Is $40,000/year good enough for living in Midtown?

[Humanista]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Then by all means, steer clear of perimeter. It tries to fake its way as being walkable, but its not.

Stay clear of Midtown too When I worked at 14th and Peachtree, it was a challenge crossing the street WITH the crosswalk in my favor. Drivers would attempt to speed through and then honk at me when they saw I was crossing the street.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Good luck young man. Just remember that they all say that to get you in the door. "Let's just move in so we can save money." Just remember she will expect for you to pay the majority of the bills, to help her with her student loans, to help her pay off her debt, etc. Then you will still have to beg for sex and beg for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her. Don't fall for the trap. Don't move her in unless you both are married is my advice but good luck again!

LOL, but want to say, as a female, I actually agree with practically everything Gerry stated in this thread about being wary of moving in with the girlfriend.

If you have been dating for a long time and are serious, you or she needs to propose marriage and have an extended engagement for a year or so with the intent on marrying within a particular timeframe.

And FWIW, I am only 10 years older than you and am not old fashion, but I also have a bit more experience and know that relationships don't always work out and this especially occurs when you move in together and start doing little things that get on each other's nerves and add up and you don't really have a true commitment to each other, other than being boyfriend/girlfriend.

That said, I do think $40K is enough to live on comfortably in Midtown but I also don't think you took into effect other budget considerations like entertainment or insurance (including rental insurance) and increases that occur in rents, utilities, and transportation categories. I would do a complete budget to make sure it is affordable for you. I am super cheap so $40K by myself would be totally and completely doable, but, like I said, I am super (and I mean really anal super) cheap.

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

I have been looking for a place in Midtown, and I think $40K would be cutting it pretty close. I am not saying you cannot find a place within your price range, but you may not really like what you find. I see that access to public transit is one of your major considerations. While Midtown is one of the most walkable areas in the metro, it goes without saying that some parts are less walkable than others and not every part is especially convenient to public transit.

Just in my own search (moving from Kennesaw), I accept certain things like I'm not going to have like an x-number of bedrooms house, but that does not mean I'm willing to sacrifice certains things about my quality of living. When I have viewed some of these less expensive properties in Midtown, many of them have looked pretty sketchy. And I don't mean sketchy in an "oh no this is too urban way", but sketchy in a "this is not a deal but the most you could possibly convince someone to pay for this bacteria frap even with location, location, location on your side".

Be wary and maybe spread your search out a bit to include downtown. Downtown has not turned out to be my favorite potential area for living, but I can see making a few trade-offs to save money if I found the right property.

Also, why don't you just get a place like Promove to do the searching for you? It's free, your search results are based on the detailed criteria you provide, and they inform you of specials as well as potential problems. For instance, I was considering Post Parkside because of the location and they were running a great special. That is until my agent told me they typically increase your rent to full market value when you resign your lease. That is something I really needed to know.

Worst case scenario, you try it, realize it was a mistake, and are financially ruined by the age 25 lol. I wouldn't worry about it; you'll recover before your car insurance rates finally decrease at 26.

I agree with the above as well with looking into downtown. It is on MARTA, walkable and has some cheaper alternatives versus Midtown. May be a bit more sketchy depending on where the apartment is, but I would definitely look at Downtown to be near public transit train stations. I would also look in the Lindbergh area near the station as that would shorten your commute and open up more options for you.

[Rozi30213]

Check out Apartment Ratings . Com to see reviews about the apartments you are interested in. Also I live off Argonne and my rent is $750. The area is awesome!

[southkakkatlantan]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Why are people commenting on his girlfriend as if they know who she is? Just answer the question in a financial sense and move on. Either it's a good idea or it's not. I personally don't think it's a good idea because it would be too much of a financial burden on him and Midtown is not exactly a cheap area of the city.

^This...

[southkakkatlantan]

Call me extra conservative, but I wouldn't want to pay over 28% max of my NET income towards rent. I know people always calculate these things on gross, which never made sense to me because gross is not what you bring home. Anyways, I think on the $40k income that would put you in the 700's for a place, correct? I think you're over paying right now on the $33k income but that' just me....

I would shop around to try to find a place in the $700s (max) in Midtown (again this is after getting the raise to $40k). Just to be better safe than sorry, I would be basing my budget off your income only just because you never know. Plus, that puts you in a financial position to potentially save more if you do it that way.

I don't know what kind of places you could get for in the $700s in Midtown, but you may be able to swing something that fits you just fine depending upon your taste.

Good luck!

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Rozi30213

Check out Apartment Ratings . Com to see reviews about the apartments you are interested in. Also I live off Argonne and my rent is $750. The area is awesome!

$750/month?

So...when does your lease expire?

[westau]

Why the heck would you want to live in the most expensive part of town if your job is in Alpharetta? I get not wanting to live in Alpharetta but there is plenty to do around Sandy Springs/Perimeter and you could live for less there than Midtown.

[Rozi30213]

Originally Posted by Gulch

$750/month?

So...when does your lease expire?

Lol it expires at the end of the month. I'm in the process of buying a condo now.... The condo where I live now is awesome!! I just hate street parking...

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by westau

Why the heck would you want to live in the most expensive part of town if your job is in Alpharetta? I get not wanting to live in Alpharetta but there is plenty to do around Sandy Springs/Perimeter and you could live for less there than Midtown.

He already covered that in post #42 and post #48