Midtown Atlanta - condo advice needed (appointed, 2010, condominium)

[Ethan]

Originally Posted by rdcypher

Ethan, you make it sound wonderful. I'm actually not in the market to buy. My intention is to lease for about 6 months to get a feel for the city but darn that sounds good. Looks like I'll be leasing in Buckhead. As a single female, most people in the thread I posted suggested Buckhead. I'm visiting the units tomorrow and I hope they fit my needs. Now that I've read your post, I'm going to see if I can add some Midtown units onto my schedule.

When I searched Buckhead area -- I found several places that perked my interest. My favorite was Terraces at Peachtree,which is not on Peachtree but close to it. It's actually on Biscayne. Quiet -- very nice and quiet. I looked at a 2BR 2Bath condo on the 6th or so floor. I liked it a lot. It was priced at $199,000 or so and the owner recently had renovated the kitchen with Kitchen Aide appliances. He also tiled the walls and counters. He did a first class job. If I was so inclined to live in Buckhead that would be a big choice. Also, I liked several communities on Lenox Rd. --- off Lenox and not far from Lenox Square. I can't remember the names, but nice floor plans with 2 master bedrooms and baths type plan. Pricing was cheap compared to Midtown.

But to me -- I could not live in the hussle and bussle of Buckhead. Just too many yuppies and damn near everyone has a $100,000 car! LOL I guess if you shop til you drop then Buckhead is a good place to live. If you are into society and spending gobs of money on who knows what then Buckhead is for you.

There's another place I just thought of. Off Peachtree and on Linberg. Called the Parklane. I didn't go there, but I liked the floor plans for 2 BR and pricing I think was less than $200k for 2 BR 2 Bath.

Good luck. Remember. It's still a buyer's market. Get seller to pay your closing costs and prepay homeowner dues for a year or two. Seller pays realtor anyway. I can recommend an excellent attorney in Midtown who is most competent and efficient (and cute too!).

[noah]

Thanks Ethan. I will look into that. I know of a similar story regarding the parking garage in another building we looked at but not at the Windsor. The only thing I knew at the Windsor was a vote for replacement of the doors leading to the decks but I will check. It seemed to me like it was a well built building, perhaps more so then some newer ones like Central Park.

[Jim30309]

Ethan--there's an Ikea nearby for all sorts of housewares and furniture. You can eat there too (Swedish meatballs!).

There's a Whole Foods on Ponce (across from the huge brick City Hall annex).

Please tell more about PV. I am very interested in 2BR units there. How many more will they be putting on the market this year? I like the "van Gogh", the Serat, and the Degas floorplans. The Renoir seems to have few and small closets. I got a flyer this weekend that showed more units on the market, but I have no idea how many more will be available later this year.

There's something I am unable to read on the Van Gogh floorplan. Maybe you will know what I'm talking about. It's small lettering near the kitchen and looks like it says "pass thrus" and there's something to the left of it I can't read either.

Did you have to pay any broker commsions or closing costs?

Joe's is great for Sunday brunch, too. And Wily's (right across Piedmont from you) has great burritos.

THANKS!

[Ethan]

Originally Posted by Jim30309

Ethan--there's an Ikea nearby for all sorts of housewares and furniture. You can eat there too (Swedish meatballs!).

Wow and yes! I visited Ikea and was fasinated. At first I wanted to buy everything and then began to look more closely at the furniture. I don't think it will last too long. I think I better stick to something that will last. But yes, there's other things like kitchen wares. I spent about $200 there the other day on some light fixtures and kitchen gadgets. I would love to eat there. You should write me a private message and let's meet for lunch there or wherever. Come over to my Parc Vue and we can look at some of the units without the pressure of a sales person around. They leave them open during the day.

Another thing too -- they are preparing only a few units at a time as leases expire, but when I looked there with a salesperson they let me see a unit that was occupied by a resident who did not own, but leases. They have to give that person 24 hours notice. I saw the unit. Therefore, if you don't like what they have right now -- and they think they can't sell you what they have, then they will let you see a unit that will come up soon with a lease that ends. Don't think all they have is just a few units.

I too have the flyer with the teenie tiny floor plans and I cannot read the damn thing --- it's way too small. If it says pass through --- I don't think you want that. I have seen the units with the pass through from the kitchen to the living room. It makes the kitchen a separate room. I think when you are in the kitchen and you have company you want to be able to entertain from the kitchen too. That configuration would make that awkward. I am into cooking and doing dinner parties. I would not want to do that in a separate room unless I had a servant. I have seen plenty of houseboy material around here.

