Newlyweds David and Vanessa Hunter began their married life in David’s bachelor pad, a condo in Talley Street Lofts. They loved the location but wanted more elbow room to entertain, a backyard for their two dogs and enough space to begin a family.
When they began their search, the Hunters focused exclusively on the city of Decatur because of its walkable nature and proximity to David’s parents and their jobs, said Vanessa, an occupational therapist at DeKalb Medical. Their agent, Cheryl Gosa with Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Midtown, set up showings for the brisk market and provided comparable sales data for the area. The couple soon discovered that they would quickly outgrow the Decatur homes that were within their price range of the high-$300,000s to high-$400,000s, Vanessa said.
They decided to approach their search this way: “We would hold onto what we wanted in terms of a house but would be a tiny bit flexible on our top priority – location,” Vanessa said.
Vanessa and David, who works in public health preparedness and response for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, considered these three homes in DeKalb County.
NO. 1: CHARMING COTTAGE
A three-bedroom, two-bath brick and stone home on Coventry Road in Decatur was appealing because it had a renovated eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and a farmhouse sink, but the dishwasher was not full-size. The home had a fenced, backyard and fulfilled their top priority of being located within the city of Decatur. Vanessa was concerned about the steep staircase to the second-floor master bedroom. The home, built in 1943, was listed for $485,000.
NO. 2: HISTORIC BUNGALOW
A three-bedroom, one-bath brick bungalow on Cambridge Avenue in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood caught their eye because of its big screened front porch and new deck overlooking a level backyard. The kitchen was updated with new countertops, hardwood floors, subway tile backsplash and a breakfast bar. This home also was located within the city of Decatur and an easy walk to restaurants. The home, however, was only slightly larger than their condo. The home, built in 1930, was listed for $384,000.
NO. 3: DISTINCTIVE TUDOR
A four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath brick Tudor home in Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood grabbed their attention because of its open floor plan and period details, such as glass doorknobs and an original mantel. It had a flagstone front porch archway and an arched wooden front door. In addition, the Tudor had a screened porch, fenced backyard, two-car garage and storage basement. Although not within the city of Decatur, the home was walkable to restaurants, pubs, concerts and festivals in nearby Oakhurst Village. The home, built in 1939, was listed for $499,000.
THE CHOICE
NO. 3
The house is “loaded with charm,” said Vanessa, and it’s the only house the couple made an offer on. They closed on their East Lake home in March 2016. “We wanted proximity to David’s parents and work and a walkable neighborhood,” she said. “We did end up getting those things but found them about two blocks outside the Decatur city limits. And, we were able to get a lot more house by being flexible on that point.”
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