A place to start

Someone once said that the most important part of any journey is the first step. It's getting the momentum started that's always the hardest part.

The same is true of home ownership. Most people cannot buy their dream home with their first home purchase, but you have to begin somewhere. You have to take the first step.

For most families, that generally means their first home will be under the $100,000 mark.

The home at 503 Cedar Street in Jackson is one of those great first homes. It's listed at $97,900, which is a rarity in today's real estate market, but at the same time it's in an established neighborhood and in the Jackson School District. An open house will be held there today from 1 to 3 p.m.

It has three bedrooms, two baths, a two-car garage, and more than 1,300 square feet of living space. It even has a couple of amenities that most homes do not have, including a very nice above-ground pool with a large deck around it, and a fenced-in back yard.

This split foyer home has an exterior of brick and vinyl. The yard is level and easily maintained.

The foyer area features a modern chandelier with prisms of glass panes. Upstairs, the home has a living room with a hardwood inlay type of flooring. A double window looking out over the front yard gives plenty of natural light. The dining area has a marble-look laminate tile in shades of blue and mauve. French-style patio doors lead to the large bi-level deck with the above-ground pool.

The kitchen has oak cabinets and a wood-look laminate on the contertops. A double stainless steel sink is situated below a window that looks out to the roomy back yard. All the modern appliances, including dishwasher, range, and refrigerator, are in an eggshell color.

The hallway also has wood-look laminate flooring with a roomy linen closet. The main level bath has a tile-look linoleum in white and mauve, and wallpaper with a brown marble-look base and an Americana border. The bathroom also includes a tub/shower, an oak vanity and an oak linen cabinet above the toilet. Bi-fold mirrored doors open to a handy medicine cabinet.

Each of the three bedrooms has sliding closet doors, a ceiling fan, and windows for plenty of natural light. The carpeting in each is a gray-tone berber carpeting. Two of the bedrooms feature colorful children's wallcoverings and border.

Downstairs, the home has a two-car garage with neat shelves for storage. The family room has a wood-look laminate flooring, and a window for natural light. The downstairs bath has a marbled whirlpool tub and a shower with shower massage. Oak cabinetry and an oak medicine cabinet with mirrored folding doors complete the bathroom.

This home is available for viewing through Classic GMAC Real Estate, 335-0133.

traddle@semissourian.com