Renting in ATL - Pros/Cons of ATL Market Moving Sept vs Dec? (Atlanta: real estate, apartments)

[xomichel]

I am planning to relocate to Atlanta from Columbia, SC & so far it has been really stressful with out of state searching & family issues here in SC. My original lease is up Sept. 19th but my landlord agreed to extend it to the 30th & also just gave me an option of a 3 month lease here in Columbia which would take us to the end of December.

Last time my lease was up they were pushing to have a decision in writing to make sure my place was rented for the winter. Now that they have missed all the students looking for housing, I'm sure January is a lot better than Sept-Dec to look for new tenants.

My question is, would it be the same for rentals in ATL? If I extend my lease & search over the winter instead of moving Sept. 30th, from Oct-Dec would I have any sort of "advantage" in the Atlanta market?

Besides extra time to figure out what areas/neighborhoods I like, advantages such as price negotiation or accepting a pet they normally would not because they don't have as many potential renters interested in their home?

Also, what would be my disadvantages of searching Oct-Dec in Atlanta for a rental? How much is there to choose from? Would I have more or less options than moving in Sept?

[westau]

I don't really see any differences between the two times except possibly right around Georgia Tech or something. Overall Atlanta is so much bigger than Columbia that it doesn't go around students. The summer is the busy time just for families getting in before school starts but we are already past that so there really won't be much difference.

[ATLTJL]

It will do nothing in terms of pets. Those are flat policies that are written by ownership regardless of how desperate they are for tenants. If they made exceptions based on how vacant they are, that would have fair housing law implications.

I think that the biggest thing quite honestly to consider is weather. Moving at the end of September has a large chance of being largely pleasant. It may still be warm outside, but I think it would prove to be tolerable. Moving at the end of December, depending on what kind of year we are having, could vary between chilly to downright freezing.

[xomichel]

Thank you, westau and ATLTJL. I am visiting Atlanta tomorrow and Wednesday to look around. Do you recommend any neighborhoods or agents to contact?

My price range is $750-1200, no apartments but not picky if it is a house/condo/townhome/patio home/anything else, & prefer a safe established neighborhood that has a community feel to it, like a gated neighborhood, with HOA, or amenities, like a park.

[Tarzanman]

First, you need to figure out what parts of town are practical for your commute. Then you should decide how big a place you need, etc.

Last, check zillow

[xomichel]

I have been looking within 20 minutes of Little Five Points, Virginia Highland, Buckhead, and Atlantic Station as well as in Smyrna, Decatur & Dunwoody. I am currently a student taking classes online from a university not located in GA & not working at the moment so commute is not a big issue, I would just like to be close to the above areas.

My current home is 1,092 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath with a fenced yard/patio for $820/month so I am hoping to find similar which is why I have been looking a lot in Decatur & Smyrna. I would prefer to keep rent $800-1000 but am OK going up to $1200 for the right location, community, & features.

I have been looking on Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, PadMapper, HotPads, coldwellbankeratlanta.com MLS, & a bunch of property management sites & I have been using Google Maps street view a lot too "look around" the area but all of this & all of the listings can be a little overwhelming.

Are there any specific neighborhoods anyone suggests??

[Tarzanman]

This is almost the exact search that I was conducting 3 weeks ago, except that I did not require a yard and *did* require a garage to house a motorcycle.

$1200 will just barely get you a 2/2 apartment in Virginia Highlands, Buckhead and some parts of Decatur. If you want a house for that much then it will likely have to be a townhome unless you're willing to live a bit farther away from town.

You might be able to swing a small house in midtown for that much, but you'll have to be quick and it probably won't be in the best shape.

Grant Park is your saving grace if you are willing to live that far south, but I would not go in to that area blindly because some areas are sketch. Bring someone who knows the area.

You are using the right tools for the job. I would concentrate on asking direct questions about neighborhoods and then cross check with available rentals.

Be warned that its a landlord's market right now. Rents are high and owners can afford to be picky with who they rent to.

My gf and I ended up having to leave Atlanta proper because we did not want to pay 50% more rent than we had been paying for rent a friend's place. (Didn't make sense if we wanted to ever save money). As a result we have landed in Norcross.

Take a weekend (not this coming weekend, though) and travel around some of these areas to get a feel for them. Be sure to talk to some of the folks who live there to get their impressions.

[xomichel]

I really like the idea of a townhome & have found some in these areas that look really nice, but like I said, I can only look so much on Google Maps street view to get an idea of their areas. 2 bed 2 bath & ~1000+ sq ft is ideal but flexible based on everything else.

I'm not sure what my current home really is (duplex/semi-detached/condo?), my neighborhood looks like patio homes but 2 units are attached, 1 story, with HOA, & has walking trails & a recreation center within walking distance as part of the community. Also, very close to shopping & a nice mall. The homes are very cookie cutter, quiet, & HOA can be *very* picky but I have really lucked out & been attached to an amazing neighbor. I really love it & wish I could find pretty close to a community like this in ATL.

Before this I lived in what most locals here consider a sketchy area even though it was condos with a HOA. It did not have any of the above extras like walking trails, a rec center, or really an active HOA except if there was an issue like a water leak from above unit.

I was more than OK living there, loved it too, & would consider living in many areas here that others consider sketch, but I would like somewhere that more closely matches my above, current living situation, especially being female & new to the area.

On a previous trip, my boyfriend's friend was showing me the area & she advised me like you said, that Grant Park can be good finds but since I am new to the area she advised me to not look there because it can be sketch. I have also seen on shows for HGTV like Property Virgins (I am guilty of watching these, especially for ATL) where the realtor recommends Grant Park.

I really liked Virginia Highland when I last visited but have found in the $1200 range mostly apartments/condos with no yard or a shared house (rent a room) that has a yard, but I am not fond of the idea of sharing living space. I also have a dog (pit bull, limiting my options even more), so a fenced yard/patio or private space behind home is important to me.

I found a condo in Buckhead, 1 bed 1 bath, no yard, 804 sq ft that will accept my pit, is really nice, & of course Buckhead is desirable but for the price I'd really hope for a yard even if that means moving out a little further.

I have also found a couple rentals I really like (from pics & Google Maps) in my price range in the Glenwood Ave SE, 30316 area. Also, some in Decatur. Do you know anything about these areas? Any roads or neighborhoods to avoid?

How do you like Norcross? Do you drive into Atlanta often & how good/bad is the commute?

Thank you for your help!

[April2014]

You should consider getting help from a real estate agent. The owner/landlord pays the agent's fee.

[Tarzanman]

Norcross is too far to drive in to Atlanta often. You'll want an area close to a highway and inside 285 if you will be going into the city often.

Except for Vinings... it is close enough for a quick city jaunt