The Search
Mark and Lauren Giles waited until their home in Athens sold before they purchased a new home. During that time, they rented in Cumming, where Lauren, who had been in law school at the University of Georgia, is an attorney with Miles Patterson Hansford Tallant.
After their home sold in 2010, they got serious about their search, seeking to buy in the same Cumming area they had enjoyed as renters.
No. 1
Too much clutter?
The finished basement in a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home on Barrett Downs Drive was an extra perk. The European-style home had tons of storage, and it was close to Lauren’s job. The kitchen, however, had a Tuscan look that didn’t fit their taste. Cluttered areas, such as trophies filling a hallway leading to the basement, also were distracting when they toured the home. The home, built in 1997 in the Barrett Downs neighborhood, was listed for $250,000.
No. 2
Worth the investment?
The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath Colonial in a Creekwood Drive neighborhood was a foreclosure. “We thought from looking at the pictures of that house, it had so much character and looked so homey and warm. We could imagine ourselves going in there and getting a good deal,” Lauren said. When they toured the home, they discovered it was old and in poor condition with siding problems and water damage. But the Haw Creek community was a great neighborhood that was well established with beautiful trees, Lauren said. They had to weigh whether they wanted to spend money to fix up the home. The home, built in 1988, was listed for $225,000.
No. 3
Like new
The five-bedroom, three-bath home on Moon Shadow Trace had extra touches, with plantation shutters throughout the house, which was meticulously maintained, Lauren said. The floor plan was a positive for having their parents visit, with a guest room on the main level. The kitchen had granite countertops and plenty of storage, and it was set up for gas, which was their cooking preference. The home, in the High Gables neighborhood, already had a fenced yard, which the couple needed for their dogs, Annie and Max. The home, built in 2001, was listed for $225,000.
The Choice
No. 3. “Mark saw this house on FMLS [the listing service]. He showed it to me and said, ‘We’ve got to see this house.’ We knew before we walked in that this was it,” said Lauren, 29. The couple had just renewed their lease for another six months but decided to break it in order to buy the house. They were competing with another buyer and offering full price. They credit the fact their schedule was flexible enough to close at any time and a personal connection with Mark, 30, working for UPS (where the seller retired from) for helping them get the home. They purchased it in March with help from Vicki Treadwell , an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “It’s a great size for us. It has plenty of room to grow,” Lauren said. “It’s really somewhere we see ourselves long term.”
