DEL.ICIO.USThe Search
Fixer-upper was part of the plan
For the AJC
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Our house hunters:
When Tracey Harton and Stuart Poole met in elementary school in Stone Mountain, they had no idea that one day they’d be a couple and looking for a house to flip. They didn’t need another house for themselves: Harton had a Midtown condo, and Poole had a house in East Atlanta. But the couple thought it would be fun to find a fixer-upper and turn it into a showplace — or at least a comfortable home. They liked East Atlanta, Harton says, because “it’s a smaller Decatur, and we really like that all-in-one quality. And it’s a real up-and-coming area.”
Photo courtesy of Stuart Poole and Tracey Harton
Atlanta house hunters Stuart Poole and Tracey Harton.
The process:
Poole had an old buddy in real estate, Marc Takacs of MD Team, Keller Williams Realty Atlanta. Takacs, president of the East Atlanta Village Business Association, had an intimate knowledge of East Atlanta and its neighborhoods. Using Takacs’ Web site, they searched for just the right property looking for good deals, and then Takacs took them to the best of the lot.
Choice #1: Partially renovated
Listed at $159,900, this three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow was built in 1948, and was within walking distance of East Atlanta Village. Previous owners had gotten halfway through their renovation, and anything that could have been taken from the house — appliances, fixtures, etc. — was gone. Harton and Poole liked the front porch, the stone fireplace and the location.
Choice #2: Small charmer
This Kirkwood bungalow listed for $125,000 and had three bedrooms and one bath. Built in 1940, Poole says this house was very appealing because it was a Craftsman with a full basement and a good floor plan. It also had great curb
appeal, and its location close to parks and the Kirkwood commercial district was attractive.
Choice #3: Great location
Just two blocks from East Atlanta Village, Poole and Harton loved the location of this two-bedroom, one-bath bungalow. Built in 1920, the house had great potential and was priced right at $160,000. And did we mention the location?
Which house did they choose?
House No. 1, but not to flip. They’d fallen in love with their fixer-upper just blocks away from East Atlanta Village. But it wasn’t smooth sailing after the closing. The couple got a rehabilitation loan, which specified that the work had to be done in 10 days, and there was a lot of work to be done. First, there was the electricity: The house hadn’t had power for five years, so Georgia Power wouldn’t turn on the electricity until the city of Atlanta had done its inspections. Second was the water: There was no water meter, and when Harton and Poole began trying to replace it, neither DeKalb County nor the city of Atlanta acknowledged that the house existed. And when they did, the meter itself cost more than $1,400 and it would be three to six weeks before it would be installed. Third, the people who had begun the rehab didn’t know what they were doing, so it took four inspections for the work to pass muster, and that’s when Poole and Harton stopped counting. There was no place to vent the stove, so they had to spend nearly $2,000 on a downdraft range, rather than the $300 or so they had budgeted. Then undetected plumbing problems dumped 4 inches of water on the newly installed wood floors. “I can only laugh,” Harton said, chuckling. “We finally get everything done, and it floods!” But those days are over: The house is finished and they couldn’t be happier with the results.
Services »
