Oh, my gosh!
-This is-- -[Megan] This is huge!
[narrator] Sisters Megan and Rachel
work together and live together.
We have a very strong bond.
[narrator] Now, Megan wants to invest in a home,
but with soaring Atlanta real estate prices,
Rachel will help out by paying her rent.
[Megan] This is cute!
We could host beer Olympics here.
[Megan] I can see tons of parties back here.
[narrator] But when it comes to location...
...these close sisters couldn't be farther apart.
Rachel wants to be in the city...
-It's closer to your work, too, right? -[Rachel] Very.
[narrator] ...Megan's a CFO
who wants to maximize her investment
by buying a larger house in the suburbs.
Oh, this is huge!
I'm obsessed with this.
It looks like everything is new.
Can I keep the piano with the house?
-I love it! -You don't know how to play piano.
[doorbell]
[theme music playing]
[Megan] Pappy, let's get out!
[Rachel chuckles]
I'm Megan and this is my sister.
We are four years apart.
Uh, we grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta.
Megan's the older, wiser, more responsible...
Not wiser.
Financially wiser. More savvy, I suppose.
-[Rachel] We have a very strong bond... -[Rachel] Right.
[Megan] ...I mean, even compared to other sisters.
[Rachel] We've just been living together for, like, 10-something years.
[knocking]
-[dog barks] -[Megan laughs]
You guys are actually on time.
-[Megan] Hey. -[Rachel] We've arrived.
[Karyn] Hi! Hi, Leo!
I'm the CFO of a wine shop,
and Rachel is the event manager there.
We are in a high-rise in Midtown.
The rent is going up there and it just makes sense
instead of, you know, paying rent,
to pay ourselves, you know, in equity.
I have a finance degree, so I've been saving since
I knew I needed to save.
I'm purchasing the home outright,
but my sister is, um, moving in and, you know,
-providing that rental income. -I'll be renting.
We saw the house next door is for sale.
We could be your neighbor.
Yeah, I mean, you could if you want to,
but that house is actually going for $825,000.
-[Megan] Oh, my goodness. -[Rachel] Ah!
[narrator] Megan has been pre-approved for up to $700,000,
but wants to spend far less
So, I'd prefer to stay in the range of about $500,000.
I don't want to spend all of my money on a house.
I want, you know, some for emergencies.
I feel like I'd get what I paid for a little bit further out, you know?
It's a little bit more quite.
[Rachel] I don't wanna be, like, super quite.
I wanna have, like, a little bit more action.
You still want to say in the city?
Being centrally located is super important to me
because I am often very late.
-So... -Severely.
[Rachel] But, if you're already, like,
centrally located, it's less traffic.
-So... -Or you could leave earlier.
-To your job. -That's...
You initially told me
the only thing you cared about was buying a cute house.
I'm really into the ranch style homes.
Like, built in, like, the '50s.
I do like that vintage look.
Um, I love our old hardwood floors that, like,
squeak when you walk on them and tell a story.
I want Rachel to have equal space as I do.
-[Rachel] Aw! Thank you! -We're both grown women.
We both need a big bedroom.
And then I know Rachel has a bunch of stuff.
Yeah, I have a lot of things.
You could fill a whole room up with just
her jigsaw puzzle collection.
Yeah, you could.
I would like a nice main bathroom for myself.
I love your kitchen. This is kind of what I'm looking for.
-Oh, thank you. -Something more open.
And I know Rachel wants an island.
-You know? -Yeah.
[Karyn] Are you buying a house for you guys or for Leo?
-[Megan] Leo. Leo's number one. -[laughing]
Leo is our French bulldog that we co-parent.
Leo is 10 years old.
[Rachel] He's like a grumpy old man
that's getting a little bit more grumpy.
We need to eliminate stairs
What's really important to me is a backyard
so that we can entertain.
This real estate market is crazy.
You have to be ready to make a quick decision.
[Megan] That's gonna be hard for me.
-[Rachel] Yeah. -'Cause I don't make quick decisions.
This house is a 1950s cottage.
-Is it one floor? -[Karyn] It is.
It's a ranch, yes.
[narrator] Today, they're seeing a pocket listing
that hasn't hit the market near Midtown Atlanta.
-It's close to your work, too, right? -[Rachel] Very.
[Karyn] This is a very desirable neighborhood.
It might be a competitive situation.
[Megan] I mean, it's already at $675,000.
