New Yorkers Marc Mergen and Elaine Chu started their house hunt in Atlanta with an unusual “must have”: a garage for their motorcycles.
Mergen and Chu own five motorcycles, including a BMW R1200 Cruiser like the one seen in the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
“In winter 2015, New York had record-breaking snow,” Mergen said. “So guess where that motorcycle was in our old house? In the living room.”
Why Atlanta?
Mergen, an executive partner at information technology research and advisory company Gartner, was transferred to Atlanta in 2015. Chu, a senior executive assistant for Newell Brands (formerly Newell Rubbermaid), stayed in New York to prepare their home for sale. Chu contacted Tania MacLeod of Harry Norman, Realtors after she saw one of MacLeod’s listings online. Mergen and Chu’s search began in December 2014, although they did not purchase their home until May 2015.
“We told her, we aren’t ready to buy for a few months,” Mergen said. “Most people say OK, just call me when you’re ready, but she was different. Tania helped us get a real feel for what Atlanta was like.”
Putting down roots
After years of living in New York apartments and houses with small kitchens, Chu was ready for a more spacious place to prepare meals and entertain. But with their son and daughter grown up and gone, the house didn’t need to be large.
“We don’t need a lot of house,” she said. “But we did want to be outside the Perimeter and have a little extra space around us.”
Mergen and Chu purchased a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home in Marietta in May 2015 and moved in during June. The 2,100-square-foot home was built in 1988. Similar homes in the Churchill Manor subdivision range from the $200,000s to the$275,000s. Lost Mountain Park is less than 2 miles away and the nearby Avenue at West Cobb features several shops and restaurants. Nearby schools are Still Elementary School, Lovinggood Middle School and Hillgrove High School.
Mergen works from home but travels weekly for his job, so access to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was important. Chu’s commute to Sandy Springs takes about 40 minutes.
“I’ve adjusted to the commute,” she said. “I leave at 5:50 a.m. and get to work by 6:30 a.m.”
Mergen and Chu are also enjoying the warmer climate, now that they can ride their motorcycles 10 months out of the year and see the sights in the north Georgia mountains and the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.
Relocation tip
Ask around to learn about local restaurants and shops. Favorite restaurants include Marietta’s unWine’d & Tap, and Chicken and the Egg. Mergen, a native of Luxembourg, also discovered that an Austell store sells one of his favorite food items.
“A friend of mine, who is a German master chef, turned me on to Patak Meats,” he said. “I’ve been looking for authentic Black Forest ham, and I finally found it. It’s a real link to home.”
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