Back from house hunting! loooonnng account (Atlanta, Savannah: to rent, condos, assessor)

[gamecock43]

hey guys,
I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Savannah, and wanted to share my experiences there...
I still love the city, nothing compares. I really hope to live there soon.

I will be starting a seperate 'wedding in Savannah' thread because I spent alot of time wedding planning there and have lots of vendor opinions for would be brides...
But first, to give you a house hunting account because that what I have been discussing on the boards the last few months.

I am disapointed to say it's not going to be as easy as I hoped to buy a historical Savannah house.

I had contacted a realtor (who so far has been honest and awsome but I dont know if I can say his name on the board) and sent him 8 houses I wanted to check out while in Savannah. I have done EXTENSIVE research on these 8 houses online.
I am looking for a fixer upper in a developing neighborhood so I have the oppertunity to learn and challenge myself, making a building into a home at a price affordable to a first time home buyer. I was hoping to get my forever home and in 5-8 yrs the house would be magnificient. Ha! Thats the optimist in me thinking.

I have looked at county assessor websites on these houses, I looked at county pictures of other houses on that street, I asked around about the neighborhood...I exhausted all research at my disposal from 1500 miles away from Savannah.
Pictures do not capture the true neighborhood. The words "area of active restoration" mean "was fixed up so it is in livable condition", and any pictures provided in a listing are truly the absolute best points of the house and it is safe to assume that the rest of the house is not in the same condition. (this is a generalization of course)

To get to the first house on my list, the house I was most interested in- I drove through some very nerve wrenching neighborhoods. I pulled in front of the house and the pictures do not capture the true essence of the house. Siding had been replaced by aluminum siding, paint from the trim had dripped down the front of the house, the bricks were rotted, the front porch was slanted-- It was livable (because there was someone living there-actually in there when I walked in with the realtor) but needed alot of work, which I was prepared for, but the 'restored' aspects was shoddy work.
Inside I questioned the realtor about the neighborhood. I was jumpy about the neighborhood but didnt know if it was my nerves or the atmosphere. The realtor was a little vaugue as to how rough the neighborhood was. So I asked him if "he had a daughter"- to which he promtly said "No."
I entered the neighborhood thinking I am confident, I am street smart, I am open minded, and having lived in the Virgin Islands, Atlanta, Boston- Savannah would be no sweat. I can handle crime. I can handle poverty. I tell you every hair on my head was on edge during the whole house hunt experience.

It didnt seem like a matter of being friendly or street smart, I just felt like I was a huge target because I stuck out so much, and there were plenty of men sitting on their front porches or walking down the street to immediately notice I was in the neighborhood. I dont want to sound whiny or racist, but as a female, I know when I am being sized up and at my age I just dont have the fearless attitude that I had a few years ago where I could just tell myself that as long as I am friendly then there will be no problems.

I just couldnt get it through my ignorant head how the neighborhood could be so rough when there was a line of 5-6 houses next door that had been beautifully restored. (on the outside at least). And the house I was looking at was priced at almost 250k and was in need of ALOT of work. I guess I still wonder that.

After about 10 min in the 1st house I asked the realtor to just take me to the listings that I could safely live in. He took me to one more house that was in ?maybe? a more comfortable neighborhood, I wasnt there a whole long time but didnt get as hostile a vibe, but was still on edge. The house was BEAUTIFUL, and was the finished product of what I had been hoping to do. The inside was a suprise because it didnt match the neighborhood looks at all. But the asking price was less than the first price, and since the (also present) owner had obviously put ALOT of money in the house, I image she is not going to see a return on the investment. That was an eye opening sight, that location really does influence the resale value. I wouldnt have been able to afford this house in a better location.

We left that house because of the neighborhood it just wasnt an option.

Thats all I saw. The other listings were in equal or worse neighborhoods so I said to skip them.
The realtor gave me the whole "dont be disapointed, this is a long process" speech, and told me to consider a half duplex, or condo closer in town. I am kind of burned out on the whole thing right now, but will def look into that. I still love Savannah. It just has neighborhoods that are not safe. Same as every other city in America.

