Smyrna brick homes or townhomes advise about crime please (Alpharetta: for sale, 2013)

[GA2013]

I see brick homes & townhomes available for around 100,000. Would the homes in this price range be in a decent area? Its just is that my husband & I looking to downsize so that price range would be good for us. We were looking in Kennesaw & Woodstock area and like it but it seems that Smyrna is much closer to things & more going on. What is your opinion? Do you think that Smyrna is a better location? I see that Smyrna's crime level is much higher on the Sperling's ratings. Is this accurate?

[lorilove]

Smyrna is a great place to live. I live in a townhome and we had a couple of units for sale that were 100,000 or less (foreclosures). These properties were in need of immediate repair and had not been upgraded since originally built (1980's)

They were definitely bargains for anyone that could do much of the repairs on their own and/or likes to renovate and make a place unique.

There are also many older 1960/70 era homes with carports that are gems just waiting to be upgraded.

So yes you can find something around 100,000 but typically not one that won't need some level of repair or upgrading

Overall crime in Smyrna is not an issue as long as you stay south of Windy Hill

[GA2013]

Thanks lori! Do you like Smyrna better then Kennesaw or Woodstock areas? How would compare them?

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by GA2013

Thanks lori! Do you like Smyrna better then Kennesaw or Woodstock areas? How would compare them?

Smyrna is the ideal location for someone (me) that does not want to live too far outside the perimeter. My personal life is almost 100% inside or at the perimiter. I have family in Alpharetta and the ability to hop on 285 quickly makes that a relatively easy drive.

I would have never considered living far out in Kennesaw or Woodstock unless I had a family with school age children.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by GA2013

I see brick homes & townhomes available for around 100,000. Would the homes in this price range be in a decent area? Its just is that my husband & I looking to downsize so that price range would be good for us. We were looking in Kennesaw & Woodstock area and like it but it seems that Smyrna is much closer to things & more going on. What is your opinion? Do you think that Smyrna is a better location? I see that Smyrna's crime level is much higher on the Sperling's ratings. Is this accurate?

It all depends on WHERE in Smyrna. Areas along the northern boundary close to the Air Reserve Base are probably less safe than areas in the southern part of the city. The areas immediately adjacent to South Cobb are also sometimes not so good.

Don't speculate ... use online tools to verify crime locations like this one:

Cobb County, GA Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Cobb County - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here

[GA2013]

Thanks Lori, I know that you get more for your money in a house when you go to Kennesaw or Woodstock but we are more concerned about location. Would you say that the cost of living in Smyrna is the same as Kennesaw? Thanks for sharing the info it is very helpful.

[GA2013]

thanks rcstiner, im going to check the map out

[westau]

I could see some townhomes going for that being in ok areas but not single family homes unless they need a LOT of work. There are nice areas of Smyrna but as a whole it just isn't going to be as nice as most of Kennesaw or Woodstock. It is closer to town than the other two but there are parts of Smyrna that are far enough from the interstates that it could take just as long or longer to get into town as it would from a lot of Kennesaw. The traffic can also be very bad in the Cobb Parkway/Windy Hill, Spring Rd area.

[GA2013]

Great info westau, were would the decent townhomes be? Do you have any names of the townhomes that would be in that range? I seen some bricks that look pretty decent by the mall and Smyrna Square. Is that a good area?

[lorilove]

One thing to keep in mind with a townhome is do you want one with a Homeowners Association that takes care of the yard and exterior of the property or do you want one that is Fee Simple where it is no different than a SFR - you are responsible for everything.

Most new townhomes have a HOA but in Smyrna there are older townhomes that are fee simple. HOA fees typically are 200+. You can typically afford a more expensive home if there is no monthly HOA fee (of course that only works in the theory that you can afford maintenance and upkeep when those issues occur)