Apartment search in Sandy Springs (Atlanta, Roswell: real estate, affordable apartments, lease)

[akkyy21]

1. Budget : $1000 - $1200 / month (Rent)
2. House/Condo/Townhome? - Apartment
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) - First month walking or public transport, will get a car after that
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? - Important for first 2 months
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. - Just want the community to be super safe

So, I have been going mad on the internet looking for apartments in Sandy Springs. My office will be located on 5555 Glenridge Connector. Following are the apartments that I have found and are close by. I need opinions / reviews or suggestions for other apartments.

Glenridge Walk - 5385 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342 2
Walton Ashwood - 1000 Ashwood Pkwy 3 (This one is actually a little far - 3.0 miles)
Windsor at Glenridge - 5610 Glenridge Drive NE Suite 100, Sandy Springs, GA 30342

Please let me know if there are safe communities to check out in the same area.

Thank you!

[frankieg73]

Short answer: I have only been here 3months but I don't think there is a bad area of either Dunwoody or Sandy Springs. These towns are so shiny new and look like they were all built 2 weeks ago.

Longer answer:
Perimeter Center seems to be the center of the well-paying job market in ATL. Most of your more desirable jobs in this market are in downtown, midtown, and the Rt 400 corridor from Perimter Center all the way up to Alpharetta. Of course there are good jobs outside these areas, but because ao many good paying jobs are found in these areas, real estate in and around these areas tend to be higher, real estate moves more quickly, and traffic is very heavy.

The subway doesn't offer many routes, though there is a stop just a few blocks from your new job. There are a number of bus routes. But overall, if you want to stick to public transportation, you are severely limiting your housing search, although your budget isn't bad. You might be able to find a place near one of the two northmost stations on the red line within your budget, and both of those stations are in nice areas. Dunwoody and Sandy Springs are nice towns with plenty of shopping and 30 minutes away from downtown by subway. In your budget you can find modern, affordable apartments in your price range, though they will likely be small. I can tell you that real estate moves very quickly so if you find something you like you should grab it.

www.trulia.com has a map feature that shows crime statistics if you are interested.

[ElleKaye]

OK, as it stands right now for access to work, Glenridge Walk seems to be your best option. MARTA does not run on Glenridge Connector where you will be working, but you'd only have to walk just under half a mile to get to work. Perhaps you could get a short term lease like 3 months and by then you'll have a car and can take a moment to evaluate the surrounding area and regroup.

Pretty much all of the apartments on Glenridge Drive headed toward Roswell Road are good. I like some better than others like Charleston Court and some less than others like The Stratford, but they are safe.

Your issue with not having a car for the first couple of months is that MARTA service on Glenridge Drive is limited to 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. That's coupled with nothing really but restaurants in the immediate vicinity. Grocery shopping and general errands are going to be a pain without a car.

If you move to the Glenridge Drive area where Glenridge Walk is, then at least you'll have easy access to said restaurants. Otherwise, I'd get as close to Roswell Road as possible on Glenridge Drive so that you can at least have better public transit since that Roswell Rd bus is a regular running bus.

Now, if I were going to do it, I'd opt for an apt on Ashford Dunwoody Rd near Perimeter Mall like Gables Metropolitan. You'd still be stuck with the same restrictive hours for travel on Glenridge Ridge going to and from work, but you'd have way, way more things within walking distance that normal people need to function other than restaurants lol. Also, the Ashford Dunwoody bus runs like hours a normal bus so you wouldn't get hemmed up in there and you could catch the train as well.

Good luck!

[akkyy21]

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions and the explanations for the same.

@ElleKaye: So it seems like grocery and other daily stuff is available close to the Perimieter Mall area like you said. The only problem is the transit from that area to office until I have a car. Considering the warm / hot weather of ATL, if I choose to walk, I will be a mess by the time I reach office.

[frankieg73]

Originally Posted by akkyy21

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions and the explanations for the same.

@ElleKaye: So it seems like grocery and other daily stuff is available close to the Perimieter Mall area like you said. The only problem is the transit from that area to office until I have a car. Considering the warm / hot weather of ATL, if I choose to walk, I will be a mess by the time I reach office.

You can see what the daily weather is like online. I moved from Boston and I don't think I will ever get used to the heat and humidity here. If I had to walk a half mile in this weather every day to/from work, I would have to bring a change of clothes and take a shower in the office before beginning every work day. Lately, most mornings have been in the low to mid 70's with a fair amount of humidity, the hottest part of the day is around 2pm, and it doesn't cool down much until the sun goes down. But if you are from a hot climate, it may not be a big deal.

Good luck.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by akkyy21

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions and the explanations for the same.

@ElleKaye: So it seems like grocery and other daily stuff is available close to the Perimieter Mall area like you said. The only problem is the transit from that area to office until I have a car. Considering the warm / hot weather of ATL, if I choose to walk, I will be a mess by the time I reach office.

Walking or running to and from the Perimeter for work is not what I would call a feasible option. I think the only walk from your apt to work that is reasonable is from Glenridge Walk apartments.

