[Demetrius] I really like what I'm seeing.
It's nice and spacious.
[narrator] Demetrius is realizing his dream
of buying a house in his hometown of Atlanta.
-Now, this is what I'm talking about right here. -[Joyce] Yes, indeed.
[Demetrius] I mean, I want it big.
I'm gonna be the one in the kitchen, so...
With the Grapes of Wrath.
[all laughing]
[narrator] Daughter Laura, is a recent college grad and will be his roommate,
but they haven't lived together in years,
and there's going to be a learning curve.
Who needs natural light in a bathroom?
-Me. -[chuckles softly]
[narrator] She also thinks she can renovate,
since people on social media do it.
But Dad's not sure.
We can do it, and we can get it accomplished.
You got to think outside the box.
I'm thinking outside the box, all right?
-You got to think... -I want you to think inside the box, all right?
Never.
[theme music playing]
I got a email a couple of days ago
about a trip to, uh, California
to do some training out there.
I work as a corporate trainer for a global engineering firm.
Laura is my daughter.
I just recently graduated from college,
where I was in Nashville.
So, I just moved back to Atlanta with my dad.
-[Demetrius] We're going to Joyce's house. -Yeah.
You think she's gonna have some food for us when we get there...
-like, always? -I mean, has she never not?
I mean, that's her thing. She likes, you know, cooking and...
when she's not out selling houses and stuff, so...
Joyce is, like, the favorite auntie, so to speak, you know?
She, although we're not biologically related,
I've known her probably close to 20 years now.
Uh, we attend the same church.
[Laura] She's just amazing.
Definitely the go-to agent in the community.
-[Laura] Hi, Ms. Joyce. -[Joyce] Hi.
[Demetrius] Hey, hey.
-[Joyce] Hi, beautiful. How are you? -[Laura] Good.
I've never owned a home before.
I never really felt like I would be at that place,
you know, after life transitions of,
you know, divorce and things like that.
-You're ready? -I'm ready,
and I got my sidekick.
Look, I was just about to say your sidekick, too.
-Yeah. -[chuckles softly]
I grew up living with my mother,
so I decided to move in with my dad
so we could just build our relationship and our bond.
She will be paying rent, so... [chuckles softly]
So this is, kind of, a transition for her
to start getting prepared for, you know, being completely out on her own.
I'm looking towards, like, 450-500,
because, if I want a new construction,
it's gonna probably cost me.
I wanna be the first... you know,
I wanna be the first owner,
you know, like that just... that just means a lot to me.
-[Joyce] That's a good thing. -[Demetrius] Yeah.
You've worked hard.
I'm trying to understand the logic in her thinking
as far as DIY.
I see people on social media doing, like, DIY projects,
and they look pretty easy to do.
So, I think that'll be fun,
and it could be a bonding experience,
-just building... [laughs] -[chuckles]
I mean, we can bond in a new construction, too.
-I really don't wanna be on the main road... -[Joyce] Yeah.
...just with a lot of heavy traffic.
[Joyce] Yeah, you need quietness because of...
-you working at home... -[Laura] Definitely.
...and Demetrius is work at home.
You guys need quiet.
[Demetrius] Maybe like a cul de sac.
I do want a home that is representative of, maybe, a modern style.
We'll definitely need our separate quarters.
We are family, but, you know,
we respect each other's space as adults.
Um, and she's developing and growing into womanhood and...
you know, doing her thing so...
and I'm doing my thing. [chuckling] So...
But as far as the primary suite,
-I'm on the road so much. -Mmm-hmm.
When I get home, I... I want my sanctuary.
I definitely want a nice-sized backyard
so I can host events and gatherings.
I don't know why she thinks this is gonna be club LoLo's?
Who's gonna cut the grass?
Who's going to be in-charge of maintenance of the back yard?
You see this? [chuckles softly]
No dirt will be under these nails. [chuckles softly]
-Looks like we're on a main street. -[Demetrius] Oh, yeah. Ooh.
Okay, here it is. Right here.
[narrator] Joyce has found exactly what Demetrius wants.
New construction.
-This is nice. -[Demetrius] Yep.
-This is excellent. -It has a two-car garage.
-[Demetrius] I like the shutters and... -It's a nice color.
[Demetrius] Nice lighting outside.
