Jacqueline Witherspoon sought to be closer to family after a divorce and decided to move from New York City to Atlanta.
Her niece, Whitney White Som-Pimpong, and niece’s husband, Kwame Som-Pimpong, were essential in helping her find a home in metro Atlanta, as well as Witherspoon’s real estate agent, Tracey Cabrey with PalmerHouse Properties.
Witherspoon, 50, a supervisor for the customer service department for Apartment Guide, spoke about her search and her new home in Smyrna.
Q: Why was buying a home in Atlanta appealing to you?
A: I have never owned a home. I've lived in apartments all my life, aside from living at home with my parents. I've always wanted to purchase a home. In New York City, that seemed to be beyond my reach. I didn't think it would be practical for me to put such an exorbitant of amount of money down and still not be able to live comfortably. My niece is in Georgia. She said I should consider moving down here and the cost of living is cheaper.
Q: How did you find your home?
A: I was here for the weekend. We had about 10 properties to see. All of them were within the Perimeter, mostly in Decatur. They were not quite what I was looking for, but beautiful homes. My realtor said she had one more home she wanted me to see that was within a development. She brought us to Belmont Chase. As soon as we walked into the house, I'm like, "This is the house."
Q: How did you know?
A: It had everything that I wanted. The master on the main (floor). The other houses had a bedroom on the main but it wasn't the master. It had extra bedrooms upstairs. Then there was carpet everywhere. I said, "We're going to pull this carpet off the first floor. The countertops need to be redone." My niece said, "You sound like you already made up your mind."
Q: What helped you picture yourself in the home?
A: The house was furnished and I could envision where things needed to be and how my furniture fit in.
Q: What have you changed in the home?
A: There was carpet everywhere. I just did not want carpet throughout the entire house. So they were very amenable about pulling the carpet out and I selected some nice, dark wood floors. I selected some really nice granite for the countertops. There were some other things I wanted, but it was over my budget.
Q: What is something you’ve purchased to decorate the home?
A: I buy a lot of art. I have a lot of lithographs and African pieces. I got this big floor vase that was part of the model home. I put some bamboo into that.
Q: What’s a tip for buyers?
A: I took two first-time homebuyers seminars in New York City, a year apart from each other. It's critical to take one of those first-time homebuyers seminars and get a realtor who really knows the business, who is experienced and who can walk you thorough the process. I never would have found this home. This was something she was able to find for me. Any question I had, she could answer. Any question I didn't ask, she would bring it to my attention. I didn't feel like I had any stress throughout the process because she was there for me.
Q: What’s a positive sign to you about the housing market?
A: At the corner, there are two houses that are under construction. Another lot is under contract. It does appear that the housing market is bouncing back or people are getting more confident in their ability to purchase a home. There's a lot of single woman purchasing homes. To see all of these young, progressive women doing it on their own is really phenomenal. To be included in that is just awesome for me.
At a Glance
Jacqueline Witherspoon’s new home in Smyrna’s Belmont Chase, a Brock Built neighborhood, has four bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths and about 2,904 square feet, according to property tax records. She moved in during August. Homes in the Cobb County community range from the low-$200,000s to the low-$300,000s.
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