Foreclosure turns into home for newlyweds
First-Time Homebuyer
Ben and Ashley Conrad moved into their Atlanta townhome a week after their October 2011 wedding.
It was a quick move, but the couple needed more space. They had been living in a 600-square-foot space above the garage at his parents’ home in Fayetteville for three years.
Ben, 33, who works in health care information technology, chatted about their house hunt and foreclosure purchase in Glenwood Green, near Glenwood Park and East Atlanta Village.
Q: Did you have an idea of what you wanted?
A: Actually my sister had just finished remodeling a house in Cabbagetown, so we spent some time over there and had seen the Stacks, and lofts looked neat to us at first. We also looked at Atlantic Station, just for the convenience.
Q: What became a priority for you?
A: When we started looking at places, it was hard to find somewhere we could park our cars. In a lot of the lofts, you would get one space with a two-bedroom unit or there would be street parking. That kind of got us over toward the townhouse sort of thing. Honestly, we're both from the suburbs, so it ended up more of a traditional house was what we were comfortable with.
Q: How long did you search?
A: A couple of months total.
Q: That’s fast.
A: I was really kind of shocked by the whole thing. We weren't necessarily planning on being in a place right after we got married.
Q: How did you know this was the one?
A: It was more square footage. It was generally nicer than the other places we were able to find in our price range. Actually, this one dropped in price the day before we looked at it. It was one that we had seen online and were like, wow, it's really nice, but it's a little more than we were willing to spend. I was kind of hesitant to come look at it, knowing it was a little out of our range. Then I found out on Monday that the price had dropped. We made an offer for what they had listed it.
Q: What made the mortgage process easier?
A: Honestly, I really only signed paper copies of stuff once. Most of it was done online and through document hosting. I was able to sign most of the stuff online.
Q: What tip would you give buyers?
A: What really made the whole thing so easy was when I found Ben Hirsh [of Hirsh Real Estate Specialists], he referred me to [mortgage broker] Tara Ryan, and we actually started the process way before we found a place. We were ready to make an offer when the time actually came. There was no rushing. The financial part was already in order.
At a glance
Ben and Ashley Conrad’s townhome, built in 2004 in Glenwood Green, has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and about 1,800 square feet. They purchased the home in August. Townhomes in Glenwood Green range from $66,000-$190,000.
