James Potts, “Double Agent”

We are so proud of James Potts and one of his most recent sales. He listed the historic Hogan House last spring after pursuing an expired listing. Within a few months, he received an inquiry from a buyer that eventually lead to an accepted offer. He handled both sides of the transaction with grace and professionalism. Check out the article below from the Troup County News article published on January 30, 2015.

Historic Hogan House to Become New Bed And Breakfast

David Bell
Staff Writer

An Australian couple has purchased the historic Argente’ Estate property on Main Street in Hogansville, and plan to utilize it for their private residence as well as a bed and breakfast. The house, built in 1895, was the home of William Hogan, for whom the City of Hogansville is named. It was totally restored in recent years by a previous owner.

Mark and Sheri Metternick-Jones were searching for a place to retire in the United States, and looked at literally hundreds of properties before deciding on the Hogan house.

“It had to be the right location, in a small town yet within proximity of a large city. It had to have a minimum acreage, an equal number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and preferably be a structure of historic significance to fit our overall plan. We found exactly what we were looking for in Hogansville”, said Sheri Metternick-Jones.

Sheri is a native of the United States, born and raised in Illinois, where she earned a degree in Animal Science. Her subsequent career took her to Australia, where she met and eventually married her husband, Mark. There, they raised a family on a farm outside of Perth along the country’s western coast.

The couple’s three children are moving with their parents to Hogansville. Hannah and Georgia, 21-year-old twin girls, both have theatrical degrees in Costume and Set Design. They plan to seek employment with Georgia’s flourishing film industry. Their brother, 19-year-old Silas, will be entering college this fall, but has not yet decided where to attend.

A group of City officials, downtown merchants, and James Potts from Coldwell Banker Spinks-Brown-Durand Realtors, who sold the property, gathered at Victoria Belle Mansion in Hogansville Tuesday afternoon to officially welcome the new family. During his greeting, Mayor Bill Stankiewicz recalled the first time he encountered citizens from the land down under.

“In 1973, I was playing on the U. S. rugby team in my hometown of Philadelphia, and we had a game against the Wallabies, which was the team from Australia. They really whooped us good, and I’ve never forgotten it. Nevertheless, I’m confident my experience with our new neighbors will be far more pleasant, and it is my honor to welcome you to Hogansville”, said Stankiewicz.

Mark Metternick-Jones is still in Australia and will join his family following the sale of their farm. They plan to open the bed and breakfast business in late spring or early summer.

Spinks Brown Durand Field Trip- Explorations In Antiquities

Coldwell Banker Spinks Brown Durand visited one of the area’s fascinating attractions. Explorations In Antiquities is a biblical museum located in LaGrange. As stated on the center’s website, “The highlight of any visit to The Explorations in Antiquity Center is a walk through the archaeological garden where full-scale replicas of structures relevant to daily life in Biblical times bring history to life.”

A recently added feature is an artifacts gallery, “…one of only 7 museums worldwide, the fourth in the US, and the only museum in the Southeast to have a long-term collection of artifacts from the Israel Antiquities Authority.  These artifacts are from the National  Treasures of Israel.”

Changes on Vernon Road, and Coldwell Banker Spinks Brown Durand Was There!

Coldwell Banker Commercial Spinks Brown Durand appreciates the opportunity to have represented Tredegar Film Products in the recent sale of their 136,000 square foot LaGrange manufacturing facility located at 1425 Vernon Road. The buyer was LG3 Properties, LLC, represented by Jerry Johnson of ERA First Realty of LaGrange. We welcome the new business to our area.

Coldwell Banker Commercial Spinks Brown Durand has been a market leader in the sale of commercial and investment property for over 35 years in West Georgia and East Alabama.

Area’s first Woman-Centric home is a hit with the Homeowners

The best words a homebuilder can hear are, “There is absolutely not one thing I would change about this home.” Karen Barnett recently gave exactly that compliment after working with Dan-Ric Homes on the first local home certified by the Woman-Centric program. “We fell in love with the floor plan and knew it would meet all of our needs and have been nothing but thrilled with our decision since we moved in.”

