Dunwoody vs East Cobb (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: transplants, real estate, apartments)

[FatElvisForever]

Originally Posted by nrgpill

No one is artificially inflating prices in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. The demand exceeds supply and the sellers are constantly getting 97-98% of the asking price.

For anyone that knows anything about Atlanta, they would know Sandy Springs has always been "in demand". Has been this way forever, since the beginning of time. There is no conspiracy. North Atlanta and inner-Northern 'burbs are where people want to be, and that impacts values. And in general, blacks make less money than Whites or Asians. Thus, the type of people you find in those neighborhoods.

My guess is "East Cobb" may soon not be quite so non-white.

[GF72]

Originally Posted by FatElvisForever

My guess is "East Cobb" may soon not be quite so non-white.

Not be quite so non-white? So if we cancel out the negatives, what you are saying is that East Cobb will soon be white? Surely you are not saying that East Cobb is a diverse place that is becoming all-white.

Because completely the opposite is true... well kind of. East Cobb used to be almost all white and now it is almost 20% Asian in the southern part (Walton district) and 10% Asian in the northern part (Pope/Lassiter districts), however there are still almost no Hispanics and Blacks, especially in the southern part.

[FatElvisForever]

Originally Posted by GF72

Not be quite so non-white? So if we cancel out the negatives, what you are saying is that East Cobb will soon be white? Surely you are not saying that East Cobb is a diverse place that is becoming all-white.

Thanks for the editing. What I meant was it will become more diverse. Too much affordable housing and a few older areas starting to look a little shabby. There was a lot of cheap frame construction all over the county in the 80's, mostly serving transplants and others less concerned with the overall character of the area. What saves it is the complete lack of apartments and condos (perhaps not zoned for multi-family?).

All it takes is one or two neighborhoods with one too many foreclosures, or a few cheap deals due to disrepair, and here comes 4 families of Mexicans moving into one house in Princeton Walk (perhaps the one under the power lines!). Then the street turns, then the neighborhood. Then the population stats at Mount Bethel shift... 84% white, 80% white... then the middle schools, then Walton. Those making decisions on such stats bail to Crabapple, or elsewhere.

East Cobb is unestablished. Unlike Sandy Springs, which has a great "brand name", values all across East Cobb could swing southward in just a few short years with one cheap real estate deal. My advice, keep your grass short and your house painted, because East Cobb isn't Sandy Springs or Dunwoody and home values are completely dependent on the schools and the low percentages of "non-whites".

Don't believe me... case studies exist in the metro area. Check out Dekalb County over the last 20 years. That was the "East Cobb" of the 70's. Not so much anymore, especially out towards Stone Mountain.

If and when I move back, I'll do my best to buy in Sandy Springs, and I have no problem sending my kids to the public schools there. It's the areas where people are buying specifically for the lack of diversity that worry me, because the home values too firmly based on a demographic stat that could shift at any time.

[nrgpill]

East Cobb also lacks easy access to interstates and Marta. Things will no longer seem golden once the "good school district" novelty wears off (inevitable, especially in Georgia) and traffic increases.

This has always been the case for most "new-ish" towns throughout the metro area. I personally prefer an area that is predictable in growth with an actively participating homeowner base. Some of you brave souls can reap the benefit of faster gains in the outer exurbs but I see way too many pitfalls in those areas as well.

One variable I can think of that can keep East Cobb afloat is general lack of rental communities in the area.

Originally Posted by FatElvisForever

Thanks for the editing. What I meant was it will become more diverse. Too much affordable housing and a few older areas starting to look a little shabby. There was a lot of cheap frame construction all over the county in the 80's, mostly serving transplants and others less concerned with the overall character of the area. What saves it is the complete lack of apartments and condos (perhaps not zoned for multi-family?).

All it takes is one or two neighborhoods with one too many foreclosures, or a few cheap deals due to disrepair, and here comes 4 families of Mexicans moving into one house in Princeton Walk (perhaps the one under the power lines!). Then the street turns, then the neighborhood. Then the population stats at Mount Bethel shift... 84% white, 80% white... then the middle schools, then Walton. Those making decisions on such stats bail to Crabapple, or elsewhere.

East Cobb is unestablished. Unlike Sandy Springs, which has a great "brand name", values all across East Cobb could swing southward in just a few short years with one cheap real estate deal. My advice, keep your grass short and your house painted, because East Cobb isn't Sandy Springs or Dunwoody and home values are completely dependent on the schools and the low percentages of "non-whites".

Don't believe me... case studies exist in the metro area. Check out Dekalb County over the last 20 years. That was the "East Cobb" of the 70's. Not so much anymore, especially out towards Stone Mountain.

If and when I move back, I'll do my best to buy in Sandy Springs, and I have no problem sending my kids to the public schools there. It's the areas where people are buying specifically for the lack of diversity that worry me, because the home values too firmly based on a demographic stat that could shift at any time.

[lastminutemom]

First, I think you are wrong about East Cobb -- it is a brand itself... Most of East Cobb is made up of like minded people of all races. What you don't have in East Cobb is multi family rental properties. Thiis alone protects their property values.

