As a backup singer for Peabo Bryson, Kristie White reconnected with a high school friend during a National Arts Festival concert at Atlanta’s Centennial Park. That friend, real estate agent Keyla Berry, gave White her card before they said goodbye.
“I told my husband, ‘She’s going to sell us our next house,’” she said.
Working with Berry, the couple were surprised to discover they could buy a new home in Newnan in the mid $100,000s.
The priority
The couple and their three children were living in Palmetto, south of Atlanta, in a three-bedroom, two-bath home. As their daughter, Kourtney, turned 10, the Whites desired to move to Newnan, about 15 miles south of Palmetto, for the Coweta County Schools and to be close to her friends and family. Their two oldest daughters, Jasmine and Kalin, had been in private school, and although they are now in college, they come home for the summer and holidays.
“We loved it. It served its purpose, but there was not enough space,” Kristie said. “We were cramped.”
The search
Kristie needed access to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, to fly to concerts, and a home office for her job with American Express. Her husband works in downtown Atlanta for Modus, so interstate access was important.
A new home was preferable, but the couple wasn’t sure about the prices and availability until Berry, with Coldwell Banker Atlanta, showed them around. Homes in the Bullsboro Crossing neighborhood by Peachtree Communities ranged from the mid to high $100,000s.
“In our budget I didn’t think I would be able to get what we wanted,” Kristie said. “We found the new construction and we were just ecstatic.”
The home they bought was nearing completion, with paint, carpet and countertops installed. They moved in during May.
The home
The home has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, with extra details such as a coffered ceiling in the dining room and archways on the main level.
“We walked into this house and when we turned the corner, we were like, ‘This is it,’” Kristie said. “We wanted more open space because we have a big family. We spend a lot of time together.”
The kitchen, which has granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a breakfast area, won them over.
“My husband loves to cook. And the kitchen was huge. There’s a place where you could see from the kitchen to the living room where we would be hanging,” she said.
Since their oldest daughters share a room, a bedroom became a home office.
The lifestyle
The pool in the neighborhood made it easy for Kourtney to make friends. “Every day it’s not raining she’s at the pool,” Kristie said.
The home is less than 10 minutes from Kristie’s grandparents, making it easier for them to visit. “It was really important to be closer to them and to be able to spend time with them,” she said.
