First-Time Homebuyer
Andrew and Amanda Platt took advice from a well-known Atlantan – consumer expert Clark Howard – as they launched their home search. Armed with Howard’s tips, Andrew, 26, a manager at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Amanda Platt, 26, an administrative assistant/marketing coordinator for Atlanta Financial Associates, found an Alpharetta townhome within their budget. Andrew chatted about their home.
Q: How soon after your wedding did you decide to start looking?
A: We waited about nine months [they were married in June 2010]. We wanted to make sure we had our finances together. We didn't want to find anything we couldn't afford.
Q: What financial preparations did you make?
A: We were definitely saving for several months before we started looking. We took a portion of both of our incomes and set it aside in a separate savings account. Once we attained a certain dollar amount [for at least a 10 percent down payment], we said, "Well, let's start looking. Can we afford what we want?"
Q: How did you decide on the features you wanted?
A: Clark Howard said to make a list of things you want in a home [before] you meet with your Realtor. We wanted at least three bedrooms – one for ourselves and a guest bedroom, and eventually one for when we have children. We knew we wanted at least two bathrooms. Me and my wife love to cook, and we wanted for the kitchen to be the center of the entire house.
Q: Did you focus on townhomes right away?
A: We knew from the beginning that we wanted a townhouse. We knew we could afford a nicer townhouse, with our savings. My mom lives in a townhouse community, and that's where I grew up. It's a smaller community where everyone is connected.
Q: How did you set apart the townhomes on the market?
A: We didn't want to live in a monstrous, huge townhouse community where everyone's house looked the same and it's kind of dull. As we started looking, we realized we didn't want to live so far away from our jobs in Sandy Springs. We looked at Alpharetta schools and the community and how safe the area was and the restaurants and the things to do.
Q: How long did you look?
A: We only looked at five townhouses before we were shown this one. As soon as we pulled into the complex and we saw it, we just fell in love with the outside. Once we got inside, it was even better.
Q: What was one stand-out interior feature?
A: We've got seating around the island in the kitchen, and a place where people can hang out.
Q: Were you able to negotiate the price?
A: We offered less than asking price ($139,900). They said, we will sell it for this amount ($133,000) and you take care of the closing costs. We said we didn't want to pay the closing costs (about $4,000). So we met them at the price they said but we asked them to pay the closing costs. It had been on the market for about a year and half. The appraisal actually came in for about $150,000. We feel like we got a fantastic deal on it.
At a Glance
Andrew and Amanda Platt’s townhome in Alpharetta’s Spring Valley community, built in 2011, has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and about 1,500 square feet. The couple, assisted by Gloria Williams, an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, purchased it in August. Townhomes in the area are listed in the $150,000s.
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