The Van Gogh is a nice plan from what I can see. I wonder about the size of the bedrooms though. Also, it looks like you would have to settle for a small stack washer / dryer. That's not good. I have a full size front loading washer and dryer. That's better than a lot of 2 BR units.

They are offering 2 years prepaid HOA's on the 1BR, but I bet they would do it in a pinch on the 2BR units too. I bought from a resident here and not from Parc Vue.

A buyer doesn't have to pay broker's commission. I suggest you go there without a real estate agent though....no offense to the agents reading. But you won't get any discounts off the price really, but you will get some bonus features which you can negotiate. If you don't have a realtor, I bet you could get $10,000+ worth of extras thrown in. Plus, HOA dues prepaid too. And 1% closing costs.

There's a Whole Foods on Ponce (across from the huge brick City Hall annex).

I haven't found Ponce de Leon yet. But gosh a Whole Foods store is terrific. I need to find a good liquor store too. Seems like everyone likes Absolute vodka around here. Tastes the same as the cheap Polish stuff to me. But I prefer Elijah Craig bourbon anyway.

[Ethan]

Originally Posted by noah

Thanks Ethan. I will look into that. I know of a similar story regarding the parking garage in another building we looked at but not at the Windsor. The only thing I knew at the Windsor was a vote for replacement of the doors leading to the decks but I will check. It seemed to me like it was a well built building, perhaps more so then some newer ones like Central Park.

Well you know, you probably are right. Here I am spreading misinformation. I do recall the problem was with a condo on Peachtree downtown though. I looked into all these so long ago I forget which is which. I ruled it out because I don't want to live downtown. I wanted to be in midtown and not just midtown but right next to the park.

[xxman777]

Originally Posted by Jim30309

There's a Whole Foods on Ponce (across from the huge brick City Hall annex).

There's also a Trader Joe's at 8th and Monroe.

Originally Posted by Ethan

I haven't found Ponce de Leon yet. But gosh a Whole Foods store is terrific. I need to find a good liquor store too. Seems like everyone likes Absolute vodka around here. Tastes the same as the cheap Polish stuff to me. But I prefer Elijah Craig bourbon anyway.

Ponce is on the south end of Midtown (runs east-west). It's one block north of North Ave. The Whole Foods is a little over a mile east of Peachtree. For a good liquor store you need to go to greens which is on the other side of the street from the Whole Foods and a block east at the corner of Ponce de Leon Place and Ponce de Leon Ave. Best liquor store in the city.

Originally Posted by Ethan

Well you know, you probably are right. Here I am spreading misinformation. I do recall the problem was with a condo on Peachtree downtown though. I looked into all these so long ago I forget which is which. I ruled it out because I don't want to live downtown. I wanted to be in midtown and not just midtown but right next to the park.

You're probably thinking of a complex at 6th and Peachtree. I don't remember the name of the building but the parking garage is unsafe (and I can tell you from personal experience this is true), and the condo association sued the developer to force them to replace the garage. The condo association won but the owners of the units are stuck with a bill for the law suit that is in the millions. I don't know of any problems with buildings in Downtown. FYI, the Windsor is actually in Midtown.

[Nuno]

Hi, I was in the same boat... I just moved to Atlanta (actually to the USA) and I was living outside the city. I just bought a condo at the Park Central (2BR +2 Bath) and I was able to get it for slightly below what was quoted in the other post.

Its hard to find for below 230K, you may want to try Tuscany (its on Juniper as well).

I was also lucky that I was told about the development and therefore made sure the unit I got would keep its view.

Cheers,
Nuno

[noah]

Yes, that garage problem was in a loft building in the cornerstone block (a block of several condo/loft developments in midtown). Anyone else heard anything about Windsor either good or bad? As you said it certainly is in Midtown but near the south end. the proposed Midtown Mile runs from the Windsor up to 15th I believe. Ponce De Leon is right there also (near the Fox and Windsor).

[rquick]

Hi Ethan,

I'm glad to hear that you like Park Vue. I'll be moving there in a couple more weeks. After looking at a lot of condos in Atlanta, I thought they had the best location for the money and the renovation is nice too.

[Ethan]

Great to hear that rquick! Seems you will be moving in the week I will arrive. I don't stay there all the time. My condo is my 2nd home.

Funny thing is that I am meeting more people from Parc Vue through this website than just standing in the lobby.