Now that they are older, the Cataks spend part of the year in Bosnia; Jasmin Catak is there for about five months annually, while Azra Catak is there for three months. When they’re in the US, though, Brown wanted her parents to live as close to her as possible.
Brown said her husband quickly understood her parents were a big part of her life, and he wanted them to be a big part of his, too.
“He has lost his mom and dad both, but he calls my parents mom and dad,” she said. “When I told James that I’ve always wanted my parents to live close to me, he was like, ‘I love that idea.’”
In 2020, the Browns decided they were ready to buy a home and agreed to select a property with enough space that it could become a home for her parents, too.
They ended up falling in love with a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house on two acres of land. The house was originally built in 1971, but because the previous owners had remodeled it, it felt like a new home.
“What drew us here is the setting of the house,” Brown said. “It’s in the woods. It’s just beautiful.”
They paid $945,000 for the home, knowing they would create space for Brown’s parents on the property as well.