House Stalking: Christmas Edition

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Picture From An Old Grad School Blog

A northeast suburb of Atlanta boasts of a neighborhood called Merry Hills. Within this neighborhood you'll find streets named Christmas, Holly, Merry, North Holly, Pine Tree, and Reindeer. Who wouldn't want to live at the intersection of Reindeer and North Holly? The original neighborhood was built 1950 and 1963 as one story ranches on 1/4 to 3/4 acre lots. The houses were built to be eligible for VA loans, making them attractive to returning WWII and Korea vets.

So this neighborhood? PRIME Grandma house territory...except this is a very popular area of town (near all the interstates, Emory, and the CDC) with great schools, which usually ups the chances of turnover and remodeling.

So...what's available in grandma style houses with a Christmas address?

1755 Reindeer Lane 

This house lists at 200k with four bedrooms and three baths.

Reindeer Lane Photos From Redfin

I love the outside. It looks like a split level from the outside, but after looking through the pictures I think the bottom right window is part of a daylight basement. This house, by the way? Kind of reminds me of Young House Love's house.

I love the openness of the kitchen. I would love, love, love a sitting area with a fireplace attached to the kitchen. It needs new flooring and a new light fixture, but the white painted brick and paneling is sweet. And I've learned from people like Kenz how to deal with a fireplace surround you are unhappy with.

The great room, which shares the fireplace with the kitchen. The smurf holocaust carpet would have to go, but the bones of the room are awesome. That lofted ceiling? The bank of windows? I love. This is obviously an addition to the original house.

Remember in the1980s/early 1990s when colored mini-blinds were a thing? Here is a sad, sad remnant of that time period. Here's a hint: while shades of green often look amazing together, mint and forest green? Not so much. I do like the tile, though!

All in all, a very cute house.

1324 Merry Lane

This three bedroom, 1.5 bath lists for $180,000.

Photos of Merry Lane from Zillow

The outside of this house is straight up adorable. Love the glassed in porch and brick facade.

 This staging just leaves me cold. It reminds me of apartment listings, and when you are expecting someone to shell out almost 200k for a house with one bathtub/shower do you really want them thinking mid-level apartment? It's not bad, it's just...blah. It doesn't do anything to show up the house's good points. These aren't horrific pictures, or anything, (I mean, there's no guns stored over cribs or evidence of alien abduction like other real estate pictures I've featured) they just don't stimulate my interest in the house.

 The kitchen is  cute, but I would have moved the awkwardly placed microwave before I worried about setting out wine and wineglasses.

I do love the original cabinets, and painting them ACTUAL white instead of this weird pinkish shade would go far.

The glassed in porch and the yard are fantastic.

1442 Christmas Lane

This is a classic grandma ranch with four bedrooms, two baths, and an asking price of $299,000.

Christmas Lane Photos From Willow

The front is really cute. I love the tree, long driveway, and two car garage in the back.

 I think this is the screened porch, and I love it. White painted paneling and angled ceilings are a real estate sweet spot for me, apparently! I think the floor is either vintage linoleum or polished concrete. I'm leaning towards polished concrete. 

There aren't enough words to express my love of this front door. My last house had a similar one, and I loved it. People pay almost a $1000 for reproductions of this door style.

The den. I love the build-ins. Another room also had some great built ins that featured a two person desk. The perfect office! All the hardwoods looked like they were in great shape.

So, if you lived in Merry Hills what Christmas flavored address would you go for?