This appeal is from a final judgment and decree of divorce.1 Central to the litigation in the trial court was the equitable division of the value of three properties: the marital home in Hapeville, two undeveloped lots on the Chattahoochee River in Habersham County, and an undeveloped lot in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Based on a jury verdict, the trial court awarded Ms. Maddox equitable interests in all three properties, attorney fees, and costs. Mr. Maddox contests on appeal the award of equitable interests in the Habersham County and Hilton Head properties and the award of attorney fees. 1. In an enumeration of error contending the trial court erred in denying his motion for new trial, Mr. Maddox asserts that Ms. Maddox failed to present sufficient evidence on which an equitable division of the value of the Habersham County and Hilton Head properties could be based.2 In reviewing a trial court’s denial of a motion for new trial on the ground there was no evidence to support the verdict, this Court examines the record to determine whether there is any evidence to support the verdict. Cook v. Huff , 274 Ga. 186 1 552 SE2d 83 2001.
The testimony and stipulations of the parties authorized the following to be found as facts. The parties were married in 1990 and the judgment of divorce in this case was entered in 2002. The Habersham County property was purchased in 1994 for $44,000 with Mr. Maddox’s non-marital funds. In 1995, the property was used as collateral for a $45,000 loan, the proceeds of which were used in a business venture. Between 1995 and 1998, the balance of the loan was reduced to $30,000 by payments from Mr. Maddox’s income earned during the marriage, and that balance was paid in 1998 with the proceeds of a loan using the marital home as collateral. At the time of the divorce, the property had a value of $100,000, the increase of which is attributable solely to market forces. Ms. Maddox was awarded $27,700 as her equitable interest in the property. The Hilton Head property was purchased by Mr. Maddox in 1988 for $80,000, of which $20,000 was paid as a down-payment. The balance owed was reduced in 178 even installments during the ensuing years, continuing through the duration of the marriage, to $20,000. The value of the property at the time of the divorce had increased to $170,000 due solely to market forces. Ms. Maddox was awarded $33,928 as her equitable interest in the property.
