Couple's search leads to suburbs and back intown

Q: Where did you search?

Dan: We looked at a bunch of fixer-uppers in Buckhead. We went to Smyrna. Then we actually put a bid on a house (built in the 1920s) … in historic Marietta. We canceled that one because the home inspection wasn't so good. It looked really good, but looks could be deceiving. It (had) a new roof, but underneath it, it wasn't sturdy enough. There were big plumbing issues and electrical issues.

Q: How did you find the home you ended up buying?

Dan: We were about at the end of our rope. We did not think finding a house was going to happen. Megan was walking by and saw the sign come up on this property. It's literally two blocks from where we were living. It hadn't been posted on the listings yet. It was a foreclosure. We immediately called Mary Clark. We actually looked at it that night.

Q: What features did you like in the home?

Megan: There was a lot of charm. It has the original doorknobs and the original windows.

Dan: It's got great architectural details for a little bungalow house. It's got incredible crown molding and baseboards. It's got glass doors leading into the bedrooms, with original glass, which is wavy.

Q: How did you end up getting the home?

Dan: We were actually outbid. So again, we were back to square one and a little discouraged. We had finally found a place we could afford in the neighborhood we wanted to be in and we loved the house and we were outbid. The contract before us actually fell though … and (we were asked) to place another bid. Obviously we said yes. We put it in at what they told us we had to put it in at. That was on April 30, which was the last day for the home buyer's tax credit of $8,000. They wanted more earnest money than we put down first. So (the next day), I had to get another money order for the earnest money and put it down. It was a lot of hurrying.

Q: How long did you have to wait to find out if your offer was accepted?

Dan: It took them four days to come back with all the signed paperwork.

Q: What’s one of the favorite things you’ve bought for the home?

Megan: I like our dining room because I got a chandelier on Craigslist and it's so cool. It's all blown glass and crystal. It just makes the room look great.

At a Glance

Dan and Megan Jones’ home in Morningside has three bedrooms, one and a half baths and about 1,462 square feet of livable space. They purchased it in June.

Morningside

County: Fulton

Information: mlpa.org (Morningside-Lenox Park Association)

Price range: Low $300,000s-$2.95 million (for homes on the market)

Homes: About 1,500

Lot sizes: Less than a third acre to 1 acre (for homes on the market)

Homeowners fees: None ($25 to join the Morningside-Lenox Park Association)

Schools: Morningside Elementary, Inman Middle, Grady High

More on schools: schools.ajchomefinder.com

Getting there

Take I-85 to Exit 89 (North Druid Hills Road) and turn right. Turn right onto Briarcliff Road. Take a slight right onto Johnson Road, which becomes North Highland Avenue. Turn left onto Lanier Place. Turn left onto North Morningside Drive.

For sale

$395,000: 1653 N. Rock Springs Road N.E., Atlanta 30324. A three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home built in 1928 with high ceilings and a separate dining room.

$384,900: 1370 Wessyngton Road N.E., Atlanta 30306. A two-bedroom, two-bath bungalow built in 1945 with original hardwood floors and a butler’s pantry.

Recent sales

$408,000: 1278 N. Morningside Drive N.E., Atlanta 30306. A two-bedroom, two-bath bungalow built in 1924 with an eat-in kitchen and sunroom.

$342,500: 1307 N. Morningside Drive N.E., Atlanta 30306. A three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow built in 1925 with hardwood floors and nine-foot ceilings.

Community information provided by Mary Clark Caldwell with Harry Norman, Realtors.