The Search
Hugh and Elizabeth Head were fortunate to sell their Chicago-area home when a job transfer brought them back to Georgia. They searched for a pedestrian-friendly, intown neighborhood with high-scoring schools for their daughter, Eleanor, who was born in July.
“Being able to walk to places was another criteria that was important to us in our search,” said Hugh, 44, project manager for eVestment Alliance, a Web-based provider of comprehensive investment information and analytic technology.
But the couple had to weigh those desires with the size and age of homes on the market.
No. 1
Bigger bungalow
The three-bedroom, 21/2-bath home on Willow Avenue was in Atlanta’s Peachtree Hills neighborhood and within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The neighborhood had a central location and young vibe, said Elizabeth, 32, who works in industrial supplies distribution for McMaster-Carr Supply Co. A 2009 addition created a family room, an upstairs master bedroom, powder room and deck. The couple wasn’t sure they liked having the master upstairs and the other bedrooms at the front of the home. The home, built in 1930, was originally listed for $449,000.
No. 2
Right location
The renovated three-bedroom, two-bath home on Kipling Drive in Atlanta’s Wildwood neighborhood was close enough to walk to restaurants such as Fellini’s Pizza and parks. The Morris Brandon Elementary School district was a plus. There were great expansion opportunities because of unused space in the attic, Hugh said. And that would have been necessary because the master bedroom was tiny, Liz said. The finished basement had a bedroom, but no bathroom. The home, built in 1955, was originally listed at $475,000.
No. 3
Outdated ranch
The three-bedroom, three-bath home on Sequoyah Drive in Atlanta was originally ruled out because of the ’70s décor, including pastel wallpaper and an excess of mirrors. But as they walked through, they saw the possibilities and the spaciousness of the well-maintained home, which had a full basement. The master had a “humungous” closet and bathroom, but those areas -- as well as the rest of the house -- needed to be updated, Elizabeth said. They would have to make a trade-off, however, because it was not within walking distance of restaurants and shops. The home, built in 1959, was originally listed for $475,000.
The Choice
No. 3. The couple was outbid on the Kipling Drive home. With the Sequoyah Drive home, they decided that with the right price, they would feel comfortable putting money up front to modernize the home. Their agent, Ursula Henry with Harry Norman, Realtors, advised them to figure the cost of updates, between $20,000 and $30,0000, into their offer. The seller accepted their offer in the low $400,000s. They closed in November and worked until mid-December, ripping out the carpet and mirrors, refinishing the hardwood floors, stripping the wallpaper, painting the entire interior and replacing a 35-year-old sliding glass door with an energy-efficient one. “We feel very fortunate and blessed that we were able to find this home that really fits our needs, and we were able to sort of make it our own and make it a place for Eleanor to grow up,” Hugh said.
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