For Jose Guillen, the adage rings true — location is everything. He works in downtown Atlanta and wanted to buy inside the perimeter, but low inventory for lofts and high demand meant competition. Eventually, he found a downtown Atlanta loft with everything he wanted, including open space, a separate bedroom and a skyline view.
Guillen, 30, a project manager for Microsoft, chatted about his one-bedroom loft on Marietta Street in Atlanta.
Q: What were you looking for in a home?
A: I was looking for a place that had character, and I wanted a loft that had an open floor plan but a separate bedroom so I could have privacy. Location was definitely one of the biggest issues because I wanted something near work.
Q: What was the market like?
A: When I started looking, I knew I didn’t want to live in a big building, but rather in a boutique space. Because of the location, I found that everything had multiple offers — some cash offers. Every time I found something, it was snatched up, and I knew the market was getting better. This encouraged me to move faster and buy right away.
Q: How did you move on this one?
A: Jeff (Jackson, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties) was great and always accommodating. He was always available and always made the time to talk and show me places.
Q: What did you love about the loft?
A: I liked the exposed bricks, stainless steel and more modern, industrial feel. One of the selling points of this property was the skyline view you can see from the window. There’s also a rooftop area with a grill, and you can see the Ferris wheel (SkyView Atlanta). I’m looking forward to entertaining here.
Q: What have you added so far?
A: The unit was updated in the past six months, so there wasn’t much to do. I put up a back splash in the kitchen, added a door to the walk-in closet and changed up a few appliances. Other than that, I’m buying new furniture to match the modern feel and hung a large 85-by-45 inch painting that I got in the Dominican Republic while traveling.
Q: What was the closing process like?
A: I didn’t realize that inspections could find other details than what the seller discloses. The offers went back and forth a few times, and we met in the middle in terms of closing costs and fixing this or that. Jeff was a good coach for me and was great about giving his point of view but letting me make a decision.
Q: What’s a tip for first-time buyers?
A: Consider your options. I went with an FHA (Federal Housing Administration loan) because I didn’t want to put a lot of money down. I ended up putting down 5 percent rather than the 20 percent you put down with a conventional loan. I knew my savings account would be depleted if I did that.
At a Glance
Jose Guillen’s loft, originally part of a warehouse built in 1910 in downtown Atlanta, has one bedroom, one bath and 936 square feet. He purchased it in January 2014 for $139,000. Spaces in Atlanta’s Giant Lofts complex range from the mid $100,000s to mid $200,000s.
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