Jeffrey Mathew’s rent was set to rise from $876 a month to $1,200 for his two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. A friend suggested that he buy a home instead of continuing to rent. Then a co-worker recommended a lender who helped Mathew get pre-approved and set a budget of up to $150,000.
After considering a longer commute, he found a home in East Point, just three blocks from his job at Atlanta Medical Center. Mathew, 45, who grew up in Puerto Rico and has lived in New York City and Washington, D.C., chatted about his search and his three-bedroom home.
Q: Where did you look for homes?
A: I went to Lawrenceville, Midtown, Mableton, Chamblee. We went to see houses over there in Lawrenceville. They were pretty nice. It’s hard, especially when you work in the hospital for 13 hours and you have to drive from here, from East Point, all the way to Lawrenceville (about 40 miles east). The driving was going to be the problem. The agent (Shun Collins with Keller Williams) said, “Let me give you some ideas, maybe you want to try East Point, College Park.”
Q: How did you search in the Jefferson Park neighborhood?
A: I started seeing the neighborhood. I said, “This looks very nice.” It reminded me of the West Village in New York, but more residential. After that, he said, “Let me show you another house.” I saw it, and my friend said, “Oh my God, this is the house. You have to have it.” It has a Cape Cod style. This one has space.
Q: What else surprised you?
A: When I looked in the back, I saw kind of a small area. I said, “This is pretty good. I don’t have to cut much grass.” When everything went through, (the seller) told me, “Your land goes not to the fences, it goes beyond 10 feet after the creek.” I said, “Oh my God, now I have to cut the grass.”
Q: How have you gotten to know people in the neighborhood?
A: The cultural diversity in Jefferson Park made it more attractive. The people are very friendly. When I was moving in, they came, introduced themselves. Pretty much I love it.
Q: What did you learn about buying the home?
A: I was looking at the future. I wanted to see the value of my house going up rather than down. Once you invest in an area, you want to make sure the area is going to improve. I read about what’s going to happen – what the city is planning to do, who is coming in (in terms of businesses). It seems that the area is growing and improving and modernizing and companies are coming in. In 10 years, it’s going to be a very hot area.
At a Glance
Jeffrey Mathew’s home, built in 1941 in East Point, has three bedrooms, two baths and about 1,612 square feet. He purchased it in April. Homes in Jefferson Park are priced from $67,000 to $272,000.
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