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In 2008, I wrote a blog post about the architect “Robert Green.” Robert M. Green. Robert Miller Green.
He was a Usonian design student of Frank Lloyd Wright and he designed and built dozens of MCM homes in Georgia. “Although he spent some time in Arizona and California, Green returned to Atlanta to practice as an architect from 1959 until his death in 2003.”
2 months after I wrote the post I get a call from a homeowner who wants to sell his house in Buckhead – a Robert Green house described as “The most Wrightian in Georgia.”
“Green’s first commission in Atlanta was a residence built in 1960 for William L. Copeland, (an executive with the formerly well-known “Citizens and Southern Bank.”) Known as the Copeland house, the home still stands today in the Collier Hills neighborhood of Atlanta and is owned by a prominent local architect.”
That’s THE house – the “most Wrightian” in Georgia. https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/GA-01-121-0080
“One home he designed, known as Lion’s Gate and valued at approximately $3.3 million when it was built in 1971, gained infamy as the home of pornographer Mike Thevis. It was later owned by Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. AAANNNNDDD, by God – Gregg Allman and Cher.
“Many more of Mr. Green’s homes have since been destroyed.”
Check out those Lion’s Gate photos!
1 blog post about Robert Green and I land a listing appointment.
It’s 2008. I’m in Collier Hills going to see this super cool property – because I wrote a good blog post and got noticed. The long tail worked! Here’s the exact article that I read in 2008 that made me a believer – https://problogger.com/the-long-tail-of-blogging-why-content-is-king/
I walk in and meet the two sellers. I interview. I present. I was still brokered with my first RE broker, KW First Atlanta. I was a charter member from ‘99. KW presence in Buckhead was growing after 9 years but nowhere near the presence of my 2 competitors.
We were still “Keller Who?”
My competitors were a Dorsey Alston agent and a Harry Norman agent – both traditional brokers known for luxury home listings. Both with long Buckhead track records.
At that time, I was selling 14-15 listings a year, mostly Intown and in Decatur.
Regardless…the sellers hired the Harry Norman agent and when I asked their specific reason for not hiring me, it was because they felt that the listing agent they chose represented a “totem.”
TOTEM – (noun)
1a
: an object (such as an animal or plant) serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry
also : a usually carved or painted representation of such an objectb
: a family or clan identified by a common totemic object
2
: one that serves as an emblem or revered symbol
So, I get that news, it’s still 2008 and I went to the Crystal Blue store in Little 5 Points. I bought a book on Native American totems, a sacred white sage bundle, an elegant pack of matches and a black quartz stone.I mailed all of that with a thank you letter to the sellers.
The first listing agent failed. Hard to sell a house for $1.1M in 2008-2010 and they leased it in lieu of lingering on the market. They had already moved to Morningside.
I switch to the KW brokerage in Decatur in 2010 and most of my business is Intown and Eastside, not Buckhead. Some Buckhead.
But, I’m certainly not a totem in Buckhead. Neither was KW’s Decatur office.
In 2013, the 2 sellers call me and ask me to come list the house.
The property sold in 97 days for $820,000 to a very savvy architect and his Wife – the two sellers had kinda-sorta let the exterior of the house go and I guess the totem didn’t mean as much anymore.
What mattered is my consistency.My creativity.My enthusiasm.My lingua franca.My negotiation skills.
And, my absolute presence as a “local economist of choice” that never went away.
The Copeland House stands out as a unique example of MCM – mid-century modern architecture.
Nothing traditional about that house and that wonderful acreage next to the Beltline!
In 2008, I wrote that “it has been tastefully updated to fit the times, without sacrificing the character of the original finishes. Floor to ceiling windows, a functional flow, and wrap-around deck space are top notch for entertaining. Come see this one of a kind home that takes you back to the 1960’s!”
Check out these photos from my 2013 listing and if you ever have questions about how to purchase or how to sell a Robert Green home, or another architecturally significant home, please contact me!