 “This is our second Dan-Ric Home,” Barnett explained. “As first-time homebuyers, we looked at over 100 homes in the Newnan area and we looked at only one home in LaGrange, which was a Dan-Ric Home and we purchased it.  The quality of the work on the Dan-Ric Home far surpassed any of the other homes we looked at in our price range.  As much as we loved our first home, we outgrew it and knew that we would build a bigger home with Dan-Ric Homes again.”

 The Barnett’s were so pleased with Dan-Ric Homes’ Lakemont Subdivision, the site of their first home; they decided to build their second home there as well.

 “As soon as we pulled into the subdivision we fell in love with the beautiful scenery,” Barnett said. “We love how the lots are left as wooded as possible, and from the minute we drove in it felt like we were in the mountains!  We loved the difference in the heights of the lots and how beautiful the trees were in the fall with all of the colors. We couldn’t dream of moving out of the subdivision that we had come to love so much. It is home for us. “

 The picture of the average American homebuyer is changing rapidly, with women like Karen Barnett having a controlling influence in 91% of new home purchases according to the National Association of Homebuilders, and the Woman-Centric concept reflects this shift.

Darby Durand Pippin, Vice President of Dan-Ric Homes, says the company first learned about the Woman-Centric concept at a Builder 20 meeting in September 2008. She loved the program and knew it was a no-brainer for Dan-Ric Homes, who is now the area’s only licensed Women-Centric builder.

 “It’s a common sense approach to home building. Families are different and so are the ways that they live in the home, our new designs reflect a family’s need for flexible living. Buyers have to prioritize their needs and align them with their wants. Because a Woman-Centric home is building with the family in mind, it doesn’t alienate men, but it appeals to the things women value most.”

 The Barnett family could not be more pleased. “We love having all of the extra closet space for storage and the drop zone is especially nice so that you can come home and drop all of your junk like keys, pocket books, book bags and mail right there and not have to drag them onto the counter tops or clutter up your kitchen while trying to get dinner going!  Great idea!”

 The best part of the Barnett’s new home plan? “If I had to pick a favorite feature, it would be the upstairs laundry room.  It is so nice to have the laundry out of the way of any visitors and to be able to have laundry going even when there are people over visiting and the noise not interfere,” Karen Barnett said.

 Another aspect of the Woman-Centric concept is a redesigned buying experience from start to finish. Woman-Centric floor plans use the Livability At a Glance™ system to highlight categories specific to women. “Because the woman’s priorities are generally the deciding factor in the home purchase, we are making sure we recognize her needs,” explains Pippin. “Storage, entertaining spaces, areas to coral clutter, and most importantly, a place to de-stress and refuel.”

 The buying process itself is simplified, and Dan-Ric Homes’ staff is available to answer any questions at any point in the process. Karen Barnett had great things to say. ”From the moment we met with Darby, she learned what we liked and didn’t, and she worked with us on any issues or questions that we had. The customer service has been great from the beginning of the process to the end. Our family could not be happier with this new home, we truly love it!”

 Now that the Barnetts are all moved in, the celebrations have not stopped!  “Our family throws an annual Pumpkin Carving Party every year before Halloween and this year we were moved in and had all the final touches added to our home in time to do the party,” said Barnett. “All of our family got to come over to see our new home and everyone loved it. We had so many compliments on the colors and the details of the home. Everyone was very impressed with the spacious laundry room, the catwalk and the huge sodded lawn. We felt so proud to show off our new home and decorate for fall! Now I can’t wait to get out the Christmas décor!”

 Here’s to many more holidays in your new Dan-Ric home, Barnett Family!

A fine resource for newcomers!

“AROUND LAGRANGE Inspired by the Community,” a new magazine found local mailboxes recently and should be another great tool for newcomers.

November’s inaugural issue features informative articles on industry and schools, current events, helpful advertising and was mailed to over 22,500 homes and businesses.  It can be found also at www.aroundlagrange.com.

Check it out!

(This post was brought to you by Debbie Terrell, who can be reached on her “SELL” phone at 706-402-0890!)