A cross-country move can be complicated, but it helps to know the right people. A family from Utah relied on a local connection to quickly purchase a metro Atlanta home.
Why Atlanta?
When Brett Greenwood accepted a new job with technology company BetterCloud’s Buckhead office in July 2015, it was a boost to his career and a major move. Greenwood, vice president of security for BetterCloud, and his family would need to relocate nearly 2,000 miles to Georgia. The Greenwoods had never visited Atlanta, so a neighbor in Salt Lake City, Utah, recommended her mother, Beckie Harrison, broker and owner of Your Choice Realty in metro Atlanta.
Putting down roots
Brett and his wife, JoLynn, chose Dunwoody because Brett’s commute to Buckhead would be about 25 minutes and because of access to the interstates and family-friendly amenities, like parks. JoLynn was surprised to find that most of the homes they saw on the market in Dunwoody lacked the open floor plan they wanted.
“Out West, it’s the exact opposite,” she said. “Here, we found that many houses had a lot of little rooms. That made our search a little harder.”
A backyard with usable space was important to the couple, who have four children, Brooke, 10, Justin, 8, Ellie, 5, and Tyler, 3. “If a potential home had a backyard with a 50-foot drop-off, it didn’t make the list,” JoLynn said.
Brett started his job in August 2015, before the family moved to Georgia, so he searched for homes with Harrison in person. Then, JoLynn visited Atlanta and joined in the search. The home inventory in their preferred area and price range was limited.
“We were feeling a little pressure when we’d see a house we liked,” Brett said. “Beckie would be honest and tell us, ‘If you’re serious, we need to move on this.’ Many times, the selling agent would say they had another offer in the works.”
They put in an offer within a week on a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in a Dunwoody enclave of single-family homes built in 2003 and priced from $400,000-$550,000. The community is walking distance to Windwood Hollow Park and near the Fontainebleau and Kingsley swim/tennis clubs. Public schools are Kingsley Elementary, Peachtree Middle School and Dunwoody High School, which are part of the DeKalb County School District.
The Greenwoods moved into their 3,300-square-foot home in mid-September 2015.
“Our house is on a corner lot, which was not something we would have preferred,” JoLynn said. “But knowing we would be so close to Windwood Hollow Park made it worthwhile. We spend a lot of time at the park.”
She is also pleased with the variety of nearby shopping, including Perimeter Mall, SuperTarget, HomeGoods and Costco. “It’s all there,” she said.
Relocation tip
After online research, JoLynn and Brett needed more information to make a smart school choice.
“Beckie put me in touch with someone just around the corner from this house that knew the schools well,” she said. “One phone call with her put me at peace about our decision and told me all I needed to know.”
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