Price of home vs. quality community (Atlanta, Tucker: apartment, condo, townhome)

[gloria25]

Have a question,

I'm looking at moving (again) and already have had experience with two counties. I just wonder if you don't have $300K to spend on a home, are you subject to living in a bad neighborhood?

Being single, I can only afford about $140K. Is there anywhere north (Cobb, Fulton, maybe Gwinett) where I can live in a standalone house in a decent area?

Thanks,

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by gloria25

Have a question,

I'm looking at moving (again) and already have had experience with two counties. I just wonder if you don't have $300K to spend on a home, are you subject to living in a bad neighborhood?

Being single, I can only afford about $140K. Is there anywhere north (Cobb, Fulton, maybe Gwinett) where I can live in a standalone house in a decent area?

Thanks,

You can certainly find older rambler-style houses for that price in various places in Cobb County, even relatively close to 285, and some of them will have fairly large yards. However, older houses can come with their own set of issues.

Where do you work? Your work location could have a huge impact on where you decide to live, since traffic in the northern suburbs tends to be fairly heavy during rush hour.

[BobKovacs]

You have plenty of options in Cherokee County under $140k in good neighborhoods, some of which may only be a few years old.

[gloria25]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

You can certainly find older rambler-style houses for that price in various places in Cobb County, even relatively close to 285, and some of them will have fairly large yards. However, older houses can come with their own set of issues.

Where do you work? Your work location could have a huge impact on where you decide to live, since traffic in the northern suburbs tends to be fairly heavy during rush hour.

I work in the Tucker area right now....I did take into consideration transportation...driving it only takes me about 30 minutes, but on public transportation about 2 hrs with bus-train-bus exchanges...

I feel that regardless of where you move to in Atlanta you have to suffer traffic unless you have enough money and tolerance to move into a condo/apartment/townhome within city limits...

I'm really trying to get work in downtown/midtown in hopes that it will shorten my bus-train-bus routine into just one Xpress bus or a bus-train routine....

I also hate having to move into the suburbs and far away from downtown/midtown....right now it only takes me like 15 min to go there for entertainment....but I miss having a piece of land, do not want to be under a HOA, and want piece and quiet....

[FromCLTtoATL]

As a single person who doesn't rake in a ton of cash, I certainly can sympathize with the location/house dilemma. I tend to give location a little more weight because I hate long commutes. However, I do want a decent-sized place and neighborhood. It's not always easy to find that balance.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by gloria25

I feel that regardless of where you move to in Atlanta you have to suffer traffic unless you have enough money and tolerance to move into a condo/apartment/townhome within city limits...

Assuming you work in Atlanta, of course. Most Atlanta metro residents don't, and I can't think of the last time I was in the City of Atlanta proper for any reason. It's been many months.

I also hate having to move into the suburbs and far away from downtown/midtown....right now it only takes me like 15 min to go there for entertainment....but I miss having a piece of land, do not want to be under a HOA, and want piece and quiet....

I think one of the keys to being happy in suburbia is to cut your dependencies on the central city. My wife and I have never really cared about it (be it Minneapolis or Atlanta), so our focus has always been on our location relative to workplaces and other facilities (shipping, restaurants, etc.) that we care about.