Georgia...getting to be like Florida? (Atlanta, Dawson: extended stay, real estate market, 2010)

[AJ67]

Currently we reside in Central Florida, its getting to expensive and over crowded here, not to mention not alot of English speaking people...we are orgionally from Michigan and have been living in florida for 8 yrs, and we have no intention of going that far back up..Im not a big proponet of the Heat here, I do like the change of season.
My husband has one Criteria for a place that we may move to ...
the snow must not stick to the ground...LOl i know funny hUH?...
I love North Georgia and South Carolina area ( boarder)
I had seen where someone had said on here that Georgia is becoming the "New Florida".
I sure hope not as florida has become a bit low class in my opinion...
Any info on this area of Georgia would be helpful!
thanks

[atlantagreg30127]

It depends on where you live in Georgia, but more specifically you are seeing the number of varied people moving into metro Atlanta. Rural Georgia is still pretty much rural Georgia, unless you're in a high agricultural area or carpet area in which case yes, you will see a high number of Mexican immigrants looking for work in the mills and fields.

In the Atlanta area you will see a very growing mix of immigrants from all over. In some areas it may be wealthy South Americans moving in or those from certain Middle Eastern countries. In others, it may be Chinese or Korean folks. In others Africans or Indians. It's really very mixed and there's no way to compare it generically to Florida as Florida is also very diverse depending on where you are down there.

I live in West Cobb. In some areas, the Mexican and South American population is growing. In my particular area we're seeing a lot of Jamaican and Haitian immigrants moving in (and yes, around here that is causing some cultural-clash issues).

So if you decide to move up this way, it's best to scout out an area first, then ask folks in the forums about the mix in that particular area. Or, just spend some time in a hotel or rent an extended stay place and mix around the local stores and restaurants to see who is in that area.

[gabound]

Originally Posted by AJ67

I sure hope not as florida has become a bit low class in my opinion...
Any info on this area of Georgia would be helpful!
thanks

Gosh, what part of Florida are you talking about? As it's a fairly large state... especially since I live in South Florida and it's becoming more and more upper class! That's why so many people are vacating, it's just not affordable!

[Need_affordable_home]

Georgia is borderline unaffordable in metro Atlanta. The nice houses all seem to be around $200k. You can get a nice one for $150k but its like half the size, might as well get twice the house for a third more money. No one can determine if prices will drop or if they are going up! I will look into the more rural areas such as small towns for the best deals. It doesnt matter since im self employeed. I just need a few stores nearby to buy food and cloth and im set. If said town is 2 hours or less from Atlanta, this is a plus as I can drive to Atlanta once a month to buy lots of stuff!

[PMV]

We are moving from the Toronto (Canada) area where you can't get anything half decent for under $350,000! Our mortgage is going to go down by $100,000!!

[CityFan]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

No one can determine if prices will drop or if they are going up! I will look into the more rural areas such as small towns for the best deals. It doesnt matter since im self employeed.

I assume the prices will go up if interest rates on mortgage stay low. The demand is there due to population growth. Any convenient location in a nice neighborhood is always most saught after. As land is scarce in the nice neighborhood, prices likely will go up. Sellers are well informed of real estate market, so they tend to mark up their prices high. Also houses frequently changing hands in the neighborhoods are marked up more than those in less active neighborhood because realtors push up the prices everytime there is a transaction.

[Need_affordable_home]

If prices are too high, a correction must follow. Is Atlanta Georgia immune from the correction because prices are not so high to be unaffordable to middle class people? I dont really need Georgia if I cant find a good deal there, OH and WV have good deals all over!

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by gabound

Gosh, what part of Florida are you talking about? As it's a fairly large state... especially since I live in South Florida and it's becoming more and more upper class! That's why so many people are vacating, it's just not affordable!

I interpreted her use of the word 'class' to mean more like 'decorum', and not really 'wealthy', per se.

[Georgia]

I don't think Florida has become "low class" nor do I think Florida is nowhere near upperclass. The issues in Florida are equal to California. Overpopulation.
California for example now has a higher population than Canada, Florida is pushing the 18 million population mark and is estimated to eclipse 20 million by the 2010 census. This provides a growth rate of over 1 million per year. No infrastructure can handle this. One can only think of the overall strains on the environment, the educational system, and the drain on the overall tax base. With the above don't forget to add the cost of the estimated 2 million illegals in the state of Florida. There is your ever rising property tax issue!

With Florida's flu, the state has already given Georgia a cold. Georgia with the overall influx from NY and NJ on a daily basis is now under invasion from three fronts. California, Florida, and Mexico.
For now things are lower priced in Ga now compared to Florida, but for how long.
Review the above under Georgia. In 2006 Georgia's population hit the 9 million mark and is estimated to clear 14 million by the 2010 census. The Atlanta metroplex added 129,000 faces in 2005 alone. The strain is starting to hit here now, thus the cold. Jammed highways, increasing property taxes, and don't forget Georgia has a 6% income tax unlike Florida. Kids in trailers due to school overcrowding. Illegals creating a hemmorage on the social system (Gwinnett taxpayers funded over 2 million in unpaid medical bills last year alone)and pollution. Atlanta's smog level is catching up to LA during the hot summer months.

Call me a synic, but if folks are running away from where they are to find a home on the cheap and the utopian dream, then I feel they are chasing fiction. All one needs to do is travel the world and see what a sea of wall to wall bodies does to an area. When folks come in droves, higher prices, higher taxes, higher crime, and lower standards of living will not be far behind.

Georgia is a lovely state. Rabun County on the SC border is beautiful, but will lack jobs. Many retired folks live there. Is the concrete jungle there yet? No. But it has already hit Dawson County, closing in on White and Lumpkin, and under the current pace it will catch Rabun.

I kind of look at it this way. We will have in a few decades under the current pace: Atlanta, Atlantalina, Atlantabama, and Atlantanooga

Just some thoughts.

[Need_affordable_home]

If Georgian house prices catch up with Florida, few people will want to live in Georgia when they can live in Florida instead! Not gonna happen, Georgia will always be cheaper. I was thinking of considering Georgia but I guess ill probably just choose a small town in WV or OH where none of the problems exist and houses are dirt cheap.