[doorbell ringing]
-[Joyce] Hi. -[Laura] Hi, Ms. Joyce.
Makes me feel special
for Demetrius to have asked me to assist him
with his home purchase.
Because I've known Demetrius as long as I have,
it's gonna be a wonderful thing with them moving in together.
And, you know, just finding out more about each other
as the process goes along.
This is a brand new construction.
No one has ever lived here.
I'm feeling good about that.
[Laura] Lots of natural light coming in.
-You can already see into the other space... -Mmm-hmm.
-...so it's very open... -[Joyce] Very open.
...and it just gives that connecting quality.
[Joyce] This is your family room with the fireplace.
-[Demetrius] That's a plus. -[Laura] Right.
-The fireplace. -[Demetrius] Yeah.
I can definitely see me and my dad
spending some time together in the living room.
It's a nice fireplace.
We can get a big flat-screen TV to go in there,
and just have family time.
And then, of course, with bar eater kitchen.
We can put up to three bar stools here.
-[both] Mmm-hmm. -[Joyce] I mean, based on the style you buy,
you may be able to force four,
-but three, comfortably. -[Laura] Yeah.
-It's a lot of counter space, -And it's, you know, light and bright in here.
-Nice cabinets. -[Joyce] Yeah.
[Laura] Look at all this space!
[Demetrius] Now, look at all this space. Who's gonna cut this?
[Laura] It's amazing.
I could definitely host some events out here.
[Joyce] You can hear the plane...
-overhead a little bit. -[Laura] Yeah.
[Joyce] And you're only 17 minutes to the airport.
-But once you're inside, you can't hear the planes. -[Laura] Mmm-hmm.
But that is pretty loud, though.
Yeah, it's like they're close.
[Joyce] This is your first full bath,
-that's on the lower level. -[Laura] This looks nice.
And this could be an office.
[Demetrius] Yeah. I can definitely see this being an office.
-If we're both working from home... -Right.
...if there is another room upstairs,
one of us could be down here,
then it could definitely eliminate, you know, any distractions.
-[Laura] It's a pretty good size. -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
You don't have the wooden spindles.
You have your wrought iron spindles.
-[Laura] Okay. -[Demetrius] Yeah. That's a nice touch.
-So this would be your bathroom, Laura. -[Laura] Yes.
It's a little dark over here, though, like...
-[Joyce] Yes -...in this area.
Could be a little lighter.
[Joyce] So this, I'm going to assume,
-would be Laura's room. -[Laura] Mmm-hmm.
-I love these bay windows. -[Demetrius] What size bed could fit in here?
[Joyce] Oh, you can put a queen in here...
-[Laura] Okay. -[Joyce] ...easily.
-[Demetrius] Now, I do like the vaulted ceiling. -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
Now, what I'm not really a fan of is just the street.
I mean, this street is, kind of, busy
from what we've seen so far with a lot of cars going up and down it.
I wanna be able to be in a more quiet community,
not a lot of traffic noise or anything like that.
It just, kind of, rubs me the wrong way.
[Joyce] Now the king's room is on the backside of the house.
-[Demetrius] The king's domain? -[Joyce] Yes.
[all laughing]
[Laura] Wow.
-[Joyce] So? -[Laura] This is huge.
-[Demetrius] Now, this is what I'm talking about right here. -[Joyce] Yes, indeed.
-I could even make this into an office if I wanted. -[Joyce] Yes.
[Demetrius] I mean, wouldn't have to come out of here for nothing.
-[Laura chuckling] -[Joyce] No.
-You have your double sinks. -[Laura] Double sinks.
[Joyce] Uh-huh.
-You have your garden tub... -[Demetrius] Mmm-hmm.
[Joyce] ...and you have a separate shower.
[Demetrius] That's what's up.
[Joyce] Let's go to the other two bedrooms.
[Laura] Oh, wow.
It's a good size.
-Bedroom number 5? -[Joyce] Bedroom number 5.
-[Demetrius] Okay. -[Laura] It has some big rooms.
[Joyce] Yeah.
[Demetrius] I'm very impressed.
What can you say about new construction?
I mean, it just encompasses a lot of the things that I was really hoping for.
That primary suite, definitely a plus in my book.
I really love the backyard. It's just amazing.
I'm not a fan of the outside noise, with the airplanes
and even also being on the street.
It's not a cul de sac.
