Living out of boxes in an apartment was already frustrating, but Brandon and Stephanie Hunt knew the limited space was no longer an option when they learned they were having a baby. The couple, who grew up in Lawrenceville, kept to their Gwinnett County roots in their hunt for a single-family home.
The priority
The couple, who got married in September 2010, wanted to put down roots and enjoy some of the wedding gifts they hadn’t been able to use in their Suwanee apartment. “When I found out I was pregnant, we were like, ‘OK, we really need to get into a house,’” said Stephanie, 29, a freelance graphic designer and marketing manager for an art dealer. “We wanted to bring the baby into an established home, not with boxes everywhere.” Their son, Wyatt, was born in August 2012.
The search
The Hunts focused on Dacula, Buford and Suwanee, working with Lisa Harris of RE/MAX Center. Having a yard was a major factor, since they wanted to create a garden and have two dogs. They preferred a two-story with stairs over a ranch-style home. A newer community and cul-de-sac location with less traffic also were important factors. Although they were from Gwinnett County, the Hunts researched specific elementary schools and talked to people who worked for the school system. “Instead of preparing for what’s going to happen tomorrow, we were preparing for what’s going to happen in the next five to seven years,” Stephanie said.
The home
The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home has about 2,238 square feet. “We knew that what we got our family could grow in and make it ours,” Stephanie said.
The home, built in 1996, was a Freddie Mac HomeSteps foreclosure that the couple had flagged as Brandon’s favorite early on, but the home quickly went under contract twice, Harris said. When the home, which had new carpet and paint inside, came back on the market the third time, the couple snagged it after competing against multiple bids and having to make their “highest and best” offer, Harris said.
The home tugged at their heartstrings, Stephanie said, because they could envision living there, down to where they would put their couch and TV. The home also is walking distance to the neighborhood pool and playground. “We didn’t think we could get the house that we actually got. That was something that I ended up learning,” said Brandon, 27, who works for a property management firm in Lawrenceville. “You can dream big and you can get it.”
The lifestyle
The home also offered a convenient location to 12Stone Church and activities such as Gwinnett Braves games and shopping at Mall of Georgia and stores such as Publix. The Evergreen on the Apalachee neighborhood in Dacula, with homes in the high $100,000s, is just 4 miles from Brandon’s job, and a day care is less than a half mile away.
Immediate family members live within 20 minutes, and extended family members are in Stone Mountain and McDonough. “We enjoy having our family and friends over,” Stephanie said. “I love it because the way the house is laid out, the kitchen is open to the breakfast nook, which opens up to the living room. When I’m in the kitchen, I can have my family be in the living room and still be part of the conversation.”
