A few questions? (Atlanta, Smyrna, Vinings: home, neighborhood, buying)

[Hotlanta2]

Originally Posted by Great Joy

Welcome (potentially) soon to Atlanta! We recently moved here from northern Peoria, AZ so I can relate to your questions. The water rationing here in GA is nothing compared to the restrictions in AZ. Even so, try choose drought tolerant plant varieties if/when you decide to re-landscape your yard so you won't have to worry about the rain or replacing potential future dead plants.

We're not very familiar with the NW quadrant of Atlanta, so I'm unable to recommend specific neighborhoods. However, due to your price point the areas of Marietta, Cobb county, and Cherokee county would be nice for you. Since you like water, you might also want to consider buying on or near Lake Allatoona. It is a beautiful lake that we have went boating on several times.

Backyard pools are typically not used year round, unless they are heated which is rare. Most subdivisions with your price point have very nice amenities with a clubhouse, pool, and tennis courts, so you don't necessarily need or want a home pool. The normal subdivision swim season is Memorial Day thru Labor Day, sometimes beyond that by a few weeks.

Best wishes!

Could you compare the two cities for me? Like, what parts are like Peoria or Scottsdale? How does the downtown compare with Phoenix? Is there an issue with which side of town you are on? How are the schools compared to what you're used to... etc. Thanks

[Hotlanta2]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

you can get a newer home for 750k in the lenox area with sidewalks, but if you want suburbia you won't find that anywhere ITP.

I second Smyrna, they are going to build some higher end malls there in the next few years... It's a great place it's suburbs but also close enough to city to be considered still hip (not as many fat "conservative" people in SUV's as further out suburbs)

Does ITP mean In The Perimeter? But I am looking for suburbia. Not rural and not city. Middle of the road is great.

[Shagbark Hickory]

Originally Posted by Hotlanta2

Does ITP mean In The Perimeter? But I am looking for suburbia. Not rural and not city. Middle of the road is great.

"ITP" = Atlantese for Inside the perimeter
"Perimeter"= Atlantese for I-285 Beltway
"Beltway" = Washingtonspeak for Interstate Bypass

I think Dunwoody is a perfect match for you then. It was like Atlanta's original OTP (Outside the...) suburb. Now it is congested.

[Shagbark Hickory]

Originally Posted by Hotlanta2

One more question: Landscapers. Who and how much? In AZ we paid our landscaper to manicure our bushes, cut our lawns and trim the trees. I think it cost around 150 dollars a month and they came by every week. What's the going rate in ATL?

Thanks again!

The landscaping industry in atlanta is very competitive and right now many of them are starving due to the recession, drought and overall lack of interest on account of the housing crisis. The cost of living here is cheaper so you're bound to find many people to cut your lawn and trim your bushes for less money than in Arizona.

As for the supermarkets, Atlanta used to have a million grocery chains.
There were even A&P's here for a while but those disappeared around the time I moved here. There was also harris teeter which is a chain out of South Carolina. They disappeared too. There was a discount supermarket chain called Cub. They're gone. That basically left us with 3 or 4 major players here.
Kroger out of the midwest. Expensive and disgusting
Walmart supercenter is big here. Just plain disgusting.
Fresh Market out of North Carolina. Mixed reviews.
Whole foods out of Austin, TX. Mostly organic, fresh locally grown produce. Where I get seafood & vitamins.
Publix out of Florida. In florida these stores suck but they moved in to the area around 10 years ago and have wiped up the floor with their competition and the prices are surprisingly lower than Kroger and walmart.

[Hotlanta2]

Originally Posted by Shagbark Hickory

"ITP" = Atlantese for Inside the perimeter
"Perimeter"= Atlantese for I-285 Beltway
"Beltway" = Washingtonspeak for Interstate Bypass

I think Dunwoody is a perfect match for you then. It was like Atlanta's original OTP (Outside the...) suburb. Now it is congested.

Ok, so you're sending me to the part of town that's old and congested?

[Shagbark Hickory]

Originally Posted by Hotlanta2

Ok, so you're sending me to the part of town that's old and congested?

No. Established and sought after.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by Hotlanta2

Does ITP mean In The Perimeter? But I am looking for suburbia. Not rural and not city. Middle of the road is great.

I disagree with the statement that there's nothing with a suburban feel ITP...many neighborhoods in Vinings and Buckhead feel that way.
I would agree that Vinings would fill your requirements very well. Great neighborhoods, nice central shopping district, close to work and low Cobb taxes (as opposed to Buckhead, that resides inside the city limits).

[Hotlanta2]

Originally Posted by Shagbark Hickory

No. Established and sought after.

Ah... Gotcha!
Thank you!

[rcsteiner]

Cub Foods is something I miss from the Twin Cities. I guess the Cub stores down here were the result of SuperValu buying out some chain and turning them into Cub stores, so I don't know how similar the stores in Atlanta were to the ones up in MN.

FWIW, we've actually found Kroger to be a bit less expensive than Publix over time, mainly because we're able to effectively take advantage of their Kroger card discount program.

[Caleb Longstreet]

You know, shopping for a 750K home in the foreclosure market of today is like saying, "gosh, I wish I could get some Mexicans to mow my lawn....cheap"....no slam on the hispanics, without them, the service industries would all but collapse....where to start.

Well, if the job is on the NW side of Atlanta, do what I did 11 years ago when I came back, move to the North/Central part of Atlanta, namely, Dunwoody, Roswell, Alpharetta.

Reasons? Simple, you can get "there" from "here" despite wherever "There and Here" are....ahem....funny thing about the economy, most jobs don't last forever. You need to keep that in mind.

