Foreclosure makes move next door to family possible

After living in a two-story Smyrna home for more than 50 years, 82-year-old Virginia Smith purchased a one-story foreclosure in Canton, next door to one of her daughters.

Fixing up the home became a family project, with Smith, daughter Maureen Evans and her son-in-law, Randy Evans, working together to renovate the residence. Smith and Maureen Evans, who were assisted in the process by Cristina Sanders and Winter Baserva of Seasons Realty Group of Solid Source Realty, chatted about the benefits of the move.

Q: Why did you move?

Virginia Smith: The reason I moved is because of my age. I had a lot of steps to go up and down. It was a big house. The kids thought I should be a little closer to them.

Maureen Evans: We wanted Mama close to us, in case she needed us for anything. She's very self-sufficient, but with the age, we just wanted to keep an eye on her.

Q: Since it was a foreclosure, how affordable was the home?

Evans: We spent 16 months trying to get this [dealing with a bank and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the process]. I was bound and determined not to let this house get out of my hands. We made a bid of $60,000, and we got it. We knew we were going to have to redo everything. [They spent about $60,000 on the renovations.]

Q: What changes did you make?

Evans: We knocked some walls out and made rooms bigger so she could get around easier. It's actually turned out to be a cute, cute house. It has a new roof, new walls, new windows, new hardwood floors, new doors, new everything. It's basically a new house.

Smith: We put in new cabinets. We had them custom built. We've got tile in the bathrooms. The sunroom is 12-by-26 with windows all around. That's very pretty. I love that.

Q: Did you enjoy doing the renovations?

Smith: This is just up my alley, what we're doing. I love to tear up everything and redo it and make it look pretty, because my other home was beautiful.

Q: What type of downsizing did you do?

Smith: Oh, did I ever have to downsize. Oh my gosh, I was letting people come and get what they wanted. When I get the little utility room out in the back built, I'm sure when I go through boxes, there will be more giveaways.

Q: What advice do you give other senior adult buyers?

Smith: Don't be afraid to jump into something and make a change. You've got to continue your life, and I would say go for it.

At a glance

Virginia Smith’s home in Canton’s Indian Springs neighborhood has three bedrooms, two baths and about 1,500 square feet. She purchased it in May. Homes in the area range from $70,000-$120,000.