Name: Lauren Gross, 41, who works for Genzyme Corp., a biotechnology company
The home: A three-bedroom, two-bath home built in 1953, which she purchased in 2002
Where: Brookhaven
Time on market: One day. “That was one of the most unbelievable things about it. I really kind of waffled about selling it for about a year and a half. Finally one day I said, ‘Let’s just do it.’ We put it on the market. We had a contract a day and a half later. It was bizarre.”
Original price: $300,000
Sale price: $300,000
What it took: Gross, who purchased the home for $211,000, estimates she put about $60,000 into the property, with an addition and updates. She added about 325 square feet, with a second bathroom, laundry room and a walk-in closet in the master suite – a rarity in Brookhaven, she says. Other updates included renovating the existing bathroom, adding a two-story deck, new tile and countertops in the kitchen and paint throughout.
Potential stumbling block: None, but Gross said she believes that only was because she got the home in “near-perfect condition” before putting it on the market. She fixed minor nail punches, touched up paint and repaired a small section of rotted wood on the deck.
Why she sold: Gross sought a ranch home that was larger (her previous home has less than 1,300 square feet) and a bigger, fenced backyard.
Seller’s hint: Look at the condition and prices of other homes on the market. Gross said she wasn’t surprised that hers sold so quickly because she saw overpriced homes in poor condition when she was looking with agent Jill Heineck of Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta. In January, Gross purchased a Buckhead home built in 1955 on .44 acres, with about 2,200 square feet. So far, she’s spent about $25,000 on updates and repairs. They include: a new roof, new front and side doors, double doors in the master, new gables over the back door, single pane windows in the keeping room, tile in the kitchen and keeping room, a metal fence over a small section of the stone wall and exterior light fixtures. She’s also fixed a hole in the foundation. She plans to paint the entire interior, too, and renovate the master bath, which has pink tile. “In order for me to get all the things I wanted in a good neighborhood, I had to give up the perfectly well-kept house, for the short term,” she said.
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