Having one bathroom and a long commute drove Corbin and Melissa Boekhaus’ decision to move from Decatur.
As Melissa, a pediatrician, talked to people in her Smyrna medical practice, Vinings Estates was a frequent recommendation. People raved about the Mableton community being a great place to raise kids with play groups and amenities such as pools, a fitness center and tennis courts. They just had to find a floor plan and yard that fit their family.
The priority
The couple bought their first home in Decatur as Melissa started her residency at Emory University and Corbin began his Ph.D. program at the university.
“When we first started out, it was great place to live. We had a three-bedroom, one-bath ranch that was 1,100 square feet and it was a lot of space for us with a dog,” said Melissa, 29.
They had their first child, Barrett, now 2, during her residency, and Mathilde was born in November 2013. Melissa’s commute had stretched to nearly two hours and they focused just outside the Perimeter to shorten her drive to WellStar Pediatric and Adolescent Center. The couple wanted a dedicated office away from play areas for Corbin to read and study, a guest bedroom on the main level, and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between the kids’ rooms.
The search
During their three-month search, they focused on homes with at least 3,000 square feet and a basement. An unsuccessful offer on a short sale in Vinings Estates disappointed them, but they kept hunting for a move-in ready home with a flat backyard. After the February 2014 snowstorm, they saw a new listing online for a home built by John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods in a newer section of Vinings Estates. They saw the listing on a Friday night, viewed it Saturday morning and made an offer Sunday evening. The home was listed for $479,900, but they initially offered $450,000. When the sellers countered at $475,000, they offered their max price of $460,000. The sellers walked away. “We thought we lost the house. We were really disappointed,” Melissa said.
A week later, the couple was asked to submit the offer again, and it was accepted. They moved in during April.
The home
The five-bedroom, four-bath house has about 3,600 square feet and an unfinished basement. Even though the Cobb County neighborhood is hilly, the fenced backyard was flat and had a deck. Near the kitchen, a formal living room could be turned into a playroom. The master suite is on the same second floor as the kids’ bedrooms (with a Jack-and-Jill bathroom), which they wanted for convenience, and Corbin’s office also is upstairs. The master bedroom is much larger than the master in their former house, which didn’t accommodate a king-sized bed, and it has a sitting area and his and hers closets.
The lifestyle
The three-sided brick house, built in 2006, is so close to Melissa’s practice that she can get to and from work in 20 minutes, and even come home or meet the kids for lunch.
“I have about two hours more in my day to see my kids,” she said. “It was the best decision. It’s really changed our quality of life.”
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