Bigger backyards and homes with brick and stone exteriors stood out as Dr. Sheba Antony and her husband, Joseph, looked at the suburban metro Atlanta market.
The couple and their kids, 14-year-old Karun and 10-year-old Roshni, relocated from the Chicago area, where the Antonys had lived for 19 years. The move to west Cobb County also saved the family money on expenses such as property taxes, which Dr. Antony estimates were three times higher in Chicago.
Why Atlanta?
The family headed south for health reasons and Joseph’s job as an engineer with UL, a global independent safety science company, as well as to move closer to family. Dr. Antony, a pediatrician, practiced in Illinois after completing her residency in pediatrics at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and now works for WellStar Health System. “I love the weather. I love the beauty of this place,” said Dr. Antony.
Putting down roots
The family moved from Chicago in autumn 2012, renting a home in Marietta. While renting, they began their house search, working with real estate agent Scott Bellinetti, a broker with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage. They viewed 40 to 50 homes over about four months.
Atlanta homes offered more for the money than in Chicago, Dr. Antony said. Homes with brick exteriors in the Chicago area are one-and-a-half times more expensive than similar homes in the Atlanta area. More importantly, the upgrades here, such as hardwood floors and stone facades, make the homes more attractive, the couple said. Schools were another important factor. The Antonys narrowed the location to Harrison High by reviewing test scores.
The family also desired a master on the main, an open floor plan, and bedrooms that didn’t face the west, to avoid the heat of the sun. Their Chicago home had a finished basement, and the family desired to buy a basement home again, which offers space for guests.
They purchased a new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home with an unfinished basement in Acworth’s Eagles Crest, an Acadia Homes neighborhood with properties from the $400,000s. The home has a three-car garage, and the 0.8-acre lot was more than twice as large as their Chicago area property. “It has a beautiful private backyard,” Dr. Antony said.
Since the home was under construction, modifications included placing hardwood floors on the entire main level, including the master. Dr. Antony said she had a kitchen in her Chicago basement, which kept strong aromas from the main floor. No kitchen was planned for this basement, but a hood and exhaust fan were added above the stove top in the kitchen, where a microwave had been planned. Instead of a double oven, they put in a microwave, single oven and warming drawer. They moved into their new home on Valentine’s Day this year.
Relocation tip
If moving to an area where the cost of living is cheaper and you can get more house for your money, consider space that you had to sacrifice previously. The Acworth home gave the family one more bathroom than they had in the Chicago area, where the kids had to share a bathroom. “The bathroom was the big thing and a decision maker,” Dr. Antony said.
