Selling their Buckhead condo within a week launched Chris and Margot Carmichael on their hunt for a suburban single-family home.
After making the two-bedroom, two-bath condo in Paramount at Buckhead look like a model home, the Carmichaels snagged a buyer offering 96 percent of their asking price in the mid-$200,000s. But they had to move fast because the buyer wanted to move in within three weeks.
“We had nowhere to live,” said Margot, 31, a fourth-grade teacher. “We were actively looking at 10 houses a day. We found things that were close, but we couldn’t quickly enough find something that we loved, so we stayed with Chris’ parents for about five weeks.”
They sought more space indoors and outdoors for themselves and their pets – two dogs and two cats. These three homes in north Fulton County were among the contenders as the Carmichaels worked with Blair Branch Huckeba of Dorsey Alston Realtors.
No. 1
Move-in ready
A four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home in Alpharetta’s Donamere neighborhood boasted incredible interior features such as travertine tile and an over-sized shower in the master bathroom, high-end stainless steel appliances and a screened porch and patio. A stacked stone fireplace was a focal point in the two-story great room. The traditional-style home also had been recently painted. The home, built in 1993, was listed for $329,900.
No. 2
Stately brick
A three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home in the Haynes Landing neighborhood in Alpharetta touted a nearly $200,000 renovation. Among the updates: a new deck leading to a private backyard; Thomasville cabinets and marble countertops in the redone kitchen; white pine ebony hardwood floors and new Jeld-Wen windows. The bathrooms also looked like new. The home, built in 1986, was listed for $300,000.
No. 3
Roswell redo
A five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home with a basement in Roswell’s Martins Landing neighborhood offered Colonial-style character plus updates such as granite countertops, new cabinets, new paint and updated bathrooms. A new roof and HVAC also were among the changes. A covered back porch opened to a large, landscaped backyard. The home, built in 1979, was listed for $279,900.
The Choice
No. 3. They had planned to buy choice No.1, but the contract didn’t go through after the inspection. They were outbid on choice No. 2, even after making a full-price offer. “The whole process was really hard in the price range we were looking in. It seemed like the moment houses went on the market they were gone,” Margot said. The house they chose ended up being perfect, they said, because of the size of the yard, the basement, the porch and an “in-law suite” over the garage with a separate staircase and a bathroom. “The yard was a big factor. We wanted it to be private and big enough. A lot of the houses were great and the backyard was just not great,” Margot said. They put in an offer the same day, within 24 hours of the home being on the market, and closed on the house in May. “If you see a house that you love, and you can afford it, then go for it,” said Chris, 27, a CPA.
