Augustan's parents stepped in when she was house-hunting

"The areas I wanted to live in were way out of my price range," the accountant said.

Her parents asked her about buying one of their rental properties, a two-story house in an older neighborhood near Lake Olmstead, and she said yes.

Built in 1939, the house has the charm that comes with age, she said.

"I love that it is old. It doesn't have a level surface," she said.

Another draw to the property is its location on a quiet street in a wooded area.

"I love to listen to the crickets, or whatever animals and insects are out there," she said.

The trees are gorgeous in the fall, Ms. Slavens said, but all that leafy splendor can be a drawback later on.

"I spent five or six Saturdays in a row" cleaning up all the fallen leaves, she said.