Keller Williams Realty



Housing boom reshapes Henry

McDonough new-home sales lead way

By JEN CHRISTENSEN

For The Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/23/05

"It's a friendly, small town, so of course I recognize people at the store anyway," Barela said. "But more and more I'm bumping into those same familiar faces alongside me, looking at those same home improvement magazines."

Low taxes, good schools and convenient location have transformed Henry County from a once-rural area into a booming Atlanta suburb, with the county seat of McDonough leading the way. A charming National Main Street City, McDonough experienced a 190 percent population increase between 1990 and 2000.

According to the AJC 2005 Home Sales Report, McDonough is in the Top 20 ZIP codes for biggest sales in new homes. It came in at No. 6, outpacing home sales in much of metro Atlanta. In 2003, 939 homes were sold in the area. Last year, 997 were sold — a 6 percent jump.

"Sure, I work hard as a Realtor, but with the hot market here, to sell a house in McDonough, you just have to show up," said Melinda Buntyn, described on her Web site as the Queen of the Home Sales Jungle. Employed by Re/Max Advantage Atlanta, she also lives in McDonough and encouraged her daughter, Amy Barela, to buy there.

"The houses here bring people from far and wide," Buntyn said. "I have people moving here from California, New York, even as far as Germany."

So what is it about McDonough's housing market that attracts this kind of global attention?

"No one can afford to buy a house in New York City," Buntyn said. "Here, for about $200,000, you can walk away with a nice four-bedroom and a real back yard. You can't beat it."

The other attraction is McDonough's location between Macon and Atlanta, which is just a straight, 29.5-mile drive up I-75. Those who want to read while stuck in traffic can take an express bus to Atlanta. A 30-minute drive puts McDonough residents at the airport.

Bargain-minded shoppers have the Tanger Outlet Center nearby. And the usual chain stores — Super Target, Home Depot and Sam's Club — are right there, along with many popular chain restaurants.

Yet the town still maintains its Southern charm. McDonough's historic square, complete with an obligatory Confederate soldier statue, is a great place to either sit on a park bench and watch the world go by or to shop at one of the many antique stores.

Its old-time feel is maintained by such annual events as the watermelon seed spitting contest, summer movies and music on the square, a Christmas parade, tree lighting and a holiday tour of homes.

"With some careful planning, McDonough's avoided the anonymous feel you get with more typical sprawl," said Rodney Heard, the town's director of community development.

"Old homes here still get passed on from generation to generation. The town square is alive and thriving," he said. "But in our historic neighborhoods we have a slew of newer homes which kept historic design elements, but with all the modern amenities."

For McDonough residents like Barela, the affordability of the area drew her attention. In the 30253 ZIP code, last year's median new home price was about $176,000.

The home she bought to rent out was new and in good shape, but the one Barela chose to live in needed work. The three-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot home was built in 2000 and cost $173,000.

It had great potential — a double-sided fireplace, a two-car garage and a bonus room for her art studio — but she said it was a seriously "trashed foreclosure." No wonder she needed those home improvement magazines.

"When I bought it, so much had been stolen from the home — all the fixtures, the shower heads, even the kitchen faucet," Barela said. "And there was candle wax all over the floor. I couldn't figure that one out.

"But for a little handy work, I get a neighborhood with sidewalks, green grass and streets safe enough for my 11-year-old to ride his bike around. When I bought here I figured if I don't take a chance, I don't get a chance. And living here is really a chance worth taking."

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Whenever she gets some free time, Amy Barela — a busy hairdresser and single mom in McDonough — finds herself relaxing in the magazine aisle at the grocery store. Lately she's been skipping Vogue and People to grab home improvement magazines — and with good reason.

At 34 she owns not one but two houses in McDonough, one of the hottest housing markets in metro Atlanta. And she's under contract to buy a third house soon.

"It's a friendly, small town, so of course I recognize people at the store anyway," Barela said. "But more and more I'm bumping into those same familiar faces alongside me, looking at those same home improvement magazines."

Low taxes, good schools and convenient location have transformed Henry County from a once-rural area into a booming Atlanta suburb, with the county seat of McDonough leading the way. A charming National Main Street City, McDonough experienced a 190 percent population increase between 1990 and 2000.

According to the AJC 2005 Home Sales Report, McDonough is in the Top 20 ZIP codes for biggest sales in new homes. It came in at No. 6, outpacing home sales in much of metro Atlanta. In 2003, 939 homes were sold in the area. Last year, 997 were sold — a 6 percent jump.

"Sure, I work hard as a Realtor, but with the hot market here, to sell a house in McDonough, you just have to show up," said Melinda Buntyn, described on her Web site as the Queen of the Home Sales Jungle. Employed by Re/Max Advantage Atlanta, she also lives in McDonough and encouraged her daughter, Amy Barela, to buy there.

"The houses here bring people from far and wide," Buntyn said. "I have people moving here from California, New York, even as far as Germany."

So what is it about McDonough's housing market that attracts this kind of global attention?

"No one can afford to buy a house in New York City," Buntyn said. "Here, for about $200,000, you can walk away with a nice four-bedroom and a real back yard. You can't beat it."

The other attraction is McDonough's location between Macon and Atlanta, which is just a straight, 29.5-mile drive up I-75. Those who want to read while stuck in traffic can take an express bus to Atlanta. A 30-minute drive puts McDonough residents at the airport.

Bargain-minded shoppers have the Tanger Outlet Center nearby. And the usual chain stores — Super Target, Home Depot and Sam's Club — are right there, along with many popular chain restaurants.

Yet the town still maintains its Southern charm. McDonough's historic square, complete with an obligatory Confederate soldier statue, is a great place to either sit on a park bench and watch the world go by or to shop at one of the many antique stores.

Its old-time feel is maintained by such annual events as the watermelon seed spitting contest, summer movies and music on the square, a Christmas parade, tree lighting and a holiday tour of homes.

"With some careful planning, McDonough's avoided the anonymous feel you get with more typical sprawl," said Rodney Heard, the town's director of community development.

"Old homes here still get passed on from generation to generation. The town square is alive and thriving," he said. "But in our historic neighborhoods we have a slew of newer homes which kept historic design elements, but with all the modern amenities."

For McDonough residents like Barela, the affordability of the area drew her attention. In the 30253 ZIP code, last year's median new home price was about $176,000.

The home she bought to rent out was new and in good shape, but the one Barela chose to live in needed work. The three-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot home was built in 2000 and cost $173,000.

It had great potential — a double-sided fireplace, a two-car garage and a bonus room for her art studio — but she said it was a seriously "trashed foreclosure." No wonder she needed those home improvement magazines.

"When I bought it, so much had been stolen from the home — all the fixtures, the shower heads, even the kitchen faucet," Barela said. "And there was candle wax all over the floor. I couldn't figure that one out.

"But for a little handy work, I get a neighborhood with sidewalks, green grass and streets safe enough for my 11-year-old to ride his bike around. When I bought here I figured if I don't take a chance, I don't get a chance. And living here is really a chance worth taking."

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