Can we make it in Atl on $2K per month? (Atlanta: for sale, apartments)

[christosNY]

I may relocate with a wife and two kids to the area. We would only net $2,000 per month.
Our hopes are to find a house under $100,000 in a family oriented, safe neighborhood. Maybe northern suburbs. I'm not sure about that commute I hear so much about though.
Can we make it on $2,000 a month? Thanks.

[goozer]

Originally Posted by christosNY

I may relocate with a wife and two kids to the area. We would only net $2,000 per month.
Our hopes are to find a house under $100,000 in a family oriented, safe neighborhood. Maybe northern suburbs. I'm not sure about that commute I hear so much about though.
Can we make it on $2,000 a month? Thanks.

You will have to work to stretch that $2000 a month if you are also looking to buy a house in Atlanta. Atlanta is not expensive as far as major metropolises go, but it is more expensive than Troy, NY for sure. $100k can get you a house, but maybe not in a safe neighborhood in the northern suburbs (unless you are going 50 miles north to Gainesville). When I lived in Atlanta, I heard from people from Birmingham and Augusta complain about how expensive Atlanta houses were. Compared to Birmingham, Augusta, and other more rural parts of the south, it IS expensive. For a more affordable city in Georgia, you might look to Augusta, Macon, Columbus, or Albany. They are smaller towns, but the cost of living is lower. Good luck.

[sweettea1]

You'd be cutting it pretty darn close....and that's assuming you can get a decent (and safe) place to live for a family of four for under $500 a month. Do you know anyone here at all? or can you do a short-term rental to see if it suits your needs and you can make it work?

[atlantagreg30127]

I wouldn't say it's "impossible", but honestly, it's going to be very very hard to do.

A single person? Yes. A couple? Pull the belt in a bit, but sure. A couple with two kids? You're pushing the limits. Ok, if you luck out and find a small lot of affordable land in an unincorporated area that allows mobile homes to be put on it, then you can get one of those easily for that type of payment. Or maybe find a fixer-upper (emphasis on more fixing than upper) that's small in a decent area. Again though - hard.

[anadyr21]

Depends. If you have to put your kids in daycare, then no. What are your other expenses? If you have to throw in a car payment and insurance, that might be cutting it really close. I'm not sure that you can find a 2 bedroom in a safe, family oriented area for less than $700.

[christosNY]

I've seen about 50 house for sale at remax.com within our price range. I'd rent for the 1st yr to make sure the area is a good fit and also to choose a neighborhood to live in.
My wife and I would work different shifts in order to alleviate daycare.
Honestly, I'm hoping someone will step forward and say they know people with a similar income/situation and how they are doing. Otherwise, it might seem unimaginable for a family that doubles our income to put themselves in our shoes.
A big appeal about your area that is attracting us is the number of houses in our price range that seem to be available. There's only a few fixer uppers in my area.

[noah]

It can be done, especially if you are used to living on a budget. Everyone has a different idea of what it takes to live on and what a safe neighborhood is and what kind of place they need/want. Look on craigslist and get a feel for what it would take to rent a place.

[christosNY]

Oh, no car expenses or anything. Although, I don't count that out in the future since we drive vehicles with 100,000 miles. We could take on maybe $200 or $300/month for a year for car loans if both our cars died.

[christosNY]

there seems to be 3bd apartments for around $700

[christosNY]

Right now we are barely getting by on $1650 month. We're in the projects, it's not bad where we are, but there are drug dealers/users around, but nobody bothers us. Rent is $600 for a 2bd utilities included. there aren't houses available in our range except for neighborhoods that are less appealing than we want for a 30yr commitment. My wife is having trouble getting full-time work.