Moving closer to family and a job opportunity drew Texas transplants Ken and Jaime Denney to Atlanta. The parents of three children — Samantha, 6, Faith, 11, and Emma, 16 — were “serial home builders” who had always lived in the Lone Star State. As they looked at buying in Atlanta, they didn’t want to build, but wanted a property to add a pool.
The Denneys also had two location criteria: living near relatives and Lifetime Fitness, where they planned to carry over their membership from Texas.
Why Atlanta?
Jaime’s new job with Aramark, which requires travel, allowed them to select where to live. The Denneys desired to build a support network for Ken and the kids. As they talked about moving, the girls said it was most important to be close to their aunt, uncle and cousins. Jaime said. The couple gave their agent, Dan Jones with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, their relatives’ address in the northern Atlanta suburbs. The price range was broad, from $550,000 for a home needing renovations to $750,000 for a move-in ready home.
“We were looking at this move as our ‘forever home’ move,” said Jaime, 42.
Even though they intended to buy this spring, they found a home during the Thanksgiving holidays and closed in January. The house is just 3 miles from their relatives and less than 15 minutes from a Lifetime Fitness.
Putting down roots
Homes with basements and pools stood out, since those are rare in Texas, Jaime said. Layout priorities were a three-car garage, separate bedrooms for the girls and two work spaces for Jaime and Ken, 46, a life insurance underwriter.
They gave themselves a year to search in Atlanta, starting with their November 2014 visit. The day before Thanksgiving, they toured a model home in a new section of Roswell’s Windfaire neighborhood, which was established in 1982 and has homes from the $700,000s.
“When we walked in, I was blown away. I couldn’t get this house out of my head,” Jaime said.
The five-bedroom, four-bath home, built by Peachtree Residential in 2013, offered an open concept and new-to-them features, including a keeping room and a mudroom. Five days later, they put in an offer. They moved into the home, which has an unfinished basement, during January. Now, the family sees their relatives almost every day. “We love being together,” Jaime said.
Relocation tip
Even if the first home you see seems perfect, keep shopping. They viewed more than 30 homes in Fulton, Gwinnett and Forsyth counties. The model home surpassed others, especially with its decorative touches. They didn’t need to change the paint and negotiated for some furniture. “It was so wonderful to not have to stress about that,” Jaime said. “They had already done a beautiful job.”
