With a baby on the way, Decatur renters Jordan and Kaitlin Wells searched for a house in the same area. Within two weeks, they found a home in nearby Avondale Estates and now are in the process of decorating the nursery.
The priority
The couple was focused on finding a neighborhood to start their family and meet other parents and children. “I’m pregnant now, so we wanted to make sure there was a house with young families and kids and space for them to ride their bike around,” said Kaitlin, 26, a sales manager for Halcyon Hospice.
The couple, who got married in 2010, moved from Michigan to Atlanta last year. They honed in on the Decatur area to shorten the commute to downtown Atlanta, where Jordan, 31, is a regional sales manager for the Southeast for Cogent Communications, and because of the “cute downtown” Decatur area, said Kaitlin, who is due in December.
The search
It was difficult to find newer homes in their mid $200,000s price range in Decatur, which has older ranch homes and bungalows. But when they found the Ivy Hill subdivision in Avondale Estates, the house they wanted ended up being under contract. Kaitlin set up alerts on Trulia.com so she could learn quickly about open houses in the area. One day, she received an alert for the same home they originally wanted, which was back on the market after the buyers backed out. “It happened to be perfect timing,” Kaitlin said. “It’s just crazy. A year ago, I was living in Michigan. Now I’m pregnant and have brought a house in Georgia. It’s a really exciting time for us right now. We’re happy we’re going to be in the house and settled by the time the baby comes, too.”
The house
A three-bedroom, two-bath home built in 1999. The home is on a corner lot, meeting their outdoor space desires, and has a fenced-in backyard. The couple, who had rented a home with a master on the main and the other two bedrooms on the second floor, wanted all the bedrooms on the same level, for a baby-friendly floor plan. “We could be close to the nursery,” Kaitlin said. They closed on the home in June, assisted by Bonnie Wolf with Harry Norman, Realtors.
The lifestyle
Families are out often, in their yards and in a cul-de-sac in the middle of the neighborhood.
“If you drive around the neighborhood, there are little kids everywhere,” Kaitlin said. “We wanted somewhere where we knew we would be safe and have the kids play outside with other kids too.”
They’ve been spending their time making cosmetic changes to the house, such as having the hardwood floors sanded and stained - and decorating the nursery.
“At first, before we knew it was a girl, we were going to do neutral colors - gray and yellow. Then I found out if it was a girl, and I can’t not do pink,” Kaitlin said.
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