Tired of renting, family finds larger house for growing brood

Chris Baker and Marisa Whitsett had been living in a small, two-bedroom townhouse in Cordova since 2010. They both worked for Alliance Healthcare Services: Marisa, a licensed professional counselor as an outpatient grants coordinator, and Chris, a systems administrator for the IT department.

They agreed that their lives were busy and it took growing their family for them to decide they needed to put the effort into finding another place. Marisa said: “We had been planning to move for a long time, but it was hard to find the time and energy to really start that journey. Two friends/work colleagues reached out to us about a house that became available on their street and begged us to come take a look. We instantly fell in complete love with this house. Not only was the house itself perfect for our needs, the location was ideal.”

Chris and Marisa knew they were primarily looking for a house with more living space for their family’s needs. They now had Landon, their dogs, Euka and Ally, and a cat, Boo. In addition to room to accommodate a larger family, the couple wanted a home that offered them enough space so that they each could have home offices.

“In our old home, you couldn’t walk through the house or turn around without bumping into someone or something,” said Marisa. “We needed a space where Landon could have plenty of room to play, and for the animals to have more room to move around, especially our larger dog, Euka. Our former house was situated on a neighborhood lake, so we did not have backyard space. Having a nice backyard had become a priority, too.”

Marisa was also a former bookseller and book collector, and really wanted to create a family library to house her collection, much of which had been in storage for years. And the couple wanted to create a serene space to emphasize the importance and joy of reading for Landon.

Chris and Marisa met Alex Da Ponte, an agent at Sowell Realtors, when they initially went to see the house. Alex was representing the sellers.

“We connected with Alex instantly and decided to go forward with Alex as our agent to help us sell our former home,” said Marisa. “He was so amazing to work with. He was extremely professional, knowledgeable, flexible, and incredibly patient and kind.”

Chris and Marisa began looking online at some comparable homes in Midtown. Their current home was the only one they actually visited in person.

“When we saw it, we knew it was the one,” said Chris. “We paid $265,000 for this home. It was a Craftsman-style bungalow, c. 1912, in the Idlewild Historic District. It had approximately 1,900 square feet of living space. It gave us just what we needed — three bedrooms and two full bathrooms.”

Marisa added, “We love everything about this house. The porch is amazing, and such a lovely place to sit and enjoy the neighborhood. We converted the dining room into a library/office space. I’m a Ph.D. candidate in counselor education and supervision, and an adjunct instructor at University of Memphis. I’m thrilled to have such an incredible space in which to write my dissertation.”

“All the rooms are large with high ceilings, so everyone has plenty of room,” explained Chris. “Since the house is all on one level, as opposed to our former townhouse, it also makes it easier for our family to spend more time together as we aren’t separated by a flight of stairs. The large backyard is perfect for us, with plenty of room to run and play. The house also has an enormous attic, which has a lot of potential as usable space in the future.”

True to its period, the living room was anchored by a brick fireplace flanked by built-in bookshelves. Hardwood floors ran throughout most of the common spaces with tile floors in the kitchen and bathrooms. Stainless steel appliances brought the kitchen up to modern standards. There was a large walk-in closet for the primary bedroom and an abundance of windows flooded the whole house with natural light. And there was a shed in the backyard that offered additional storage.

When asked if they planned to make any changes to their new home, Marisa said, “We have made a few little changes, such as painting Chris’ office, replacing some ceiling fans, and making a few repairs. We do plan to do some work in the kitchen and master bath, eventually replacing the kitchen countertops and painting or refinishing the cabinets. We plan to add some flooring to the attic and are in the process of replacing the flooring in the laundry/utility room. We have a list of small updates, repairs, and improvements to do over time, but all of them only to improve the integrity of the house and not to impact the character.”

That sense of authenticity is a big part of what Chris and Marisa sad they both like having an older home. The couple enjoys all things vintage and retro, and having a home with so much history is simply endlessly cool to them.

Emily Adams Keplinger is a freelance reporter who produced this feature for the Advertising Department.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Family finds Comfort Found in Idlewild Historic District