Engineer pleased with fixer-upper

For his first home, Marcus Millard desired a fixer-upper near Ga. 400, which offered proximity to his family, job, Georgia Tech and Lake Lanier. Millard, 35, who works for Sedki and Russ Engineers in Sandy Springs, discussed the HUD-owned foreclosure he purchased in Roswell’s Windsor Forest neighborhood.

Q: Where were you living?

A: I finished my master’s degree in structural engineering at Georgia Tech in 2006. I just stayed in the same apartment that I was in when I was in school.

Q: How long did you search?

A: Over a year. I did most of my searching online, and it seems like the most efficient way to do it.

You can see lots of info and lots of pictures without spending a lot of time. When I would see something interesting, I showed it to Mary Beth Lake (an agent with Harry Norman Realtors).

I really wanted something that I could put my efforts into and increase the value.

Q: How old was the home you purchased?

A: 1968. I was really hoping to find something that was masonry construction —- either brick or stone. This one is brick on all four sides.

Q: Why did you want a fixer-upper?

A: I’m an engineer. I like to kind of tinker with stuff. I had been [volunteering with] Habitat for Humanity, so I thought one of these days I’d like to do some work on my own.

Q: How would you describe the negotiating process?

A: It was a very strange negotiating process. They listed the house for a period of time and accepted bids on it. Then on the very last day, they looked at all the bids and it went to the highest one. I would have liked to offer a lower number and negotiate something in the middle. But I kind of had to go with my highest offer. It was higher than I think I would have initially offered if it was a regular negotiation, but it was much less than I thought the house was worth.

Q: What type of loan did you get?

A: According to the inspection, the extent of the repairs was large enough that it would not qualify for an FHA loan. I ended up looking for a conventional loan, so I had to come up with a bigger down payment.

Q: What have you done to the home?

A: A lot of the work that needs to be done is getting rid of 1970s wallpaper and repainting. The thermostat was not connected correctly, so we didn’t really get to test the heating and air conditioning during the inspection. It’s requiring some work and some money. There have been pleasant surprises, too. The water heater ended up being a pretty cheap fix.

At a glance

Marcus Millard’s home has four bedrooms, two baths, an unfinished basement and about 2,000 square feet of livable space. He purchased the home in September.

Windsor Forest

County: Fulton

Price range: $180,000-$330,000

Homes: About 170

Lot sizes: About three-quarters of an acre

Homeowners fees: $25 a year (Voluntary dues)

Schools: Hembree Springs Elementary, Elkins Pointe Middle, Roswell High

More on schools: schools.ajchomefinder.com

Getting there

Take I-85 north to Ga. 400 North to Exit 8 (Mansell Road) and turn left. Cross over Ga. 9. Turn right onto Houze Road into the neighborhood.

For sale

$215,000: 495 Houze Way, Roswell 30076. A four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home built in 1969 with hardwood floors and a sunroom.

Recent sales

$326,500: 360 Houze Way, Roswell 30076. A four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home built in 1968 with a full finished basement.

$284,000: 450 Page Place, Roswell 30076. A four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home built in 1978 with a finished basement, deck and sunroom.

Source: Mary Beth Lake, Harry Norman Realtors