Senior Living
Buck and Peggy Gilbert were planning their move for years. But like other homeowners, they had to sell their longtime Dunwoody townhome before they could move into an active adult community.
When that finally happened, the couple had to move quickly. Now that they’re settled in their new home, Buck, who retired from IBM, and Peggy, a former schoolteacher, chatted about choosing The Villas at Castleberry Township, a 55-and-up neighborhood by O’Dwyer Homes in Cumming.
Q: How long were you thinking about moving?
Buck: We put our first deposit on the lot two years ago in November, and it took us two years to sell our house. We just couldn't start a house and end up with two mortgages. We just waited and waited and waited until we sold it. Once we sold it, we had two weeks to get out. We moved into an apartment in Johns Creek for four-and-a-half, five months.
Q: What was appealing about this floor plan?
Buck: We had come from a townhouse that had a lot of square footage, but it was in the wrong places. Now most of the square footage is in the day-to-day living area, which is what we really like. We have very high ceilings. It's very sunny and bright.
Peggy: Oh my goodness, we have so much more living space. We had a dining room that we weren't using much and a separate living room and a separate kitchen.
Q: How quickly did they build the home?
Buck: About 120 days. That's what they said, and they did it just about on time.
Q: Did you make any changes?
Peggy: We took an outside porch and made it a sunroom, so we did add some square footage. The builder was very, very cooperative in allowing us to make changes, which was important to us.
Buck: We did a little configuration change in the kitchen to get more cabinet space.
Q: What’s the neighborhood atmosphere like?
Peggy: The neighborhood has been so welcoming, even when we were just looking. They were happy to show us their houses, even before we bought.
Buck: Even before we moved in, we were invited to the parties. They have a very nice little clubhouse and swimming pool. When we were younger, we had a neighborhood that was very active, and we did a lot of things. It's nice to get back into that atmosphere. Everybody is very anxious to get together.
Q: What tips would you give other buyers?
Buck: Certainly newness is a major item. Maintenance just gets costly, so at this time in our life, we hope we don't have to run into any major expenses and home upkeep.
At a glance
Buck and Peggy Gilbert’s home in The Villas at Castleberry Township in Cumming has four bedrooms, three baths and about 2,500 square feet. They purchased it in November. Homes in The Villas at Castleberry Township start in the $190,000s.
