Alpharetta house hunt has happy ending

By Lori Johnston

For the AJC

Rich Santos, 44, his wife China, 27, and their two small children moved to Georgia and bought a convenience store in Atlanta. Their business has been successful, so they were ready to move out of their apartment and into their own home. Realtor Michelle Miralles of Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta helped the family make their dream come true in Hunters Forest in Alpharetta.

Q: Why did you want to buy now?

A: Actually what happened was our lease was coming up in our apartment that we were leasing. We had been saving up to try to purchase a home, so we wanted the independence of owning our own home. We were living at the old apartment for three years and we were pretty much fed up with it. It gets aggravating after a while.

Q: What did you really want in a home?

A: Basically what we were looking for was definitely a two-story with the bedrooms upstairs because my wife really likes it. ... My priority was basically the kitchen and the backyard and front yard. I always told myself if I ever purchase a house, I want to own a house that has a big backyard and nice front yard, especially as we have two children.

Q: Were you discouraged by the selection?

A: We were kind of discouraged at first. Since we were first-time homebuyers, we didn’t know that purchasing a house basically comes down to location. We were not aware of that. We felt that we could go anywhere and buy a house. We were kind of surprised because we looked at a lot of houses in the Powder Springs area. They were beautiful, beautiful new houses. Then when we came here to the Alpharetta/Roswell area, we thought we could find the same thing. To say the least, we were kind of stunned. There’s a huge difference as far as the houses being new and old.

Q: What do you like about the home?

A: Actually it’s funny. What happened was my wife was in Puerto Rico on vacation with the children. ... Michelle and I were looking at houses. I saw this house and I really didn’t like it. The reason I didn’t like it was because I was kind of getting spoiled with looking at the houses in Powder Springs and those areas. The houses were brick houses and they were new houses. What happened was my wife came from Puerto Rico and I went on vacation. Then Michelle took her around and I had mentioned this house to my wife. I said, “It’s a nice house but I don’t like it too much.” When I came back, my wife says to me, “Hey, you know that house you didn’t like too much, I really liked it.” But then it kind of grew on us. ... We’re really blessed to have this house because it’s like a dream come true. We’re extremely happy right now.

At a Glance

Rich and China Santos’ Alpharetta home, built in 1985, has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and about 1,880 square feet of livable space. They purchased it in August.

Hunters Forest

Address: 11215 Crowthore Court, Alpharetta 30022

County: Fulton

Price range: Low to high $100,000s

Homes: About 60

Square footage: About 1,000-1,800

Standard features: Hardwood floors, decks/patios

Amenities: Streetlights

Homeowners association fees: None

Lot size: Less than a third-acre to a half-acre

Schools: Ocee Elementary, Taylor Road Middle, Chattahoochee High

More on schools: schools.ajchomefinder.com

Getting there

Take Ga. 400 north to Exit 10 (Old Milton Parkway). Turn right onto Old Milton Parkway. Turn left on Jones Bridge Road. Hunters Forest is on the left.

For sale

$157,000: 11190 Bramshill Drive, Alpharetta 30022. A three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home built in 1985 on a cul-de-sac with a new roof and heating system and an outdoor firepit.

$175,900: 11205 Crowthore Court, Alpharetta 30022. A three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home built in 1985 with hardwood floors and a fenced backyard.

Recent sale

$162,000: 120 Paley Way, Alpharetta 30022. A three-bedroom,2 1/2-bath home with a patio and new paint.

Community information provided by Michelle Miralles with Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta and compiled by Delaney Young.