[Karyn] You have flexibility
That's a lot of money, Karyn.
I know, but I think it will be worth it.
I think Megan might have unrealistic expectations.
For $500,000,
she's just not gonna be abl to get what she's looking fo
With the way that the real estate market is going
$675,000 is an accurate price for this home.
-Here we are at this house. -Oh, wow.
It's so cute.
Oh, my gosh. That is so cute.
[Karyn] Cute little bungalow
-[Rachel] Ooh. -[Megan] It looks tiny.
[Rachel] He's green!
And he's got shutters.
-[Karyn] Yes. -[Megan] I love shutters.
Rachel and I used to work together,
so, I do know her a little bit better.
Whereas Megan, I don't know as well.
Still trying to get to know her,
and what exactly she's looking for.
The kitchen when you first walk in.
[Rachel] Mmm.
It's not as open as what we were thinking for,
like, hanging out in the kitchen and
-when we have guests over. -[Karyn] Right.
It's also a galley kitchen.
[Karyn] And you don't like galley kitchens because?
[Megan] Well, because when we're cooking,
we don't wanna, like, run into each other.
[Rachel] Yeah, we need to have--
[Megan] She's got boney elbows. [chuckling]
That looked like a secret handshake or something.
[Megan] I mean, look, the dishwasher is new, at least.
[Karyn] Yeah.
[Rachel] I love this dining room.
We could host so many things.
I love, like, this light fixture over, like,
a beautiful dining room table,
like, this is definitely my style.
I do love the hardwood...
-[Karyn] Yeah. -[Megan] ...I feel like they're old,
and they're, like, well taken care of.
Yeah, these are good.
-This is so cute. -Living room.
[Karyn] Beautiful fireplace.
[Rachel] I like that.
[Megan] I definitely don't like this color of this bric
'Cause it's, like, painted brick and I hate painted bricks.
It looks chalky, it looks dirty again.
What would you do to change it?
[Megan] I don't know what I could do 'cause it's already been painted.
I mean, I guess we'd have to paint it more, which I hate.
[Rachel] But I do like having a fireplace.
That really wasn't on our list.
[Megan] Yeah.
Oh, my gosh, I love this.
Oh, my God. Leo would love it out here.
-[Megan] We would love it out here, I mean... -[Rachel] Oh, my God.
[Megan] This is where we'd spend most of our time, I feel like.
We could host beer Olympics here.
Like, it's got a flat surface,
which is important for many games.
[Megan] I can see tons of parties back here.
[Karyn] This one would be Rachel's, I'm assuming?
[Megan] Very pink.
This might be a little too...
-[Karyn] Pink? -[Rachel] ...little girl pin
-[Megan] Yeah. -[Karyn] What about the size
[Rachel] This is a good sized room.
I could definitely live in here.
Okay, so, like, my clothes can handedly fit in there.
I think the reason why I don't like to throw stuff out,
honestly, it goes back to when we were younger.
I lost, like, an entire season's worth of clothes.
Instead of being stored, they were donated.
As a child, it was really traumatizing.
That might be part of it. [giggles]
[Karyn] So, we have the hall bathroom,
which, I guess, would be Rachel's.
[gasps] Okay, this is really cute.
I do love the tile, it's, like, antique.
-[Karyn] The primary bedroom. -This is small.
It's not that small.
I mean, it doesn't feel primary to me.
Is it smaller than Rachel's?
[Karyn] No.
-No. -I don't know.
This is still a good sized room.
[Karyn] This bedroom does have the attached bathroom.
[Megan] Okay.
-[Rachel] Wow. -[Karyn] Standing shower.
I mean, that is a pretty big shower,
but that's pretty much the only thing
that's big in this main bathroom.
I was kinda, you know, wanting a grander feel
where I can, like, relax in here.
This feels a little disjointed to me.
-Having this door here. -Why is there a door here?
[Karyn] That goes back out to the sunroom.
[Megan] No, I don't wanna share a bathroom with Rachel
I definitely don't wanna share one with whoever's in my sunroom.
[Rachel] Oh, my gosh, Leo would love this.
There's no steps,
there's no second level.
[Megan] I think that the bedrooms are,
at least my bedroom, is really small for the pric
$675,000 is uncomfortable.
Um, I'm, you know, I really wanted to stick closer to $500,000.
Um, so, this is a huge stretch for me.
