Hamilton and Ellen Evans spent several Saturdays earlier this year driving from Sandy Springs to Alpharetta in search of a home.
The couple was renting a Buckhead apartment but wanted to move closer to their jobs in those suburbs, and they went the extra distance to weigh all of their options. Once they came up with a list of homes to view with Winter Baserva of Solid Source Realty, they found the one on the first day.
Hamilton, 26, a software engineer for NCR, and Ellen, 24, a teacher at Spalding Drive Charter Elementary School, moved in during June, with plenty of time to spare before their September wedding. They chatted about their Sandy Springs home.
Q: What was a must-have in a home?
Hamilton: Above all else was a good-sized fenced-in backyard, or at least a yard that could be fenced in. We have two dogs [Tilly and Banks]. They had been stuck living in apartment-style living, which isn't good.
Q: How did you find this home?
Hamilton: My parents also live very close to our house. Just one day we were going back to our apartment from their house. I said, "Let's just start turning down some of these streets on a whim." We pulled up in front of our house. Ellen hopped out and got the flier, but it was priced $30,000 higher [than their budget]. I remember telling Ellen in the car that day, "That house is gorgeous. If this house is in our price range, I would buy it."
Q: What did it take to negotiate a price you could handle?
Hamilton: They dropped the listing price. It was originally $330,000 (the asking price lowered to $299,900, and they paid $285,000). We went back and forth three times. The whole negotiation process started on a Monday, and by Friday, they had accepted the final offer. We ended up exactly where we were hoping to be at the beginning.
Q: What are some favorite features?
Hamilton: It still has the hardwood floors from when it was built [in 1953]. They've been sanded and refinished, so they're a really nice deep mahogany color. They redid everything in the kitchen, with brand new maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances. I love to cook. We had been in a little apartment before we moved to Atlanta that had a miserable kitchen.
Ellen: They blew out the closets, so there's tons of storage space. Plus there's a great little patio out there. We have an outdoor fireplace. We hang out there all the time.
Q: How did you celebrate on the day of closing?
Hamilton: My mom and stepdad and sister, who all live in Atlanta, came over. We ordered pizza and wings from this local place — Clay's Sports Cafe. We sat on the floor, with nothing in here and with champagne.
Q: What tip would you give first-time buyers?
Ellen: At the beginning, we had a list of five things we wanted. Obviously, we didn't get all five in the end. Just how much we enjoy the big backyard and the kitchen makes up for the fact that we didn't get a half bath or a bigger master bathroom. Don't discount a house just because it doesn't have one of the things [on your list] because [other features] might make up for it in the end.
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