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Mark and Suzanne White had no plans of moving. As a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty, Suzanne had seen her fair share of houses. So it took a really special house to change their minds.
“We loved our home of 17 years, but really wanted a pool,” recalled Suzanne. “One Saturday morning I was looking through new listings for a home for one of my clients and came across the listing for this house. I looked at the photos and thought, ‘What a great-looking home.’ I kept looking through the MLS (Multiple Listing System) to see what I could find for my client and when I finished, I pulled up this home again and called Mark in to look at the photos. But, I first said emphatically, ‘We aren’t moving!’”
Suzanne continued, “Then I told Mark that I wanted to go see it — just to get it out of my system. We even called some friends and our daughter Alex to come see the house with us because we
were so excited about seeing it. Ironically, those friends we called had just bought a house. They loved watching me, as their real estate agent, view this property.”
The Whites knew that if they moved that their next house would have to have a pool and privacy. This one did. The pool, combined with a screened porch, are the pièce de résistance for the Whites.
“The features of this home spoke so personally to us,” said Suzanne. “I literally teared up when I walked into the kitchen of this home. It’s the kitchen I could have only dreamed of. And Mark has always wanted a workshop and an expansive, wired workshop came with this property.”
Other made-to-order features included two home offices, extremely handy now that Suzanne and Mark, a project manager for Green Mountain Technology, are both working from home.
“I had always wanted a place for a music studio and there’s a perfect spot for that in our new home,” said Mark. “We thought we would never leave the very private oasis we had in our previous home and then this home shows up with an acre-sized lot.”
“This is why empty nesters buy larger homes – to have a bigger place to gather together and create memories,” added Suzanne.
The Whites bought their expansive ranch-style house in the Rivertrail subdivision of Cordova. They paid $417,000 for over 4,300 square feet of living space. The home has four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. In addition to the home offices and a place for Mark’s music studio, the house offers a luxurious master bath, a utility room where the Whites can store party supplies for all their entertaining, a bathroom right off the pool, a detached garage, and desirable lighting and architectural features. The Whites say the location is great and that it is easy to get just about anywhere. Also, they like that there’s a walking trail in their neighborhood.
As for any future changes to their new home, the Whites are waiting for a fence company to build a fence for the couple’s dogs and are considering adding a heater to the spa. They are also adding more furniture since they moved into a larger space, but say, otherwise, this house is perfect for them.
“This house is like our former home on steroids, with lots more square footage and features,” said Suzanne. “Since moving in, we have learned that our home was the 1985 WREC Memphis Dream Home and it’s easy to see why. This home has stunning architecture, like a coffered ceiling in the den, tray ceilings in the dining room and one of the offices, and an abundance of storage. But moreover, the house is the ‘entertaining home’ of our dreams. It’s a place where we plan to create memories and experiences with our friends and family.”