Sandy Springs for young proffesionals?? (Atlanta, Roswell: condo, houses, safe area)

[illdeezy]

Hi, my fiancé and I will be relocating next year to the Metro Atlanta area from the UK as we are tired of the quality of life down here. London can be great city at times but it is very expensive, weather is poor and the people are miserable on most occasions. We will be running an online business from home so we would not need to necessarily commute. We are looking for a young vibrant community of professionals ( it doesn’t have to be ITP ). I am a sucker for scenery as I currently live by a river with the London skyline facing it.

One of the main things that attracted me to Atlanta was it’s lush trees along with the low cost of living, friendly people and weather. I have been to a few areas which would I found appealing like Camp Creek, Druid Hills and Buckhead. We don’t mind living in the suburbs just as long as the demographic of people isn’t too old ( late twenties – mid 30s ). I heard Sandy Springs is a nice area for people like us and is a safe area to live and more importantly it is not too far from the city core. Would you recommend this area or would you suggest other scenic places for young professionals? Please bear in mind that our budget is $400k. Your input is welcome.

[ATL Golfer]

I wouldn't call Sandy Springs a young community.

There are spots with young families, but as it is a well established area, there are going to be a lot of older residents as well.

What is your price range?

[illdeezy]

$400k

[Raze]

My wife and I are young professionals without children and had a condo in the SE corner of SS for three years until we sold it last year and bought a house in Dunwoody. We liked SS quite a bit, it gives great access to all parts of the city since you can go against traffic patterns east and west (but into and out of the city can still be slow). We love the Sandy Springs but we also love Perimeter Mall area and we actually moved 2 miles west into the Georgetown area of Dunwoody (SW corner). It might seem like no big change but it's the difference between Fulton County tax rates and Dekalb County. That being said one of the best elementary schools (Austin) is in Sandy Springs and the new Sandy Springs Highschool is excellent, but guess what, you have to pay to play. Small older SS houses will run you $300k to get into those school zones. Dunwoody isn't bad on the school front, but you can get much larger homes in the same area with much lower tax rates. And while Dunwoody is also a much more established community like SS, it has a real town feel between Mt.Vernon/Chamblee Rd crossing. Sandy Springs has Roswell Rd. Dunwoody has Perimeter Mall, both have MARTA.

[vince217]

How about considering Brookhaven, which is right beside Sandy Springs and just below Dunwoody?

[illdeezy]

We currently don't have any kids at the moment. Brookhaven is a great area actually, ideal as it is near Buckhead, is this area lively?

[ATL Golfer]

$400k may not buy much in Sandy Springs and Brookhaven. Areas I would check out.

- Murphy Candler Park Area: I am highly biased b/c this is where I live. Very active. People out and about on the sidewalks all hours of the day. $400k will buy you a nice home and good school district (Montgomery Elementary). You have a nice lake to walk around (rare ITP). My wife and I are from Sandy Springs and know Atlanta very well. This is where we chose to live. Eventually we would like to get lc

- Dunwoody: Lots of parks, lakes/ponds, good housing at that price point. I would say it is a little skewed towards the older crowd, but there are a lot of young families.

- Virginia Highlands: $400k won't buy you much here, but the lifestyle is probably exactly what you are looking for.

[sith]

i would consider acworth. lots of nice subdivisions within your price range. about 40 plus percent of residents are between 25 and 44...so median age is 30 or 31. you would not be very far from lake allatoona.

[vince217]

Originally Posted by illdeezy

We currently don't have any kids at the moment. Brookhaven is a great area actually, ideal as it is near Buckhead, is this area lively?

Like ATL_Golfer, I live in the Murphey Candler Park Area (which I consider as the northern part of Brookhaven) so I am biased too. As he said, its a very active neighborhood, lots of young families as well as older ones. Aside from the lake, there are lots of parks, soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, etc.

The area of Brookhaven itself has a couple of restaurants and bars and does have a nightlife. Its also easy to go to practically anywhere in Atlanta due to its location ITP and near GA 400. You also get the choice of whether to shop in Perimeter Mall or Lenox Mall / Phipps Plaza.

[Raze]

Remember this one fact about Atlanta housing, areas further outside the Perimeter are getting hammered price wise, I would stay away from Acworth for that reason alone. You want to be in as close as you can afford, and then look for what you want but be willing to compromise. Schools make a huge difference in price, stick to these basic tenants and you'll fare better in the long run in the ATL real-estate market. I have friends in Kennesaw and Marietta who have lost 30% of their home value in the last 3 years, the areas ATL Golfer and Vince are recommending as am I are standing pat or gaining. Since Buckhead is out of your price range, Murphy Candler Park, Nancy Creek, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs are your best bet. FWIW my wife and I almost bought in the MCP area before deciding on Dunwoody.