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Couple discovers new side of city
By Marcia Killingsworth
For the Journal-Constitution
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Our house hunters:
Brian McGonegal and Bryan Shealer lived in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur before Brian’s job with Allianz Insurance moved him, Bryan and their dogs —- Murphy, a chow mix, and Abby, a black Labrador mix —- to Minneapolis for three years. They enjoyed exploring a new city, but they were pleased when they had the chance to move back to Atlanta and Bryan was able to get his previous job as an international student adviser at Georgia Tech. The two love to entertain, and Bryan loves to cook and garden, so their new place had to accommodate those interests. Both knew the city and, since one of their hobbies is looking at houses, they had a good idea of what they wanted. First, “intown,” Brian said, “close to the Oakhurst area.” Second, “a neighborhood feel,” Bryan added.
The process:
They had known Lance Deen, an associate broker with Cross-Town Realty, when they lived in Atlanta before; in fact, Deen had listed their house when they relocated. “We kept in touch, and we knew that he knew us well enough to know what we were looking for,” Brian said. “Lance is very good at catering to exactly what you want.” They also found him to be wonderfully laid-back and flexible, a style that suited them perfectly. But his laid-back demeanor didn’t mean that he couldn’t be tough when necessary; Deen also fought for them. “When we had issues, he owned them,” Bryan said. “He really protected our interests.”
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Something old or something new?
By Marcia Killingsworth
For the AJC
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Our house hunter:
Charlene Fisk is an Emmy Award-winning editor and videographer for Georgia Public Broadcasting, the PBS network serving Atlanta and all of Georgia. She loves looking for investment properties and finding the hidden charm beneath the neglected ruins. Her last project — in Kirkwood — took three years and included putting in a French drain. “If there’s a project, I research it and see if I need to contract it out or if I can accomplish it on my own,” she said. She also enjoys hanging out with her two dogs — Phoenix, a Lab mix, and Tamale, a Chihuahua mix — and cat Cici, entertaining friends, cycling and working with stained glass.
The process:
Last spring, Fisk decided it was time to sell her Kirkwood house and turned to former next-door-neighbor Lance Deen, Realtor and associate broker with Sanctuary Real Estate. “I knew the market was starting to change and knew it was the right time to sell,” she said. Deen had sold his own house in record time, and Fisk’s was snapped up in three weeks. The search for her next project — in southeast Atlanta, a turn-of-the-century Victorian or bungalow, and preferably a three-bedroom, two-bath foreclosure — would last until November. “Some of the houses I wanted to see, Lance would say, ‘I can’t believe you brought me to this house.’ ” Fisk adds that there was a lot of laughter on their search. But Deen was always there when she needed him, even when what she needed was someone tall enough to climb into attics and other inaccessible nooks and crannies.
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