Rob and Sileide Martins looked forward to warmer weather and more yard space for their 9-year-old son, Andre, when they moved from Evanston, Ill., to Georgia.
The family relocated for Rob’s job as a sales executive at Hitachi Consulting in Atlanta. They weren’t familiar with metro area neighborhoods, however, so Mike Toltzis, a real estate agent with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, showed them more than 20 homes in less than four days.
In Evanston, they lived in an area where they could walk to restaurants and shopping areas. The family was willing to adapt to more trips in the car as they viewed homes in suburban Atlanta. Neighborhoods with a pool and kids were top priorities.
They considered these three homes in the Marietta and Roswell area of Cobb County.
No. 1: Newly updated
The four-bedroom, three-bath home on Creek Haven Drive in Marietta was recently renovated with updated granite countertops in the kitchen, but was missing appliances. The cathedral ceilings, large bathrooms and walk-in closets gave it a fresh feel. The home had a two-story family room with a fireplace and a first-floor guest suite. The house, built in 1998 in the Creekstone subdivision and Lassiter High School district, was listed for $300,000.
No. 2: Ranch in the woods
A four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house on Skye Trace in Roswell interested the Martins family because of its open kitchen, wood-burning fireplace and modern, spacious bathrooms. The backyard was professionally landscaped with a fenced yard, irrigation system and patio. However, the cedar ranch home needed repairs inside and out. Loch Highland was an older neighborhood, with over 300 houses. Garrison Mill Elementary, Mabry Middle and Lassiter High schools were the assigned schools, and the elementary school was less than a mile away. The home, built in 1984, was listed for $319,900.
No. 3: Charmer on a crest
A four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath on Whitfield Drive in Marietta was a beauty. The home sat on top of a small hill, leaving room for a full basement and two-car garage underneath the main level. The previous owners left a pool table in the basement and trampoline in the fenced backyard. The Whitfield swim and tennis neighborhood also appeared to have less traffic than others they visited. The home was in the Rocky Mount Elementary, Simpson Middle and Lassiter High district. The home, built in 1982, was listed for $339,000.
The choice: No. 3
They originally put an offer in on No. 2, but retreated after the inspection identified a number of repairs. The couple put an offer on the home they purchased about a week after viewing it. They purchased it in July 2015 and have renovated the bathrooms and the kitchen. They are continuing family traditions, like Sunday brunch at restaurants now in nearby downtown Roswell.
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