Thinking about Atlanta, Decatur, or Smyrna (Sandy Springs, Alpharetta: 2011, condos, low crime)

[thinkingaboutATL]

Hello all - I'm thinking about transfering to Atlanta in early 2011. My husband and I are going to start a family and we're hoping to have my income support us comfortably in a single family home. My job would be in the heart of downtown. Currently we live in CT and work in NYC and suffering a 2 hour commute each way. This, obviously is not sustainable with a young family. Here's what's on our wish list for the new ATL neighborhood

-Single family home - could have an in-law suite or a duplex. No condos or townhomes.

-A large yard in a well-established neighborhood, low crime, big trees. A great schools system and public transit would be a plus.

-Price range - cheaper is better because only one of use will be working so I'm guessing $280k? Seems like if we go up to $330k the houses get much nicer though. We are very handy and would be comfortable buying a cosmetic fixer upper.

-I'm willing to commute and hour and 20 mins each way if on a bus or train. If I'm driving I'm hoping to keep it under 40 mins each way.

I've been looking at Decatur. It's seems really nice although the prime areas in the City of Decatur get pricey and kind of scrunched together. What about 'the other Decatur'. Is it unsafe? Is it too far out? Is traffic a bear? Alpharetta houses look nice but perhaps the commute would be too much. And I haven't looked into Smyrna yet. Ideally I'd like something with a small town feel and will lots of wooded areas. We're orignally from Kansas so we miss our space. The cookie cutter houses of the 'burbs doesn't appeal to us. Give us some charm!

Any suggestions?

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by thinkingaboutATL

Hello all - I'm thinking about transfering to Atlanta in early 2011. My husband and I are going to start a family and we're hoping to have my income support us comfortably in a single family home. My job would be in the heart of downtown. Currently we live in CT and work in NYC and suffering a 2 hour commute each way. This, obviously is not sustainable with a young family. Here's what's on our wish list for the new ATL neighborhood

-Single family home - could have an in-law suite or a duplex. No condos or townhomes.

-A large yard in a well-established neighborhood, low crime, big trees. A great schools system and public transit would be a plus.

-Price range - cheaper is better because only one of use will be working so I'm guessing $280k? Seems like if we go up to $330k the houses get much nicer though. We are very handy and would be comfortable buying a cosmetic fixer upper.

-I'm willing to commute and hour and 20 mins each way if on a bus or train. If I'm driving I'm hoping to keep it under 40 mins each way.

I've been looking at Decatur. It's seems really nice although the prime areas in the City of Decatur get pricey and kind of scrunched together. What about 'the other Decatur'. Is it unsafe? Is it too far out? Is traffic a bear? Alpharetta houses look nice but perhaps the commute would be too much. And I haven't looked into Smyrna yet. Ideally I'd like something with a small town feel and will lots of wooded areas. We're orignally from Kansas so we miss our space. The cookie cutter houses of the 'burbs doesn't appeal to us. Give us some charm!

Any suggestions?

If 1/4 to 1/2 an acre feels 'scrunched' to you, then I wouldn't recommend the city of Decatur. Your budget wouldn't accomodate houses there, anyway...330K would be tough to find and then you have a millage rate that is the highest in the metro.
Decatur 30033 (unincorporated DeKalb County) is the only other part of 'Decatur' that I would recommend for a family right now. You would have better luck finding a home in your price range in neighborhoods like University Heights, Clairmont Heights and Leafmore. It is just about as convenient to downtown as is the city of Decatur.
Overall, though, I think Smyrna would be a better value than Decatur. It's not quite as 'intown' as is Decatur but still quite convenient and is definitely an up and comer as Atlanta communities go. I think you'll see more variety in your price range, too.
Alpharetta? Very pretty, very suburban, and not an easy commute to downtown. I wouldn't even consider it for myself.

[BobKovacs]

Large yards are going to be tough ITP (depending on your definition of "large", of course)- especially in your price range. You could look up in the Sandy Springs or Alpharetta areas, and just stay somewhat close to the MARTA stop up there- you could then drive to the station and take the train to work.

Another option would be to get into Cobb or Cherokee Counties, where your $$ will get you much more. There are several bus companies that have service into the city, and should stay within your 1 hour 20 minute requirement on most days.

[IntownHomes247]

I live in 30033 (in University Heights) and you can definitely find a nice home for $280k or under. These are generally going to be either 1950s/1960s ranch homes or 1970s eclectic homes (lots of 2-stories, split levels, etc.). The 2 "best" 30033 neighborhoods in your general price range (personal opinion only) would be Leafmore/Creek Park and Clairmont Heights. Now, $280k is not a generous budget in either neighborhood so if you could go up to $300 - $320k you will have a larger selection of homes, but both are wonderful neighborhoods, but you may be able to find homes at $280k (of course, by early 2011, who knows!? ). Clairmont Heights is closer to the City of Decatur (it actually borders the City of Decatur) and Emory University, while the Leafmore/Creek Park area has better yards (again, personal opinion).