I guess I still am not understanding the economics of it all. I thought I was looking in a 'middle class' price range type (thats a generalization but hopefully you guys get what I'm trying to express) and I am just not understanding what a middle class price range is in Savannah. Does 250k not get you into that area? I was really wanting to get a forever home. A home to really put work and effort into. Does 250k get you into a starter condo? And then to get a historical 'house' building in a safer neighborhood, is that just in the half million range because there is a finite amount and they have all been renovated to the hilt? Or are there still Victorians in safe neighborhoods that need work and could be affordable to me?
I know Savannah works off tourism...how do people live here and save enough money to get into these houses in safe neighborhoods?
Am I just being really ignorant and immature asking these questions?

And for other house hunters out there- dont trust the listing, you must see it in person to really see details that a camera does not capture. Cameras just dont take pictures of everything. BUT!! Savannah is beautiful, the people in the historic district are just so nice. I met with alot of people while wedding planning and loved the "ask me anything, I will help you" atmosphere.

I went out 2 nights in a row- one night on River st till 1am, and another night on Congress street till 3:30am (ouch!) and felt totally safe, even though me and another girl walked several blocks that late at night to get to our hotel.

The vibe or atmosphere changes, your stomach tightens up, and you inherently know when you are passing through an area that you dont want to be in. I feel that if you listen to your gut, you learn those areas then you will be fine. And I did do plenty of driving through scary areas during the day while getting lost and was safe. I just made sure not to get lost after dark.

The realtor suggested Tybee island if I want a forever house and will be having kids in a few years. Is Tybee historical- or suburban? I dont want to sound whiny, but I feel like if it's a suburban area then whats the point of living in Savannah, I can get that in Florida where I live now.

[Padgett2]

Oh dear!! What an experience! One of the problems that we have answering posters is that we don't really know who the poster is, or what the poster is used to. And we can't come right out and ask certain questions. So, we hem and haw and suggest other things.

I would hazzard a guess that ALL the uptown victorian type house are going to be either very expensive or in the "transitional" (read: could have BIG problems) stages.

There are historic communities around. Some will have the Victorian type construction. The Isle of Hope area is one. People are actually buying the 1950 ranchstyle, tearing it down and building the more historical looking home on the Island. Vernon View and Montgomery are two other older communites that date w-a-a-ay back. Tybee is easily considered Historical. It goes back to before the Civil War. You just have to get aquainted with Savannah. We have much, much more than tourism to keep us going. Even some of those places that have what you would think of as suburbian, will have a lot of charm.

At the present time, the feeling is that property has been overvalued for the last few years. We are beginning to see a return to more sensible pricing. When will it be more realistic?? Goodness knows.

Rent in a good neighborhood. There are many. Plan on staying there long enough to find yourself just what you want. As you have seen, it would be real easy to buy a complete disaster.

There are a few new developments that are building in the Victorian style. Lovely homes even if they are new. That might be something that you would like to think about.

[ellie]

Will you be mad at me if I said that I tried to tell you so but you wouldn't listen?


You had me hoping you'd prove me wrong.

[gamecock43]

My fiance and I just looked at Realtor.com with fresh eyes. The pictures are so misleading now that I am more familiar with the city. We hope to both come back to Savannah in September to look again. Our realtor knows me now and we will just let him guide us this time.
It seems that when looking for historical buildings, there is either lower class neighborhoods or "rich neighborhoods". I know E Jones street is really rich, but most everything else seems rich or bad. Where is the middle class living? In the 800sq ft condos in the rich neighborhoods?
And I guess we are open to Ardsley park or Tybee island, but its hard letting go of the previous dream.
I wish I didnt go house hunting with my future mother in law, she has already started telling other family members that Savannah is unaffordable or really dangerous. grrr...its frusterating. I dont like people judging Savannah harshly based on a few bad neighborhoods. Then people look at me like I live in la la land for thinking I could move there. She did love the historic district, but she's from up north and was stcker shocked at the food, ect. prices down in Savannah. Everyone has a notion that the South is very inexpensive, and should be even when you are shopping in the 'Manhatten' area of Savannah.
I am going to rent in Savannah and do this all slowly. grrr...time to come up with a new gameplan.

