House Hunters in Atlanta?

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our little apartment.   I think we have done a great job of making this place a home.   All 600 sq feet of it.   Now that the Christmas Light Pros have slowed down (just two days ago),  I find myself thinking about what are we going to do next.   Should I start looking for a job?  Is it time to start searching for another house? 

I thought the house hunting sounds like much more fun than the job hunting.

I went straight to Zillow.  If you haven't heard of this website, let me tell you, it is the best real estate site I have ever been to.  Ernesto introduced me to it  when we were mailing out postcards to potential customers this season.
It is so fun [and addictive]! You can type in a zip code or neighborhood and it will give you a map like this. You can then zoom in and see all the homes for sale and the "value" of the homes surrounding it. 

Then you can zero in on houses and check out home tours.  Our house hunt has not officially begun because we aren't sure of "THE PLAN" but I have spent some time browsing. 

I found 2 houses that I think would be great candidates for us to purchase next year.  They are very different in layout and in price.  Both are EXTREMELY good deals for the area.  Grant Park.  Just 1 mile east of downtown and just 2 miles south of where we are now. (Old 4th Ward)

House #1 =  $102,000
744 Berne St SE 
3 bedrooms / 2 baths / 1,375 square feet 

NOTE **This house actually sold the other day in an auction for $144,000 after I wrote this. 
(I'll show it to you anyway, but house #2 is the one I really want anyway!)

{please pardon my finger in top corner}

At only $102K, this is a small investment.  And let's be clear, this is not my dream house.  It's cute enough, but very similar to our old house in East Lake. This is why Ernesto doesn't really like it.  The small rooms are not great for entertaining. There are many things I would have to change with this place,  but we could pay this off after next years' xmas season and we could then get a HOUSE IN MEXICO!   That is the goal...and really the only reason I even considered this house. 

Although not ideal, this little house would be PAID FOR!  Plus it would be more space than if we bought a condo [for the same price]  and we would have a place of our own to live every year when we come to Atlanta from Mexico for xmas lights.  It's a great dream, isn't it?  (I firmly believe that the more you verbalize your dreams, the more likely they are to come true.)

House #2  is a MUCH better house [anyway].  In fact, I LOVE this house, and as of now it's available.

715 Ormewood Ave SE
2 bedrooms /2 baths/ 1,602 square feet
I am going to share a few pics of the inside below, but here is the whole slide show.
The outside is cute, a 1900 bungalow.  Blue color is nice.  I would [ask Ernesto to] build railing  between pillars on the big front porch and paint over the red and add major landscaping (imagine creeping fig all over the cement walls and stairs).

They are asking 218K, so double the price of the first (but still a bargain).  It is also and older house in Grant Park, but unlike the first, it has a very modern [open concept] layout.  Someone put love into this house.  Check out the dark wood floors! I love the entrance hallway.

The living, dining room and kitchen are all open as one [long] room.  For a couple that loves to entertain, this is a must in our long term house. 

I  love the mix matched kitchen cabinets.  I would add a proper island in the middle with plenty of space for chopping and mingling.

Both bedrooms have fireplaces too.

The master suite has an awesome bathroom with penny tile, a shower built for two (just how we like it), plus a spa tub and a walk in closet.  Done and done! 

The added bonus is that this house has room to grow.  There is a 17' unfinished attic and a large back yard where we could eventually build a garage with rent-able apt or office space for the Christmas Light Pros on top!  For now though, 2 bedrooms would be plenty.

Yes, I am jumping the gun. (It isn't the first time) I have not even been inside this house.  I did, however, drive by and love the street and neighborhood houses.  I can picture us living there. 

So?  What do you think? Yes?  Buy it?  How about this: We'll go look at it in person and let you know.

** I want to be clear that no matter what house we eventually buy in Atlanta,  I will not forget Mexico.  It will happen.  Why? because I want it too.  Really badly.