroom, three-bath cabin built in 2005 on 1 acre with three stone fireplaces.
Recent sale
$154,000: Lot E, Spruce Circle, Mineral Bluff 30559. A two-bedroom, two-bath cabin built in 2003 on 1.5 acres with a full basement.
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