I'm a millennial first-time buyer who moved into a micro home village. I had to downsize my stuff, but it was worth it for the community.

• In 2023, Kristi Campbell moved into South Park Cottages, a micro-home community in Atlanta. 
• Campbell owns a 628-square-foot home with one bedroom and one bathroom, purchased for $235,000.
• Despite the home's small size, she finds it comfortable, and enjoys being part of the village's close-knit community.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristi Campbell, a 28-year-old business consultant, who moved into micro-home community South Park Cottages in 2023. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2020, I left New York after living there for seven years, pursuing both my master's and bachelor's degrees, and working as a consultant. The city is all about hustling and bustling, and I realized it wasn't necessarily for me.

When the pandemic hit, I thought it was a great time to move back to East Atlanta and my parents' house where I was raised. The plan was to move out and buy my first home by November 2023. I had even saved up $10,000.

In 2022, my boyfriend sent me a link to South Park Cottages' website, a Black-owned tiny home village. I absolutely fell in love.

The village's homes are newly built with a modern aesthetic. It's also close to the airport and Main Street in downtown Atlanta, where there's a strip of black-owned restaurants and stores.

I put in an offer for a tiny home in November 2022 and officially closed in June 2023. I own a 628 square foot home that I purchased for $235,000 and have a 30-year fixed mortgage with a monthly payment of $2,150.

South Park Cottages afforded me the opportunity to buy my first home sooner than planned — it was the official stamp for adulthood.

It's nice to have a space of my own

When I applied, the community was still being developed (I saw my home's construction framing and trusted the developer). It gave me an opportunity to save up more money.

Before I was even considered for a home at South Park Cottages, I had to be pre-approved for the full loan amount of the home.

I chose South Park Cottages' preferred lender, along with a preferred closing attorney.

The lending process for the tiny home worked like a traditional mortgage, requiring the same paperwork: The lender wanted to see my income and bank statements from the past two years to make sure I had consistent work.

When I was approved, I put down a $17,500 deposit. It covered the builder's fee and an upgraded tech package for my home, which included a smart door lock, a doorbell camera, a smart refrigerator, and Bluetooth speakers.

When I got the keys to my home, I was overwhelmed — in a good way. I was elated to have something that I could create and that was mine.

I have a one bedroom and one bathroom, a patio, a balcony, as well as a multi-use loft space that I turned into an office.

I consider myself to be a maximalist, but when you move into a tiny home, you eventually realize that you actually don't need a lot of things.

I have a storage unit for equipment and other supplies, but I got rid of a lot of clothes, shoes, bags, and furniture.

Despite downsizing, I still think the home is pretty spacious. On my mom's birthday in January, my entire family came over to my house, and we fit about 20 people in here.

The community feels safe and welcoming

South Park Cottages is predominantly Black and millennial, but it's still very diverse.

For a few homeowners here, their tiny home is an investment property, while for others, it's a second vacation home.

A lot of us share similar stories and backgrounds — we're first-time homebuyers, and mostly born and raised in Atlanta, though I think there are two or three people from California. It's exciting to know I can learn from people around me who are going through similar life phases.

One of my favorite things about the village is that it's really community oriented; we're all very tight knit. Neighbors look out for neighbors.

We usually eat on our patios or in front of our homes and wave to each other. There's also communal areas in the village like a garden and a fire pit, where residents regularly have cookouts. And residents celebrate a lot of housewarmings as well.

When you look at the community, it's like something you've never seen before in Atlanta and I love that.

I plan to buy another home in the future

South Park Cottages in more ways than one way changed my life.

When I moved back to Georgia, getting an apartment was never going to be part of the plan; I was determined that my next step had to be homeownership.

But the home prices in Atlanta have increased dramatically over the past few years. When I was first looking for homes in the area, there were hardly any newly built ones that were affordable. The homes that were, weren't modern, and required a lot of work.

I believe this South Park Cottages has made homeownership more attainable for people like me, and has given me the opportunity to create a space of my own.

Right now, I think my tiny home is great for me, but I definitely see it as a stepping stone. I want to live here for another year and a half, and then purchase another home, especially because I plan to get married and have children someday.

I'm going to hold onto this tiny home and pass it onto them. It's amazing knowing that I've invested in something that will benefit me and future generations.