I owned a shuttle company 10 years ago here. Trust me, 400 is the easiest of them all despite all those that would tell you to the contrary. There are actually humanoids in this city that will tell you they get from Suwannee/Gwinnett to downtown in 30 mins and back the same....yeah, maybe if you have a Gulfstream 5 with clearance, max speed, wind to your back, no passengers and no luggage....yeah, you might be able to do that...it's that or buy a Ferrari and Hang On Dude!!!

Same diatribe comes from those on the NW side.....they must have a secret lane we all haven't heard about...measure it....if there were NO cars on the highway and the cops were asleep, the DISTANCE from say Woodstock to just the Perimeter is around 20 miles.....so assuming a blistering 80-85mph it would still take 20 or so minutes...add another 20 to downtown to park.....so, WITHOUT ANY Traffic it's 40 mins....how do they do it with traffic? Inquiring minds and the asylum want to know....same with Gwinnett....

Traffic is abysmal, nuff' said. Listen to your favorite music and watch the bumper cars go at it I say....

Get a home in Gwinnett and get a job in Cobb? Forgeeeedaaahbadddit....and vice versa....and don't listen to that hype about taxes in North Fulton. What you lose in tax you make up for in time and gas, it's a WASH people.....besides, you can make it to Cumberland in 45 mins in the morning as going west off Ga 400 is easy, the traffic moves....vice versa coming back at 5-6.....it's 400 that will grind your gears....reverse that route and you will blow your brains out inside of a year....

Funny, I almost moved to Phoenix back in 83 for the same reasons....never knew BOTH cities were going to boom as they did but, I digress....

Now, for housing. Turns out, every nar-do-well bought homes they couldn't afford; their stupidity, your gain.

Go up towards Windward, plenty of crying up there. Nothing says success like watching the aforementioned box drop 300K in value....they are selling these things WHOLESALE.....just make sure you don't run over the urchins that have recently departed said residence (Sorry, I just couldn't help it)

However, let your sympathies be tempered by the fact we have a President who actually believes it was not their fault when they bought the two Escalades (truly, the M-60 Patton Tank of the American Road) and the house they couldn't possibly afford to heat and furnish, let alone pay for.

Again, I digress. Go forth and prosper middle-age something man. Find a DEAL of the century. All I can tell is the housewives never looked better up here or more fake. You'll love it. I call them the tiera-missou crowd (or however you spell that crappy desert). Long on style, short on cash....it's becomming the new "silicone valley" but, no reference to the high-tech corridor out West mind you....although, strangely, it does have it's own allure....hey, I'm as deep as a saucer, what can I say...

In the market for a high-end car cheap? You've come to the right place my friend. There's a Mercedes E-350's on sale on the web for 22K, 2006, 35K miles, loaded, perfect....enjoy! More of that false stimulus package...ahem...

Anyway, getting back to buying castles for less. You are in an enviable position my friend. Peeeeelenteee of houses for cheap in nice swanky suburbs. Try East Cobb. A bit crowded perhaps but, close in.

For the record, while Vininings has done a nice job of making old, new again, lest not forget you are an exit or two away from a shooting gallery named Atlanta Road. The big sleazy. If you like the sound of richochets and loud mouthed hookers, be my guest but, for my money, I want to see my kids at least MAKE it to school BEFORE they get shot.....just a thought.

All the PR in the world from the city of Atlanta can't wash the crime out of that laundry. Check it out on the web: murders, atlanta, violent assaults. Cool web page festooned with where people get clipped and stabbed. It's the kind of graph you wish every Realtor would show you BEFORE you buy. Remember, it's not what they tell you, it's what they DON'T tell you that gets you burned....

Yeah, buy a house on the close NW side and the DINKS will enjoy your company, just brush up on your marksman skills...you are gonna need them... but hey, they serve Tierra Missou over there....too you know.....and boy, do they like buckhead even AFTER the Ray Lewis "incident" (We call it what it is; murder(s)).

But hey, that's just me. A guy who has lived in and out of Atlanta for over 26 years...wtf do I know? Living close to town? Overrated.

Go swipe a nice big 5,800 under heat and air 3 door garage condo and live long enough to tell your grandchildren about it. Trendy is just well....trendy....in Atlanta that's long on fashion, short on life span. Give it some thought.

The gals are leaner, the food cleaner.

Welcome to Atlanta....

Laughingly Yours,

Caleb Longstreet
Somewhere lost in the city
Cube 3D
Durtee, Ga. 30303

Originally Posted by Hotlanta2

Hello again,

I am seriously thinking of accepting a job offer in Atlanta. (Near Paces Ferry Road, zip code 30339) I'm from the Northeast, just moved from Arizona (Scottsdale) and have a few job offers in different states. One happens to be in Atlanta.

The last time I was in Atlanta I was around 12! Obviously it has changed in a big way. (Like Phoenix did. I moved there 20 years after visiting it and it was a completely different city!) I've read about Atlanta, researched it and have followed this forum (amongst others) for a few weeks.

I would like to find a starting place to begin looking for a place to live when I come down to visit. If I list a few of the things I would like to find in a neighborhood, could someone please assist in helping me find a good jumping off point?

I would like a home in a suburb with SIDEWALKS.

I would prefer a newer home (less than 25 years old).

It would nice if the grocery shopping were nearby and preferably with more than one choice.

It would be very convenient to be near a major highway entrance.

It would be wonderful to have an upscale mall nearby.

My ideal price range would be around 750K.

Again, the zip code I'd be working in is 30339 and the location is on Paces Ferry Road. I would prefer less than a 45 minute commute.

Thank you in advance for all suggestions!


PS- A couple of other questions. Since Atlanta is landlocked, is there any place (besides the coast) to hang near water or fish?

If a house has a pool in the backyard, is it typically kept open year round? If not, what is the typical swimming season?

I read about water rationing for yards, how severe is the water problem if it still exists?