Engineer Vignesh Rama weighed single-family homes vs. town homes as he looked at about 50 homes in suburban Atlanta during his search. Rama, 27, who works for Cisco Systems, chatted about what he bought in Gwinnett County’s Bailey Farms neighborhood.
Q: How long have you lived in Georgia?
A: I came to Georgia a couple of years back from New York. I was actually sharing a house with one of my friends before I decided to buy.
Q: What factors were important in your home search?
A: The first criterion that I had was that whatever I buy, it has to be resalable in at least five years. Five years was my cutoff time for a return on investment. The more I talked to [agent Julie Brittain with Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta], town homes were not what I was looking for. Even though I live alone, I like to live in open spaces. So I chose to buy a house.
Q: Did you search elsewhere in the suburbs?
A: I was looking in Suwanee, but the houses were extremely out of my budget or the houses that were available were too small for my taste. And I needed a yard.
Q: How did the home you purchased stand out?
A: It was very well taken care of. The owner was a real estate agent. It has a big basement and a big yard, so there's nothing on the right side of the house. I'm an animal person. I have a puppy (Merlin, an Australian shepherd), so the more I thought about it, the yard space made sense.
Q: How difficult were the negotiations?
A: The price was just right because he didn't overprice it. Once the appraisal came through, it came a little short, and I was able to negotiate more and get a little off the price. In the end, I think it was a pretty sweet deal.
Q: What’s one of your favorite spots?
A: My living room. The living room has a 15-foot ceiling. It's just a nice open area. It's just laid out perfectly.
Q: Were the amenities important to you?
A: I'm pretty active, so I wanted a tennis court. This neighborhood has both a tennis court and a swimming pool. When it was made, there was plenty of space for sidewalks. I can walk around and run at night.
At a glance
Vignesh Rama’s home, which was built in 2001, has five bedrooms, 31/2 baths and about 3,600 square feet. He bought it in January 2010. Homes on the market in Lawrenceville’s Bailey Farms range from the $120,000s to $180,000s.
About the Author
