Leafmore home meets family needs

“We had a lot of equity with us, so it gave us a lot of purchasing power to come in here,” she said.

Faizal, 36, a teacher, and Juliet, 32, focused on finding an intown neighborhood with character in a strong school district.

“We’re not a new construction kind of couple,” Juliet said.

They worked with James Marks, Atlanta market manager and broker of Redfin, and Laurie Nixon, Redfin Atlanta coordinator, to quickly find a home. Three homes built in Decatur in the 1960s were among their choices.

No. 1

Wooded views

The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home on Riviera Court was intown, but offered views of a creek bed and trees and a cul-de-sac location for additional privacy. The two-story home, built in 1966, had details such as a bay window in the eat-in kitchen, recessed lighting and hardwood floors. The home, in the Breckenridge neighborhood, originally was listed for $444,900.

No. 2

Brick beauty

The Colonial-style floor plan of the four-bedroom, two-full and two-half bath home on Altamont Drive appealed to the couple, compared to other homes where rooms were open to each other. The two-story home, built in 1965 and originally listed for $499,900, was in the desirable Leafmore neighborhood, which has a swim and tennis club. A sunroom had been added, and the basement was finished, with features such as a fireplace. The home had a pool, so the couple had to consider if that was something they wanted.

No. 3

Spacious rehab

The five-bedroom, four-bath home on Vista Leaf Drive was on a corner lot in Leafmore, with a flat yard. Inside, the master suite had two walk-in closets. A two-story foyer was an inviting entryway to the home, which had hardwood floors and two fireplaces. But they might have waited too late to look at the home, built in 1960 and originally listed for $600,000, because of other offers.

The Choice

No. 2. They made an offer a day after looking at the Altamont Drive home. Other contracts on the home had fallen through, so it was theirs. They purchased it in May. “This house had everything I wanted,” Juliet said. “We met several people who said it’s such a great house.” Since moving in, they have gutted and renovated the kitchen. But the neighborhood also sold them. “One of the things that drew us when we first came to see the house was there were children playing in the area. It was such a good feeling,” she said. “My kids [Mira, 4,  and Grace, 8] can go and just go outside and play with [other] kids without any scheduled play date, which is incredibly difficult to find this day and age.”