Like other retired buyers, Thomas Stifler and Gretchen Bourgeois came to Atlanta to live closer to their children and grandchildren. Moving from a 21-year-old house on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, they also wanted lower insurance and taxes, and no maintenance worries when they began their search in June.
Five months later, they moved into a new villa in the Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm in Cumming, which is near family in Milton and Smyrna.
The couple, who are in their 70s, chatted about their purchase.
Q: Did you see many differences in the over-55 communities?
A: Stifler: They all have their different emphasis. Some of them have huge clubhouses and smaller homes. Some have larger homes and smaller clubhouses. Some have a lot of emphasis on the clubs and meeting people and doing things, and some have less, with more privacy.
Q: What was important to you?
A: Stifler: We wanted to be near excellent medical facilities. We wanted convenience to shopping and restaurants. And we wanted the activities that are offered, such as a fitness center and a pool. Since we came from southern Mississippi, where Katrina hit and where the insurance rates and taxes are so high, we wanted a place that had reasonable taxes and reasonable insurance rates.
Q: That’s where living in Forsyth County was a plus, right?
A: Stifler: I’m 77. We’re of the age where it made a great deal of difference to us that we didn’t have to pay the taxes [due to school tax exemption and other exemptions based on age]. The taxes are half here. In Mississippi, just your homeowners insurance will cost $2,500, $3,000. It’s about ... $800 here.
Q: How did the Orchards appeal to you?
A: Stifler: The first thing we liked was the fact that you had a number of choices and a number of prices.
Bourgeois: Another feature that we enjoyed and were looking for was no outside maintenance and yard work. We had gotten to the point where we hired it all done anyway, but you still have to worry if they didn’t show up on the day they were supposed to.
Q: How did the floor plan help as you downsized?
A: Bourgeois: Even though we got rid of a lot of things before we moved here, there still is very ample storage space. We have a broom closet in the laundry room. Then, upstairs in the loft area, there’s ample storage for Christmas and so forth. I have cabinets that I don’t have anything in. I never did in my other house.
Q: How did you get to personalize your home?
A: Stifler: We had a number of choices that we got to make, such as the flooring and some painting, and we put in a bookcase and cabinet in the living room. And plantation shutters.
Q: What’s a tip for senior buyers?
A: Stifler: The thing that is most important to me is to find the right Realtor that has expertise in that area. [They worked with Anita Bryde with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.] Before you find a Realtor, you need to do your homework. You need to realize what a 55-over community is. Here, they have different types of homes. You obviously need to check into the developer. In this day and age, some developers are making it and some are not.
At a glance
The couple’s new home in the Orchards of Brannon Oak Farm is about 2,300 square feet, with three bedrooms and three baths. The couple purchased it in October. Homes in the community range from the $240,000s to $380,000s.
