ATHENS, Ga (Athens-Clarke County, Jackson, Oconee: relocating, housing, rental)

[AthensProf]

I live in Athens. I received my undergraduate degree from UGA. I went to professional school at UGA. I have lived in California, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Rome, Athens, Greece and Blacksburg, VA. As a result, I think I have a fairly good background to draw from for assessing living in Athens. A little over two years ago, I returned to Athens as a professor at UGA. Athens is no longer the great college town I so fondly recall as a student. Perhaps it is because my perspectives and priorities have changed. We actually live in Athens-Clarke County, but want out. Our side of town is somewhat rural and very quiet, but our long term plans just don't involve living in Athens. We are selling our home and considering moving to Oconee County (1st choice) or Jackson County (2nd choice).

Why are we disatisfied with Athens-Clarke? The schools are horrible. (However, Clarke Central HS was ranked in the top 3% nationwide according to a very recent article in the local paper. I didn't read the details because I am very skeptical of such ratings.) Property taxes are relatively high. One of the primary reasons is the amount of property owned by the Univeristy upon which no taxes are levied. There are also numerous public housing units throughout Athens, which again are not part of the property tax base. As a result, the property tax burden is shifted to fewer property owners. The taxes that are collected are mismanaged by the school board/county commission. Oconee and Jackson county school systems are considerably better - if you trust the numbers. Even if you don't buy into the rankings or have kids (like us), it still has an impact on property values due to the perceptions of people moving into the area.

Within Athens itself, I believe the area to live is Five Points. However, housing prices are relatively high considering what you are getting. A quick search of the Athens area MLS (http://athens.1st-place.com (broken link)) will you give you an idea of what going prices are. There has been some downward correction of prices, but IMO, they are still high for what you get. The Cobbham historic district also has some beautiful antebellum and Victorian homes, but it is very close to Athens Regional Hospital. There are also pockets of public housing units and low-end rental homes scattered throughout. Many of the streets serve as cut throughs. The foregoing doesn't bother many people, but they are definite deal breakers for us. If you are interested in in-town living or area revitalization, Five Points, Cobbham and the Boulevard districts are definitely worth investigating.

Downtown Athens has seen great revitalization with numerous restaurants, boutiques, bars and clubs, the latter catering mostly to the 35,000+ students. Lots of in-town lofts and apartments are being built. Summers in Athens are nice (high humidity, withstanding) as it becomes a much quieter town, but still lots to do. For us, living outside of Athens and visiting for entertaiment/shopping is how we envision improving our quality of life.

I must admit, I am a little frustrated and jaded regarding the Athens housing market, so the views above may be somewhat biased.

[KimoJimo]

Originally Posted by AthensProf

I live in Athens. I received my undergraduate degree from UGA. I went to professional school at UGA. I have lived in California, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Rome, Athens, Greece and Blacksburg, VA. As a result, I think I have a fairly good background to draw from for assessing living in Athens. A little over two years ago, I returned to Athens as a professor at UGA. Athens is no longer the great college town I so fondly recall as a student. Perhaps it is because my perspectives and priorities have changed. We actually live in Athens-Clarke County, but want out. Our side of town is somewhat rural and very quiet, but our long term plans just don't involve living in Athens. We are selling our home and considering moving to Oconee County (1st choice) or Jackson County (2nd choice).

Why are we disatisfied with Athens-Clarke? The schools are horrible. (However, Clarke Central HS was ranked in the top 3% nationwide according to a very recent article in the local paper. I didn't read the details because I am very skeptical of such ratings.) Property taxes are relatively high. One of the primary reasons is the amount of property owned by the Univeristy upon which no taxes are levied. There are also numerous public housing units throughout Athens, which again are not part of the property tax base. As a result, the property tax burden is shifted to fewer property owners. The taxes that are collected are mismanaged by the school board/county commission. Oconee and Jackson county school systems are considerably better - if you trust the numbers. Even if you don't buy into the rankings or have kids (like us), it still has an impact on property values due to the perceptions of people moving into the area.

Within Athens itself, I believe the area to live is Five Points. However, housing prices are relatively high considering what you are getting. A quick search of the Athens area MLS (http://athens.1st-place.com (broken link)) will you give you an idea of what going prices are. There has been some downward correction of prices, but IMO, they are still high for what you get. The Cobbham historic district also has some beautiful antebellum and Victorian homes, but it is very close to Athens Regional Hospital. There are also pockets of public housing units and low-end rental homes scattered throughout. Many of the streets serve as cut throughs. The foregoing doesn't bother many people, but they are definite deal breakers for us. If you are interested in in-town living or area revitalization, Five Points, Cobbham and the Boulevard districts are definitely worth investigating.

