Please tell the truth

[edetore]

Hehe...you can practically hear the wind whistle in your ears as the price of the home around you plummets.

Seriously though it is a real buyers market right now so theoretically if you buy now the value of your home can only improve over time (right?).

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by cityrover

quote deleted by moderator (bickering)

If you're living in Acworth, I can understand your skepticism.
Here in the city of Decatur, I'd call it a true statement.
Like john was saying, it's all a matter of where you're residing here. Properties in my neighborhood are turning very quickly.

[cityrover]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

If you're living in Acworth, I can understand your skepticism.
Here in the city of Decatur, I'd call it a true statement.
Like john was saying, it's all a matter of where you're residing here. Properties in my neighborhood are turning very quickly.

zip code? this way i can just look and not ask 300 questions


cobb has been hit hard all over. sometimes it may not seem that way because of the price tag but it's bad.

paulding is in foreclosure mode only (at least west paulding, near cobb).

i would say that several blocks hardly paint a good picture in an otherwise devastated county. cue in fulton/dekalb/gwinnett/henry.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by cityrover

zip code? this way i can just look and not ask 300 questions


cobb has been hit hard all over. sometimes it may not seem that way because of the price tag but it's bad.

paulding is in foreclosure mode only (at least west paulding, near cobb).

i would say that several blocks hardly paint a good picture in an otherwise devastated county. cue in fulton/dekalb/gwinnett/henry.

I understand that Decatur 30030 is a pretty unusual case right now, but my realtor confirms what I assert here. The presence of Emory/CDC, the school system and walking access to MARTA and amenities has given the city of Decatur some insulation from market woes.
Generally, I'm told that houses that have a <$400M price point in the NE ITP area are doing pretty well right now. WSB-TV News did a segment on this not too long ago.

[lenn]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

lenn,

You do have a plan for legal status in the US, right? I apologize if you find this question presumptuous or intrusive. Sometimes people take it that way. If you or your spouse is already a US citizen, or you won the "green card lottery," or have a specific plan to obtain a particular kind of visa (business investor?) then you have no problem, sorry I asked.

However, your mentions of looking for a job, possibly starting over in your field, raised a red flag in my mind. As a US immigrant myself (from Canada), I'm well aware that legal immigration to the US is far from easy. If you don't already have a plan for this, you need to research it. You'd have to find a US employer willing to sponsor you for an appropriate visa such as H1B.

Thanks, but no need for the red flag. US embassy processing papers for me from a family sponsor perspective so should be alright. The only thing scaring me is the the job prospect for my area of work

[lenn]

Originally Posted by SW30303

I would definitely rent first when moving to a new country and knowing that the residential real estate values in Atlanta could go either way in the near future. If I know I am only going to be in that country less than 5 years, I would not buy real estate. I would buy residential real estate to hold long term (more than 5 years at least), not short term and I would even had said the same before our real estate market "crash" in 2007 or 2008 time frame.

I have lived in Europe and it is quite different than in the US, quite a bit more expensive, too. London was a nice place to visit, but I couldn't imagine buying anything there.

I know several English people who live in the Atlanta area, those with small children and they tend to like it here, but some others get homesick. I guess it depends on the person. Good luck to you.

Since it is a concern you mentioned; snakes tend to be a problem where housing is built very near dense woods (within 30-50 feet or so). Usually, I would see garden snakes from time to time, but we have other ones here too that are not as harmless. I have seen copperheads, too, but not as often as garden snakes. Usually snakes like cool places anyway, so they hide under decks, bushes, or covered areas.

Thanks for the tip. I agree with the timescale and the renting first strategy. Hmm, interesting you mentioned home sick, this is an intangible that is not easy to understand its true potential impact on such a big decision. Good thing is my wife want to come very much and I figure the kids are young enough to adjust. If your weather can make me feel nice and if I can find a reasonable job I think I could love ATL a lot - but I feel the damper when you mention snakes.
Just need to get over this job and snakes part.

lenn

[lenn]

Originally Posted by edetore

Hehe...you can practically hear the wind whistle in your ears as the price of the home around you plummets.

Seriously though it is a real buyers market right now so theoretically if you buy now the value of your home can only improve over time (right?).

I'd like to think so. But I get this feeling that Atlanta is not the eviron to consider house as a major investment. I may be wrong though and just need to be there for a while and understand the other factors such as transport links, neighhourhoods, etc

lenn