REAL ESTATE
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Marietta Daily Journal/SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2013
Trends show Cobb real estate moving in a positive direction By Geoff Folsom gfolsom@mdjonline.com
Trends show that real estate in Cobb is beginning to move in a positive direction. The county’s quarterly real estate report shows that the average price per square foot for a home reached $80 between October and December 2012, which is the highest amount in two years. While it still has a ways to go to reach the more than $110 per square foot that the average home cost in 2007, it is one of a number of trends moving in a positive direction for the real estate business. Meanwhile, the average number of homes for sale in Cobb has declined, a possible sign that the foreclosure crisis could be weakening. Between October and December 2012, 603 homes were reported for sale in Cobb,
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eople move to Cobb for a number of reasons, whether it is a job, schools or the suburban feel. The Koenigs came to Cobb in July 2012 because it is where God wanted them. Mike Koenig said his daughter Bailey, 14, had been called to become a pastor in the Presbyterian Church since she was 7. While they liked the school she attended in Florida, it stopped at the eighth grade. After searching all over for a new school where she could attend high school, they found the place they were looking for in Whitefield Academy in Mableton. “We felt she might trade it in for ballerina slippers, but she hasn’t,” Mike Koenig said of his daughter’s passion for the church. “It has been ingrained in her.” Bailey’s mother, Melody Koenig, said they decided to move a year earlier than they needed to, so Bailey could attend Whitefield in the eighth grade. They were very impressed with the school. “We had looked at other schools that said they were Christian schools, but they didn’t have Bible classes or a chapel,” Melody Koenig said. “Whitefield really was the right match for our needs.” After taking what he calls a “leap of faith,” Mike Koenig now runs his Daytona Beach-based business remotely, heading down to its headquarters every few weeks to check things out. While he admits it was tough pulling up stakes after 18 years, they love their new location. He said they moved into a home in the Vinings Estates area, within walking distance of the school. “I could hit it with a golf ball from my back porch,” Mike Koenig said. “And if you’ve ever seen me golf, you know its pretty close for me to be able to do that.” Their 11-year-old son, Connor Koenig, is starting his second season
A CALL Faith guides family to new home, school Story / Geoff Folsom Photos / Emily Barnes of Little League Baseball in Smyrna. While he admits that moving from DeLand, Fla., to the Atlanta suburbs was a bit of a culture shock, Mike Koenig said his family loves its new home. “Cobb County is terrific,” Mike Koenig said. “The quality of living
around that area is spectacular.” Melody Koenig said they are still getting used to the weather in Cobb. “We miss the sunshine,” she said. “We’re getting used to the cold.” But other than that, she said the county is a great. “It’s really been a perfect match,” she said. “It’s very family oriented. The neighborhood we’re in is just a blessing.”
Tracking Your
all year long online at
HIGHEST PRICED HOMES SOLD IN COBB IN 2012 LOCATION
SCHOOL
SALE PRICE
LIST PRICE
1. East Cobb: Gramercy Drive Walton 2. East Cobb: Dickerson Road Walton 3. West Cobb: Burnt Hickory Road Harrison 4. East Cobb: Green River Court Walton 5. East Cobb: Atl. Country Club Dr. Walton 6. East Cobb: Rolling Rock Road Walton 7. East Cobb: Gramercy Drive Walton 8. East Cobb: Heathermoor Hill Dr. Walton 9. East Cobb: Rivercliff Trace Walton 10. West Cobb: Mountain Park Dr. KMHS
$2.1 million $1.8 million $1.6 million $1.6 million $1.6 million $1.5 million $1.4 million $1.4 million $1.4 million $1.3 million
$2.8 million $1.8 million $3.5 million $1.8 million $2 million $1.7 million $2 million $1.9 million $1.6 million $2 million.
Traton Homes awarded bid for development on old 10.25-acre Lyman Homes project site From staff reports
MARIETTA — Traton Homes got the nod recently from the Marietta Housing Authority to buy the 10.25-acre Montgomery Park property, the former site of the 125-unit Lyman Homes public housing project. The Authority’s board selected Traton Homes’ $1 million offer over John Wieland Homes in a unanimous vote. Pete Waldrep, the Authority’s director of development, said the dollar amount was only part of the bid process. “Traton can market 45 homes over the
Top: Mike and Melody Koenig with their children, Bailey, 14, and Connor, 11. Above: Melody revels in her spacious kitchen. Below: Connor and Bailey play with the family’s Dobermanns, Donnor, left, and Blitzen.
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which is 42 percent lower than the numbers reported a year earlier. The average amount of time a home is on the market is also lower. In December 2012, an average house in Cobb was on the market for just under four months. That number has decreased 45 percent from nearly seven months a year earlier. That time peaked at a wait of more than nearly a year and a half to sell a home in late 2008. Just as it was last year, east Cobb remains a location for high priced homes in the county. According to statistics from the Cobb Association of Realtors, eight of the top 10 highest price homes to sell in the county were in the eastern part. All eight of those were in the Walton High School attendance zone. Two of the higher priced homes were both located on Gramercy Drive in December.
next year to 18 months,” Waldrep said about single-family detached homes of 2,000 to 3,000 square feet, selling for $250,000 to $280,000. Traton will get a head start on the subdivision at Montgomery and Cole streets: The Authority demolished the housing project in 2006 and got site plans approved by the City Council in 2007. “Authority Executive Director Ray Buday said the $1 million will go toward a future senior development, the location of which has not been determined, and for homeownership assistance.