The Sale
Name: Bryan and Deanna Tilley and their kids, Trevor, 12, and Aubree, 9
The home: A five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home with a finished basement built in 2001.
Where: Suwanee's River Mist neighborhood
Why they sold: A job transfer resulted in them moving back to Kentucky. The family moved to Suwanee in July 2011 when Bryan, 39, was transferred to the area for his job with Martin Marietta Materials, a supplier of crushed stone, sand and gravel. But then his job responsibilities at Martin Marietta changed, and he had to commute 60 miles each way to Tyrone, south of Atlanta. Bryan accepted a job offer with another company, Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel Co., which required them to move back to Kentucky. The Tilleys put the house on the market in March 2012.
Time on market: Six days
Original price: $379,500
Sale price: $363,000
What it took: The location in a sought-after Forsyth County school district (Settles Bridge Elementary, Riverwatch Middle, Lambert High) originally attracted them to the home and brought in the buyers, who had been renting in the district and were looking to stay there, Bryan said.
He also credits his wife and the agent, Gloria Damiano with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, for taking the home sale seriously from the start.
“Gloria talked quite a bit about the presentation of the house. My wife would bounce ideas off her,” he said.
Deanna created a homey feel for potential buyers with touches such as well-lit rooms and leaving fresh chocolate cookies on the kitchen counter.
Potential stumbling block: Moving out before the home closed. The Tilleys wanted their buyers to arrive at the home without worrying about immediately having to mow the yard or trim the shrubbery. They hired Alon Willett to maintain the outside. Their neighbors sent them photos of the landscaping, so they would see if anything needed to be tweaked before closing.
Seller's hint: Create a packet that includes the flier about the home, details about the listing, photos and additional information, such as monthly utility costs, the termite bond, the property survey and floor plan. The packet, created by Damiano, allowed people to take information with them and keep that home in mind as they continued their search, Bryan said.
