Charles Dilcher bought the first home on his street in Chastain Park, when the road was still gravel. He lived in the 4,000-plus square-foot home with a pool for 51 years, but when his wife died two years ago, Dilcher began to consider downsizing.
He started looking in the Brookhaven area “vaguely” in summer 2011 and would occasionally ask his agent, Ashley Erbesfield Battleson with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, to check out listings. He eventually made his way to a patio home in Sandy Springs, which he purchased in the fall. Dilcher, 79, chatted about the home.
Q: What features were you seeking in the home and location?
A: Preferably, I wanted to keep most of the property on one floor. I wanted a fenced backyard because I have dogs. I’m a member of Capital City Club. I wanted to be over near Brookhaven because I work out there five or six days a week.
Q: How did you end up finding the property in Sandy Springs?
A: My daughter, who lives in Sandy Springs, found some places off Glenridge and she suggested I look at them. I thought, well, I’m going to just drive around the neighborhood a little bit. I eventually ended up at Glen Court, which is off of Glenridge, just immediately below Hammond Drive. I saw this beautiful little home.
Q: How quickly did you move on the home?
A: That was on a Wednesday. Ashley called me back that afternoon and she arranged that we could go see it on a Thursday. I took my daughter. We fell in love with the place. It just fit the bill perfectly. I think we made a preliminary offer on Friday. We made our final offer on that Sunday. And they agreed. We ended up closing in less than a month.
Q: How did the house work out for you?
A: It was a perfect floor plan. Everything is on one floor. It is very, very easy. It’s got a garage with a garage door. I’ve never had one of those in my whole life. I’ve always had carports.
Q: Are you having to downsize your possessions?
A: You can’t move into a smaller place and particularly be married 57 years and not have a lot of antiques and things you can’t take.
Q: How difficult has it been to go through the items?
A: The physical part of moving is not as difficult on you as the mental part of making those decisions. What do you take? It’s a traumatic experience. For example, we had beautiful formal couches. I can’t take those over. My room is not big enough to handle one of these 8 1/2-foot couches. We have a horsehair loveseat that was in my wife’s family since the 1800s. I can’t use it. There are a lot of these antiques. My mother started me years ago on a collection of Chinese snuff bottles. Who do you know who has a collection of Chinese snuff bottles? Do I want to bring it over? I don’t know. I hate to tell you, I have not even gone to the attic. I’m afraid to go up there. I have Christmas ornaments enough for eight trees.
Q: How are you dispersing the items?
A: I’ve got three townhouses in Panama City [Fla.]. I had to move some stuff down there. What the kids don’t want, I’ve got to get rid of. If that doesn’t work, then consignment.
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