This family's perfect home for entertaining is in Collierville's Southridge neighborhood

Kia Robinson-Jarrett and Corey Jarrett originally moved to Collierville in 2019 from the Hacks Cross area so their daughter, Karsen, could attend Collierville High School. Corey is the owner of On Demand Logistics and also owns a property management company. Kia is a physical therapist at an outpatient physical therapy clinic.

“We moved into Schilling Farms, which I actually loved, and it was my dream neighborhood,” recalled Kia. “But after Corey's mom had to move in with us due to dementia, we quickly learned that we needed a bigger place. Also, we just had no space for all of our stuff.”

The couple determined that they wanted to find a five-bedroom house. Also, they wanted to have a large walk-in pantry, a large primary bedroom that was not near the kitchen, an independent, free-standing man cave for Corey, more closet space and a pool with a grassy area for Sasha, their Jack Russell Terrier.

To guide them in their house hunt, Kia and Corey enlisted the aid of Stacey Berry, an agent with Keller Williams Realty.

“Originally, I found Stacey because she happened to cold call asking if we were looking for a house in 2019,” explained Kia. “At that moment we weren’t in the market for a new home. However, just two days later I happened to find a house I wanted in Schilling Farms and gave them Stacey's name as my realtor. I knew I needed a realtor and I remembered her name because I had just talked to her. Stacey was so professional and wonderful that we called her again to find our current Collierville house and help us sell our former house.”

That was in early 2022 when the available housing inventory was flying off the shelves. “We couldn't find that perfect house for entertaining that we were looking for, and so many houses we did find were dated and needed major updating,” said Corey. “Also Kia was determined that she wanted a white-colored house. Stacey helped us review about a dozen or so homes.”

Kia and Corey found the home they had been searching for in the Southridge neighborhood of Collierville. They paid $810,000 for a brick, two-story home, built in the French Country style, with just more than 4,900 square feet of living space. The home had their requisite five bedrooms plus four bathrooms. There was a grand central staircase with wrought iron railing and hardwoods throughout the first floor. The two-story living room opened onto the dining room, but the spaces were made to feel separate with pillars delineating the rooms. The spacious eat-in kitchen had not only room for a table and chairs, but also a built-in desk that could serve as the “nerve center” of the home.

“Our current house had been built of brown brick in 2005, so the first thing we did was to paint it white,” explained Kia. “I love that we have a split floor plan. It's nice to have my mother-in-law’s room downstairs. We love the primary bedroom not being near the kitchen. And this house offered us a big back yard.”

“We have the most amazing backyard and pool,” said Corey. “It has a gazebo, a fire pit, a beautiful flower garden, and a Zen garden. The backyard sold us on this house.”

Kia added, “We also love our screened-in back porch. It has an outdoor kitchen, complete with a grill, a smoker, a Green Egg and a refrigerator. Also our primary suite is huge, with enough room for a sitting area. Such a welcomed treat because we never had enough space for a king-sized bed until this house.”

Corey said he was pleased also to find a house that had a 4-car garage. And there was a free-standing garage that the couple turned into a “speak easy” for him.

When asked if there was anything they had changed since moving in, other than painting the exterior, Kia said, “In my mind, I fancy myself an interior decorator, so I was excited to have a few projects. We painted the whole house interior a shade of pale mocha, instead of gray. We are over everything being gray. In addition to making our freestanding garage into a special space for Corey, we tore down the existing fireplace in the living room and built a black, floor-to-ceiling one in its place. Additionally, we changed everything in the laundry room and in the downstairs bathroom. We’ve repainted that bathroom, painted the cabinets black, swapped out the flooring for a white ceramic tile with a brown pattern, and added black wrought iron fixtures. I still plan to change our primary bathroom. We liked that it had a soaker tub, a freestanding glass shower and a gas fireplace. The room was big and grand, but I want a warmer feel.”

“And, we’ve also started the plans to build a huge closet and dressing room for Kia in what is currently the upstairs den/media room,” added Corey.

After settling into their new home, Kia and Corey spent time and money enhancing their landscaping. So much so that they won their subdivision’s coveted Yard of the Month award in August. “We love our neighborhood,” said Kia. “Everyone is so friendly and speaks to one another. Neighbors are always walking, jogging, and roller blading.  We just love Collierville, our neighborhood, and our beautiful house.”

Emily Adams Keplinger is a freelance reporter who produced this feature for the Advertising Department.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Family finds perfect home in Collierville's Southridge neighborhood