Downtown Athens has seen great revitalization with numerous restaurants, boutiques, bars and clubs, the latter catering mostly to the 35,000+ students. Lots of in-town lofts and apartments are being built. Summers in Athens are nice (high humidity, withstanding) as it becomes a much quieter town, but still lots to do. For us, living outside of Athens and visiting for entertaiment/shopping is how we envision improving our quality of life.

I must admit, I am a little frustrated and jaded regarding the Athens housing market, so the views above may be somewhat biased.

I agree completely. My partner and I have been slowly checking out alternative towns in Georgia or North Carolina. Athens isn't really BAD, just over rated! We never shop downtown because most of the shops look like head shops, and they also don't offer much of anything. The restaurants are mediocre, the traffic is bad ESPECIALLY downtown. Parts of Broad Street have become ghettos, sorry to say. (I'm gonna be jumped again by Athens lovers, but such is life!)

[ShellsNJam]

For those of you who have sold a home recently in Athens, what was the amount of time it took you to sell?

Using a realtor or FSBO?

Looking at Athens for relocation as spouse is considering a position at UGA, but I am concerned about being able to sell once his contract is up. One real estate site showed houses that have been listed since Sept 06 (new homes at that).

Thanks for the info!

[KimoJimo]

Originally Posted by ShellsNJam

For those of you who have sold a home recently in Athens, what was the amount of time it took you to sell?

Using a realtor or FSBO?

Looking at Athens for relocation as spouse is considering a position at UGA, but I am concerned about being able to sell once his contract is up. One real estate site showed houses that have been listed since Sept 06 (new homes at that).

Thanks for the info!

I know that when we sell we're going to go FSBO for a change. This time we won't be in a hurry. How long is the contract? It still may be cheaper to buy than rent for several years of contract, but you have probably figured that our. Houses are, in fact, still reasonable, but be very careful of the area. Very careful. I can't recommend a Realtor. Ours proved not to be much.

[AthensProf]

Days on Market (DOM) in Athens depends on so many variables that there is no standard answer. I know of homes that have been listed for three years. I know of homes that have sold in week of being listed. In fact, a house listed in the 700s and in Five Points sold in 3 days. Two or three houses just down the street from that same house have been listed for over 14 months.

That being said, average DOM is ~120-150d for the Athens MLS.

[nibseysgirl]

Originally Posted by AthensProf

I live in Athens. I received my undergraduate degree from UGA. I went to professional school at UGA. I have lived in California, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Rome, Athens, Greece and Blacksburg, VA. As a result, I think I have a fairly good background to draw from for assessing living in Athens. A little over two years ago, I returned to Athens as a professor at UGA. Athens is no longer the great college town I so fondly recall as a student. Perhaps it is because my perspectives and priorities have changed. We actually live in Athens-Clarke County, but want out. Our side of town is somewhat rural and very quiet, but our long term plans just don't involve living in Athens. We are selling our home and considering moving to Oconee County (1st choice) or Jackson County (2nd choice).

Why are we disatisfied with Athens-Clarke? The schools are horrible. (However, Clarke Central HS was ranked in the top 3% nationwide according to a very recent article in the local paper. I didn't read the details because I am very skeptical of such ratings.) Property taxes are relatively high. One of the primary reasons is the amount of property owned by the Univeristy upon which no taxes are levied. There are also numerous public housing units throughout Athens, which again are not part of the property tax base. As a result, the property tax burden is shifted to fewer property owners. The taxes that are collected are mismanaged by the school board/county commission. Oconee and Jackson county school systems are considerably better - if you trust the numbers. Even if you don't buy into the rankings or have kids (like us), it still has an impact on property values due to the perceptions of people moving into the area.

Within Athens itself, I believe the area to live is Five Points. However, housing prices are relatively high considering what you are getting. A quick search of the Athens area MLS (http://athens.1st-place.com (broken link)) will you give you an idea of what going prices are. There has been some downward correction of prices, but IMO, they are still high for what you get. The Cobbham historic district also has some beautiful antebellum and Victorian homes, but it is very close to Athens Regional Hospital. There are also pockets of public housing units and low-end rental homes scattered throughout. Many of the streets serve as cut throughs. The foregoing doesn't bother many people, but they are definite deal breakers for us. If you are interested in in-town living or area revitalization, Five Points, Cobbham and the Boulevard districts are definitely worth investigating.

