Newcomer Living is a new feature that appears regularly in Homefinder. If you moved to Atlanta and bought a residence in 2013 and are willing to share your story, contact Lori Johnston at lori@fastcopy.biz.
The relocation assistance provided by Ed and Janet Fore’s employer reduced some of the stress of moving from their native state of Mississippi. The company connected them with a real estate agent and paid for closing costs in their Cumming home purchase, said Ed, a quote and bind sales representative with State Farm.
“State Farm made this move so easy. They basically reached under us, picked us up and moved us over here,” he said.
Why Atlanta?
State Farm offered Janet, a claims representative, the opportunity to move to Atlanta. Ed, 51, who owned a business in South Mississippi, was ready for a change and decided to take a job with State Farm.
Putting down roots
The Fores sold their home in 2012, and were connected through State Farm with Lucy Reeves of Re/Max Center, who Ed said had a binder full of homes and new communities for them to tour. The Fores focused on houses in north Fulton and Forsyth counties, seeking proximity to Janet’s office in Johns Creek and a strong school system for their 14-year-old son Michael (two sons remained in Mississippi, with one working and one attending college).
New homes tended to have the open floor plan they desired over older homes. The houses by Edward Andrews Homes in the Marseilles community also offered special amenities they didn’t find in other homes, such as a butler’s pantry in the dining room, coffered ceilings and Whirlpool Gold appliances, Ed said.
The couple built a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home in the Forsyth County neighborhood, which has homes from the mid-$300,000s to high $400,000s. The home has shake, stone and brick on the exterior, and a library with a wood-burning fireplace on the first floor.
“Just being able to pick up and move over here, between State Farm and their move package, and Edward Andrews and the way they conducted business, it just made it very, very simple,” Ed said.
Relocation tip
If building a new home while you’re in another state, make sure everyone involved is meeting regularly and understands your expectations. Ed credits the communication between the community’s sales agent, Donnie Mayer of About Sales, and the construction supervisor, Randy Rhino, who worked as a team and made the building process seamless. “Randy and Donnie worked together on any issue that came up,” he said.
Initially, the Fores, the sales agents and the builder used Skype and FaceTime on their Apple devices to meet. The family moved to Atlanta in summer 2012 and lived in an extended stay hotel until their home was finished in late September 2012.
“Anytime you make a move when you’re our age, you just have to pray,” Fore said. “You get real close to God really fast when you have to make a move of this magnitude.”
