Which would you rather have...Basement or Big Flat Yard? (Atlanta: HOA, new home)

[sweettea1]

With new homes going up like crazy, I'm just curious to know whether people would rather have big landscaped backyards or basements. Is one worth more than the other. We're looking at houses that seem to have one or the other and my DH and I are torn about which is better in terms of resale.

[gt6974a]

Basement is better in terms of resale, no offense but Yanks don't seem to care about acreage. However, you can put up a seperate garage with Rec room pretty cheap, and/or pool but you won't get as much out of a 'resale'.

Personally, I'd try to look for a side entry with 1/2 basement.

[BobKovacs]

You've just got to look harder and find both. We did at Harmony at the Lakes in Canton. We're buying a new home there with a full walk-out basement on a 175' deep lot. The backyard is dead flat and around 70'x105'.

Bob

[dlh891]

I wanted both and I probably looked at 30 houses until I found it. It can be found.

[xxman777]

Personally I would like the basement and a park nearby. All I need in the back yard is space to grill and I'm pretty much good. Give me a park for exercise and I'm happy.

As far as what is worth more, it seems like in Georgia a large lot is worth more. People here don't seem to care that much about basements but having an acre of land is vital.

[Noc]

I'd take land over a basement any day. Land is power. You can tear down your home a build a new with a huge basement on that land.

[spacelord75]

Agree 100% with Noc. I bought a fixer-upper in Dunwoody on 1/2 acre lot and was annoyed about not having a basement at first (my wife was in love with the house). Now I realize how hard it is to find 1/2 acre anywhere near town. Most older houses have basements with such short ceilings that they are in habitable anyways, and, yeah, you can alway tear down and add a basement with some creative digging/grading. If it's new construction, basements are typically built to be finished off, but older homes they are usually just full of leaks, mildew and bugs! I just store our stuff up in the attic. As lots get smaller and smaller, land becomes a premium product. Think of it this way - you can build a basement (although costly), but you can't build more land.

[sweettea1]

Thanks so much everyone! This is really helpful!

[sweettea1]

spacelord...how do you like living in Dunwoody? We are looking to do something similar with a fixer-upper...Been looking at the "Five/Four and a Door" which seems to be pretty much every house we see. Most haven't been touched in I don't know how long and are a real throwback to the days when pool tables and weight sets were the evening activity! Are you happy in the area? Any other Dunwoody advice will be most helpful. Thanks!

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by sweettea1

spacelord...how do you like living in Dunwoody? We are looking to do something similar with a fixer-upper...Been looking at the "Five/Four and a Door" which seems to be pretty much every house we see. Most haven't been touched in I don't know how long and are a real throwback to the days when pool tables and weight sets were the evening activity! Are you happy in the area? Any other Dunwoody advice will be most helpful. Thanks!

Actually, I love Dunwoody. I was raised there, went to D'woody Elem (now closed), Austin/P'tree JHS/DHS and, after roaming all over the metro area for the better part of 8 years after college have decided it's a great place to return now that I'm married and want to start a family. There are actually quite a few people I have met since being back that have done something similar. Yeah, the houses can be in varying states of disrepair, but the good thing is, especially in this market, is you can get a great deal. D'woody is basically "ruled" by a neighborhood HOA which covers the entire area and is more about keeping property values up, and not micro-managing your yard/home (like a lot of newer dev'ts). Also, many of the lots are good sized, so getting the basement AND yard is definitely possible. Just make sure you get a good inspector and really use the looming remodel as leverage to drive down the price. If the whole City of D'woody thing goes through, expect property values to sky-rocket. D'woody is positioned very well in that, unlike East Cobb or other suburbs, it is conveniently located right near the 400/285 interchange, so my commute to downtown is only 30 minutes if I leave at 7am (morning) and 4pm (afternoon). DHS is not the school it used to be, but the elementary schools (basically Vanderlyn and Austin) are top notch, and I think there will be a major change in the HS once these parents have their kids matriculating into there.

Basically all the homes in D'woody were built in the late 60's through early 80's to accomodate the first "snow bird migration" to Atlanta, so the homes are not THAT old. Basically this means wiring is probably okay, plumbing might need some work, but at least you've got dry wall (not plaster) and probably very solid construction. Good luck....I'm a fan (obviously) and would highly recommend the area.