Which area homes could fit a couple for $350K?
Rent hike spurs purchase of house
When Jordan Dickerson and his partner Kaitlyn Chelak found out last fall that their rent was going to increase by nearly $400, they decided it was time for them to buy their first home.
The couple was living in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in north Phoenix. They were splitting the cost of their rent, which was about $1,300. But with the rent price hike, they didn’t want to renew their lease.
“We felt like, ‘If we’re paying this kind of money for a one-bedroom apartment, we might as well buy a home,’” said Jordan.
The couple was eager to have more space. They hoped to find a home with at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Kaitlyn, a head cashier at Sprouts Farmers Market, wanted an “extra bedroom or two” so she could set up an office to play video games, she said.
They also wanted a backyard for their high-energy corgi, Mavis. It was imperative for the home to have a front and backyard that required minimal maintenance, said Jordan.
Jordan, who is a private client banker for Chase Bank, wanted to stay close to his work in Arcadia. The couple hoped to find a home for $350,000 or less.
The first-time homebuyers did not know what to expect when they began their search. They assumed they would find a home that checked off all of their requirements. They started working with Jason Boatman, a realtor with the Budwig Team of Realty ONE Group, who reminded them that they needed to be willing to make compromises.
Jordan’s “initial goal was to be as close to work as possible,” Boatman said. “What became clear was that neighborhood was just too expensive
and so that started to shift his requirements.”
Jordan’s work was offering a homebuyer program that provided grants tied to certain neighborhoods, so the couple decided to look at homes within those areas. Homeowners’ needs and tastes change over time, so the right home for someone today may not be fitting for them 10 years from now, Boatman said.
“There is no perfect home,” Boatman said. “But once it becomes yours and you start living in it, you will fall in love with it.”
Jordan and Kaitlyn looked at roughly eight homes and made offers on two of them. After falling out of contract on the first offer, they found a home that was right for them.
House #1: Three-bed, two-bath revamped home near family
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in northwest Phoenix was movein ready, which the couple liked. The previous owners had repainted, replaced the flooring and revamped the bathrooms.
“They put a lot of work on the inside of the house and did stuff that I would have probably wanted to do,” said Jordan.
The home was just 15 houses away from Jordan’s dad and brother. Jordan also grew up in the area, so he liked that he already knew the neighborhood.
But the house was built in 1961 and the home’s sewage system used cast iron pipes that would need to be inspected in the future and might prompt costly repairs.
The home was originally listed at $369,000.
House #2: ‘Unique’ home with good commute off Piestewa Freeway
This two-bedroom, one-bath home had been tailored into “a very unique property,” said Jordan. A porch swing hung from the ceiling of the living room, the fireplace was painted bright orange and the property was connected to a septic system.
“If you were worried about the environment and you wanted to have a property that was better for the environment, that’s kind of how the house had been arranged,” said Jordan.
The 1,156-square-foot home in north central Phoenix was right off the Piestewa Freeway, which was convenient for Jordan’s commute to work. The backyard had space for an outdoor living area, and the kitchen had been remodeled.
The home was originally listed at $325,000.
House #3: Spacious backyard, room for an office in Maryvale
The backyard of this 1,264-squarefoot home was the selling point for the couple. The west Phoenix home in the Maryvale neighborhood had a covered patio, storage shed and grass lawn for their corgi.
“The homeowner had put a lot of work into the backyard,” said Jordan.
The three-bed, two-bath property had a spare room that could be used as an office, remodeled bathrooms and new carpet. The home was located near Desert West Park, which has sports fields and a skate park.
The house was originally listed at $340,000.
Which option did they choose?
Even though the location of the north-central Phoenix home offered an ideal commute to work for Jordan, the home’s peculiar features did not align with the couple’s taste.
They made an offer on the home near Desert West Park and went under contract. But during the inspection period, they discovered that the house needed numerous repairs. Jordan and Kaitlyn backed out of their offer.
They decided on the move-in ready home close to Jordan’s family. The cast iron pipes were not a dealbreaker, said Jordan. The couple closed on their home in November for $349,000.
They are reveling in their new home and the extra room that comes with it. Their dog, Mavis, is also enjoying her newfound space.
“She’s never really experienced a backyard before, so watching her get a kick out of it is something that makes me happy,” said Jordan.
After looking at more than a halfdozen homes in a variety of neighborhoods, Jordan said he was amused that they chose a home in the area where he grew up. Just 15 houses away, Jordan’s dad and brother are easy to visit.
“I’m not sure how my dad feels about it, but I want to say that he’s happy,” said Jordan. “I think it’s great.”