With a baby on the way, Dionne Lee decided it was time to move out of her apartment and into a home. Lee, 40, who owns Cuisine by Marwan & Mommy, a catering company, focused on the Mableton area because she has friends who live in the Cobb County community and she wanted to be near recreational amenities like the Silver Comet Trail. After being disappointed by the condition of homes during her six-month search, a foreclosure in Mableton caught her eye. Lee, who was assisted by Keller Williams Realty’s Julie Brittain, chatted about her purchase.
Q: What did you want in a home?
A: A fireplace, a garage, and I wanted three bedrooms and a really nice kitchen.
Q: What features made a kitchen nice, in your eyes?
A: It had to be updated appliances. [The home I purchased] had stainless steel appliances. It was open. You could look into the living room and the dining room.
Q: Did you find many homes in your price range [low $100,000s] in good shape?
A: Most of them had a lot of problems. Once we got to the inspection part, we were uncovering their dirty little secrets, and it was so disappointing – termites, mold, you name it, we ran across it. I started thinking maybe it wasn’t supposed to be. But this house was the end all to be all.
Q: What was the condition of this house?
A: It was in a fairly good condition. Outside of it needing to be painted, there wasn’t a lot of cosmetic work that needed to be done. After looking so long and being disappointed, I was like, “This is it.”
Q: What tip would you give for negotiating with a seller in a foreclosure?
A: We looked at the value of the house and houses in the area, and they took it. We thought that if we came with a solid offer [they would accept it].
Q: What have you enjoyed about living in Mableton?
A: The Silver Comet Trail is one of the best things. It’s convenient to walk, and I rollerblade, so it’s nice. Also, we’re really close to Cumberland Mall.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about decorating your home?
A: Using my imagination and finding unique items in different stores, which bring each room to life individually. I am decorating all by myself, with a little help from HGTV.
Q: What is your favorite room?
A: Marwan’s room is my favorite because I painted it while he was in neo-natal intensive care unit at WellStar Cobb Hospital in Austell [he was born in March 2010]. It was truly a labor of love. His color scheme is fresh water blue, chocolate and cream, with a couple of safari accents.
At a Glance
Dionne Lee’s home in Mableton, which was built in 2006, has three bedrooms, three baths and about 2,440 square feet. She purchased it in January 2010. Homes in the Vonda Lane neighborhood are priced in the $130,000s.
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