Houses near....Alpharetta-McFarland parkway or buckead-Buford highway (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: hardwood floors, fit in)

[Dman3]

I spent 6 hours today house hunting all the way from Alpharetta to buckhead. Criteria has been at least 2 full baths and 2+ bedrooms and a garage under $150k. Didn't find much in sandy springs,dunwoody,Decatur.

I work in Alpharetta, but I'm still in my mid 20s so I looked in buckhead to stay within my age group. It seems that Alpharetta has some great town homes that are practically brand new. I found one a mile from Lenox mall that I really like but it's off Buford highway. Wasn't the greasy scene but it had a gated community. I have found multiple ones in Alpharetta that are great but they seem a bit off the grid per say. I guess I'm looking for the best of both worlds. Any input would be appreciated

[SW30303]

If I were you (young), I would try to find something closer to town. Alpharetta is a bed room community best suited for families with minor children. I would recommend being close to the job, so maybe a compromise could be Roswell or Sandy Springs, from there it is closer to drive to intown night life.

Personally, I would avoid most places near Buford Highway, but I guess it does depend on where. As you know, most everything inside the perimeter for under 150K will be a condo or townhome (and less likely a garage).

Are you working with an agent? - That person should be able to help you more.

[bryantm3]

up off mcfarland parkway is not alpharetta— it's forsyth county. going west from mcfarland is not such a nice neighbourhood— personal experience.

if you're a young person— you work in alpharetta?

they are building this upscale type thing called avalon off of old milton parkway, it's going to have a skyscraper and it's going to be an outdoor mall type thing with apartments above the stores.

there are townhomes nearby the site for that development, if you're interested.

personally i went to a city hall meeting about it last night and i thought the guy presenting it was an absolute elitist prick— they said they were shooting for the 20s demographic (i fit in that), but the way that he presented it made it seem like a ritzy titsy place in which there was no room for people of lower or middle income. it could be the way he was presenting it, but i'll give you the link anyway:

Avalon | Alpharetta, Georgia | Opening October 2013

other spots up here are downtown alpharetta, but it is going to be a few years until it becomes any kind of hot spot— we have a historic downtown and they're trying to repurpose it from all of the suburban development that occured here in the 90s and 2000s, to a more urbanized downtown. it's going to be more mixed income and better than avalon.

downtown roswell around canton street, highway 9, mimosa st, is a more hip spot. old historic buildings with a lot of restaurants and whatnot, you may want to look around there.

in "downtown" sandy springs (hammond dr/hwy 9) there is some cool stuff there, a high rise apartment building and a couple of clubs, a lot of stuff to do at night.

of course your best option working in alpharetta is going to be something where you don't feel isolated but are close to work. buckhead is an option but affording anything with a $150,000 budget is going to be tough. i would recommend stuff further in town, but getting to work would be a severe pain in the arse.

[ATLTJL]

It's a tough call.

Speaking from a pure real estate point of view, the townhouses near Lenox would probably be the best bet. I know what you mean about Buford Highway for sure, but I don't know that I'd let the name Buford alone sway me. Fact is, that area of Buford Highway is insanely convenient to almost everything. I don't know if the Buford Highway area itself will ever be completely cleaned up, but I also don't necessarily think it is dangerous, just unsightly.

I would imagine townhouses in Alpharetta will have a much more difficult time appreciating than their single home counterparts. There just isn't as much of a demand for multi-family living up there, though there may be some.

A lot of it depends on what kind of person you are. Do you like to go out a lot? If so, you'll probably find a much better scene intown. Or do you work for a large company and see yourself doing most of your socializing with co-workers? I bet most of them live close by, so you may be fine up there. Do you want a family? If so, you'll need to unload a 2 bedroom unit soon enough, and market conditions may not be good enough yet to do so. Most communities have strict restrictions on renting out, so you could find yourself in a bind.

I'd probably consider the following scenarios:

Check out Sandy Springs. There are some newer buildings there (Serrano comes to mind) that have easy access to GA 400. Sandy Springs skews more to multi-family living with more young people and some empty nesters too, so I would think a townhome/condo would be easier to unload in that area. It's also not as difficult to get up to Alpharetta as Buckhead would be. It might be a decent compromise.