For Clairmont Heights, you want to be in the Fernbank Elementary school district. For Leafmore, you want to be in Oak Grove Elementary. Those are 2 good schools but homes in both areas may be marketed as being in the neighborhood while they are actually in an adjoining neighborhood in a less favorable school district. Don't get me wrong, none of the schools in this area are "bad" but Fernbank and Oak Grove are just generally perceived as better so the resale values in those school districts have historically been better making those homes a potentially better investment over time (assuming nothing bad happens to either school).

If you'd like more information about the neighborhoods, or if you'd like help finding homes in the area, feel free to PM me.

Best of luck!

[thinkingaboutATL]

Wow! Thanks everyone. This gives me a lot to think about.

[gumboula]

I have seen some homes with huge yards in neighborhoods districted to Briarlake Elementary that would be in that price range. I am thinking of the areas between Lavista and Scott, around Frasier (I am not sure of the actual neighborhood names, perhaps Riderwood or parts of Country Squire). IntownHomes can tell you. I wouldn't say that this area has a small town feel; but definitely wooded. This area is not convenient to public transit, but an easy enough commute downtown. IMO, other than the actual city of Decatur or some of the more pricey in-town neighborhoods, you need to go pretty far OTP to get a small town feel in the ATL metro area. Word of warning to the OP, driving commutes can be a bit erratic the further out you go. One accident and your 40 minute commute can turn into 2 hours.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by gumboula

I have seen some homes with huge yards in neighborhoods districted to Briarlake Elementary that would be in that price range. I am thinking of the areas between Lavista and Scott, around Frasier (I am not sure of the actual neighborhood names, perhaps Riderwood or parts of Country Squire). IntownHomes can tell you. I wouldn't say that this area has a small town feel; but definitely wooded. This area is not convenient to public transit, but an easy enough commute downtown. IMO, other than the actual city of Decatur or some of the more pricey in-town neighborhoods, you need to go pretty far OTP to get a small town feel in the ATL metro area. Word of warning to the OP, driving commutes can be a bit erratic the further out you go. One accident and your 40 minute commute can turn into 2 hours.

Yes, tons of areas in North Decatur (30033) have homes that sit on big lots. Many of them are outside the OPs price range but there are plenty of homes within the price range too (at least right now! ) Personally, I really love the Ponderosa subdivision although I do worry about the noise from the train tracks at the back of the neighborhood. My grandparents were original owners on Riderwood back in the day so I'm very fond of that area too. Of course, all of these are very suburb-y suburbs and don't have at all the small town vibe that the City of Decatur has. Nor do they generally have easy walking distance to shops and restaurants (except the tiny business district at Oak Grove and Lavista). So it will be a classic trade-off -- vibe/amenities versus space/price.

[thinkingaboutATL]

Hmm... not sure if walking to shops is a must for me. I think I'd opt for privacy over central location. It would be nice to be within 10 mins to a grocery store. To narrow it down more I think I would like a neighborhood where it's mostly families with small kids, but a mix is okay. I like parks, too.

On average how often would you say that an accident derails your commute? If I drove to the Marta and took it from the last stop --either the north line or the east line -- how long does that take to get to down town?

Oh, and yard size: it must be sizable but not huge. I currently have a postage stamp size yard that's 15 feet by 20 feet or something like that. So, maybe something double or triple that? I don't want to spend four hours on a mower every Saturday either. Ugh.

[IntownHomes247]

There aren't many public parks in the Oak Grove area but there are several area swim/tennis clubs you can join and the neighborhoods themselves are pretty "park-like" so they're nice to walk in.

The Clairmont Heights/University Heights area has Medlock Park (with pool, sports fields, and playground), which is connected to Mason Mill Park (with DeKalb Tennis Center -- and scheduled for big renovation and expansion) by The PATH (an off-road trail system). The PATH will eventually connect all the way to the Emory campus (according to plans).

All of these areas have easy access to multiple grocery stores as well as nearby shopping centers/malls. Likewise, all of these areas are within a 40 minute commute of Downtown (excepting possible accident delays, but that would be rare). If you prefer to take MARTA rail, the Clairmont Heights/University Heights area will be closest outside the City of Decatur. It's about 10 minutes to the Avondale rail station (closest one with parking). There are also some MARTA bus routes in the area, but don't count on that too much.

Probably any of these areas will do as far as yard size. Typical lots range from 1/4 to 1/2 acre but some neighborhoods have "better" (ie., flatter, more useable) yards than others. Atlanta is located in the Piedmont and we have some rather rolling terrain.

The intown neighborhoods closer to Downtown from Decatur (e.g., Lake Claire, Candler Park, Inman Park) also have MARTA rail stations in them, but prices in these areas tend to be higher than homes in 30033 so you'd probably need to consider smaller homes if you look in these neighborhoods to stay within your $280k budget.