Testing the waters - intown property (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: power lines, condo, crime)

[LovelySummer]

3638 Peachtree is on the fringes?

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Those could work, but your pretty much in Roswell at that locale if you're referring to the links above. I think the OP wants to be right on the 285 arc or as close as possible. He is trying to avoid the burbs, not live on the fringe of them as I read it.

[LovelySummer]

Don't forget SFHomes and townhomes in Smyrna. Or is that too far from Perimeter?

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

Don't forget SFHomes and townhomes in Smyrna. Or is that too far from Perimeter?

If I work in Dunwoody, I'm not getting on 285 W in the afternoon. I don't see that area listed in the OP.

I'm not seeing anything at 3638. Only one I see is under contract. If I'm an agent, I'm not recommending living their either. $500 HOA fees suck as well.

Next

[LovelySummer]

(Shrug). I really don't have to spend my time helping at all. You're right. Next...thread.

And who asked you anyway? What are you, some sort of self-appointed guardian over the OP? SmH.

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

If I work in Dunwoody, I'm not getting on 285 W in the afternoon. I don't see that area listed in the OP.

I'm not seeing anything at 3638. Only one I see is under contract. If I'm an agent, I'm not recommending living their either. $500 HOA fees suck as well.

Next

[joey86]

I'd suggest Chamblee as well. What about something around Home Park?

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

(Shrug). I really don't have to spend my time helping at all. You're right. Next...thread.

And who asked you anyway? What are you, some sort of self-appointed guardian over the OP? SmH.

The voice of reason.... the voice of reason.

[DaBurgh]

This is where folks should start looking in and recommending the Tri Cities

[ATLTJL]

Thanks for all the answers.

They more or less corroborate what I already knew. As much as this board likes to pretend everybody can, and should live intown, let's look at the situation here....

If you need to be reasonable distance to Perimeter AND downtown and need 2 or 3 bedrooms, there really is no decent option for under $350k. Sure, you might be able to find some ghetto old condos in Sandy Springs built in the 70s and never updated since then, but let's keep it on a level that most people would find acceptable living.

If you have a single income, or like me want to be able to live on a single income if you had to, then you really better be making an income that is over 6 figures since nobody should ever buy real estate that costs more than 3 times their annual income. So living close to work for many people is really only for the pretty upper class.

Let's look at another truth. Moving from the suburbs to these areas (I'm not even going to call them intown, because they really aren't) requires MAJOR compromises. It's not just give up a little space or some yard, you better be prepared to cut your living space in half and/or go to a much crummier structure.

Looks like I'm stuck with a commute because, well, I'm not willing to make those compromises. Can we stop pretending that it's reasonable for everybody to live really close to their work?

[hautemomma]

Pretty accurate and (for some) sobering conclusion, ATLTJL. I can understand the appeal of "intown living" for some, but for many people accustomed to a certain strata, conveniences, personal space, neighborhood safety, etc., it's just not in the cards.

A bit off topic, but as much as "intown living" is allegedly so "sustainable," it is highly dependent on consumerism and non-stop industrialization (A good read on this is "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes).

As I get older, I think I will strive to have several locations - an intown property I use for passive income, a paid-off home in the suburbs and some acreage in the ex-burbs where I can grow my own food, breathe clean air and walk around naked if I so please.

[Dkeating]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Thanks for all the answers.

They more or less corroborate what I already knew. As much as this board likes to pretend everybody can, and should live intown, let's look at the situation here....

If you need to be reasonable distance to Perimeter AND downtown and need 2 or 3 bedrooms, there really is no decent option for under $350k. Sure, you might be able to find some ghetto old condos in Sandy Springs built in the 70s and never updated since then, but let's keep it on a level that most people would find acceptable living.

If you have a single income, or like me want to be able to live on a single income if you had to, then you really better be making an income that is over 6 figures since nobody should ever buy real estate that costs more than 3 times their annual income. So living close to work for many people is really only for the pretty upper class.

Let's look at another truth. Moving from the suburbs to these areas (I'm not even going to call them intown, because they really aren't) requires MAJOR compromises. It's not just give up a little space or some yard, you better be prepared to cut your living space in half and/or go to a much crummier structure.

Looks like I'm stuck with a commute because, well, I'm not willing to make those compromises. Can we stop pretending that it's reasonable for everybody to live really close to their work?

Moving closer in does require sacrifices, but I don't see that you and your spouse, with no children, and neither of you working from home, need three bedrooms, 2 baths, more than 1600 sq ft. That describes where I live with my spouse and two kids. Some people in our neighborhood live in smaller areas. I don't see any problem with 2 adults living in 1,000 sq ft.