[narrator] Next is an option in a quieter area,
but...
For me, it feels a little tight.
-She sent it to you? -Yeah.
Um... four bed...
Wondering why she sent it to you and not me.
It's... It's probably gonna be something that you want.
[narrator] They're headed to a well-priced home in a quiet neighborhood.
Don't get too hyped about a lower price
because that could potentially mean
a lot of renovations and things like that.
I can get some projects done.
-Okay. -[Demetrius] We are in a cul de sac.
-Hi, Ms. Joyce. -[Joyce] Hello.
-Hey. -Hello.
[Demetrius] The first thing that caught my eye was this...
crack right here.
[Joyce] It has been sealed.
-Okay. So it shouldn't be any issues. -No, you shouldn't have...
You shouldn't have any problems with it.
I think you're going to like what's behind door number one.
[all laugh]
[Joyce] This is your formal living room.
-[Demetrius] Formal living room. Okay. -[Laura] Okay.
I don't know that we would have, you know,
-a need for a formal living right space... -Right, exactly.
...but, um, I would definitely want to use this maybe as a office,
because then we can, kind of, keep our distance.
[Joyce] And this is your formal dining.
[Demetrius] Well, right off,
-I see this Haunted Mansion chandelier. -[all laughing]
-[Demetrius] So... -I just don't know how I feel about this carpet
in the dining area.
You know, you don't really wanna be eating on top of the carpet.
-But we could switch it up. -[Joyce] Oh, yes.
A hardwood would cost anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500.
Project floor.
-Yes. -[chuckles softly]
-She won't be laying no hardwood floors. -[all laughing]
-Trust me on that. -I can figure it out.
Not too happy with this tile.
[Joyce] You're talking about, probably, another $2000 pulling this up.
We're already looking at about 2,500 to... oh,
3,000 plus.
[Laura] What type of, um...
-[Demetrius] Is this... -[Joyce] This is granite.
-[Laura] Okay, yeah. -[Demetrius] Mmm-hmm.
I like this a lot. This is really nice.
[Joyce] And it has a good cabinet space.
[Demetrius] Yes. A decent amount.
You do have your pot hanger here.
Yes, with these nice ivies...
With the Grapes of Wrath.
[all laughing]
[Demetrius] For me, it feels a little tight,
and the flow makes me feel a little cramped.
[Laura] I like it. I'm gonna be the one in the kitchen.
-[both laugh] -That's all that matters.
With Laura and I, you know, it's been several years
since she and I lived together.
You can't look at her as the kid anymore.
You know, she does have a voice and an opinion,
and, um, it's definitely worth listening to and...
and, kind of, getting some insight on how she feels about things.
[Joyce] Ms. Laura wanted entertainment space?
[Laura] Definitely.
-All right. -[Demetrius] Okay.
-[Laura] Nice, long patio. -[Joyce] Yeah.
It would be great for your, you know,
-sorority party. -[Demetrius] Oh, God.
But it's just not a lot of greenery, like...
-[Demetrius] Not a lot of green space. -[Laura] Yeah.
[Joyce] But that means less you have to cut.
Well, I won't be cutting... [laughs]
I won't be cutting since... since she wants all the yard and all the back space for,
you know, her social gatherings or whatever.
Then, I'll leave it up to her.
This is the family room?
-[Joyce] Yep. This is your family room. -[Demetrius] Okay.
[Laura] I like the fireplace. Nice with the mantel around it.
And I can even see, like, bookshelves on...
you know, both sides of the fireplace.
[Joyce] The half bath will be a DIY project for Laura.
Make it pink and green, you know, nice and cute. Yeah.
-[mimicking cash register] -More money.
[all laughing]
I definitely feel like me and my dad
are getting closer throughout this process.
He's definitely listening to what I have to say
even though it might go against what he feels.
I definitely do like the tile, um, on the floor.
That's something that could easily be cleaned, you know,
and put a nice curtain right here.
But I do like the big window, let in the natural light.
So, yeah. I could definitely do a lot.
I can see a lot going on here.
Who needs natural light in the bathroom?
-Me. -[chuckles softly]
I need a lot of light.
[Demetrius] We'd want to switch these stairs out.
[Joyce] Yeah, take the carpet off. I would recommend it.
Right here is your first full bath.
-It's a nice... nice size. -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
Definitely want to, you know, change the sink out.
