I live in Atlanta and I am currently not single but not married and I have no kids but look forward to having 2-3. Also, my mother may move in with me one day so I need to consider that as well.
I found two homes and I’m having a very hard time deciding which I like best. Both homes cost 1.2 million dollars and are in a nice Buckhead neighborhood.
The first house is a five bedroom, 4 full and two half bath home. It is very executive looking and it has a lovely front porch. When you first walk in, it is very open with a formal dining and living room with a cute fireplace a a cute study nook with a nice built in desk. The kitchen and family room is right around the corner. The family room is spacious with room for a large tv and fireplace. Of the family room and breakfast nook is a nice balcony with a grill. The kitchen is very large and it has a 6 burner cooktop with a grill and griddle and seperate double ovens and a walk in pantry and it also has two islands. Upstairs is a nice reading loft, two bedrooms with a jack and jill bath and they share their own private balcony. The master suite is quite lovely with an expansive private, two sided fireplace looking into the master bathroom which has a jacuzzi tub for two, a steam shower, toilet and bidet, and separate vanities. There is a third level that has a gameroom and wet bar. There is also another very large bedroom suite with a separate tub and shower and a walk in closet. Next to the game room is a huge roof top deck with a jacuzzi and a another barbeque grill. On the basement level is a three car garage, a fitness room with a sauna and another bedroom suite. There is an elevator to access all for levels.
The second house is very, very lovely on the outside. It looks like a cute little European cottage. When you first enter, there is a beautiful staircase and a nice library with a two sided aquarium also seen by the dining room. The kitchen is absolutely fabulous. The refrigerator is huge and the freezer are integrated drawers next to it. They look like cabinetry! There is a convection oven and a steam oven and the microwave can function as a third oven. There is also a warming drawer. While there are only four cooktops, there is also a built in grill, steamer and fryer right next to it and there are two sinks and two dishwashers. The family room is absolutely incredible with a suspended fireplace near the center of the room and a gorgeous waterfall next to the tv. The kitchen, breakfast, and family room all have a wall of windows and doors that open into the deck. The master suite is also upstairs and it too has the suspended fireplace and the waterfall feature in addition to a nice breakfast bar. The bathroom isnt as nice as the other house but the closet is much larger. There are three bedrooms on this level and they all have walk in closets and private baths with knee space. The basement level has a huge recreation room, a wet bar, a single car garage, a bedroom suite with s jetted tub and steam shower and a fitness room with a sauna. This house also has an elevator to access all the levels.
Both of these homes are so wonderful. I really cant decide which is better. I love the kitchen, master and family room of the second but I love the balconies that the first offers. The first house has limited outdoor space but it is down the street from a park. The second house does have a nice large backyard with room for a pool.
I can totally see myself in both homes. Neither home has a pool but in the second, there is room for one. I am a radiologist by the way.
Chris, we did all that in looking at the location. While I intend to send my kids to private school, the area we choose is very nice and has good schools. Both homes are within 5-10 minutes of each other. Before I even walked into house number two, I instantly fell in love with it’s charm and character. I then saw the first house and thought it was absolutely stunning. It is outstanding when you first walk in and if only you could see both homes, you’d understand the difficulty in choosing
March 15th, 2010 at 7:54 am
when life boils down to two choices; here is how I decide;
which choice will not ever make me think, later
damn, wrong deal.
the right choice will put a kick in your step
the right choice will cause you to grin like you
just stole a cookie and got away with it
the wrong choice will press at you like a sliver.
why not rent out both homes for 2 weeks!
i bet the owners would not mind
balconies and swim pools are for me!
[what is your occupation?]
March 15th, 2010 at 7:57 am
That’s a big price and at that level of spending I would recommend that you have a different means of assessment. First if you do find your dream home you will know and you won’t have to come to YA. So neither home is best for you. However, I suggest that you look at the homes a bit differently so I will share with you how my wife and I did it.
My wife and I dreamt of a home where our children were first (I know you don’t have any but just listen to the process). We decided that if we looked at the best HS’s we’d have the best middle schools and the best elementary. So we assessed 22 HS’s that were distinguished in a Metro area. Out of those we ruled out 13 we couldn’t afford, and out of the 9 I personally went and looked at. We told our realtor we wanted to be within walking distance of a elementary school and about 1 mile from the distinguished HS, but also 5 miles from a hospital (where my wife would work).
Our first and priority goal was to find an area or two that met our main goals and fit our budget.
Once we found a few neighborhoods (in four cities in the metroplex) we then began looking for our home. Our home had criteria within these areas:
1. High vaulted
2. Dramatic
3. Open plan
Eveything else was secondary..if we had known better we would have added a pool or a HOA pool because it’s hot here.
So with the last 3 criteria it eleminated 3 cities as thoese homes in those areas did not have those features in our price. Only one city, one area around one HS met our criteria.
So that’s where you need to start, with an idea of location, location, location then picking the key features. One we found our home the door opened, before my realtor could step in my wife was inside and I grabbed his arm (the realtor) and pulled him back and said this is the one. My wife then chose that home without asking me. I knew what she looked for and wanted and it was just a matter of finding it. You don’t need to find 10 homes you like, just one you love.
Now onto the issue of money… money is everything… money can talk…money can walk…but there is only one thing it won’t do…tell you when it’s coming back. So with that in mind you are the boss as long as you have money. Buckhead sold a wopping 29 homes in March of 2009 that’s up from 20. Consider the number of homes for sale in your price, the days on market to help you know when you see a good deal. Don’t feel pressured but be ready to strike when there is a good deal. Homes in Mar sold at 91.7% of asking, and a lot of factors go into that. Home sat for 91 days on market on average available to inventory. At the current rate of sale home it will take 15 months for a home to sell using current inventory. So the reason homes are selling in three months. Your average price is nearly 850,000 for a home. Keep that average price in mind as taxes can be a burden.
I feel home sales are improving as credit and fears subside and the exclusivity of buckhead is bringing in customers but the owners desire to sell (their motivation to drop price) helps a lot in moving the home. The owners and realtors know this is a time to haggle. But I would suspect any home on market for less than 30-90 dayes will be harder to make a deal for. Making a deal is certainly something to consider in Buckhead as you want the best price since you are taking a risk things won’t turn sour. Keep in mind that credit is at all time low interest rates so it will only get worst for you if you sell one day to find a buyer who can get the money to pay for the home. As it is sellers are still having to come down a bit.