Any affordable homes walking distance to Whole Foods? (Atlanta, Roswell: wood floors, real estate)

[emilybh]

I've been living in Charleston,SC for 2 years waiting for the real estate prices to go down but they haven't really very much. I saw on Trulia, I think it was, that there were 5500 foreclosures in Atlanta and only 450 in Charleston. People here are still holding out trying to get $250k for a trashy vinyl sided house built in the 80's and not updated.

Atlanta on the other hand seems to have a number of nice older homes with porches, wood floors, high smooth ceilings with crown moldings, fireplaces and decent sized kitchens for well under $100k in Atlanta --some for even half that. But not knowing the area, I'm wondering where they are located. I'd love to be walking distance to a Whole Foods store.

If I don't find an incredible deal here in Charleston in the next few weeks I've more than half way made up my mind that I'd like to move to Atlanta. I miss being in (I lived right outside Boston for 11 years) or at least close to a big city (within and hour and a half as Newport was)

I'm hoping to find a 1500 to 1800 square foot place with two bathrooms with good outdoor living space (porch,deck or enclosed patio and/or coutyard and/or enclosed backyard) and a good sized kitchen- either a single family or an end unit legal townhome -(no regime fees, only low HOA fees) with at least one bedroom on the first floor. Oh, a one car garage would be nice too.

Is there any such thing in Atlanta in a safe and obviously walkable neighborhood---close to a Whole Foods?

Also are there any lakes where people sail? Does Emory have a sailing team and a place where they practice (and maybe a community sailing club)? One of the reasons I moved to Charleston was because I thought there would be so much sailing here but there really isn't. They don't let people keep boats at moorings or allow you to pull them up above the high tide mark on the beach. Slips for boats are cost prohibitive.

How many months do you have to cool or heat your house if you don't mind it being 80 in the summer and 67 in the winter?
Another thing I've found is that it is almost UNBEARBLY HOT down here and utilities aren't cheap. There is no such thing as going to the beach for a refreshing swim as the water temperature is often only 5 degrees cooler than the air temperature and sometimes warmer than the air temperature.

It seems like it is 96 degrees and humid from May through September so for 5 months I have to run the AC. Granted there is only about 2 weeks of barely winter weather here but it is cold enough so that the heat needs to be on in January and February.( I'm wondering if the all electric heating cooling systems here make energy costs actually higher than heating costs were where I moved from (Newport,RI) where I kept the heat on from October-May where I had gas heat).

[CalieCat]

I can't really answer your questions, but I can say we lived outside of Charleston for several years and I find that the Atlanta area has pretty much the same temps as you do...we run our AC from about April until September, this year was cooler. Last year we ran our AC until October (if I remember correctly LOL!).

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by emilybh

I've been living in Charleston,SC for 2 years waiting for the real estate prices to go down but they haven't really very much. I saw on Trulia, I think it was, that there were 5500 foreclosures in Atlanta and only 450 in Charleston. People here are still holding out trying to get $250k for a trashy vinyl sided house built in the 80's and not updated.

Atlanta on the other hand seems to have a number of nice older homes with porches, wood floors, high smooth ceilings with crown moldings, fireplaces and decent sized kitchens for well under $100k in Atlanta --some for even half that. But not knowing the area, I'm wondering where they are located. I'd love to be walking distance to a Whole Foods store.

If I don't find an incredible deal here in Charleston in the next few weeks I've more than half way made up my mind that I'd like to move to Atlanta. I miss being in (I lived right outside Boston for 11 years) or at least close to a big city (within and hour and a half as Newport was)

I'm hoping to find a 1500 to 1800 square foot place with two bathrooms with good outdoor living space (porch,deck or enclosed patio and/or coutyard and/or enclosed backyard) and a good sized kitchen- either a single family or an end unit legal townhome -(no regime fees, only low HOA fees) with at least one bedroom on the first floor. Oh, a one car garage would be nice too.

Is there any such thing in Atlanta in a safe and obviously walkable neighborhood---close to a Whole Foods?

Also are there any lakes where people sail? Does Emory have a sailing team and a place where they practice (and maybe a community sailing club)? One of the reasons I moved to Charleston was because I thought there would be so much sailing here but there really isn't. They don't let people keep boats at moorings or allow you to pull them up above the high tide mark on the beach. Slips for boats are cost prohibitive.

How many months do you have to cool or heat your house if you don't mind it being 80 in the summer and 67 in the winter?
Another thing I've found is that it is almost UNBEARBLY HOT down here and utilities aren't cheap. There is no such thing as going to the beach for a refreshing swim as the water temperature is often only 5 degrees cooler than the air temperature and sometimes warmer than the air temperature.

It seems like it is 96 degrees and humid from May through September so for 5 months I have to run the AC. Granted there is only about 2 weeks of barely winter weather here but it is cold enough so that the heat needs to be on in January and February.( I'm wondering if the all electric heating cooling systems here make energy costs actually higher than heating costs were where I moved from (Newport,RI) where I kept the heat on from October-May where I had gas heat).

Not sure of your housing budget, but there are two Whole Foods that may fit your criteria.