I would strongly consider renting. 25 is a bit of a strange time, you probably only have 2 or 3 more years in you before you start settling down, so something that fits your lifestyle right now could easily not very soon. Especially if you meet a girl and she moves in....and believe me, when they move in, they not only bring themselves, they bring all their STUFF! Two bedrooms could get very tight very fast. I'd rent a cool place in Buckhead for a couple of years if I were you. Suck up the commute and party on the weekends. When you settle down, you won't care so much about living near the party and buying in Alpharetta will make a lot more sense.

If you don't mind commuting on weekends to play and are afraid you'll miss the cheap prices, you can always jump in and buy right now in Alpharetta. I just don't think I'd get a townhouse there, it'll be hard to sell.

[Dman3]

Thanks for the replies, I will look into the Alpharetta department. I do have an agent, as I mentioned I did look at sandy springs and Roswell but only found a few and nothing to my liking. The one off Buford highway is not as appealing surronding area as i would like but it's in a gated community. It does have a garage and it's by far the largest townhouse I came across (1,900sqft) with 3 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. Hardwood floors, SS appliances by GE. 3 levels. It was built in 2007 and sold for $307,000. Let's just say I can get it for less than half of that. Interior painting and the upstairs carpets would need to be replaced. I work at the corporate building in Alpharetta and they live everywhere from Dtown ATl to Alpharetta.

[Dman3]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

up off mcfarland parkway is not alpharetta— it's forsyth county. going west from mcfarland is not such a nice neighbourhood— personal experience.

if you're a young person— you work in alpharetta?

they are building this upscale type thing called avalon off of old milton parkway, it's going to have a skyscraper and it's going to be an outdoor mall type thing with apartments above the stores.

there are townhomes nearby the site for that development, if you're interested.

personally i went to a city hall meeting about it last night and i thought the guy presenting it was an absolute elitist prick— they said they were shooting for the 20s demographic (i fit in that), but the way that he presented it made it seem like a ritzy titsy place in which there was no room for people of lower or middle income. it could be the way he was presenting it, but i'll give you the link anyway:

Avalon | Alpharetta, Georgia | Opening October 2013

other spots up here are downtown alpharetta, but it is going to be a few years until it becomes any kind of hot spot— we have a historic downtown and they're trying to repurpose it from all of the suburban development that occured here in the 90s and 2000s, to a more urbanized downtown. it's going to be more mixed income and better than avalon.

downtown roswell around canton street, highway 9, mimosa st, is a more hip spot. old historic buildings with a lot of restaurants and whatnot, you may want to look around there.

in "downtown" sandy springs (hammond dr/hwy 9) there is some cool stuff there, a high rise apartment building and a couple of clubs, a lot of stuff to do at night.

of course your best option working in alpharetta is going to be something where you don't feel isolated but are close to work. buckhead is an option but affording anything with a $150,000 budget is going to be tough. i would recommend stuff further in town, but getting to work would be a severe pain in the arse.

Seems like a great project for the town of Alpharetta. Can you recommend some nice neighborhoods with townhouses or single houses. Thanks

[FromGA]

There is a townhouse community right near the "Pure Taqueria Alpharetta", which is basically (next to) downtown. Google the words in quotes, and see the map.

I have noticed it and driven through it, but dont know anything else about it.

[bryantm3]

this is the place he's talking about:

Alpharetta GA Homes for Sale & Alpharetta Real Estate - Zillow

[FromGA]

My favorite townhouse community (only know it by driving through, no other knowledge) is the one right on North Point Pkwy north of the mall, south of Kimball bridge Rd. It is very close to the greenway. IMO, the greenway is one of the highlights of Alpharetta, you might want to check this one out.

In Roswell, I saw some townhouses right off of Canton Street. One is a new construction built in street/row house style.

Not sure about the applicability of any of these to 20 year olds.

[SW30303]

Renting is a good short term option as ATLTJL mentioned already. I would rent maybe 6 months and then house hunt later. That way, you know you like the area, especially if you are totally unfamiliar with Atlanta.