Name: Barbara Wedding
The home: A four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home built in 1992 with a basement
Where: Johns Creek
Why she sold: Wedding decided to sell her home of 20-plus years as her youngest son was heading to college. She was interested in quiet active-adult communities with amenities such as a pool, tennis courts and a gated entrance. She put her home on the market after seeing the homes in Brookhaven at Johns Creek, just 5 miles from her home in the Prestwick neighborhood. She originally wanted to downsize, but put a contract on a newer home with the same number of bedrooms but new-to-her features such as a master on the main.
Time on market: 60 days
Sale price: $605,000
What it took
Putting her four-sided brick home on the market sped up the moving process for Wedding, who focused on de-cluttering. She didn’t mess around when her agent, Gail Laney of RE/MAX Around Atlanta, suggested changes to the home’s decor. For example, Laney recommended removing the artificial greenery above cabinets to open up the space. “Within 30 minutes I had all that stuff down,” Wedding said. Even cleaning off the countertops made rooms appear different in the professional photos that accompanied the listing, she said.
Some of the positive features were out of Wedding’s control, including the north Fulton County schools (Medlock Bridge Elementary, Autrey Mill Middle and Johns Creek High), three-car garage and the 1-plus acre lot with a fenced backyard.
“It was a perfect location for a family,” she said. “The backyard was fabulous. It was large enough to have kids play.”
Extras included heated tile floors in the master bathroom and double-paned, maintenance-free aluminum windows.
Potential stumbling block
Wedding placed a contingent contract on a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home in Brookhaven at Johns Creek and needed to sell her house in 90 days. Within three weeks of putting her home on the market, she had a contract. Then the buyers backed out. She was hoping to get $615,000 for the home, but when another contract came in a month later, she agreed to the lower sale price.
“I was nervous. If the one on my previous home fell though, I thought, how in the heck am I going to pay for two mortgages?” she said.
Seller’s hint
Get the home inspected before a buyer goes through the process. Wedding said her home inspection brought up items that she was able to repair prior to selling the home. When the buyer’s inspector finished the report, Wedding was not asked to make any changes.