Downtown Athens has seen great revitalization with numerous restaurants, boutiques, bars and clubs, the latter catering mostly to the 35,000+ students. Lots of in-town lofts and apartments are being built. Summers in Athens are nice (high humidity, withstanding) as it becomes a much quieter town, but still lots to do. For us, living outside of Athens and visiting for entertaiment/shopping is how we envision improving our quality of life.

I must admit, I am a little frustrated and jaded regarding the Athens housing market, so the views above may be somewhat biased.

Good Evening,
If I may ask what is your impression of Bogart? We have been looking into this area and have heard nice things about it as well as the schools(I have a middleschooler(6th grade) so this and HS is an important factor for our family..If you have any insight or feedback you would like to share please feel free to share...you can do so here or PM me as well...Thanks ...Take Care..Lisa

[Michelle DeRepentigny]

Part of Bogart is in Clarke County and part is in Oconee County, so it really depends on the house. Many people commute to Atlanta from Bogart and the other towns in Oconee County.

As for Clarke County, the mls breaks it up into 5 areas and all put 2 areas have had a increase of average days on the market for 2007 year to date versus the same time perior (1st two quarters) in 2006. That said we have not seen a significant drop in prices. Part of the reason for the longer days on market, in my opinion, is that inventory is about 18% higher than this time last year...so construction continues even though the market has slowed a little.

[mylifenow]

Hi just saw the post for Ft. Collins. My husband and I lived there for 18 years, from 1980 - 1998. It's a buyers market, a lot of foreclosures right now. People are very acceptiing of different outlooks, they were split in the last presidential election, so conservative, unlike Boulder. Low crime, easy going place, nicely restored Downtown. The summers have been hot lately, about 3 weeks of 90 +, very dry. Winters start Oct 30th or so and end by May 1, with very little snow, and can have days in the 60's in Feb. Then you can get 18" of snow in March. It's a good place to live, good for families.

[juliehaley]

Lots of posts which need a respons . . .Athens is Great! I've been here for 18 years. I live on the East Side very close to Oconee County, in a friendly, cute, mid-$100's neighborhood. I have never had anyone knock on my door and ask for money, so the person who posted that maybe lived in a different part of town. There is also the Montissori Private School here; it takes a unique perspective which gives the kids a greater control at an earlier age over which courses they choose to persue, but some parents may not like their "learn at their own rate" methods. Whit Davis Elementary School is good, but I don't know much about the middle and high schools. The best part about Athens for younger families or retirees is that it is a small town feel, yet we have everything you would find in a bigger city - theatre, concerts, dining, parks, sports, shopping, etc. Costs of everything is relatively low, because it is geared towards the college students. Students and football fans bring in so much business; most big projects are helped along by SPLOSTS. Bugs and snakes aren't any worse here than anywhere else in the state (I've actually never seen a snake in all of my 18 years of gardening here). I'm a Georgia BullDawgs Fan, but still - the biggest problem I see anyone having here is: don't plan to leave the house on game Saturdays!!! It doesn't matter which side of town you live in, you aren't getting anywhere anytime quickly. Oh, and Athens Regional and St. Mary's hospitals have both improved greatly over the past 18 years, and we have tons of doctors of every type in town. I'm hoping the person who said medical service is bad hasn't lived here for a while. I've haven't had any issues since I got out of school and stopped using the UGA Medical Services!
Hope some of this info helps. I love living in Athens.

[salo13]

I lived in Athens for 11 years, up to 2004. In that time period Athens changed drastically. At the time I arrived there, Athens had a much more "loose" way of doing things. Over time it became more conservative and more geared toward the tailgating football crowd and less toward the arts and music, as it was when I first lived there.

I would say Athens is a great city to spend your 20's in, as I did (as rents are quite cheap), but after that it started to seem like a gilded cage and I found myself looking elsewhere. It really is a great place as far as small cities go, and I would certainly prefer living in Athens to Atlanta living. The surrounding rural counties have lots of great parks and places to hike, such as Watson Mill. Athens does have its charms, but it also a town that is ideologically at war with itself -- bohemian -vs- frat boy -- and this cultural disparity became more and more apparent as time went on there.