Welcome To Atlanta: What You Don't Know WILL Hurt You! (Smyrna: best city, real estate)

[KevK]

I decided to start this after seeing the post about which fitness center to join. The person was more concerned with the equipment and hours of the fitness centre rather than the cost and any contract.
I find that many people that move here from other states often don't know that there are things about Atlanta and Georgia that CAN and WILL do great harm to them. If you can add, please do.

RULE #1: NEVER EVER EVER buy a house here without first having it FULLY INSPECTED by a competent certified house inspector. It is the BEST money you will ever spend and will save you LOTS of more money and stress down the road.
Atlanta is not like "up north" where there are licensing requirements and strict laws about contractors, sub contractors and craft people. Down here, about anybody can build anything. If you want to be a plumber or electrician, just print up business cards and hang out your sign and you are in business! They don't care if you know a monkey wrench from a pipe wrench. No test and no license needed.
Until recently, contractors did not have to be licensed either. They would throw up one shoddy sub division after another and, when they got too bad a rep, simply change business names and keep going.
The result is that many sub divisions are a legacy of rotten siding, leaking plumbing, premature failure of roofs, crumbling foundations and electrical problems. Drive through some of them that were built in the late 80s to late 90s and you will see siding around the windows rotting and falling off and all kinds of stuff.
Either have your own house built, buy a prefab house (like Clayton Homes) that was factory made or have what you think you want to buy inspected from top to bottom first.

[jsimms3]

Agreed with the above, but anyone in real estate anywhere, especially commercial, will tell you that inspections are one of the most important processes, regardless of whether or not building codes/standards and contractor licensing laws are lenient or not up to par. An inspector does more than determine the integrity of the construction and the strength/remaining life of the roof. A good inspector will inspect EVERYTHING: the water heater, the pipes, wiring, AC, appliances, for mold and termites (which can happen anywhere), pest problems, unsturdy trees (really some inspectors might do that for you if they have a bit of knowledge in that area), potential liabilities, and the list goes on and on. They aren't meant to help you nickel and dime the seller down on price, but they are there to inspect and it doesn't matter what city or state you are in, you should always get an inspection and don't skimp on it. Sorry if something bad happened to you, but Chinese drywall didn't make its way just to Georgia, it is all over the country.

2nd note: Before you sign a letter of intent to buy, you should make sure that in that agreement you have at least 30 days to get the inspection and the ability to renege on your decision to buy within that 30 days if the inspector finds some life changing problem that forces you to change your mind.

I can't quite think of one thing unique to Atlanta that someone from the outside would not know about. Atlanta isn't the absolute best city in the world and definitely has its faults (it's 100 miles wide from one end of the metro to the other, that alone is a major fault in my book), but I would say like anywhere else, what applies to Kansas City or Hartford or San Francisco applies to Atlanta. Like if you are used to not inspecting your about to be purchased home elsewhere and haven't had problems, maybe you were lucky. I would trust an older home over a new one anyday and maybe you are just used to having an older home up north, and Atlanta is so new that here you have a new home and wow, it just ain't the same

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by KevK

RULE #1: NEVER EVER EVER buy a house here without first having it FULLY INSPECTED by a competent certified house inspector. It is the BEST money you will ever spend and will save you LOTS of more money and stress down the road.
Atlanta is not like "up north" where there are licensing requirements and strict laws about contractors, sub contractors and craft people. Down here, about anybody can build anything. If you want to be a plumber or electrician, just print up business cards and hang out your sign and you are in business! They don't care if you know a monkey wrench from a pipe wrench. No test and no license needed.
Until recently, contractors did not have to be licensed either. They would throw up one shoddy sub division after another and, when they got too bad a rep, simply change business names and keep going.
The result is that many sub divisions are a legacy of rotten siding, leaking plumbing, premature failure of roofs, crumbling foundations and electrical problems. Drive through some of them that were built in the late 80s to late 90s and you will see siding around the windows rotting and falling off and all kinds of stuff.
Either have your own house built, buy a prefab house (like Clayton Homes) that was factory made or have what you think you want to buy inspected from top to bottom first.

A) Having your home inspected isn't a good idea just in Atlanta- it's a good idea anywhere.

B) Sorry, but the "strict licensing requirements" "up north" are a joke, and do nothing to keep idiots and jacklegs from becoming contractors- in NJ, you send in $90 and an insurance certificate, and "poof", you're a contractor. Georgia, on the other hand, has implemented some fairly decent licensing laws over the past few years, that are a step in the right direction. They still don't guarantee that you'll get a decent house, but they help.

