Buying A Home in Smyrna-Vinings Area (Marietta, Mableton: best neighborhoods, apartments, foreclosures)

[browneyebeauty]

I currently rent in Marietta and I'm looking to purchase a home in the Smyrna Vinings area within the next year to year and a half and was looking for any suggestions on the best neighborhoods to look into. Im a single female with no children. My budget max is $220,000. I was looking into townhomes but was wondering if its better to look at detached homes instead? If I decide to sell years from now would a detached or townhome have better resale value? I would like to stay in Cobb county because taxes are cheaper but if anyone had any suggestions of other neighborhoods close to Cobb those would be appreciated.

[lorilove]

I am single and live in Smyrna in a townhome. For resale value, the townhome is a higher risk in a down economy because they have a limited market base and tend to recover slower. Currently the homes in my neighborhood are not selling because the handful of foreclosures depressed prices so much. I thought we had seen the last of them but sure enough there was a new foreclosure a couple of weeks ago. At the same time, the properties easily rent with some of the best tenants.

Our community attracts basically 2 types. Single/divorced 40+ year olds that are here to stay and younger single/couples that are buying their first home but will eventually sell to move to their dream home and raise their kids. With the depressed market, the younger single/couples can get great bargains on their dream home and are making the leap now. Some are renting their townhomes but others are selling at a loss because they can take a $30,000 hit if they are getting a $100,000 bargain in their purchase. So that has also contributed to a decrease in our values. By the way, in almost every case the new owners have been top quality neighbors and immediately putting money into their homes so the future looks great for the neighborhood.

I live in an older townhome which is fee simple which means there is no HOA and the individual owners keep up the property and lawn. That is good and bad. In your price range, I expect there will be a HOA so you will need to consider that in your purchase price - when you qualify for a loan they will take this into consideration as to how much you can qualify for. If you buy a townhome, you need to decide whether you like giving up some of the control (bad) or the responsibility (good) on the maintenance and decisions on your property. Personally I don't although I wish we had the basic HOA that you would get in a single family residence.

As a single female, I did not want a single family residence because I wanted my neighbors to be more in my peer/social group rather than families with kids. I also liked the proximity of the properties not on top of each other like apartment living but close enough that there is easy interaction with your neighbors.

I love where I live but based on current prices, we would be below your price range. Although I know of one bargain foreclosure right now that needs LOTS of fixup.

[skiime]

I think there are pros and cons for both. When I was single in my late 20's I bought a single family house in East Cobb. The house was great, as I was able to sell it relatively quickly, and made a good bit of money off of it (granted this was 5 years ago before the housing crash). I loved having my own home and not having to pay any monthly dues. The downside for me was the lack of single people that I had something in common with. Most of my friends were in apartments or condos, and it always seemed like they were having a great time with their neighbors. I think it depends on the neighborhood, but that's certainly something to think about. That being said, fast forward 5 years, and I now live in Smyrna. My neighborhood (Williams Park) is mostly single families, but there is a surprising number of singles in some of the smaller homes in the area. The cool thing is, a lot of them seem to hang out together, so it's almost like a small singles community in the neighborhood (where was that when I was single. ).
I think what I'm trying to say is, a house will always be easier to sell than a condo or townhouse, but chances are you will have a much more active social life in a townhouse.
I do think you should check out both in Smyrna. For $220k in this market, you could probably find a newer house. I know there is a new development of single family homes down the street from me starting in the $250's. I know it's a little over your budget, but I think its the deal of the century.
Good luck with your search.

[skiime]

Oh, BTW, if a poster named Ostriches posts something here, please ignore her. She hates everything about Smyrna, and basically takes over any thread that is Smyrna related, bashing everything about it.

[lalwanis]

Consider the gated ennisbrook community in smyrna. You can find homes for around ~250K. If school is not a concern you cant beat this neighborhood.

[browneyebeauty]

Since originally posting this thread Ive learned about the Mableton area. Does anyone have any recommendations for any subdivisions/neighborhoods in that area? It can be townhome or single family home. My max budget is $220,000. Schools are not an option since I do not have any children yet. From other threads here Ive gathered that the best areas are near Fontaine Rd, Pebblebrook Rd, Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by browneyebeauty

Since originally posting this thread Ive learned about the Mableton area. Does anyone have any recommendations for any subdivisions/neighborhoods in that area? It can be townhome or single family home. My max budget is $220,000. Schools are not an option since I do not have any children yet. From other threads here Ive gathered that the best areas are near Fontaine Rd, Pebblebrook Rd, Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd.

Most of the area bounded by Veterans Memorial Highway, Oakdale, Floyd Road, and the E/W Connector is decent, but as you say some of the roads south of Veterans Memorial like Queens Mill are good. I'm not as familiar with them, tho.

I love our subdivision (Stoneybrook). We've been here six years now.

[brownhornet]

I like the atlanta rd area

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D

[bornjacksonian]

Originally Posted by browneyebeauty

Since originally posting this thread Ive learned about the Mableton area. Does anyone have any recommendations for any subdivisions/neighborhoods in that area? It can be townhome or single family home. My max budget is $220,000. Schools are not an option since I do not have any children yet. From other threads here Ive gathered that the best areas are near Fontaine Rd, Pebblebrook Rd, Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd.

I live in the Nickajack area of Smyrna right across East-West Connector from Mableton. I'm actually outside the city limits of Smyrna, by Mableton and Austell. There are some very nice townhomes whose price range fit your request. I saw some for 190s. Here is the link for that area Aunt Lucy Lane, 30082 - Google Maps you can check it out! This is the end of the limits for Smyrna, you enter Austell at the intersection of East-West Connector and Hicks Road. Good Luck on your move

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by browneyebeauty

Since originally posting this thread Ive learned about the Mableton area. Does anyone have any recommendations for any subdivisions/neighborhoods in that area? It can be townhome or single family home. My max budget is $220,000. Schools are not an option since I do not have any children yet. From other threads here Ive gathered that the best areas are near Fontaine Rd, Pebblebrook Rd, Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd, Cooper Lake Rd.

I lived in Providence on Veterans for a few years (2005-2007) and it was a great neighborhood. My only concern about the place was the surrounding areas and the "creeping crime" you get living near not-so-great areas. I know there were a fair number of car break-ins and burglaries (almost always during the day when ppl were at work), but I never felt unsafe there. I know there are some great deals both in there and in Legacy...just make sure you guy resale and not new, so as to avoid the "new house premium" that literally disappears once you close on the house!