A 1945 Home in The Avenues, Near Downtown Hattiesburg

Beth Scharwath, REALTOR® · RE/MAX Real Estate Partners

Quick answer: 232 S 12th Ave is a three bedroom, two bath home of about 1,600 square feet in The Avenues, one of the older neighborhoods in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Built in 1945 and listed at $205,000, it sits just off Hardy Street, a little over a mile from downtown and about a mile and a half from the University of Southern Mississippi (MLS 148423).

Open and light, and minutes from downtown

Step through the front door of 232 S 12th Ave and the first thing you notice is how open it feels. Refinished oak floors run from the living room into the dining room, plank ceilings and crown molding carry through both, and the rooms borrow light from each other rather than closing themselves off. Arched bookcases with cabinet storage below are built right into the living room wall, and a pair of glass paned French doors separates living from dining without cutting off the view. This is the attention to detail found in homes built in that era.

In the kitchen you'll find granite counters, a subway tile backsplash, and a window over the sink. Both baths keep their period character, one of them wrapped in white subway tile with beadboard and a small mosaic floor. A back entry room off the kitchen holds the laundry and looks out toward the street. Two things the sellers have already done: every window in the house was replaced within the last two years, and the gas water heater is under a year old.

Out back you'll discover a covered deck with a shade canopy and string lights, stepping down into a big privacy fenced yard under mature oaks. It's the kind of space South Mississippi lets you enjoy for most of the year, whether you're entertaining friends or just having a quiet evening at home.

Then there's the location, and on this street that means something specific. The Hattiesburg Zoo at Kamper Park is half a mile away and Keg and Barrel is about a third of a mile. Hunnies for brunch, Murky Waters BBQ, the Author's Shoppe, Equinox Coffee, T-Bones Records and Cafe, and Big Trouble are all inside a mile, which is a two to five minute drive. The Avenues sits right off Hardy Street, named for the man who founded the city, on a grid of quiet streets with sidewalks under mature trees.

Downtown is a little over a mile from here and worth the short drive. Hattiesburg has been a Mississippi Main Street community since 2000, and in the last year alone East Front Street picked up a record store and a coffee shop while Mobile Street added a cocktail lounge. The Lucky Rabbit still draws people from all over south Mississippi, and the restored Saenger Theater and Town Square Park anchor the middle of it. The University of Southern Mississippi is a mile and a half away, Forrest General Hospital is under three, and the Longleaf Trace trailhead is close enough to make a bike part of the routine rather than a project.