C) Regarding the bolded portion, guess again- plumbers and electricians have been required to be licensed in GA for years, and must pass a test and prove that they've got a minimum of 4 years of experience in the trade before becoming licensed.

[browneyebeauty]

[quote=KevK;15693885]I decided to start this after seeing the post about which fitness center to join. The person was more concerned with the equipment and hours of the fitness centre rather than the cost and any contract.
I find that many people that move here from other states often don't know that there are things about Atlanta and Georgia that CAN and WILL do great harm to them. If you can add, please do.

KevK, Im assuming your directing this at me since I was the one that started that post. However you are completely wrong because it does not state anywhere in my post that all I cared about was the equipment and hours. I expressed what I would like to see at a gym based on the activities I enjoy. Maybe you misread my post but I DID mention price and I am well aware of fitness center contracts, and I didnt even mention hours of the gym. I stated that there should be enough equipment during peak times so that Im not waiting long periods of time. As with anyone looking to join a gym you would like to see equipment that works and enough where you didnt have to wait long periods of time for a person to be done with a machine, cost is another factor people look at but you dont know what people's finances are so cost is not a determining factor for everyone if the gym they decide to go with has what they are looking for.

[KevK]

[quote=browneyebeauty;15700302]

Originally Posted by KevK

I decided to start this after seeing the post about which fitness center to join. The person was more concerned with the equipment and hours of the fitness centre rather than the cost and any contract.
I find that many people that move here from other states often don't know that there are things about Atlanta and Georgia that CAN and WILL do great harm to them. If you can add, please do.

KevK, Im assuming your directing this at me since I was the one that started that post. However you are completely wrong because it does not state anywhere in my post that all I cared about was the equipment and hours. I expressed what I would like to see at a gym based on the activities I enjoy. Maybe you misread my post but I DID mention price and I am well aware of fitness center contracts, and I didnt even mention hours of the gym. I stated that there should be enough equipment during peak times so that Im not waiting long periods of time. As with anyone looking to join a gym you would like to see equipment that works and enough where you didnt have to wait long periods of time for a person to be done with a machine, cost is another factor people look at but you dont know what people's finances are so cost is not a determining factor for everyone if the gym they decide to go with has what they are looking for.

Just be careful here. In GA it is very easy to get into really nasty situations with contracts and mortgages. There are very few consumer protection laws here.

[ladycage]

How is sanitation in GA? How many times a week do they pick up your garbage, do you have to pay for sanitation or does the city provide that?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by ladycage

How is sanitation in GA? How many times a week do they pick up your garbage, do you have to pay for sanitation or does the city provide that?

It depends on where you live.

Some incorporated cities in the state have city-provided garbage service, at least in the Atlanta metro.

However, most of the Atlanta metro is unincorporated (there is no city government and the county provides most common services), and many of those areas require that homeowners contract with sanitation companies on their own.

I live in an unincorporated area, and we have several companies which service our neighborhood.

Just to my north, the City of Smyrna provides garbage service to its residents, but of course they pay for it through higher property taxes.

Higher taxes are relative, though. Compared to taxes in NYC, I suspect our property tax rates are low.

[UnincorporatedResident]

^^Oooh Good one^^

To piggyback on you rcsteiner:
In an effort to "unify" sanitation efforts Gwinnett county divided trash services for the unincorporated areas of the county (one of the fastest growing) by only 5 carriers.

Unincorporated areas no longer get to choose. Sucks because you have to pay whatever the rate is or risk a ticket for illegal dumping.


Welcome To Atlanta:

Where squatters have more rights than renters...

and

Going with the flow of traffic could get you out of a ticket!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by UnincorporatedResident

^^Oooh Good one^^

To piggyback on you rcsteiner:
In an effort to "unify" sanitation efforts Gwinnett county divided trash services for the unincorporated areas of the county (one of the fastest growing) by only 5 carriers.

Unincorporated areas no longer get to choose. Sucks because you have to pay whatever the rate is or risk a ticket for illegal dumping.

Wow. There is a significant difference in rates (and service levels) in our area, one of the reasons we just switched companies. Again. I would hate to lose that freedom of choice.

[noah]

30 days? Wow. I thought around 10 days was usual, never heard of 30 though.

Originally Posted by jsimms3

2nd note: Before you sign a letter of intent to buy, you should make sure that in that agreement you have at least 30 days to get the inspection and the ability to renege on your decision to buy within that 30 days if the inspector finds some life changing problem that forces you to change your mind.