There are lots of minorities in Dunwoody, not one of the elementary schools is more than 75 percent white anymore and two are about 50 percent white. These are not students bussed in from anywhere -- they live in the community.

[GF72]

You guys are right in that lack of multi-family is a huge factor in what protects East Cobb.

But I think you're wrong about everything else about East Cobb. East Cobb is certainly a brand in and of itself, I'd say a much more positive one than Sandy Springs right now (there's plenty of people who don't like Sandy Springs because of all the political stuff with Fulton County). And the "good schools" thing is certainly not a novelty. Especially in the suburbs. There are so many transplants moving in to metro Atlanta - what's the four things they want? Suburban areas, the best schools, the lowest taxes, and not too far from the city. East Cobb has all of that, and on top of that that traffic is pretty good.

As for East Cobb being unestablished, that is one of the most laughable things I've heard. Dekalb County was East Cobb in the 70's? No, East Cobb was East Cobb in the 70's. This isn't Alpharetta we're talking about, East Cobb didn't just sprout up out of nowhere in the 90's after they made a highway. Look at Chattahoochee Plantation (in East Cobb) and Riverside (in Sandy Springs) They are right across the river from each other. Which of these prestigious, densely forested areas looks older and more established? The one in Sandy Springs? Half of the big mansions lining Riverside Drive were built in the last 5 years. Chattahoochee Plantation on the other hand is far more established, even in 1960 this area was a prize suburban community (which also single handedly kept Atlanta from annexing into Cobb County). You mention Sandy Springs as immune to decline... Yes, parts of Sandy Springs are among the most prestigious and beautiful areas in metro Atlanta, but Sandy Springs also has problems and run-down areas that I highly doubt will make it's way into East Cobb anytime soon. Do you seriously think in 10 years you're going to see day laborers along Johnson Ferry Road? The most controversial "problem" in East Cobb is homeowners in the million-dollar Columns Drive houses getting annoyed at the cyclists who do constant laps around the road and block traffic, and that's not going to change for a while.

Besides, there's no way East Cobb could ever even begin to decline until transplants stop moving into Atlanta, and seeing as how Atlanta is the fastest grown metro area in the country.... somehow, I think there's several families from New York City lined up for that Princeton Walk house under the power line that those 4 illegal families are going to have to outbid...

[nrgpill]

I think East Cobb, at least in the short term, will do just fine. It is when people discover the next exurban pocket far away from interstates and public transportation where the new high school there gets a lot of buzz, people will start migrating toward it. SS and Dunwoody have established the fact that they can do just fine without top-notch public schools. East Cobb will face the same dilemma when the trio of high schools there become not as desirable as they once were.

Also, East Cobb's location can either be a positive for some or a huge negative for others.

[spacelord75]

I am actually meeting a lot of people in Dunwoody who moved there because they simply could not handle the location of E.Cobb. Once you get past the schools, there's really no other reason to live there - it's horrible trying to get to an interstate and the shopping areas are basically just strip malls. Granted, Dunwoody has it's share as well, but the allure of Perimeter Mall and surrounding areas is greater, generally, than the out-dated strip malls up and down Johnson Ferry. The best way to tell the future of an area's schools is to look at the elementary schools and Austin and Vanderlyn have been surging of late. Not knocking E. Cobb totally here, but my wife and I looked at it and simply decided D'woody was a better place to live for the WHOLE family, not just the kids.

[GF72]

It's not like you have to have the mall right next to your house. Perimeter Mall is less than 10 minutes from East Cobb... you just drive down Johnson Ferry and merge onto Abernathy and there you are.

Unless you're talking about farther up near the Lassiter area, in which case yes, the location is annoying because your so far from any interstate. But southern East Cobb is a fine location. It's a straight drive down Johnson Ferry/Abernathy to 400 or Johnson Ferry/Riverside to 285. Johnson Ferry moves much faster and more smoothly than the roads in Dunwoody and especially Sandy Springs (Roswell Road... argh).

Also I'm not sure what you mean by outdated strip malls. The Avenue is very nice, the Wal-Mart is being converted to a new Super Wal-Mart, and two out of the four corners at the main intersection in East Cobb (Roswell/Johnson Ferry) are brand new (Super Target on one side and Trader Joes and other stores on the other).

Of course not to knock Dunwoody - it certainly does have one of the best locations in the metro area.

[spacelord75]

There is no way you can tell me it takes "less than 10 minutes from East Cobb" to Perimeter Mall. I grew up in this area and know for a fact that unless it's 3am and you're going 60 starting right on the Cobb line, you're not making that time. I could possibly see getting to 400 in that time, but the stretch from there to the Mall is almost 10 minutes in and of itself!

Listen - I understand that the area is nice and all, I was simply stating my opinion that I do not like it. The street scapes and zoning just left a lot to be desired for me. And, for the record, I would say the majority of my comments are geared towards the Lassiter/Pope areas as opposed to the southern portion, which is much more appealing.