FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER
It wasn’t a big move, in terms of distance, but it was a major decision for Brandon and Andrea Norris to buy their first place in Acworth.
The couple, who were renting a home in neighboring Kennesaw, spent about three months looking for a house under $180,000.
Brandon, 28, a business analyst for a financial firm, and Andrea, 25, a registered nurse, discovered they could afford a new home in the Centennial Commons neighborhood. Brandon chatted about their Cobb County purchase.
Q: How did a renting a home prior to buying prepare you for homeownership?
A: We could see where both of our incomes lined up and what we could afford for the house. We also wanted to save up for a down payment.
Q: What was your mindset when saving?
A: With it being such a shaky economy, basically we wanted to make sure we had enough money in our money market account [so that] if one of us lost our job, we would be covered for a year.
Q: How did you save?
A: We cut back on everything. Our No. 1 thing was to find out where most of our money was going before we decided to purchase our home. We would look at our daily transactions from our bank account. We were spending a lot of money at restaurants, so we budgeted by cutting that in half. We didn’t get the fancy movie channels or HD on the TV, so we cut $40-50. We paid off a car. We paid off Andrea’s student loans. It’s hard not to go out for something to eat or for a drink or cocktail with friends, but the minute we saw the savings account start to grow a significant amount, it almost became an addiction, an obsession [to save].
Q: How did you determine you wanted new construction?
A: The more [existing] houses we went in, the more we started noticing what would have to be fixed. We work long hours. We were never going to have any time to do this.
Q: Did you find a lot of new homes on the market?
A: Not a ton. It really, really narrowed down the search.
Q: How did Centennial Commons stand out?
A: The first thing we noticed is the homeowners association here does all the landscaping. Immediately when you pull into the neighborhood, everybody’s yard is landscaped, and the driveways are edged and the bushes are trimmed.
Q: What is one feature inside the home that impressed you?
A: The first thing we saw were the coffered ceilings, so that really caught our eye.
Q: What’s one of your favorite aspects of the home?
A: From our backyard, you can see all the way past Cartersville. We live on a big hill. It’s got a really good view, which is hard to find in Acworth.
Q: What tip would you give buyers?
A: Whatever you think you can afford, cut it by 10 percent or 15 percent, because you never know what’s going to happen.
At a glance
Brandon and Andrea Norris’ new home, built by D.R. Horton in Centennial Commons, has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and about 2,100 square feet. They purchased it in May 2011, assisted by Keyla Berry with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