'Cause I'm not getting a lot of house
for $675,000.
I would like to see other houses maybe, you know,
a little bit further out, um, of the city.
[Karyn] Okay.
[narrator] But convincing Rachel that this next location is bette
might be an uphill battle.
I told you, if you come out further out,
you get a better bang for your buck.
Oh, that's right, it's in Narnia.
What's wrong with it?
Oh, whatever!
I have a good feeling today.
When was it built?
[Karyn] It was built in the 40s.
So, it does have a nice flat
fenced-in backyard.
-Yay! -[Rachel] Oh, good.
[Karyn] Perfect for Leo!
Best part about it, Megan,
is it's listed for $530,000.
-That's awesome! -Yeah.
-For four bedrooms. -I thought you would say--
Ooh, I'm excited.
What's wrong with it?
[chuckling]
Nothing's wrong with it, Rachel.
I told you, if you come out further out,
you get a better bang for your buck.
Oh, that's right, it's in Narnia.
What's wrong with it?
Oh, whatever!
Like a little bungalow.
-And we could put rose bushes right there. -[Rachel] Mmm!
-[Karyn] Ceiling fan. -[Megan] I can just see you sitting out here with Leo
-drinking coffee. -[Rachel] Yeah, perfect. I'd enjoy that.
[Megan] I like it, it's lik a little inviting welcome.
Can I keep the piano with the house?
I love it, it's, like, a little vintage piano
with a vintage house.
You don't know how to play piano.
[Megan] It's for decor, it's not for playing!
Well, everything's negotiable.
So, you have two bedrooms.
[Megan] All right, this is a decent size room.
-[Rachel] It's a pretty big bed, too. -[Megan] Yeah!
But that is the tiniest looking closet I have ever seen.
There's probably other bedrooms that have bigger closets.
Yeah, this is one of four, so...
Yeah, this doesn't have to be your bedroom.
-I just think it's a good size. -Yeah.
[Karyn] And then there's another bedroom right next door.
Oh, this is a good size, too.
[Rachel] It's the same size as the other one.
[Megan] Yeah, but it has two closets.
[Karyn] And then it does have its own bathroom, too.
[Rachel] I like that it's connected.
[Karyn] And on to the kitche
[Megan] This is cute!
I love the island.
This is definitely a kitche for hosting people.
[Karyn] Yeah!
I do think it's weird there's, like, a door here.
You can definitely tell that that's the add-on,
and that feels a little bit choppy.
It does feel a little awkward.
Without that natural light,
this would feel so closed in because it's so choppy.
Yeah, maybe we would consider removing that wall.
[Rachel] Yeah.
[Karyn] So, they kinda have this area
set up as a dining room...
-[Megan] Okay. -[Rachel] Oh, wow!
[Karyn] ...slash second living room space.
I feel like it would be even better, though,
if we could, like, see into the kitchen from the living space.
-[Megan] Yeah, open concept -[Rachel] Yeah.
Yeah, I agree with that.
How much money are we talking?
[Karyn] You have to rework the kitchen...
[Rachel] That's a lot.
...maybe around $10,000.
Some of the things I don't like about this house
is it's pretty choppy,
so, I'm gonna have to take some walls out
to make it feel more open ai
which I'm not sure I'm gonna have all the time for.
[Karyn] On this side, you have the primary bedroom.
-[Rachel] Oh, my gosh! -[Megan] This is huge!
I love the light!
-You can see out in the back -[Rachel] Mmm-hmm.
-[Megan] This is awesome. -You have, like, your own little living room in here.
And two closets.
-[Megan] I love that, lots of closet space. -[Rachel] That's awesome.
[Megan] I love the barn door
Love, love, love that.
-That is really cute. -That's really cute.
Well, maybe we can make mine look like this.
[laughing]
[Karyn] And then the primar bathroom is really nice.
[Megan] Oh, this is huge!
-Ooh, I love the blue tile! -Wow! [gasps]
-[Megan] And the bathtub. -[Rachel] Oh, look, there's little baby windows!
[Megan laughing]
I'm obsessed with this.
-[Rachel] They've done a really nice job with it. -[Megan] Yeah.
[Rachel] Whoa!
Oh, my gosh!
[Megan] It's so big!
-[Karyn] And it just keeps going. -[Megan] Yeah.
[Karyn] It's a very deep lot
[Megan] And then Leo can jus run back and forth right her
-on this flat area, he'd be so happy. -[Rachel] Yeah.
