Buying our first house! (Atlanta, Dunwoody: for sale, hair salon, real estate)

[drchrischiro]

Hey there,

My girlfriend and I are ready to purchase our first home in the Atlanta area. Based on what I've read in other posts it can be a very difficult yet fun decision. Here is some info about us...

1. Budget: $250,000 - $350,000 with $90,000 downpayment
2. We initially thought House but have decided more recently on a newer Townhome
3. Employment Status: both employed, one commutes to dunwoody, one commutes to downtown
4. Children: none yet but planning on two
5. Urban lifestyle
6. Close to Marta if possible
7. Desired neighborhoods: Brookhaven, Virginia Highlands, Morningside/Lennox Park, Midtown, Inman Park

Concerns:

1. Taxes? What counties are the best
2. Resale value? What neighborhood has the best of the above list?
3. Elementary Schools? What are the best in the above list?
4. Getting a loan? What banks are the best?

Any advice you have for a young couple like us would be very helpful and much appreciated. Thanks for taking a few seconds to read this. Have a great day!

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[George Chong]

1. I don't know what the property taxes will be like for the newly formed City of Brookhaven. Lenox Park may be a little less since it is in DeKalb County and City of Atlanta rather than Fulton County and City of Atlanta.
2. Tough one on resale value, I think it is more dependent on the townhome community and its age.
3. I would give a nod to Springdale and Morningside Elementary in the City of Atlanta versus DeKalb for Brookhaven.
4. I would get numbers on a loan from your personal bank and then a mortgage broker. I lean toward a mortgage broker since it is their job to shop your loan.

Best of luck!

[gentlearts]

I can only add that mortgage originators are HUNGRY right now. They want your business. Your bank will try to accommodate you, but check with a few others to keep your's honest.
I can tell you that First Citizen's is looking for mortgages, but they only want to cherry pick.

[bryantm3]

have you thought about looking into the city of decatur? it's a common suggestion around these parts. the actual city of decatur has the urban lifestyle you're looking for with some of the best schools in the state. it's outlined in orange here:

Interactive Atlanta Neighbourhood Map - Google Maps

make sure you look at properties inside the city limits to be eligible for their school system, which is independent of dekalb county.

[cqholt]

Start in Kirkwood, http://www.historic-kirkwood.com/. It is 4 miles from Downtown Atlanta, 3 miles from Decatur Square all accessible by MARTA. The area is also located along I-20, for quick access to the freeway system.
My wife and I live in Kirkwood, she works in Midtown and I in Dunwoody. We use MARTA to commute to work everyday, it takes her about 15-20 minutes. Kirkwood is served by 2 MARTA station, Edgewood/Candler Park and East Lake stations. There is big box retail; Lowes, Kroger, Target w/grocery, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Ross, Bed, Bath and Beyond located 1 mile away at the Edgewood Retail District, Commercial Retail Real Estate Listings | Sembler Properties. Kirkwood also has a downtown business district with several great restaurants, bars, retail shops, hair salon, pet shop, dog training and boarding. The police and fire station are both located downtown Kirkwood.
For outdoors there are 5 parks within the neighborhood. These range from 7 acre hardwood preserve to small parks. Also there is a walking/biking trail, Stone Mountain PATH.
Kirkwood has lots of updated, renovated craftsman homes for sale at a reasonable prices. There is a mix of Victorian, craftsman, ranch, and modern infill homes.
Kirkwood is served by a great elementary school, Toomer E.S., that is centrally located in the neighborhood and allows most kids to walk to school. The middle school is rapidly improving and got one of the best principals to lead the improvements.
We love living in Kirkwood. Crime is low, schools are good, and the area is a great southern charm about it. The neighbors are great, strong neighborhood organization, and lots of kids. There are several new businesses opening up in the area and homes do not stay on the market long. It is a traditional, intown, streetcar suburb that allows one to walk to a lot of amenities, know your neighbors, and be part of a a great neighborhood.

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Start in Kirkwood, Kirkwood Neighbors' Organization (KNO) :: Kirkwood Neighborhood, Atlanta, GA. It is 4 miles from Downtown Atlanta, 3 miles from Decatur Square all accessible by MARTA. The area is also located along I-20, for quick access to the freeway system.
My wife and I live in Kirkwood, she works in Midtown and I in Dunwoody. We use MARTA to commute to work everyday, it takes her about 15-20 minutes. Kirkwood is served by 2 MARTA station, Edgewood/Candler Park and East Lake stations. There is big box retail; Lowes, Kroger, Target w/grocery, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Ross, Bed, Bath and Beyond located 1 mile away at the Edgewood Retail District, Commercial Retail Real Estate Listings | Sembler Properties. Kirkwood also has a downtown business district with several great restaurants, bars, retail shops, hair salon, pet shop, dog training and boarding. The police and fire station are both located downtown Kirkwood.
For outdoors there are 5 parks within the neighborhood. These range from 7 acre hardwood preserve to small parks. Also there is a walking/biking trail, Stone Mountain PATH.
Kirkwood has lots of updated, renovated craftsman homes for sale at a reasonable prices. There is a mix of Victorian, craftsman, ranch, and modern infill homes.
Kirkwood is served by a great elementary school, Toomer E.S., that is centrally located in the neighborhood and allows most kids to walk to school. The middle school is rapidly improving and got one of the best principals to lead the improvements.
We love living in Kirkwood. Crime is low, schools are good, and the area is a great southern charm about it. The neighbors are great, strong neighborhood organization, and lots of kids. There are several new businesses opening up in the area and homes do not stay on the market long. It is a traditional, intown, streetcar suburb that allows one to walk to a lot of amenities, know your neighbors, and be part of a a great neighborhood.

Nice sales job!

To the OP, just go check it out before you do anything.

[cqholt]

Just giving suggestions based on the OP desires.
City of Decatur has the highest taxes followed by Atlanta. DeKalb county is cheaper than Fulton, but could be going up. DeKalb school system is on probation from SACS. Northern DeKalb has the better schools. Decatur and Atlanta have their own school systems, with Decatur ranking top in the metro.

[Esteban5]

Make sure you check crime stats....

Edgewood-Kirkwood, Atlanta, GA Neighborhood Crime Map, Statistics, Alerts and Reports

[RamblingSunDevil]

If your still looking for a house, I'd also recommend taking a look at Kirkwood.

My wife and I were in a very similar situation this summer. We started in Virginia Highland and Midtown, then Candler Park and Lake Claire, but didn't find anything we liked within that same price range. After a few frustrating months we opened our search to Kirkwood and found a great house - lots of character, we can walk to MARTA, lot's of younger families who are passionate about the elementary school, most of the community knows each other. Is it a mirror image of ViHi? No, but it's certainly growing in popularity and it met all of our requirements, which were nearly the same as yours. We're very happy with our decision and love the neighborhood. Happy hunting!

[Caltovegas]

My first recommendation is not to buy property with anyone who is not a spose.