Kirkwood New Construction Increases Price, Lands Contract

On the northern fringes of Kirkwood, a few blocks from Sun In My Belly and the East Lake MARTA Station, this traditional four-bedroom house has boldly gone above the ½-million-dollar threshold, and the move appears to have paid off. The 2,385-square-foot new-build by Thrive Homes, whose products dot the intown landscape, came on the market for $499,000 while under construction in August, then leapt to $529,000 in October and promptly went under contract. (You might shout, "Capitalist bastards!" but developers aren't exactly in this for charity, especially in this market). Plusses that probably helped the pending sale include 10-foot ceilings, Carrara marble in the gourmet kitchen, a screened porch and fenced yard. Thrive has used similar price-bump tactics with nearly identical homes that have recently sold in the neighborhood, while going the opposite route with one straggling townhome at the 712 Oakview project in Oakhurst, which is finally under contract, too, after more than a year.

· 2022 Presley Way [Estately]