Cover Home
Jason and Alice Doubrava loved living in their high-rise, one-bedroom, condominium in Midtown. But when two became three, they knew they were going to need more space. When they started their house hunt, Jason was working as an Operations Manager at Guidingpoint Financial Group and Alice had just become a stay-at-home mom after leaving a position as an associate at Church Health’s The Well after the birth of their son, Bodhi. The couple set their sights on finding a home in East Memphis.
“We were specifically interested in living in the Normandy Meadows area,” recalled Alice. “We wanted to be near the Greenline and Shelby Farms. We were also looking for a house that had two to three bedrooms, lots of natural light, a great backyard for gardening, and room to play with kids and our dog, Kinzie. Hardwood floors and a home with character were all at the top of our list. And, we knew we were ok taking on a house that needed some updating.”
Jason and Alice contacted Sowell agent Stephanie Taylor, who had been recommended to them by one of their friends and former neighbors. With Stephanie’s guidance the couple looked at approximately 10 properties.
“Stephanie was an excellent business woman who genuinely had our best interest at heart,” said Jason. “She was keenly attuned to our wants and needs and she had a great network of resources. She sold our condo within a couple of weeks and made sure the purchase of our new home went smoothly. We closed both deals the same morning last April (2020) even as the pandemic began ramping up.”
The Doubravas purchased a ranch-style home, c. 1957, in the Normandy Meadows neighborhood for $208,000. In about 1,500 square feet of living space, the home had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and the couple said the overall coziness and warm retro feel made a big impression on them.
“Stephanie suggested looking at this property without realizing we had looked at it months prior to the time we started working with her,” explained Alice. “We had looked at this house several months before, but at that time, someone put a contract on it before we did. Ultimately, after that deal fell through and the seller significantly lowered the price, as well as made improvements to the home, we scooped it up. It just felt right.”
Alice continued, “The house had great bones and latitude for us to continue being creative with the space. For instance, the carport was converted a long time ago into a sitting room, so the exterior brick is now part of the interior walls. That room is a great example of how the house really suits our love of mixing traditional and eclectic elements.”
Upon moving in, the first thing the couple did was strip wallpaper and apply fresh paint throughout the entire interior to lighten up dark wood paneling. Also, they pulled up carpeting in two bedrooms to expose the original hardwood floors. In the den they replaced a worn vinyl floor with wood laminate.
“Our next big project will be updating the kitchen,” said Alice. “Our home, like others built during the 1950s, has the original washer and dryer hook-ups in the kitchen. We plan to renovate in order to stack our washer and dryer, as well as update the countertops, cabinets, and add built-in shelving.”
“Our area is very walkable, with lots of families with kids, and deadens streets that terminate at the Greenline,” said Jason. “I especially enjoy riding my bike to work when the weather is nice. Additionally, we love the convenience of our neighborhood’s location. All parts of the city are only about 10-15 minutes away.”
“The spacious backyard is what really made us feel at home the second time we did a walk through,” said Alice. “We are continuing to work on the landscaping outdoors, but we even before we moved in, we could easily imagine our family making happy memories here.”