The search
Jeff and Lorie Scheer wanted to shorten his commute when they moved from New York back to the Atlanta area for Jeff’s job with Whole Foods Market.
The couple, who lived in Woodstock in the 1990s, focused their search on Roswell and Alpharetta, so Jeff could avoid Ga. 400 to reach work.
“Having lived here before, we were familiar with the amount of traffic on 400, so we wanted to stay away from that, or traffic in general, and minimize our commutes,” said Lorie, 46.
Agent Cindy Bowers, with Solid Source Realty, set up a personalized website so they could look at listings with features they wanted for themselves and their children, 13-year-old Allie and 10-year-old Jacob. After seeing about 50 homes online, they whittled it to a dozen or so homes to view in person during a weeklong trip to Atlanta.
“It seemed like there was definitely enough houses from which to choose,” said Jeff, 44.
The choices included three homes, all in Roswell’s Crabapple Parc neighborhood, a swim-tennis neighborhood across the street from Sweet Apple Elementary.
No. 1
Spacious master
The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home on Baywood Drive made an impression with its huge master bedroom and sitting room, as well as a fenced-in yard. The home was lovely, Lorie said, with noticeable changes such as new carpet. The kitchen was open, but needed updates. The home, built in 1994, was listed for $249,900.
No. 2
Great kitchen
Another four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home on Baywood Drive had a perfect kitchen, with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, and with a view of the family room and fenced backyard. It had been freshly painted, too, but didn’t have a basement, which had been on their wish list. The home, built in 1994, was listed for $264,888.
No. 3
Near amenities
A four-bedroom, three-bath home on Baywood Drive had a similar floor plan to choice No. 2, but with slight differences. A front room had French doors that would allow them to close it off to make a playroom. It also was an easy walk to the pool and tennis courts. The home was in great condition, but heavy rains the week before they viewed it caused water to seep into the entryway and damage the hardwood floors. The home, built in 1994, was listed for $264,900.
The choice
No. 3. The couple, who moved from a home that was nearly 100 years old, appreciated the more modern, open layout of all three homes. The sellers, who were just listing the home when the Scheers viewed it, repaired the floors for them. No. 3 edged the others because the space appeared to meet their needs the best. The neighborhood, which is three miles from Jeff’s work, was a priority, as the couple also wanted a place for their family to play tennis and swim. They purchased the home in May. “We had a lot of conversations with Cindy before we started the physical search process. Once we met, she seemed fairly plugged into what we were looking for. She knows the area very well. She lives around here,” Jeff said. “She knew the neighborhoods to direct us toward. It was finding the correct house.”
