First-Time Homebuyer

Stanley Pasley knew “zero percent” where he wanted to live when he came south from New Jersey on his house hunt.

A new townhome by Monte Hewett Homes in Smyrna’s West Village offered access to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where he works, and sporting events downtown Atlanta. Pasley, 27, chatted about his purchase.

Q: What areas of Atlanta did you consider?

A: I looked at condos downtown and Midtown. I looked at single-family homes in the Camp Creek area down by the airport and even here in Smyrna and Mableton. Then I looked at townhomes. So at first I was leaning more toward a condo. I wanted the convenience of downtown because I’m young and I like to go out. The thing with the condos was they were just so small.

Q: So how did you decide between single-family homes and townhomes?

A: I’m a single guy. I don’t need a full-blown house, which I could have gotten cheaper than this one. But it would have been a full house and the monthly maintenance would have been more. I would have to furnish all of that.

Q: How did the Smyrna location win out?

A: West Village was still convenient to downtown (via South Atlanta Road). Going to the airport is 20 minutes. West Village was very convenient for having the restaurants and shops. You have a doctor’s office and workout facility.

Q: What did you like about the floor plan?

A: From the kitchen, you can see into the living room and dining room area, so it’s all one big space. I have my TV set up by the fireplace so I can watch the TV when I’m in the kitchen cooking and eating. Upstairs, the master bedroom is huge because it sits over the garage. Even the second and third bedrooms were good space for guests to come and stay and be comfortable and not feel like they’re cramped.

Q: What’s a tip for buyers?

A: Find a place that fits your comfort level and what you want to do in your life and how you want to live and how convenient you want it to be. I’m a single guy that likes to go out a lot and go to sports games, so I wanted to be very convenient to get to downtown, in and out pretty fast, and not having to deal with traffic.

Q: What’s something cool you bought for the house?

A: I did these life-size movie posters as you walk in the front door. I have five big movie posters that are the actual size you see in the theaters – “Training Day,” “The Dark Knight,” “Into the Blue,” “Passenger 57” and “Bad Boys II”. As soon as (people) walk in, they’re like, “Wow, these are really cool.”

At a Glance

Stanley Pasley’s new townhome in Smyrna’s West Village has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and about 2,200 square feet. He purchased the townhome in June, assisted by Michael Bugg with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Townhomes in West Village range from $268,900-$285,900.