I left New York City and went to a little house in the woods – my monthly payment is just $2,150 and I own it

KRISTI Campbell swapped the fast pace of New York City for a more laid-back life in a small village in Georgia.

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, after living in New York for seven years, she decided to move back in with her parents in East Atlanta.

two

two

The plan was to save up and buy your first home by November 2023.

But in 2022, her boyfriend sent her a link to the small home village of South Park Cottage.

“I completely fell in love. The houses in the village were recently built with a modern aesthetic,” she said. Business Insider in an interview.

The community is black-owned and is close to the airport and Main Street in downtown Atlanta, where there are a number of black-owned restaurants — all important to Campbell.

She made an offer on a tiny house in November 2022 and officially closed in June 2023.

The 628-square-foot home cost $235,000, and she got a 30-year fixed mortgage with monthly payments of $2,150.

Since the house was still under construction, Campbell had time to save money and get approved for a loan.

She put down a $17,500 deposit, which covered the builder’s fee, and an upgraded technology package, including a smart lock, doorbell camera, smart refrigerator and Bluetooth speakers.

CHANGE

Campbell’s home has a bedroom, a bathroom, a patio, a balcony and a multipurpose loft that she converted into an office.

“I consider myself a maximalist, but when you move into a tiny house, you end up realizing that you don’t actually need a lot of things,” she said.

The house is surprisingly spacious and accommodated around 20 people when she hosted her mother’s birthday party.

She downsized a lot, but purchased a storage unit for larger equipment and supplies.

Most of their neighbors are black millennials, but some homeowners bought their homes as vacation spots or investment properties.

“Many of us share similar backgrounds — we are first-time homebuyers and for the most part were born and raised in Atlanta, although I think there are two or three people from California,” she said.

“It’s exciting to know that I can learn from people around me who are going through similar life stages.”

“One of my favorite things about the village is that it’s really community-oriented; we’re all very close-knit. Neighbors look out for neighbors.”

The village has common areas such as a garden and a fire pit, where neighbors regularly organize barbecues together.

“When you look at the community, it’s something you’ve never seen before in Atlanta, and I love it.”

A CLOSER LOOK

South Park Cottages is the brainchild of Georgia native Booker Washington.

He built the community with the goal of offering residents lower housing prices.

The median home price in Atlanta is $415,000, but homes in the village range from $190,000 to $230,000.

All 29 homes in the community were sold more than a year before they were built.

“Affordable homeownership is a problem in Atlanta,” he told Business Insider.

“Our goal is to provide homes at a price point where the mortgages are equal to or less than the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment.”

Each unit has a full kitchen, living room and laundry room.

Washington already plans to open another community in the area and hopes to expand to other states.

A small free residential village has recently opened, but there are strict requirements for moving in.

One homeowner built his own tiny house for just $55,000.