Senior Living
Even while living in Houston, Ken and Erma Axelson maintained strong roots in Atlanta, where Ken had served as director of music at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. After Ken retired, the couple decided to head back to Georgia.
The tempo of their search sped up, though, after they sold their Houston townhome in just eight days and the buyers wanted to close in three weeks. The couple had visited active adult communities, including the Orchards of Habersham Grove in Cumming, on a previous trip, so they returned in 2012 in search of a home to quickly buy.
The 70-year-old couple chatted about the appeal of a 55-and-up community, and how their floor plan offered extra space for Ken, an organist.
Q: What factors caused you to return to Atlanta?
Erma: No. 1 is we have a son and a daughter-in-law and four granddaughters here. We stayed in Houston quite a while after retirement, but we decided the next move should be closer to family. And we had a lot of friends here.
Q: What factor did you consider in the location?
Ken: Our son was hopeful that we might get somewhere close to Ga. 400. The Orchards community was ideal. It was less than a couple of miles [from Ga. 400, Exit 14]. Whether it's groceries, restaurants, Lowe's, the Home Depot or department stores, we've got a lot of stores right here. We didn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere where there was no shopping. Also Northside Hospital-Forsyth is right at this exit. As we got older, we thought it was good for us to be closer to a medical facility in case we would need it.
Q: What about the layout appealed to you?
Erma: It's all on one floor, or most of it. We do have a second floor, which is a large bedroom and bath. We built a townhouse in Houston. We knew we needed to get off three floors.
Ken: The stairs were beginning to get to be a bit much. We can survive just fine on the first floor here.
Q: How did the home stand out?
Ken: I'm not stopping everything professionally. My questions always was: Where I am going to put all of my music? We didn't want to do the storage area. It was expensive and it was inconvenient. When we saw this house with the bonus room upstairs, it not only makes a really nice guest bedroom, but it also has plenty of room for my professional stuff. We moved three to four filing cabinets with music and books.
Erma: This house has a lot of upgrades. It has all 3-inch plantation shutters. It also had all the stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors. It has wainscoting in the living room and dining room. They had also built on a morning room, which makes a larger eating area off the kitchen. It's a place to watch TV, too.
Ken: We have granite countertops for the first time in our lives.
Q: What’s one thing that impressed you as you searched?
Ken: One of the things that impressed us here was that as we looked at different homes here, neighbors would come out and say this is a great place to live, just unsolicited.
At a glance
Ken and Erma Axelson’s home, built in 2006, in the Orchards of Habersham Grove in Cumming has three bedrooms, three baths and about 2,300 square feet. They purchased it in February, assisted by Barbara Malm with Harry Norman, Realtors. Homes are in the low $200,000s.
