Upgrades attract couple seeking garden-worthy yard
For 18 months, Prasad and Shubhangi Joshi viewed home after home, seeking a backyard ripe for a garden.
“We didn’t have necessarily a full, flat yard,” Prasad said of their Alpharetta home of 10 years.
The couple set out with Judy Linderman of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage to see if they could find brick houses with upgrades. These three homes in north Fulton and Forsyth counties were among the contenders, as they searched for a year, then took time off and relaunched their house hunt.
No. 1
Major renovations
A four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home in Chatsworth, a gated swim and tennis community in Cumming, boasted $160,000 in master bath, master closet and kitchen updates, and a sunroom addition. The basement also had a finished bathroom and had been dry-walled. Located on a corner lot, the home also offered a three-car garage. The home, built in 1997, was listed for $499,000.
No. 2
Big backyard
A six-bedroom, five-and-a-half bath home in Alpharetta’s Windward neighborhood also featured an upgraded kitchen — with new granite countertops, tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances — that opened to a keeping room with a fireplace. The home was four-sided brick, checking off another item on their list. Also, the yard was nearly three-quarters of an acre. The home, built in 1998, was listed for $588,000.
No. 3
Attractive setting
A five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bath home in Alpharetta’s Windward Bent Creek neighborhood took advantage of a key community feature, situated on a fairway of the Golf Club of Georgia. “The golf course added extra appeal,” Prasad said. The location also was on a cul-de-sac, with a three-car garage. The kitchen also had granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The terrace level was finished and although it didn’t have amenities such as a wet bar or home theater, the couple saw the potential to add those areas. The home, built in 1998, was listed for $589,000.
The Choice
No. 3. The couple placed offers on all three homes, but the other two homes didn’t work out in the price negotiations. Another buyer appeared to beat them to the house they purchased. “Then a couple of days later, the house came back on the market,” said Prasad, 49, a vice president in the large multinational corporation. “This was a meant-to-be type of thing.” The home was exactly what they imagined, with the updates, ample storage and a nearly half-acre backyard, said Shubhangi, 45, a software architect. The couple went under contract then listed their Alpharetta home, which sold in two days. They closed on the new home in June.
