Buying a home had been in the back of Shauna Welling's mind, but her roommate's engagement solidified her decision to pursue her first place when her lease was up.
Welling, who is pursuing her MBA at Georgia State and chose an FHA loan because it did not include student loans as part of the debt-to-equity ratio, was restricted to the FHA's list of approved condominiums. She saw plenty of duds before finding a Perimeter area unit that had been updated in 1995 and needed no major repairs. Welling, 25, chatted about her purchase.
Q: How did you decide on the Perimeter area location?
A: I actually wanted to be in Vinings. I was Vinings, Vinings, Vinings because I work in Vinings. Then as we started looking, there wasn't a whole lot of options in my price point. I wanted to stay close to I-285. On a whim, one day me and my boyfriend's mom (Melinda Roberts) decided to drive to places (on the FHA list) and cross a few off the list. We drove all throughout the Perimeter. There were probably five or six that we were like, there is no way, there is no parking, this is impossible. We were able to pick four that we wanted to see. Then we were able to get connected with the Realtor (Beth Smith with Coldwell Banker Intown). When we came here, we were like, this is it, let's do it. I loved the patio. I had a good feeling about it. I put an offer in on it.
Q: What stood out inside the condo?
A: It's all hardwood floors, which I loved. It had a laundry room, not like a laundry closet, which I also loved. They also had it staged already, which I think helps. I wasn't walking into an empty place and having to visualize things. I loved the size of the kitchen, and the bathrooms were nice, and the closet was huge. It's the biggest closet I've ever had in my life. It had a covered patio, and they had it furnished, too. Even the blinds are nice. It was just very well-presented. I could just see myself living here and loving it.
Q: Did anything unusual happen with the negotiations?
A: It was all furnished. I was walking through and joking, I want to keep the TV, I want to keep the sleigh bed. We called to let the Realtor know we were interested and wanted to make an offer that night. The Realtor said, "We have an offer right now but we're getting hung up in furniture negotiations. If you can submit your offer tonight, we can consider it tonight." We did not put anything in the contract about the furniture. I got a phone call at work one day. The furniture negotiations they were getting hung up on was the fact that they wanted me to buy all the furniture in the condo and the other (buyer) didn't want any of it. It was the weirdest thing I had ever heard of. We were able to negotiate (the furniture cost) to $2,500. Once we got the inspection back and there were things that needed fixing, the seller took off another $500. I basically walked into a furnished place. I was able to get rid of stuff that was hand me downs and have this cute stuff, which was awesome.
Q: Have you made any changes?
A: My mom, Kristi Welling (who lives out of town), has come and ... painted, put in a backsplash in the kitchen, changed my toilets and ceiling fans, the list goes on. All in one weekend, too.
At a Glance
Shauna Welling's Atlanta condo, built in 1981, has two bedrooms, two baths and about 1,320 square feet. She purchased it in May. Condos in the area are listed from the $50,000s-$160,000s.