If you move to one of the apartments on Glenridge Drive near Roswell Rd or to one near Perimeter Mall, you'll still have to take the same Glenridge bus just to begin the walk down Glenridge Connector to your office because Glenridge Connector does not have bus service.

The good news is that the distance from the bus stop on Glenridge Drive or from Glenridge Walk Apartments to work on Glenridge Connector is a half mile or less.

The bad news is that the bus on Glendrive Drive only runs from 6:00a to 9:00a and 3:00p to 6:00p.

So, while the commute from Perimeter is further, you will use the same bus as you would to reach work from the end of Glenridge Drive near Roswell Rd. I don't foresee you ever wanting walk to work from the Perimeter, but I doubt you'd be all that thrilled with 2 miles or so from Glendridge Drive near Roswell Rd either. Given that there is really only one apt in walking distance proximity to your office, I'd go with Perimeter for ease of what I could do when I was not at work. Otherwise, after you get home from work, how are you planning to get out of there and more importantly, how are you planning to get back given the restrictive hours of transit?

[akkyy21]

Originally Posted by frankieg73

You can see what the daily weather is like online. I moved from Boston and I don't think I will ever get used to the heat and humidity here. If I had to walk a half mile in this weather every day to/from work, I would have to bring a change of clothes and take a shower in the office before beginning every work day. Lately, most mornings have been in the low to mid 70's with a fair amount of humidity, the hottest part of the day is around 2pm, and it doesn't cool down much until the sun goes down. But if you are from a hot climate, it may not be a big deal.

Good luck.

Hey Frankieg, I am used to extreme cold and hot, I am moving there from St Louis

But yeah, my body is naturally not a fan of sun and heat, so I will mostly end up taking an apt close to work (0.5 miles), looks like that is the only option I have unless I find something while walking around this weekend when I will go checkout places in that area.

[akkyy21]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

Walking or running to and from the Perimeter for work is not what I would call a feasible option. I think the only walk from your apt to work that is reasonable is from Glenridge Walk apartments.

If you move to one of the apartments on Glenridge Drive near Roswell Rd or to one near Perimeter Mall, you'll still have to take the same Glenridge bus just to begin the walk down Glenridge Connector to your office because Glenridge Connector does not have bus service.

The good news is that the distance from the bus stop on Glenridge Drive or from Glenridge Walk Apartments to work on Glenridge Connector is a half mile or less.

The bad news is that the bus on Glendrive Drive only runs from 6:00a to 9:00a and 3:00p to 6:00p.

So, while the commute from Perimeter is further, you will use the same bus as you would to reach work from the end of Glenridge Drive near Roswell Rd. I don't foresee you ever wanting walk to work from the Perimeter, but I doubt you'd be all that thrilled with 2 miles or so from Glendridge Drive near Roswell Rd either. Given that there is really only one apt in walking distance proximity to your office, I'd go with Perimeter for ease of what I could do when I was not at work. Otherwise, after you get home from work, how are you planning to get out of there and more importantly, how are you planning to get back given the restrictive hours of transit?

I just checked on Google maps for 6.30 pm transport options, so if I consider "Gables Metropolitan" to 5555 glenridge connector, I still have to walk 1 mile to catch the "M Red" train or the 87 Bus and again walk 1 mile to reach the apartment. Anyway, I will walk around and check if I can find any other apartments in the vicinity this weekend.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by akkyy21

I just checked on Google maps for 6.30 pm transport options, so if I consider "Gables Metropolitan" to 5555 glenridge connector, I still have to walk 1 mile to catch the "M Red" train or the 87 Bus and again walk 1 mile to reach the apartment. Anyway, I will walk around and check if I can find any other apartments in the vicinity this weekend.

No, you don't because the bus on Ashford-Dunwoody Rd (which is what you would/could catch from Gables Metropolitan) will take you to the corner of where you need to be right down the street from the train. There is no need to walk to the train station. After that, you'd get on the Glenridge Drive bus.

The buses on Ashford-Dunwoody Rd and Roswell Rd run normally. The train runs normally. The only thing with abbreviated hours is the Glenridge Drive bus and that bus is the tie that binds you from both ends for getting to work.

Definitely check it out when you visit though.

[akkyy21]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

No, you don't because the bus on Ashford-Dunwoody Rd (which is what you would/could catch from Gables Metropolitan) will take you to the corner of where you need to be right down the street from the train. There is no need to walk to the train station. After that, you'd get on the Glenridge Drive bus.

The buses on Ashford-Dunwoody Rd and Roswell Rd run normally. The train runs normally. The only thing with abbreviated hours is the Glenridge Drive bus and that bus is the tie that binds you from both ends for getting to work.

Definitely check it out when you visit though.

So, I am checking it again, now I can see the bus that you said that will take me till the station from Gables. But again, this route suggests I will have to walk 1.1 miles. Anything in particular that I am missing out? Check out the attached pic if possible to get what I am saying.