Props to Amy (Long) Howard that spotted this article in the AJC print edition in the real estate section! It’s an article about the buyers of our Waldo house. This makes me feel great 1) because they love the house and 2) they really liked our renovation. Jessica even said at the closing table they weren’t changing a thing - even down to the paint colors! (They also negotiated in our dining room table we had over there for staging - so I guess we had the same taste!) I miss ol’ Waldo! But I am glad such a nice couple moved in.

By C.W. Cameron
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/23/08

Our house hunters:

Josh Alexander, 29, works as a legal assistant at King & Spalding and Jessica, 33, is in the client services department at Moxie Interactive. Josh says, "We’d been putting off looking for a home because the market seemed so crazy, but the recent downturn opened the door for us. We wanted an older house intown that had character and was close to MARTA because we both use it to get to work." Jessica adds, "We love playing Frisbee so we wanted to be close to a recreation area. We were looking for a 3/2 with a little storage space."

The process:

They met their agent, Helen Archer of Keller Williams Premiere Atlanta, through her husband who works with Jessica. "She had helped several coworkers, and they all had a great experience. She kept in touch with us periodically sending us an e-mail about houses and sharing information that helped educate us about buying a house," Jessica says. "We found the house we wanted the second weekend we were looking," says Josh. "We hadn’t expected to find exactly what we wanted so soon. She really understood what we were looking for and guided us to the right place."

Choice #1: This $220,000 two-bedroom, one-bath Grant Park bungalow was built in 1920. "We love the yard and garden. It’s planted with low maintenance shrubs and flowers and is really tasteful. The backyard has a water fountain. There’s access to the garage off the alley, and it feels like a really good value for the price," says Josh.

Choice #2: "The renovation of this 1920 Grant Park bungalow opened up the kitchen to the dining room and family room, and there’s a fireplace in the middle. The kitchen has granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, and there’s new electrical service and fixtures throughout the house," says Jessica. It’s listed at $239,900.

Choice #3: "This 1926 three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow in East Lake is not even a block outside the Decatur city limits, so we’d have access to all the amenities of Decatur/Oakhurst but not have to pay the taxes," says Josh. The house is three-sides brick and the lot has great old hardwood trees. The kitchen has granite countertops and there’s a master suite with sitting room. It’s listed at $210,000.

Which home did they choose? Our house hunters went for No. 2. "The renovation was great, and we even loved the paint colors," says Jessica. "The kitchen and bathroom had been completely renovated … and the house is two blocks from Grant Park on one of the best streets in the neighborhood. When we were looking at the house, the neighbors all greeted us and made us feel at home. … Every day we’re in it we say ‘We love this house.’ "