Moving to Atl - where should I live? (Atlanta, Smyrna: sale, foreclosure)

[sammyjoey]

I'll be moving to Atlanta soon for work, and I need help finding where to live. Top 2 priorities are finding a place where my wife will feel safe and having a short commute (would really like to keep it < 30 minutes if possible). I will be working in Midtown.

Budget: don't officially know new salary yet, but expect 125-150k
Probably prefer condo/townhome, but not a strong preference
Demographics: would like to be around young singles, young families; just don't want to be in the ghetto; again, priority here is somewhere my wife will feel safe
Access to public transportation isn't a priority

I don't know a whole lot about Atlanta (was only here once for interviews). After some initial research, what are Decatur, Druid Hills, and Smyrna/Vinings like? Do these areas match what I'm looking for?

Thanks so much!

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by sammyjoey

I'll be moving to Atlanta soon for work, and I need help finding where to live. Top 2 priorities are finding a place where my wife will feel safe and having a short commute (would really like to keep it < 30 minutes if possible). I will be working in Midtown.

Budget: don't officially know new salary yet, but expect 125-150k
Probably prefer condo/townhome, but not a strong preference
Demographics: would like to be around young singles, young families; just don't want to be in the ghetto; again, priority here is somewhere my wife will feel safe
Access to public transportation isn't a priority

I don't know a whole lot about Atlanta (was only here once for interviews). After some initial research, what are Decatur, Druid Hills, and Smyrna/Vinings like? Do these areas match what I'm looking for?

Thanks so much!

City of Decatur, GA

Decatur would match your criteria very nicely.
-15-20 minutes to Midtown
--Exceptionally safe
--Young professionals and families
--Progressive community
--Emory/Druid Hills a few miles away

I believe a nice condo or townhome would be within your budget.

Druid Hills is one of the more expensive areas of Atlanta. I can't imagine the cost of the historic homes and don't personally know of newer construction.
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/druidhil...ghborhood.html

hth

[K-SawDude]

I think your wife would feel extremely safe in Vinings. Definitely check it out.

If you're looking to avoid traffic into work every day, try looking in Midtown as well. There are a lot of condo highrises with deals right now which may be walkably close to your work.

I'd also recommend looking at West Midtown. There are some good deals on condos and townhouses that appeal to the exact demographic you're looking for. (I just bought a condo at White Provision this year and I LOVE the area. Lots of young singles and families all over the restaurants and shops over there every day.)

[ATL Golfer]

I'm from ATL. Here are some thoughts:

Smyrna:

Straight shot into Midtown down 75. Easy commute. A LOT of new build town homes inventory. Opportunity to pick one up at a great price. Personally, I would never live there. Mostly a lot of new build stuff...just not our taste. It is a transplant area. Not a lot of Atlanta natives looking to live there...not that it means anything.

Vinnings:

Bit more character than Smyrna. Great shopping. Townhomes/condos here can be very expensive.

Druid Hills:

Very cool part of Atlanta. Very old homes. Lots of character. Many of the homes will be very expensive, especially those large enough for a family.

Decatur:

Also a very cool part of Atlanta. Again, a lot of character. You can find homes across the board here. Affordable to very expensive. A lot of younger families, also a lot of older. Really a mix of everything here. Access to highways can be a pain. Good access to downtown/midtown.

Other areas I would check out are Murphy Chandler Park (biased, I live here). A lot of younger families mixed in with a lot of older families. You're smack dab btwn Perimeter area (shopping/restaurants) and Buckhead (more shopping/restaurants). We feel very safe and are starting a family here. Mix of affordable homes and a lot of $500k+ homes as well. GREAT access to all of the highways. Into Midtown very quickly...under 15 minutes with no traffic. With traffic, it should really never take more than 30 minutes. Not a whole lot in the way of condos/townhomes though.

[netdragon]

Vinings/Cumberland, Buckhead, Perimeter, and midtown are where you can find the glut of condos and they were overdeveloped so they are very cheap right now. If you are looking for a steal, go condo instead of townhome. For instance, you just missed a foreclosure sale of condos in the very nice Horizon at Wildwood in Cumberland but I bet there are still good deals. There are a whole bunch more on Vinings. Perhaps things like an investor looking to sell, for instance. You may want to go wholesale on the condos if you can rather than retail. There isn't the kind of risk with a condo there is with a house if you find out what areas are good. Condos built in the 80s and 90s are especially good deals. For instance, many along Spring Rd in Smyrna.

You need to find out where you'll be working before you consider where you'll live, many areas around the metro are comparable, aside from being near different employment/activity centers.

Horizon Wildwood in Cumberland:
http://cobbrealestateblog.com/images/HorizonatWildwood.jpg (broken link)

Vinings condos near the Aberdeen that people have not sold well and have been snatched up for good prices (not sure if it's the ones in the picture, but they are close by):
http://pix.idxre.com/pix/GAFMLS/main/0/3847071_0.jpg (broken link)

The Aberdeen in Vinings has some in the mid 200s:


And there are plenty of older 80s communities in the low to mid 100s in Smyrna and Vinings such as Countryside at Cumberland, Vinings Run, etc. Countryside Place below:
http://photos.clickscape.com/fmls/30/4042530/4042530_0_large.jpg (broken link)

[mttagrl]

I am not aware of any condos in Aberdeen being in the $200,000's. They are much higher as of May '10. I wish they were in the $200,000's.