With low interest rates, great jobs and a baby, Darshan Trivedi, 33, and Poorvi Bhatt, 32, were ready to buy a house. The highest priority during their search was excellent schools, and they quickly focused on Johns Creek. Jessica Schulte, an associate broker with Keller Williams Peachtree Road, suggested two new developments. In The Gates at Johns Creek, the family was able build a house with all the upgraded amenities they wanted.

Q: Had you been considering buying?

Darshan: It was a sudden decision. We have never bought a house in our life. We were born in India. We moved to the UK for our jobs and stayed in the UK for four years. We moved from the UK to the USA for three years. We got full-time jobs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and we decided to buy a house. Plus, we had a baby.

Poorvi: The rates were very low. That was a prime reason why we started looking.

Q: Did you create a list of what you desired?

Poorvi: We saw only two properties. What we liked about this community is they have full-sided brick. We really liked that because generally here in the U.S., they have (mostly) three-sided brick.

Q: What are the favorite things you picked out for your home?

Darshan: We have a wooden floor on the main level, then the basic upgrades like stainless steel appliances. We have a small kid, so my parents and my in-laws visit frequently. So we decided to have one bedroom and a full bathroom at the main level. We had a fireplace, but we decided to put (in) stone. We decided to have all the wiring through the builder so that when we go for the flat-panel TV, all the wiring will be built in.

Q: Was the home completed in time?

Darshan: We had a criterion that we wanted to close before the 15th of December. It was (a) pretty tight deadline. The 10th of December was the closing date and the 11th was the move-in date.

Q: How did negotiations go?

Darshan: We just paid base price … no closing costs, no lot premium, plus we got a $14,000 incentive and upgrades. Another thing that was good about the builder was every Friday they called or dropped a voicemail (or e-mail) about the status.

Q: How do you feel about being a home buyer?

Darshan: It's a great feeling. We bought (for) the first time in our life. We never bought in India and we never bought in the UK, and we decided to buy in the U.S.

At a Glance

Darshan Trivedi and Poorvi Bhatt’s new home in The Gates at Johns Creek has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and about 3,007 square feet of livable space. They purchased it in December.

The Gates at Johns Creek

County: Fulton

Information: 404-427-6621, www.beazer.com

Price range: $270,000s-$360,000s

Homes: 199

Square footage: About 2,521-3,007

Lot sizes: Less than a third of an acre

Standard features: Four-sided brick, fireplaces, garden tub and separate shower in master bathroom

Amenities: Gated, pool, cabana, two lighted tennis courts

Homeowners fees: $900 annually ($750 initiation fee)

Builder: Beazer Homes

Schools: Shakerag Elementary, River Trail Middle, Northview High

More on schools: schools.ajchomefinder.com

Getting there

Take I-85 to Exit 108 (Sugarloaf Parkway) and turn left, traveling west for 3.2 miles. Turn right on Peachtree Industrial. Travel 2.5 miles to McGinnis Ferry Road and turn left. Travel 3.2 miles to Technology Circle and turn left. The community will be on the left.

For sale

$327,315: 11245 Gates Terrace, Johns Creek 30097. A new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home with hardwood floors and a covered patio.

$289,440: 308 Ashbrook Boulevard, Johns Creek 30097. A new four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home with a kitchen island, upstairs laundry room and a walk-in closet in the master.

Recent sales

$278,000: 11290 Gates Terrace, Johns Creek 30097. A new five-bedroom, three-bath home with a bedroom and full bath on the main level and a breakfast area in the kitchen.

$344,794: 11182 Gates Terrace, Johns Creek 30097. A new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home with a basement, hardwood floors on the main level, and granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.