Relocating to Atlanta (Decatur, Druid Hills, Buckhead: condo, mortgage, how much)

[jennifer mcintosh]

My husband and I with two of our kids may be relocating to Atlanta from France. He'd be working at Georgia Tech. Where should we live? Do you have a metro? Is traffic bad? We'd like a large house with a pool. Can you find that easily? What about a mididle school? Any recommendations? If you know of a good website with basic info that would be appreciated.

[sweettea1]

Depends on your budget. You can get a large house with a pool near GA tech but you'll pay upwards of 1 million for it! Our version of metro (MARTA) is not so great so come with low expectations. There's a fantastic school (International School) in an area called Garden Hills which is wonderful. Garden Hills is beautiful and has a community pool as well as gorgeous homes. May be an area to consider. School is private and admissions are difficult but there's a big community of Europeans and diplomats who send their children there. Traffic in Atlanta is bad. Very bad. But don't let that deter you. GA Tech is a great institution and it's possible to lessen your car usage by living intown. Welcome!

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by jennifer mcintosh

My husband and I with two of our kids may be relocating to Atlanta from France. He'd be working at Georgia Tech. 1) Where should we live? 2) Do you have a metro? 3) Is traffic bad? 4) We'd like a large house with a pool. Can you find that easily? 5) What about a mididle school? Any recommendations? If you know of a good website with basic info that would be appreciated.

1) The "Midtown" area would be the most convenient, or, "Virginia Highlands" which is just East of the Midtown area. You did not mention any price ranges but these areas are about on par with standard larger city prices for homes.

2) Yes. It's called MARTA. Their web site is HERE. It's a somewhat limited rail system and not nearly as extensive as say, that in Paris, London, or New York. You will still need a car here as Atlanta is a very spread out city.

3) Yes. Traffic has been rated as the second most congested overall in the U.S. in Atlanta, second to Los Angeles. In some areas it can be VERY congested. With an average of 90,000 to 150,000 people per year every year moving into the metro Atlanta area, it only continues to get worse, which stresses the importance of living close to where you work.

4) If you have the money, you can find plenty of large homes in Atlanta. Americans like everything to be big, and you'll find homes here on average are much larger than in many places in Europe. Finding a home with a large pool in the inner city area might be a bit tricky. Pools are by many realtors considered a liability and make it harder to sell a home, so many homes here do not have pools. Atlanta has four distinct seasons - not warm all year like Florida, so pools are not always considered a "plus" here.

5) Some people in the city use private schools. Someone else will have to recommend that, or, see the "school ratings" thread at the top of the Atlanta room.

"Know Atlanta" is a free guide you can get: KNOWAtlanta.com :: Winter 2008

The local newspaper has a basic newcomer guide, HERE.

[George Chong]

My friend's husband is French and she teaches French at a local high school so I thought I would share with you the school that their daughter attends on Saturdays. Ecole du Samedi They speak to her in French at home so she is quit fluent and figures out quickly that my French skills are no where close to hers.

Like others have posted, it all depends on how much you would like to spend for your budget. I would agree that Midtown might be a good fit for you but it is expensive. Here is a website on the non-profit group that serves Midtown: Midtown Alliance

Of course there are additional great neighborhoods in the City. It just depends on how much you would like to spend. At least the Euro is high against the US Dollar (what currency isn't right now?). My UK clients think that the US is on "sale" since the British Pound is trading so strong.

Do you envision that you would live in an urban environment and be close to things that the city of Atlanta has to offer or do you desire a big house with a big front and backyard to go with it?

[IntownHomes247]

Swimming pools are rare amenities for homes in Atlanta. You might do better to consider finding a home near a public pool, or finding a home where you can add a pool. Otherwise you'll be seriously limited in the number of homes you'll find.

What is your price range? There are many, many neighborhoods convenient to Georgia Tech but they vary wildly in price. There are also some great townhome and condo communities (most of which would have the added benefit of a community pool).

How large a place do you need? And are there any particular features other than a pool that you require?

[nrgpill]

Did you have a large house and a pool in France? Not knowing your budget, I am guessing that you would not have an issue finding a large house with a pool for what you would spend in France with same set of requirements.