[Joyce] This one, it would be what I would consider a secondary office.
[Laura] Okay.
[Joyce] Laura, this is the bedroom...
that's closest to the bathroom.
[Laura] Now this one is... more lighting.
I feel like this could probably be like my room
just 'cause the closet is bigger and, like, two windows.
[Joyce] Let's go to the owner suite.
-[Laura] Wow. -[Demetrius] Now this is... this is really nice.
-[Laura] It's pretty big. -[laughing]
-Lots of windows. -Nice and spacious.
[Joyce] Uh-huh.
So we... we have your tray ceiling here.
[Demetrius] Yeah. I mean, I really like what I'm seeing as far as the size of it.
[Joyce] The owner's bath.
[Demetrius] Oh, wow. Oh, it goes all the way around.
-[Joyce] Yes. -[Laura] Yeah.
[Demetrius] It's like some kind of textured wallpaper.
-[Joyce] Mmm-hmm. -Yeah, got a lot of little...
-Yes. That would need to be changed out. -...projects
replacing out the wallpaper and stuff.
[Laura] These stairs are a little steep.
I'm liking it. I think that this is a nice fixer-upper for us,
and we can get a lot of DIY done
and make it the way that we want it.
[Demetrius] I definitely like the size of that primary.
You know, the price is definitely a plus.
I am concerned because I don't think that there's a room in here
-that's not going to require you know, some type of work. -[Joyce] Renovation.
We can do it, and we can get it accomplished.
And we can make it our own.
-"We." We can do it, right. -And...
[narrator] Since Demetrius doesn't wanna renovate,
Joyce finds an updated place.
[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
-I'm a little underwhelmed. -[both chuckle]
It says it was built in 1961.
-Oh my goodness. -So that's... pretty...
-That's older than you and me put together. -...old.
-Hi, Ms. Joyce. How are you? -[Joyce] Hello.
-Hello, hello. -[Demetrius] Hey, Joyce.
Clearly, it's an older home that's been renovated and freshened up.
[Laura] I like the paint on the house.
It gives it a more modern look.
-I like these, uh, like, the wooden columns. -[Joyce] Columns. Uh-huh.
[Demetrius] Kind of gives it, you know, some personality for it being an older home.
Just updates it a little. So that's... that's a plus.
-Okay. -[Laura] Wow. This is very spacious.
-[Joyce] Mmm-hmm. -[Laura] Very.
[Demetrius] Light, bright.
Just to have this open space when you first walk in,
I'm impressed by that.
Apparently, there were, like, some compartmentalized rooms here
-that they just opened... -And they opened everything up.
-Yeah. -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
And, Laura, as you see, you have your island.
[Laura] Yes. I love it.
I just love the openness and just that, um...
ability to have gatherings and have people over.
[Joyce] And if you notice that all of the fixtures have been upgraded.
-[Laura] Yeah. -[Demetrius] Mmm-hmm.
[Laura] I like the look of the kitchen.
[Joyce] Well, let's step down into the first bath.
[Laura] Oh, wow. Yeah. This is really nice.
I'm loving this mirror.
-[Joyce] Watch the step now. -[Laura] Okay.
-[Demetrius] So this was the garage? -[Joyce] This was the garage.
-[Demetrius] Okay. So they turned it into... -[Joyce] It was converted.
-[Demetrius] ...living space. -Uh-huh.
So this would have to be like an office or something.
[Demetrius] So if you wanted to take like this side, the East Wing
-and I take West wing... -[Joyce] Right.
-...or something like that. -[Joyce] Exactly.
Okay.
-[Joyce] This would be a secondary bedroom. -[Laura] Okay?
-And this is larger than the one next door. -Yeah.
-Definitely bigger than the other room. -[Demetrius] Okay.
-Got that exposed brick once again. -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
This is nice. I like it.
It really gives the room some character and...
like something different, you know,
you wouldn't see that in a room,
-brick in a room. -[Joyce] Right.
[Laura] I can envision decorating it, making it look really nice.
[Joyce] Before we go to the other side of the house,
let's just take a look at the backyard.
[Laura] Oh, wow. This is really nice.
[Demetrius] Okay. Yeah.
Pretty nice back space.
Pretty nice? This is...
-Got a nice pergola. -[Laura] This is great.
Really, really large.
