Buying a home with a teenager allows the child to be involved in the process and discover the value of planning ahead and saving to achieve the dream of homeownership. Belinda Harper, 45, lived with her sister after Harper’s 2009 divorce, to save money for her first home.
Harper’s purchase, in south Fulton County, was an achievement that she was proud to share with her 14-year-old daughter, Briana Dunklin.
The priority
Harper had a new opportunity with her employer, ADP Payroll Co., to work from home, which would allow her to be home when her daughter got home from school. As a result, Harper, who previously worked in Alpharetta, needed enough room for a home office.
The search
The house hunting process began in fall 2011, with Harper and her daughter looking at townhomes with Kenya Robinson-Simmons, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metrobrokers. She reconnected with Robinson-Simmons, who attended the same high school, via Facebook.
But since many of the townhomes they viewed were foreclosures or short sales, it was discouraging to put in an offer and learn there were other offers or to wait to hear from the bank, Harper said. She decided to take a break from the search and start fresh in 2012.
“I happened to see this townhome. It was just a little above my price range, but from the pictures that I saw on the Internet, I really liked it, so I was willing to pay a little extra for it,” she said.
The home had been listed for less than a week. She purchased it for $64,000 in May 2012.
The home
When she entered the four-bedroom, three-bath townhome, built in 2008, the fireplace situated in the corner caught her eye. As they walked downstairs, Harper discovered a bedroom that could serve as her office.
No additional money was needed to make immediate changes to the townhome, which Harper said didn’t even need to be repainted and was in “immaculate condition.”
“What I have really, really enjoyed is my huge bedroom. It also has a sitting area in the master. I love it,” Harper said.
Harper’s daughter also has been able to decorate her room, using metal signs with different sayings, and black and red in the color scheme.
The lifestyle
Having the ability and room to work from home has enabled Harper to spend more quality time with her daughter.
“That’s really a blessing,” Harper said. “I worked up in Alpharetta. By the time I would get back on this side of town, it would be 6 or 6:30, then after that it was immediately into homework or dinner. We really didn’t have the time to sit down and talk like we do now. We have plenty of time to really enjoy each other.”
The townhome is in Stoney Pointe, a gated neighborhood (current listings are priced as low as $48,000) with a pool. The location is a few miles from the Ben Hill community in southwest Atlanta where Harper grew up. She’s also in close proximity to her mother and sister and near shopping at Camp Creek Marketplace. “This is just the perfect place,” Harper said.
The tip
Harper encourages single moms not to give up in their pursuit of buying a home.
“When I was really discouraged, I could always hear my mom … saying, ‘If you don’t get this property, it only means there is something better in store for you.’”
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