[gamecock43]

You had me hoping you'd prove me wrong.
I was really hoping to prove you wrong. trust me. No. you did tell me so. I just am the type of person who needs to see something to believe it. I am a mix of overconfidence and defiance. I still hold this dream that something will come up...if I wait long enough and hope hard enough.
But that small flame of hope is competing with impatience so we will see what holds out longer, if I end up with an 800 sqft condo on Whitaker st, or a 1900 sq ft house.

[ellie]

It will take you some time and greater familiarity with the city. I imagine that there will be Victorian homes that you can afford.

As for the middle class? Most of the ones who are still downtown bought in years ago, before things got to be so expensive.

The rest live in neighborhoods scattered throughout the city.

You probably won't be able to afford anything in Ardsley Park either. Look in Thunderbolt. It's pretty cool.

[boilrmkr]

The middle class here lives in the suburbs of Savannah where there is less crime and better school. Look at the police department's map of crime in Savannah and you will see that the most concentrated area of crime is downtown. Did you happen to see the "projects" surrounding the historic district. I don't know if you heard but last week 2 men were shot in Ardsley Park. One can't talk and the other can't walk. I have always heard Ardsley Park is a nice area.

Something else to think about if you are looking for a forever house is the schools. If you have children or you are planning to eventually you should always think schools first house second. You can look up schools in greatschools.net. If you have the money send the kids to private schools but be warned they are very expensive.

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by Padgett2

Oh dear!! What an experience! One of the problems that we have answering posters is that we don't really know who the poster is, or what the poster is used to. And we can't come right out and ask certain questions. So, we hem and haw and suggest other things.

I would hazzard a guess that ALL the uptown victorian type house are going to be either very expensive or in the "transitional" (read: could have BIG problems) stages.

There are historic communities around. Some will have the Victorian type construction. The Isle of Hope area is one. People are actually buying the 1950 ranchstyle, tearing it down and building the more historical looking home on the Island. Vernon View and Montgomery are two other older communites that date w-a-a-ay back. Tybee is easily considered Historical. It goes back to before the Civil War. You just have to get aquainted with Savannah. We have much, much more than tourism to keep us going. Even some of those places that have what you would think of as suburbian, will have a lot of charm.

At the present time, the feeling is that property has been overvalued for the last few years. We are beginning to see a return to more sensible pricing. When will it be more realistic?? Goodness knows.

Rent in a good neighborhood. There are many. Plan on staying there long enough to find yourself just what you want. As you have seen, it would be real easy to buy a complete disaster.

There are a few new developments that are building in the Victorian style. Lovely homes even if they are new. That might be something that you would like to think about.

Are there many builders in your area that do reproduction new houses?
Like a classic four square? where he pulled the plans from an old house's..they call them Southern Living Style homes I think...Poole is one..what do they usually cost per square foot in savannah..do you know? You seem very knowledgeable...and smart~

[bgnzsavnh]

Originally Posted by 12buttons

Are there many builders in your area that do reproduction new houses?
Like a classic four square? where he pulled the plans from an old house's..they call them Southern Living Style homes I think...Poole is one..what do they usually cost per square foot in savannah..do you know? You seem very knowledgeable...and smart~

Rice Hope, Tradition, Godley Park
try to recreate the HD.

[dusti]

Unfortunately as a realtor, we can't tell about "good vs bad" neighborhoods. It's illegal and we could get in serious trouble. But I do understand your frustration. I deal with it all the time.

The pictures don't show the entire neighborhood, so a listing can look awesome online and then you pull up and think that the owners are crazy for wanting so much for the house!

I'm sorry it was a disappointing experience and it's interesting that your realtor suggested Tybee. Prices are SO inflated out there and honestly there's not much out there except for the beach and a few good restaurants. There are some historic homes, but they are ridiculously priced. You'd have to drive into Savannah for a lot of your entertainment.