Caroline Harrington and her husband have already moved twice in five years. As they plan to build their third home together, they tell PEOPLE about what they’ve learned
NEED TO KNOW
- Caroline Harrington and her husband are building their third home together in Snellville, Ga., at age 32
- The couple is prioritizing thoughtful decisions and financial stability, even if it means extending the building timeline
- Caroline advises others to focus on key design choices and declutter before moving to simplify the process
Caroline Harrington and her husband, Raymond Harrington, are getting closer and closer to moving into their “dream home” every day.The couple purchased land in Monroe, Ga., in 2018 in a ranch and golf course community, just after they were first married. However, just a few years later, in 2020, the two moved roughly two miles away after buying land on an acreage that consists of 14-16 homes. Theirs spans 10.Over the next few months, Caroline, who wanted to get into the house quickly, and Raymond made hasty decisions to speed up the move-in process. Over the next few years, however, they made significant upgrades to the home, including completely redoing the backyard.
Together, the couple lived in their dream home — the one where they spent five years, brought their three children home from the hospital, hosted parties, and spent nights with friends — until 2026. In 2023, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Tatum, and then in 2024, their second, Scotty.For Raymond, this is common. His family is in the home-building business, which means that, in any given year, he’s building upward of 25 homes for clients. It also means he’s moved around quite a few times in his own life, as his family built new homes and moved around while he was growing up.
“The longest house he’s ever lived in was the one we lived in together from 2020 to this year, 2026,” Caroline tells PEOPLE. “You really do make good equity because you’re building your own house and then you’re selling it and just doing it again.”On the other hand, Caroline tells PEOPLE that she lived in “the same house my whole life. My parents finally sold it when I was in college, or even after college. So I was teaching by the time they moved. So very different lifestyle changes. So I was like, ‘Oh, I never want to move. I’m good. I want my kids to go to the same school and just live in the same place forever.’ And he was very opposite.”Adds Caroline, “I could have stayed at our old house forever.”However, they chose to move once more, leaving behind the home they built from the ground up, for a few reasons. The couple loves the school system where they moved to in Snellville, Ga.. And Caroline’s parents live out there. Other family members are close by now too, like aunts and uncles.
“We knew we wanted to be here in this area from, I don’t know, in five years, but it just worked out that we found land that we loved and bit the bullet and moved,” she says.Despite that, Caroline was adamant that moving was not her first choice. “We’ve come to the compromise of when we make it into this new dream home, we’ll be here till hopefully the girls graduate high school,” she says.The goal was for the couple to move into the new home that they are currently building by the start of the school year. However, life, as it often does, got in the way, and the couple is now targeting a move-in date a little further out.“Well, it’s very notorious that builders, and I’ll say this, builders will give you a day. I would just go ahead and extend that,” she laughs. “[Raymond] told me late July, so I knew we were pushing into August.She advises that those looking to take on a similar building project of their own not expect to hold on to timelines or expectations. “Just know that it’s always with a grain of salt, and that’s probably everyone’s biggest complaint, because most people have to hire out a builder and probably every single person I’ve heard is like, “Oh yeah, it’s going to take longer.” So yes, that is true. And that’s coming from the wife of one.”She has a few other tips for home builders. “Don’t get hung up on minor changes,” she says. “For instance, at the old house, I thought I wanted this granite. I don’t know why, because I wanted white quartz and I went with a speckled granite that was ugly in my kitchen. And they put it in, and I walked in… And I’m a big… I committed; we’re going to do it. I don’t change my mind a lot. I walked in, and I was like, “Those countertops are going.” And Raymond was like, “I will do it for you, but this is the big mess-up.”
She adds, if you think you “hate” something, change it on the front end. “You’re not going to have them rip out countertops in three years.”Considering the big items like countertops and cabinets with care, a big piece of advice she has. “You can always change the knobs of a faucet or something like that. I would say that’s kind of something,” she adds.
And, when it comes to moving, coming from someone who has moved (and built homes) three times in the last eight years, Caroline advises: “Get rid of it.”…