Kurt and Allison Kraft decided to save before buying a home for their growing family.
The couple packed up their Alpharetta apartment and moved into Kurt’s parents’ basement in Milton, paying a lower rent, reducing debt, and enabling Allison to be a stay-at-home mom to Miriam, 2 1/2, and Richard, 18 months.
The priority
The couple considered their maximum price to avoid being “house poor” and not having money for other needs or emergencies. Kurt, a commercial property claims adjuster, would have liked to buy his first house with cash. They realized it would take a few more years of savings, however.
“I never wanted to buy a house. Dude, I hate debt,” said Kurt, 29. “We try to live on mostly cash.”
They were approved for a loan over $200,000, but focused on homes for under $200,000.
The search
Kurt, a “farm kid at heart,” also wanted land, so they considered properties as far north as Cartersville. They looked at Roswell and Alpharetta, but most homes with four bedrooms pinched their budget, and properties under $200,000 tended to be fixer-uppers.
“Homes were split levels or were originally three bedrooms and a finished basement, so you had one bedroom downstairs. That’s cool for older kids, but for younger kids, you don’t want a baby in the basement,” Kurt said.
Their agent, Michele O’Brien with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, suggested Marietta. After researching the school districts and crime rates, they started looking in Cobb County.
The home
The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in Marietta is on close to .65 of an acre, and although Kurt wanted land, he’s enjoyed having less property to maintain. The home was built in 1973, but the previous owner upgraded the kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and extras such as self-closing drawers. Stylish updates included a marble shower backsplash in the master bathroom and bamboo floors on the main level.
The layout was what they wanted, with all the bedrooms on the second floor and an unfinished basement that can become a rec room and playroom, Kurt said. For their kids, they turned the formal living room into the playroom. Another room that Allison said she loves is the laundry/mudroom room off the kitchen, with space for a table to fold clothes, the litter box for their cats (a pet door was installed) and a shower.
Other buyers were interested, so the couple offered asking price and wrote a letter introducing themselves. “When our daughter went into the girls’ room … Minnie Mouse was on the sheets and she flipped out,” Kurt said. “We put that in the letter.”
They bought the home in January for $182,000, and having no homeowners’ association meant there were no quarterly or annual costs.
The lifestyle
The location is convenient, with a park and schools within walking distance. Town Center at Cobb, I-575 and stores such as Target are less than 2 miles away.
Having a move-in ready house with two kids was crucial for the couple, who learned they were expecting their third child just before closing.
“With kids, you can’t get done what you need to get done,” Kurt said. “By the time you move in and go to work and come home … you need to have as little to do as possible.”
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