The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Patience pays off in search for family home
The Nietmanns sought a newer home with a flat backyard.
Keenan and Elaine Nietmann faced setbacks in their home search, bidding often on foreclosed homes and losing out on the properties. But the couple, who moved from Baltimore to Atlanta in 2011, were encouraged by how much house they could get for their money in the Atlanta area and kept trying for more than a year.
During their search for their first home, Elaine also discovered she was pregnant with their second son. But patience paid off. After renting in East Point for a year, they were able to finally find a home in Gwinnett County and moved in this spring, a couple of months before Kevin was born. Their first child, Kofi, turns 2 tomorrow.
The priority
The main features they were seeking included a flat backyard, at least 2,000 square feet, a home of 20 years or younger and a family-oriented neighborhood. They also wanted to be close to a bus system or MARTA so Keenan, 29, a state employee, could commute to downtown Atlanta.
The search
The couple looked at more than 100 homes. “I looked all over while we were living (in East Point) for a place to buy,” said Elaine, 27.
But they were finding a lot of older homes in their price range. To find a home in the low $100,000s, they looked at foreclosures on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HUD Homes web- site (www.hudhomestore.com). They could bid on homes, putting $100 down for preliminary offer, and learn the next day if their offer was accepted. If so, they would have 24 hours to place an official contract on the home.
The couple placed bids on several homes. A home in Stone Mountain needed too much work for them to proceed, although their $40,000 bid was accepted. “You had a short amount of time to inspect it,” Elaine said.
A family member suggested Gwinnett County, where she lived, which offered strong schools and plenty of parks and access to pools through the Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation system.
A four-bedroom, two-anda-half bath home built in 1994 with a finished basement (offering play space for the kids) in Lilburn popped up on the HUD website in 2012. But there was one problem: It was originally listed at $167,000, which was above their price range. They decided to push up their price limit and put in an offer at $157,000.
“But then they didn’t accept our offer. Then it was off the market,” Elaine said. “Then two days later, it came back on the market at a lesser price than it was originally offered.”
They put in a bid of $120,000, and the counteroffer was $132,000, which they agreed to pay. A few repairs were needed, to the plumbing and windows, before they could move in.
But before they even walked into the home, the couple felt they had made the right decision.
“First of all, the neighborhood was so serene and quiet. I have never seen anything like it. There’s such peace around the neighborhood. I knew right away, this is where I want my kids to grow up,” Elaine said.
They moved in during March. The lifestyle
The level backyard was another plus about the home. “My husband is a huge soccer fan so we really needed a level backyard. That was very hard to find. When we saw that in the backyard, it was like, oh wow, this was perfect. It was fenced in, too,” Elaine said.
They’re also making friends with other families in Gwinnett County, through their church, Life Chapel in Lawrenceville and the Moms Club of Lilburn.
“It’s a very great place to raise kids,” Elaine said.