HOLIDAY HOMES

Residents open their doors for festive tours

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

If you’re looking for decorating inspiration or just like the idea of wandering through some beautifully decked out homes, Intown has an array of tours on tap this month.

Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes

The 20th annual Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes is set for Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dec. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. The tour features seven homes, plus the Church of Our Saviour. Homes include a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Prairie-style, an expanded 1935 bungalow, and a Tudor Revival home that got an Arts and Crafts style makeover. Local restaurants will provide food tastings at each of the homes on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., including Atkins Park, El Taco, Fontaine’s, Highland Tap, La Tavola, Murphy’s, Moore Farms & Friends, Noche, Tapa Tapa and Timone’s. Tour tickets are $25 in advance at vahitourofhomes.org.

Home for the Holidays

The annul home tour began in mid-November and continues through Dec. 7, benefitting the Southeastern Horticultural Society’s Children’s Learning Garden and Farms. This year’s show house is at 2865 Habersham Road and has been decorated by some of the city’s most noted interior designers. The home is open for tours Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information visit, atlantaholidayhome.com.

The 2014 tour will feature four distinctive Buckhead homes on Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The homes are located on Peachtree Battle Avenue, Habersham Road, Blackland Road and Old Plantation Road. Tickets are $25 in advance at peachtreegardenclub.org or $30 the day of the event.

Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes

The 34th annual tour will feature a variety of homes in this historic neighborhood, including the Burns Mansion, on Dec. 13-14 from 6 to 10 p.m. There will also be other events happening that weekend in conjunction with the tour, including a Winter Wonderland with activities, crafts and visits with Santa on Saturday from 4-6 p.m., and a Candlelight Christmas Concert on Sunday at 5 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. An Artists’ Market and Bake Sale will be open both nights, too. Tour tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 at CandlelightTourOfHomes.com.

Cross Creek Christmas Tour

Ten of the condominiums in the Cross Creek community in Buckhead will be decorated for the holidays and open for tours on Dec. 7 from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 the day of the tour. Proceeds benefit Snap To It Dog Rescue and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. For tickets and information, call (404) 351-7600.

Peachtree Garden Club Christmas Home Tour

The 2014 tour will feature four distinctive Buckhead homes on Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The homes are located on Peachtree Battle Avenue, Habersham Road, Blackland Road and Old Plantation Road. Tickets are $25 in advance at peachtreegardenclub.org or $30 the day of the event.

Avondale Estates Tour of Homes & Holiday Market

The Avondale Estates Tour of Homes and Holiday Market will be held on Dec. 14 from 3 to 8 p.m. (the market is open noon to 6 p.m. at 58 Lakeshore Drive). This year’s tour features six homes – from contemporary to classic. Once again, a trolley will be taking visitors to each home and the market. For more information, visit avondaletourofhomes.com.

Real Estate Briefs

Realtor Sandy Epstein with Engel & Völkers Buckhead Atlanta was named Salesperson of the Year during the 34th annual event hosted by the Atlanta Sales and Marketing Council and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association that recognizes excellence in sales and marketing in the greater Atlanta housing industry. Epstein was honored with a Gold OBIE for her success on Jim Chapman Fine Homes’ 55+ community, Brookhaven at Johns Creek.

Curbed Atlanta is reporting that Old Fourth Ward music and concert venue The Masquerade might be transformed as part of a mixed-use development along the Eastside Trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park. The property fronts North Avenue and is just across the street from Ponce City Market. According to the report, the Atlanta Beltline is working with Southeast Capital Companies, which wants to create a five-story, multifamily building with 238 units and 6,148-square-feet of commercial space. The historic mill, which dates back to the 1890s, would not be demolished but would be incorporated into the project in some unidentified way.The mill made excelsior – wood shavings used as packing material – into the 1960s. Afterwards, the site became a pizzeria and a blues hall before becoming The Masquerade in 1989. With its three level entertainment space – Heaven, Purgatory and Hell – The Masquerade still packs in audiences for shows by up-and-coming alternative bands. The Masquerade’s future has been in question since 2004, when the former owner announced he was going to sell the site to a developer for a mixed-use project featuring restaurants and condos.

Construction has begun on a new 20-story apartment tower at the 12th & Midtown development. Located at 60 11th St., the building is expected to be completed sometime in 2016.

Harry Norman, REALTORS won a prestigious real estate award at the 19th Annual Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate’s Fall Conference recently held in Boston. The conference is one of the largest luxury specific real estate conferences in the world. Harry Norman was honored with the Best Mobile App award, which is given to the Luxury Real Estate member creating the most cutting-edge technology to help market their company.