I could definitely see something...
like a gathering or something going on back here.
I'm loving it so far.
[Demetrius] Clearly, you would.
-[Joyce] So this is your bedroom number... -[both] Three.
[Joyce] Mmm-hmm. Three.
I like the windows in here. Big windows.
More lighting in here.
Well, let's see the primary suite.
Yes. Can we see, like, the...
[Joyce] The owner's suite.
[Demetrius] Oh. Uh...
I'm a little underwhelmed.
-[chuckles] -[Joyce chuckling] I can tell by your response.
I mean, I wanted this to be like my retreat.
[Joyce] Now, keep in mind you have the entire West Wing.
-You can take this closet... -[Demetrius] Mmm-hmm.
-...and make it an entrance to that room over there. -Into the other room.
Uh-huh.
See? You got to think outside the box.
I'm thinking outside the box, all right?
You got to I think...
[Demetrius] I want you to think inside the box, all right?
Never.
[Demetrius] This is nice, as far as, you know, how they renovated it.
Um, I like the glass shower door,
-but I mean... -[Laura] That's a nice shower.
[Joyce] Well, let's see the size of the fifth bedroom.
[Laura] Kind of upset about the size of the rooms.
[Demetrius] I mean, that's what you get with an older home, you know?
-[Laura] I love how bright it is... -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
...and just this backyard.
It is huge, can hold so many gatherings.
I am impressed with a lot of the upgrades that I see...
[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.
You'll be on the opposite end,
-which would be a good thing. -I can play my music loud.
[chuckles softly]
I mean, it's...
it's definitely something to think about.
This place makes the best lattes.
I know. I've heard so much about them.
[narrator] After years of living apart,
Demetrius and daughter Laura
are searching for a home they can live in together.
[Laura] What did you think about the new construction?
[Demetrius] You already know how I feel about new construction.
Just to be the first, you know,
to be able to cross that threshold.
I had that spacious backyard, which is something that I really wanted.
-[Demetrius] Right, and it is on that busy street. -Yeah.
It is in a flight path, so we've got to take that in consideration as well.
So what about that traditional home that was built in 2001?
Well, you know, for me, I was all about doing the DIYs...
-[Demetrius] Right. -...and renovations.
And that house would just give me the opportunity.
We could just make the house our own.
Obviously, the kitchen would need some work
that I wouldn't be able to do.
[Demetrius] Yes, it would need some work.
[Laura] Like, you know, changing that tile in the kitchen.
-[Demetrius] That tile was a mess. -[Laura chuckles]
But you have to think about it.
The price of the house is well below where we were wanting to stay.
[Demetrius] I have actually been thinking a lot about that contemporary ranch.
The fact that it has been renovated
to a more modern, contemporary look,
like, I really liked what I saw.
Having our own size of the house,
-the floor plan. -Right.
-The primary suite was not up to... -[Laura] Yeah.
[Demetrius] ...you know, to my standard.
[Laura] I mean, everything else in the house is just...
It looks phenomenal.
These are all great contenders.
What you got going on here?
Just trying to plate this for my guests.
So we chose the new construction.
I've always wanted to have that experience of being the first,
um, you know, in my home.
Ah! It's for the guests.
The new construction home was listed for 421,000
and I paid 421,000 for it.
So we were able to move in this house, you know,
with absolutely no changes on our renovations or projects needed.
I'm sure I can find some DIY projects to do.
-[Laura] Hey, girls. -Hi.
-[Laura] Hey, Aisha. -Hi. How are you?
So we actually closed about three weeks ago,
and we started the process of moving maybe about three days later.
So we have our family area right here.
-I love the couches. -Nice.
-Thank you. -It's nice and crisp.
We had to basically just embrace the idea
of being on the main street,
and this house is on a flight path.
Wherever we go, there's gonna be noise,
so I was willing to compromise on that.
And it hasn't been that bad since we've been here.
It's... It's really minimal.
Y'all get comfortable. Sit on the couch, you know,
and we're just gonna start...
-[Demetrius] Have some snacks. -Okay.
Me and my dad have been bonding in this house already.
Just cooking dinners, eating dinners together,
watching movies, things like that.
I'm very excited to be here.
It just makes me feel, accomplished.
I'm looking forward to making new memories with my daughter
and just being able to, um, appreciate this space
and celebrate it with people that I care about.