Brian Kochs wanted his first place to have just enough space for himself and none of the “extra headaches” of lawn care and other maintenance that go along with a house. Kochs, 37, who works in the computer field, talked about his condo in the Perimeter area’s Villa Sonoma community.
Q: Where did you move from?
A: I was living in an apartment in Johns Creek.
Q: When did you decide to buy your first place?
A: There's so many good promotions for first-time buyers and good deals out there. I really didn't have to look that long. If you are ready and you have a pretty good idea of what you want, which I did, it doesn't really take that long.
Q: What did you have to have in a home?
A: The most important thing was location, because Johns Creek is a nice area, but it was just inconvenient. I'm single and I'm younger and all my friends live around the Perimeter area. I go to church in Buckhead, so being close to that was important.
Q: Why did you decide on the Villa Sonoma condo?
A: It has cherry hardwood floors, cherry wood cabinets and granite countertops. It's on the third floor, and it has a view of the pool area. As part of the incentive for purchasing, they gave me $4,000 worth of upgrades. I chose to have the cherry wood cabinets and mosaic tile put in the kitchen.
Q: What other incentives were being offered?
A: I was pretty comfortable with the price they were offering it for, that in combination with the $4,000 of upgrades and an 8 percent rebate that could be applied to the down payment or in the loan if you used one of the preferred lenders (he got an FHA loan).
Q: What’s the lifestyle like in the community, and what do you enjoy doing nearby?
A: It definitely has a young professional atmosphere to it. I moved in right before the Fourth of July weekend, so they had a neighborhood party at the pool, which was nice. I definitely like the Perimeter Mall area. There are a lot of neat restaurants, and shopping is really close.