Brad and Erinn Goldman only had one 9-month-old child when they bought their Brookhaven home, which was built in 1966. As their family expanded, they didn’t have to move far — just a mile away — to find a home for their three kids, Justin, now 11, Teddy, 8, and Elise, 5.
The priority
The Goldmans desired more space than their split-level home offered and upgraded features, but without sacrificing their quick commutes to the Perimeter Mall area. They didn’t pressure themselves into moving, though.
“We were in a position where we were looking for a house but if we wouldn’t have found what we wanted, we were fine where we were,” said Brad, who works for AutoTrader.com. “There was nothing wrong with it. We wanted more room but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world.”
Added Erinn: “We’ve been in the neighborhood for 10 years and we’ve developed friendship here. Our kids … felt really tied to the school and their friends.”
The search
The couple toured some homes when they had free time on Sundays, looking in Brookhaven and Dunwoody. One weekday, Erinn took a different route as she drove home from her job at the Nucleus Group, a pharmaceutical consulting firm, and saw a home under construction on a corner just off Ashford-Dunwoody Road. They hadn’t considered new homes, but it had the full basement and the right location — about 90 seconds from I-285, they estimate.
“It was pretty much just a hole in the ground and a very preliminarily framed when I drove by. The location was critical. Then I liked the yard,” she said. “I knew that being the new home, it would have most of the key features we were interested in.”
The home
The five-bedroom, four-bath Brookhaven home, built by Home South In Town, is twice as big as their former home and allowed room to spread out. The boys had been sharing a bedroom, but as they got older, the parents wanted them to have separate spaces for themselves and to hang out with their friends.
The floor plan of the home, which has about 5,000 square feet and a 2,500-square-foot unfinished basement, also offered a dedicated office and a guest room for out-of-town visitors. The Craftsman-style home, which has a front porch, columns and aged-looking brick, helped the new two-story home fit into the neighborhood, Erinn said.
Another offer came in on the home, which had a $750,000 asking price, but the builder accepted the Goldmans’ offer. The builder agreed to make adjustments, such as adding a couple more windows, screening in the porch, creating a flagstone walkway and installing a few more light fixtures. Interior details include judges paneling in the dining room, coffered ceilings and built-in bookcases in the living room, a large center island in the kitchen, hardwood floors, tiled baths and granite countertops.
Working with Collette McDonald of Re/Max Around Atlanta on the sale and purchase, they put their Brookhaven home on the market after moving in. They received multiple offers, including one for $20,000 over the asking price in the mid-$300,000s.
The lifestyle
The children didn’t have to change schools and they already knew kids in their new neighborhood. The home is so close to their jobs that Brad and Erinn frequently walk to work.
“A non-negotiable for us is that we have this great quality of life with these short commutes. That wasn’t what we were willing to change,” said Erinn.
Added Brad: “We weren’t sure we would be able to hold to that. We found the right place.”
