Modern-style Atlanta ADU hits the market—as a standalone 'condo'

Like the old adage says, “If at first you don’t succeed, offer your Accessory Dwelling Unit as a standalone home.”

After failing to land a buyer as a two-home combo with a “missing middle” housing option in the backyard, the back half of this street-fronting 120 Howard St. property in Kirkwood recently came back to market.

It marks a unique case of an Accessory Dwelling Unit—or ADU, a newer but growing housing type in Atlanta—being offered as a standalone house, apart from the original structure on site.

David Holcombe, the Keller Knapp Realty listing agent, restored the early 20th century home on site, built the ADU last year, and more recently stumbled on a new sales tactic.

“I figured out that you can convert the property to condos, so we can sell the ADU separately from the main house,” Holcombe wrote via email. “This lets us offer new construction in Kirkwood for under $400,000, with a driveway and a fenced yard. I think this could give people that own ADUs more options to free up cash, sell portions of their property, and more.”

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom ADU added in the former backyard at 120 Howard St. Photo by Katie Healy; courtesy of Keller Knapp Realty

The ADU's airy interiors. Photo by Katie Healy; courtesy of Keller Knapp Realty

The contemporary-style ADU was built to the maximum size the city allows by Meg Rowlett of Park Atlanta Homes, an ADU specialist, per Holcombe. It counts two bedrooms and two bathrooms in about 800 square feet and is asking $399,000. Perks include 18-foot ceilings, the small fenced yard, and a two-vehicle driveway along Bixby Street.

According to Holcombe, the next cheapest single-family home within .4 miles of the Howard Street property is 75 years old, asking $465,000.

“[The ADU is] definitely the lowest price point for freestanding new construction that Kirkwood has seen in a while,” he said.

Since the City of Atlanta made them legal in 2018, more than 350 ADUs have been permitted within city limits, offering space-conscious living options in what typically were underused backyards, Holcombe relayed last year. Other new ADUs have produced rental properties.

The full Kirkwood property spans about 1/3 of an acre, a block south of the neighborhood’s commercial village.

Photo by Katie Healy; courtesy of Keller Knapp Realty

As a twofer, the Howard Street listing went live in October last year at $1.15 million and was discounted within weeks but didn’t ultimately sell. It was pitched as being well-suited for families seeking intergenerational living, buyers aiming to live in one unit and rent the other, or investors looking to rent both.

The dwellings share a 20-foot-wide driveway between them with enough parking for four cars, according to Holcombe. The renovated 1910 home at the front of the property was pulled from the market in June, records indicate. But it’s back now, asking $599,000.

Find a closer look at the Kirkwood ADU offering in the gallery above.

Breakdown of the spilt Kirkwood property today. Photo by Katie Healy; courtesy of Keller Knapp Realty