Where to live if you work near Perimeter Mall? (Atlanta: sales, foreclosures)

[rdu_2_atl_or_bust]

The Future

In about 3-4 months, I'm starting a new job in Atlanta that assigns me a company vehicle to drive and haul equipment from job site to job site. The office I will drive to in the morning is located at Perimeter Mall on Hammond.

The Present

I am living in Raleigh now in a 1200 sq ft condo 2br/2ba now with cats and I look at it as a place to sleep, eat breakfast, and shower. I got in for just about $110k and my HOA is $120/m -- it is a serious no frills condo that is very humble. I do a reverse commute -- I have minimal traffic going in or coming home at night. I love watching the snarl of cars on the other side of the highway just sitting there (slooowly) going the other direction. Hah! I'm single, no kids, and I do not care about how good/bad schools are outside of how my tax dollars are spent.

Considerations

I noticed that there is a Marta station there but considering the amount of stuff I have to carry, so much for that being convenient and good for the environment. Heh!

I've been reading through these forums for a while and noticed there are a few schools of thought on work to home commutes:

a) live as close as possible to work (i.e. don't be part of the problem)
b) live where you can reverse commute (i.e. the non-obvious path)
c) live where you will be happiest (i.e. shopping, shows, schools)

My preference in order would be: c, b, a

Also, with regard to finding a new place to live, I am only interested in a condo or a loft that is similar in price as I don't really care about amenities that take an HOA from $200/m to $500/m -- seriously, that's like rent! As I have a view of a parking lot and a bush right now, I can't imagine Atlanta could be any worse

Also, considering I only use half my condo now, I could easily live in 700-800 sq ft of space. I do have concerns about crime not so much in what people might steal from me, but in what insurance rates are per month on a condo. I like that today I can walk a half mile on sidewalks and pick up groceries or eat pizza. For shopping I have to drive now or do the Amazon e-commerce thing.

I read there are somewhere around 9000 condos on the market or being built now, so I have no delusions that a condo is a way to have tax deduction "rent" but I'm not keen on buying into something I'd sell at a huge loss in 3-5 year either.

The Questions

Since I am heading to Perimeter Mall in the morning, is there an area of Atlanta that I could live that doesn't exacerbate urban sprawl (i.e. the burbs) but won't make me want to drive my truck over a ravine to escape traffic?

A person at my office suggested I live downtown and then reverse commute back to Perimeter Mall. Is that realistic?

With all these foreclosures and fire sales going on with condos and lofts I've seen listed (huge price drops!) is this only going to become a better buyers market?

Assuming that I'll probably have to take on a bigger mortgage, is there an investment to be made in a condo or loft now?

I've looked at the traffic webcams periodically but I haven't been able to determine what is the worst place to be and when. Is there a place to avoid no matter what if you have to drive?

From some of my reading there appear to be crazy property taxes compared to NC. So, if I was to live in a revitalized area or development, how does tax abatement work in Atlanta?

[wxjay]

What's your price range (you failed to mention that)? $110k will NOT get you too much here except in some not-so-great areas.

Living in Dunwoody would accomplish both (c) and (a). There are lots of condos in that area, though many of them are pricy. However, you can find some decent priced 1 bedroom places in some complexes like Park Towers 1 (on Hammond and just up the road from Publix and the mall) as well as some on Peachtree-Dunwoody (i.e., The Oaks of Dunwoody). You can also try over on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, though that area is a little less nice than Dunwoody.

I would really suggest NOT doing downtown to live and then to work at Perimeter. The main reason is that even though it may be a "reverse commute", it really isn't because GA 400 southbound in the afternoon all the way to the downtown connector is a nightmare on many days.

[rdu_2_atl_or_bust]

Originally Posted by wxjay

What's your price range (you failed to mention that)? $110k will NOT get you too much here except in some not-so-great areas.

(cut)

The main reason is that even though it may be a "reverse commute", it really isn't because GA 400 southbound in the afternoon all the way to the downtown connector is a nightmare on many days.

I'm planning on a price range around $250k since the units I've seen over $250k are way too fancy for my tastes -- they are pretty don't get me wrong -- I'm just used to spartan digs I guess. I'm also suspect of the vast difference in HOA fees from RDU to ATL. I can't deal with HOA over $200.

That's great advice on the downtown commute question. Thanks!

When does GA 400 ease up for southbound? 7pm? 8pm? I also noticed there are side streets on Google Maps when I select "Avoid highways". Is it fair to assume those roads are just as congested as GA 400?

[Mrs. Garrison]

I would suggest living near MARTA...there is a station at Perimeter so your commute would not need to include traffic congestion, and a commute from Downtown or Midtown would be very simple.

Other than that, I would suggest living very near Perimeter. With the traffic, it's crazy to live in one area and work in another.

[wxjay]

HOAs under $200/month are tough for condos in the Perimeter/north Atlanta area. You might find newer townhome and single family home communities with those HOAs, but then going for $250K might not make it.

[rdu_2_atl_or_bust]

Originally Posted by wxjay

HOAs under $200/month are tough for condos in the Perimeter/north Atlanta area. You might find newer townhome and single family home communities with those HOAs, but then going for $250K might not make it.

That's great information, thanks! I noticed from some of the HOA community minutes that non-payment is a problem in some of the areas I've checked. Unfortunately many of the community websites don't have recent minutes posted.

[spacelord75]

Check out Sandy Springs or maybe Vinings or Buckhead. Buckhead is the furthest south I would go. Everyone's right - I actually live in D'woody and commute into Midtown and I thank God daily that I am not headed southbound into town when I look on the other side of the wall heading home...does not make sense, but with the way everything is spread out in Atlanta, not much does in terms of traffic patterns.

[rdu_2_atl_or_bust]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Garrison

I would suggest living near MARTA...there is a station at Perimeter so your commute would not need to include traffic congestion, and a commute from Downtown or Midtown would be very simple.

Other than that, I would suggest living very near Perimeter. With the traffic, it's crazy to live in one area and work in another.

Right, but since I am driving a truck to work for the job the MARTA is nice for my social needs but not so much for work.

So, it sounds like I'm really looking to live as close to work as possible which might include being close to the MARTA since there is one there.

Thanks!

[JBnC]

One of my freinds works in that area and lives intown in the East Atlanta Village Area. It's affordable and cool where she lives. However, she does not really get to live there cause she lives in hre car. The commute from there, to any where, including intown, is terrible. Unless you can pull a 7-4 shift, I would not recommend.