One of the reasons Angie Davis looked forward to buying a home was having the ability to tackle do-it-yourself projects around the house. She got to work right away, by refacing the cabinets in her Atlanta home.
Davis, who is in her 30s and works in health care, chatted about the ranch home she purchased in DeKalb County.
Q: Were you excited or apprehensive about buying a home?
A: I was definitely excited. It was something I had definitely been saving up for, for a long time.
Q: Why did you choose the DeKalb County location?
A: It’s only a couple of miles away from where I was already renting. That part of town was 20 minutes from work, from Buckhead, from Virginia Highland, from the Inman Park area, from where my social circle has been developed in the past year
Q: What were you finding on the market?
A: At the price point ($250,000-$300,000), there were definitely not a lot of options as far as three bedrooms, two baths. I could get a two-bedroom townhouse or condo, or a very small house on a small lot. It was just tricky finding it. I actually just happened to see this property on the day of the open house. I had probably been looking a couple of months.
Q: What was the condition of the home?
A: I liked the floor plan. It’s four-sided brick, and the bones of the house were good. This is a 1950s home, so definitely the kitchens and baths were 1950s. I was willing to look past cosmetic issues.
Q: Did you change anything right away?
A: Before I even moved in, I had the kitchen under construction. I refinished the cabinets. We took down a wall between the kitchen and bedroom to open it up a bit. I did bring in a contractor to demo the wall and a closet, and a flooring guy to have the floors refinished. I added some hardwoods through the kitchen and repaired a spot in one bedroom.
Q: How did you refinish the cabinets?
A: They’re actually solid wood. They were in good shape, they were just a really dated ’50s brown. I sanded them down and painted them a cleaner white. I wanted to update the hardware, but the hinges were so vintage that there was no replacing the hinges. I painted the hardware.
Q: What did you learn about the homebuying process?
A: Up until the last minute I was thinking, “This is so smooth, I’m lucky.” Of course at the last minute, there was some drama. The closing did get a little hectic at the end.
Q: Why was there a delay?
A: I used a non-traditional bank that didn’t have a brick and mortar (location). There were some extra complications with that. It created delays, but it all worked out.
Q: What online tools did you use for decorating and do-it-yourself ideas?
A: For inspiration I used the Houzz app for photos and to see colors. I used Pinterest to organize my design plan for the kitchen.
Q: What’s it like to be a homeowner?
A: There definitely is that pride of ownership. You keep things a little cleaner, you brush the tile in the bathroom a little harder.
At a Glance
Angie Davis’ home, built in 1950 in Atlanta’s Lavista Park neighborhood, has three bedrooms, two baths and about 1,874 square feet. She purchased the home in November, assisted by Lucas Carter with Coldwell Banker Buckhead. Homes in the neighborhood are on the market from the high $200,000s to high $400,000s.
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