One in Midtown Atlanta on East Ponce de Leon Ave., and one in unincorporated DeKalb County at Briarcliff & LaVista Roads - very near Emory.

The Midtown neighborhood would be much more walkable.

Not sure about a sailing club at Emory, but their website would probably have that info.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by CalieCat

I can't really answer your questions, but I can say we lived outside of Charleston for several years and I find that the Atlanta area has pretty much the same temps as you do...we run our AC from about April until September, this year was cooler. Last year we ran our AC until October (if I remember correctly LOL!).

Well Atlanta is inland and inland in the summer usually means warmer but Atlanta is a lot farther north than Charleston on the map. I was hoping the Spring and Fall in Atlanta might be like New England summer weather where it is mostly in the 70's and 80's and sometimes cooler at night. (I was hoping Charleston would be like that but I've experienced otherwise.) I would think unless you wanted to keep your indoor temperature at 72 degrees year round that you might only need to run the AC for two months if you didn't mind having it warmer in the summer (like I don't mind) in Atlanta. I kept the temp at 80 and kept ceiling fans going and my electric bill was nearly $200 every month in Charleston because here there are precious few days in the spring summer and fall that are below 90 degrees. Of course that represents cooling 2400 sq. ft of space which is MUCH more than I need.

Do you like Atlanta as much or better than Charleston now that you've moved?

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by emilybh

Well Atlanta is inland and inland in the summer usually means warmer but Atlanta is a lot farther north than Charleston on the map. I was hoping the Spring and Fall in Atlanta might be like New England summer weather where it is mostly in the 70's and 80's and sometimes cooler at night.

Emily, why not just look up the long-term weather averages?

Atlanta: Average Weather for Atlanta, GA - Temperature and Precipitation

Charleston: Average Weather for Charleston, SC - Temperature and Precipitation

My reading of this comparison is that it does cool off a little more at nights in Atlanta. However, if you are unhappy with the weather in Charleston, SC, it looks as if Atlanta weather might not be sufficiently different to satisfy you.

[BobKovacs]

Anything that fits your size and amenity requirements is either going to be 2-3 times your price range, or in a neighborhood you wouldn't want to live in.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Anything that fits your size and amenity requirements is either going to be 2-3 times your price range, or in a neighborhood you wouldn't want to live in.

Very true.

'Atlanta on the other hand seems to have a number of nice older homes with porches, wood floors, high smooth ceilings with crown moldings, fireplaces and decent sized kitchens for well under $100k in Atlanta --some for even half that. But not knowing the area, I'm wondering where they are located. I'd love to be walking distance to a Whole Foods store.'

There are townhomes near the Whole Foods at Briarcliff/LaVista--2 miles from Emory--but walking along Briarcliff and/or LaVista is not easy, there are sidewalks in some spots and then none and there is a lot of traffic.

I have no idea of the price range but near the Mason Mill Park/tennis center there is a nice community of cluster homes or townhomes. You could manage to walk to Publix or Kroger at Toco Hill but Whole Foods would be another couple of miles further. I don't think this is the sort of area you hope to find.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Not sure of your housing budget, but there are two Whole Foods that may fit your criteria.

One in Midtown Atlanta on East Ponce de Leon Ave., and one in unincorporated DeKalb County at Briarcliff & LaVista Roads - very near Emory.

The Midtown neighborhood would be much more walkable.

Not sure about a sailing club at Emory, but their website would probably have that info.

Thanks. That gives me a starting point.

Let me put the sailing question another way. Are there any lakes or rivers where you ever see sailboats sailing? If so what are their names? I'm just wondering if I moved to Atlanta if there would even be a place where I could put a small sailing dinghy or a Sunfish in the water and go for a two hour afternoon sail.

For price ranges -- as little as possible. There seemed to be so many in the 50k range but maybe those aren't near Whole Foods. I guess I would look at up to 200k.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Emily, why not just look up the long-term weather averages?

Atlanta: Average Weather for Atlanta, GA - Temperature and Precipitation

Charleston: Average Weather for Charleston, SC - Temperature and Precipitation

My reading of this comparison is that it does cool off a little more at nights in Atlanta. However, if you are unhappy with the weather in Charleston, SC, it looks as if Atlanta weather might not be sufficiently different to satisfy you.

I did that before I moved to Charleston and it was little help knowing average temperatures. I found that it is a lot hotter than what the average temps indicate and save for a few days, it is usuall at the top of the range or even higher.

What would be a lot more helpful would be if they included the MEAN temperature which is what the temperature is on most days of the month.

THAT is why I asked about how often you'd need to turn on the A/C if you didn't mind it being 79 or 80 degrees.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Anything that fits your size and amenity requirements is either going to be 2-3 times your price range, or in a neighborhood you wouldn't want to live in.

I just studied all the zip codes with either a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods or those with both which were 30308, 30305 and 30328. I'm not sure if 30067, 30329 and 30076 also had a Trader Joes but they had a Whole Foods.

It seems like Marietta and Roswell are the only areas where I could be near a Whole Foods and be in something in a reasonable price range with a few exceptions. Does MARTA come out to those areas?