Originally Posted by jennifer mcintosh

My husband and I with two of our kids may be relocating to Atlanta from France. He'd be working at Georgia Tech. Where should we live? Do you have a metro? Is traffic bad? We'd like a large house with a pool. Can you find that easily? What about a mididle school? Any recommendations? If you know of a good website with basic info that would be appreciated.

[jennifer mcintosh]

Thanks to everyone who replied. So kind and really helpful. Our budget would be around a million for a house due to the euro being high. Obviously I'm not clued up on the weather as I thought it was warm MOST OF THE YEAR! From what you all say it looks like living in town would be best so I'll check out Midtown.

[jennifer mcintosh]

I'd need five bedrooms, all with built-in closets, and lots of light. Somewhere where I could walk out my door and see people. One person mentioned Garden Hills but I don't want to live in a fancy, secluded place. Price wise we'd have a million to put down and could maybe take out a small mortgage but I'd rather not. Don't know if I'm ready for the condo life as we live in a house near the forest in the close Paris suburbs.

Originally Posted by IntownHomes247

Swimming pools are rare amenities for homes in Atlanta. You might do better to consider finding a home near a public pool, or finding a home where you can add a pool. Otherwise you'll be seriously limited in the number of homes you'll find.

What is your price range? There are many, many neighborhoods convenient to Georgia Tech but they vary wildly in price. There are also some great townhome and condo communities (most of which would have the added benefit of a community pool).

How large a place do you need? And are there any particular features other than a pool that you require?

[George Chong]

You would think that a million US dollars would get your dream house but it really doesn't in the city with a pool.

I have a second option for you, a neighborhood pool membership. In my neighborhood which is south of Midtown and still would be an excellent commute to GA Tech, we have a neighborhood pool that requires membership.

I live in Inman Park which is a beautiful (IMO - albeit biased) intown neighborhood. It is the first planned neighborhood in Atlanta and it is a great walking neighborhood, close to parks, MARTA (public transportation), shopping and restaurants. Here is the website for the neighborhood: Inman Park.

Here is the link for the neighborhood pool: Inman Park Pool

If you come and visit the last weekend of April - you can attend the Inman Park Festival which will make you fall in love with the neighborhood.

[cmtiger]

Hmmm... here are you options that are a reasonable commute to Tech.

Druid Hills - Much of this will be above your price range, but you can find homes at about 1 million. It is not near Marta (our metro). This area is served by Shamrock Middle School.

Decatur - Most high end houses here are just below a million, though I have a friend who just bought one for a little over a million. There is a Marta station in downtown Decatur and you could walk to it from most parts of Decatur. Since schools are a concern, you will want to make sure that you are actually in the city limits of Decatur rather than in the county areas that call themselves Decatur. This area is served by Renfroe Middle School. Decatur is a fun and funky smaller urban town. Lots of restaurants/boutiques/coffee houses.

Morningside/Virginia Highland/Midtown - these are lovely neigbhoroods also with a nice urban feel and lots of shops/restaurants, etc. Houses here are a more expensive than Decatur but 1 million will buy you a nice house there. This area is not within walking distance of Marta - except perhaps parts of Midtown. It is served by Inman Middle School.

Candler Park/Inman Park/Lake Claire - This is historically known as the Bond Community. It is prices slightly higher than Decatur, particularly in Inman Park. Inman Park is known for its fabulous Victorian and Craftsman houses. There is a very funky (a little too funky for me) commercial node next to Inman Park called Little Five Points. There is also a much more tame commercial node in Candler Park with some cool little shops/restaurants.
This area is also served by Inman Middle School.

Buckhead - This area is very expensive, but I think you can find a home for a million that you would be happy with. I am not sure how the public school district lines are drawn in that area but I do know that part or all of the area is served by Sutton Middle School.


So.. as for schools. You have missed the application period for private schools. Some of the good public middle schools in the area (grades 6-8) include Inman Middle, Sutton Middle and Renfroe Middle. You could also check out Shamrock Middle but they have had some challenges because of transfers from failing schools. I think that they are working that issue out, but you will want to look into it.

FYI, Shamrock is an International Baccalaureate (IB) School and Renfroe is expected to be authorized as an IB candidate school this May. You can check out these schools on greatschools.net. Renfroe is in the City of Decatur District - not Decatur County. Inman and Sutton are in the Atlanta Public Schools district. Also look at the State Dept. of Education website.. The Governor's Office of Student Achievement