I do like that there's a shed.
[Megan] Yeah, we need that for all your stuff for sure.
-It's a really big shed, too. -[Megan] Yeah.
-You did great, I'm really excited about this house. -[Karyn laughing]
I did my best.
-[Rachel] I hate how much I love this. -[Megan chuckling]
[Rachel] It has so much char and character in it already
and I love what they've already done with it.
I just, I really wish that I could just, like,
transport this house, like, closer into the city.
But dang.
I feel like you're gonna like this house regardless...
-Yeah. -...just because of the price.
But now I'm pleasantly surprised inside that it's really cute
and huge, but still cosey.
[Megan] And it has a vintage feel.
We're gonna have to figure this one out.
[Rachel] What is this one today?
So, this one is in East Atlanta.
-I know that's not your favorite. -It's not. [chuckling]
[Megan] Um, it's a craftsman style.
-It's actually four bedrooms, three bath. -Okay.
[Megan] $630,000.
So, I know it's a little bit above
$500,000, which is where I wanna be,
but I think, you know, you're paying for that extra fourth bedroom.
[Rachel] Yeah.
Apparently, it's been completely redone.
Oh, good.
This is just a little bit more of a commute
than I would really prefer.
I think once you see how big it is,
that might outweigh the commute.
'Cause once you're at home, they'll be so much space
for you to relax and hang with the dog.
-[Rachel] Aw! -[Megan] Oh, look, it has a little bridge.
Like, we have our own moat.
-[Megan] Yeah! -[Rachel laughing]
[Megan] I mean, look how big the yard is.
[Rachel] Wow!
[Megan] It's humongous.
[Karyn] Hi!
-[Rachel] Hi! -[Megan] Hi!
[Karyn] Welcome! Come on in, guys!
[Megan] Wow! This is big!
[Karyn] It is big!
Obviously, it is an open-concept,
so, this would be your living room,
dining room...
It looks like everything is new in this house.
[Karyn] It was originally built in the 40s,
but it has been recently renovated.
[Rachel] It feels completely new.
I like how long the island i
This is nice!
Lots of counter space.
I absolutely hate that pattern, though.
It looks kinda like, um, zebra.
[Megan] I feel like it looks like veins.
Like, veiny.
Or like a creepy tree maybe.
I don't like that. [chuckling]
[Karyn] On this side
is a secondary bedroom.
[Megan] I like the natural light.
Does seem very, like, long.
Where would you put your bed?
Like, right here I guess.
[Megan] Yeah, it's an odd shape.
You have your own private bathroom, that's great.
[Rachel] That's awesome. That is a plus.
This is the same countertop...
[Megan] That was in the kitchen. [chuckling]
-Yeah, literally, the same everything. -[Megan] Everything.
[Karyn] Another bedroom.
-[Rachel] Okay. -[Megan] Small again.
[Karyn] The hall bathroom.
The primary bedroom is a nice size.
[Megan] This is big, I love this.
[Karyn chuckling]
[Megan] The hardwoods don't look like old
-and, you know, like I was looking for... -No.
-[Megan] ...they look kinda waxed and new... -[Karyn] Yes.
-[Rachel] Maybe-- -...like everything else in this house.
[Karyn] So, the primary bathroom
and closets.
[Megan] Oh, wow, it's big!
[Rachel] Oh, my gosh.
-[Karyn] But same tile. -[Megan] Everything.
I'm just shocked they used the same throughout.
[Karyn] It's a nice size yard back here.
[Rachel] Oh, yeah, this is big 'cause then now Leo can just run...
He can just run back and forth.
[Karyn] So, it's only partially fenced, so...
[Megan] Oh, bummer.
Yeah, he'll totally escape if we don't do that.
We can host parties
-and do, like, a grill or something. -[Megan] Yeah.
[Karyn] So, overall, what are your thoughts?
[Rachel] I love how much house you get for the money for sure.
By coming out 11 miles, I'm getting a huge house
for just a little bit more than what I wanted to pay,
and I feel like it warrants it, I feel like there's a lot of space here,
we can grow into this home.
[Karyn] What about the location?
It's further than I like.
[Megan] It's only 11 miles.
[Rachel] Plus Atlanta traffi
I think you have a lot to think about.
Yeah.
-I need coffee. -Same.
We only really drink coffee and wine.
-Yeah, coffee and wine. -It's one or the other.
