Vivek and Erin Kothari spent about a month viewing homes on real estate apps such as Redfin and Zillow and looking at properties without a real estate agent. Then they got into a multiple offer situation for a Midtown townhome and their offer wasn’t accepted.
The couple, who has lived in three cities and five rentals in the last seven years, realized they needed a real estate agent. Brandon Patterson of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty took them through the homebuying process and connected them with people who could inspect the chimney and systems and help them redo the floors and repaint. His move-in gift was a session with interior designer Angelika Taylor, who helped them select paint colors and decide on flooring and furniture.
Vivek, 34, an attorney, and Erin, 35, who works at Georgia State, chatted about the three-bedroom townhome they purchased near MARTA and Piedmont Park.
Where were you living previously?
Vivek: We were in an apartment in Midtown.
Erin: We've only been in Atlanta for just over two years. We came from D.C. We wanted to live somewhere that was MARTA accessible.
Q: Why did you focus on buying in Midtown?
Vivek: Both of us work downtown. We can take the MARTA to work. There's so much stuff around here in terms of restaurants and bars, and you can walk everywhere, which is good because we only have one car.
Q: As you began to search, what did you want?
Vivek: The location was one of the big ones for us. I didn't really want a yard. It helps that this is a townhouse.
Erin: As first-time homebuyers, we didn't really know what we wanted. We wanted two-plus bedrooms and two-plus bathrooms. Really, it came back to looking at things.
Q: After the multiple offer situation, did you feel pressure to buy quickly?
Erin: Moving quickly was not that difficult for us. We had to move quick (as a) renter (in New York). The house we bought was on the market for 11 hours.
Q: What changes did you make after buying the townhome?
Erin: We took out the tile on the first floor. They took out 102 garbage bags of tile. We removed the carpet in the second floor. We did hardwood floors for the first two levels. We refinished the stairs. We've repainted the majority of the house.
Q: What’s a tip for first-time buyers?
Vivek: Everything is negotiable. We negotiated for them to leave (a set of surround speakers) installed.
Erin: Having a support team makes home buying so much easier. We were lucky to have such a great first time experience.
At a Glance
Vivek and Erin Kothari’s townhome, built in 1983, has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,652 square feet. They purchased it in September. Nearby townhomes recently have sold in the low $400,000s.
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