We should probably drink more water, but...
Basically, coffee is breakfast wine.
Yes.
But breakfast wine is...
...better than coffee. [chuckling]
[narrator] Megan's buying her first home in Atlanta,
and her younger sister, Rachel,
will be living with her and paying rent.
Now they need to decide on a home
that they'll both like.
Karyn just texted us.
The 1950s cottage is about to go on the market.
Oh, gosh, okay.
[Megan] She wants to know if we want to put an offer in.
What do you think?
Well, I mean, I love how charming it is.
[Rachel] I do, too.
-[Megan] The backyard is amazing. -[Rachel] So pretty.
That would be a huge benefit for Leo,
and then for me personally, I love that house.
It's just right where I would really like to be.
The commute to work would be...
It would be so short.
-We could almost walk. -[chuckling]
But the primary bathroom is not what I wanted.
[Rachel] That is a little bit smaller.
[Megan] But what about the 1949 bungalow?
What did you think about that one?
The East Atlanta one?
Yeah, the one that's 13 miles away.
-It's so far away. -It's not that far.
But it had so much charm already.
[Rachel] It did have so much charm.
[Megan] Right when you walked in it felt like a hom
[Rachel] The backyard was really big.
-You could have a giant party in that backyard. -I could.
-[Megan] And that primary bathroom... -[Rachel] That bathroom was.
-[Megan] ...with the tile. -[Rachel] Oh, it was so cute
That was the only good bathroom in there.
Those other two bathrooms were...
[exhales]
And the whole house is kinda choppy, so, we'd have to knock a wall out.
[Rachel] It's like a maze, yeah.
[Megan] Maybe more than one wall.
That's a lot of work to do in that house.
-[Megan] The 1944 ranch. -[Rachel] Yeah.
-[Megan] The one with the moat. -[Rachel] It did have a moat
[Megan] That one has a great yard, too,
it just happens to be in the front.
[Rachel] Yeah.
And, you know, it's move-in ready,
like, we'd move in, all we'd really have to change
is the paint 'cause everything was gray.
It had no personality.
None, it had the quartz zebra print.
Zebra. That bugged me.
The primary bedroom was huge.
[Rachel] Oh, my God, it was bigger than the living room almost.
Well, I guess we have a lot to think about.
-I think coffee would help. -Yeah.
First, let's decide what kind of coffee we're gonna get
then we can decide what kind of house we're gonna get.
I got Mimolette from France,
and I got that really good truffle cheese from Italy.
-Thank you. -Welcome!
We picked the 1950s cottage.
It feels great.
This home for me means,
you know, I've worked so hard to get here,
so, I'm proud of myself for being able to buy a home.
This is a serious board for, like, just three of us. [chuckling]
[Rachel] I truly don't know how to do less.
We were at my birthday dinner,
and Rachel saw the news first that our offer was accepted,
so, she ordered a bottle of champagne,
and then made the toast and that's how I found out.
It was a great birthday present. [laughing]
So, we got the keys about three weeks ago,
and we're in the process of moving in.
Spending that much money is very scary,
but I feel like it's gonna be a great investment.
This neighborhood is ideal, everyone wants to live here,
so, I think it, you know, the value will only increase.
How are you?
[Megan] Good, how are you?
Good, I brought you guys some flowers.
[Megan] Thank you! They're beautiful.
It takes me seven minutes to get to work, which is...
...amazing! [chuckling]
[Megan] This neighborhood feels like you're not in the city
and that's kinda something I was looking for,
but the best part is we actually are in the middle of the city.
This house is still so much more house
than we've had before, so there's plenty of space.
We have extra and ample storage,
so, it's gonna be a great fi
What I didn't like about this home was the size
of the primary bedroom and bathroom,
but I do think now that I've looked at this house,
I could easily make a littl bit of renovations and expand it.
And it doesn't scare me, the project,
so, I think I'll probably end up doing that for sure.
[Rachel] I was definitely looking forward
to having more of an open kitchen.
We don't have that island space that I was initially looking for,
but I do like this kitchen, so, it's been great.
I'm incredibly proud of my sister.
My sister owns this entire house.
Her name's on the deed, like, that's crazy, like...
-Yep. -...she's a boss. [chuckling]
Most importantly, I'm excited to have
Rachel feel so comfortable here already,
and Leo loves it,
and so it's just been a joy to see them enjoy it.