Druid hills (Atlanta, Decatur: for sale, apartments, to rent)

[k374]

I have heard that Druid Hills is one of the best and most affluent areas in the Atlanta region. What kind of home can one get in this area for $400k or is it even possible to buy something with this budget in this area? How are the schools here? Most of the homes I found in this area were in the $600,000-800,000+ range. City data lists the mean 2011 prices of townhomes as $404k.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by k374

I have heard that Druid Hills is one of the best and most affluent areas in the Atlanta region. What kind of home can one get in this area for $400k or is it even possible to buy something with this budget in this area? How are the schools here? Most of the homes I found in this area were in the $600,000-800,000+ range. City data lists the mean 2011 prices of townhomes as $404k.

I used to rent an apartment near there. Most of the houses I saw over there went for over a million. You aren't going to find a home for $400k over there. Look in the suburbs.

Being that it's affluent and all, the folks there can well afford homes for more than $400k, so the homes there are priced accordingly. They are stately mini-mansions. Alternatively, you can find something in N. Druid Hills/Toco Hills for $300-$400k. Mostly ranch homes. Look in the 30329 zip code. It's a nice area and it's the Jewish part of town.

[Iconographer]

There is precious little in DH at that price point. If you were to find it at all, it would be over in the easternmost part of the neighborhood, called Fernbank. But more than likely a builder would snatch up a 400K house there and do a teardown.
AtlantaBD is giving you a good option. The neighborhoods north of there are considerably less expensive and you will find many more options. The location is quite good as well.
Key in your price and zips 30329 and 30033 and see what comes up.

[jeoff]

You will not find a "Druid Hill" home in what most people consider "Druid Hills". But ther are ranches in the area, and smaller unrenovated homes (usually on busy streets) that are technically Druid Hills for under 400K. Zillow shows one on Hummingbird Lane and another on Rocksprings Rd. The one on Hummingbird is zoned for Fernbank, one of the better elementary schools in the area. The middle and high schools that serve Druid Hills are not generally highly regarded, but work very well for some.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jeoff

You will not find a "Druid Hill" home in what most people consider "Druid Hills". But ther are ranches in the area, and smaller unrenovated homes (usually on busy streets) that are technically Druid Hills for under 400K. Zillow shows one on Hummingbird Lane and another on Rocksprings Rd. The one on Hummingbird is zoned for Fernbank, one of the better elementary schools in the area. The middle and high schools that serve Druid Hills are not generally highly regarded, but work very well for some.

There are a number that go for the 400-500k range. Most homes aren't mansions and few are over a million. There are few teardowns as it is a historical district. So the older homes can't be torn down. You're getting some bad info above. I looked at a recent for sale list for 30307 and saw a Druid Hills address listed at 379. In a list of recent sales, there were only 3 over a million and 4 or 5 under 400k. The average price is definitely well above 400k, but there are homes in that vicinity.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by bu2

There are a number that go for the 400-500k range. Most homes aren't mansions and few are over a million. There are few teardowns as it is a historical district. So the older homes can't be torn down. You're getting some bad info above. I looked at a recent for sale list for 30307 and saw a Druid Hills address listed at 379. In a list of recent sales, there were only 3 over a million and 4 or 5 under 400k. The average price is definitely well above 400k, but there are homes in that vicinity.

I've seen plenty of teardowns in east Druid Hills; heck, I've seen teardowns on Lullwater Road. Builders know how to get around an Historic District designation. It usually involves leaving an exterior wall(s) intact. For the record, Oakhurst has Historic District status and is lousy with teardowns. Besides, the homes in the Fernbank area are mostly postwar era and dont fall under the HD umbrella.
That place listed on Hummingbird Ln. looked like a dump to me...a builder might as well blindfold it, give it a cigarette and line up the firing squad. I cant imagine anything under 400k in the vicinity is much better.
If this is what the OP has to settle for in order to have a Druid Hills address, I think I'd take my chances northward.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by bu2

There are a number that go for the 400-500k range. Most homes aren't mansions and few are over a million. There are few teardowns as it is a historical district. So the older homes can't be torn down. You're getting some bad info above. I looked at a recent for sale list for 30307 and saw a Druid Hills address listed at 379. In a list of recent sales, there were only 3 over a million and 4 or 5 under 400k. The average price is definitely well above 400k, but there are homes in that vicinity.

30307 is not the part of Druid Hills I think the OP is thinking of. Or at least not the bulk of it. I don't know if I'm making sense.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

30307 is not the part of Druid Hills I think the OP is thinking of. Or at least not the bulk of it. I don't know if I'm making sense.

Read my post more carefully. I was only mentioning listings that I knew were Druid Hills. I excluded the others from 30307.
There have been a lot of Druid Hills sales in the past year that were in the 400s that didn't get torn down. Teardowns are pretty rare. I've seen more houses get burned down or knocked down by a tree and get new construction than I have seen teardowns in the last 5 years (excluding the V. Street that runs off Oakdale and was all owned by one person. And those houses looked 60s/70s vintage).

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by bu2

Read my post more carefully. I was only mentioning listings that I knew were Druid Hills. I excluded the others from 30307.
There have been a lot of Druid Hills sales in the past year that were in the 400s that didn't get torn down. Teardowns are pretty rare. I've seen more houses get burned down or knocked down by a tree and get new construction than I have seen teardowns in the last 5 years (excluding the V. Street that runs off Oakdale and was all owned by one person. And those houses looked 60s/70s vintage).

What I'm saying is that most of 30307 is not Druid Hills. So perhaps the addresses you saw weren't within the Druid Hills border?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by bu2

Read my post more carefully. I was only mentioning listings that I knew were Druid Hills. I excluded the others from 30307.
There have been a lot of Druid Hills sales in the past year that were in the 400s that didn't get torn down. Teardowns are pretty rare. I've seen more houses get burned down or knocked down by a tree and get new construction than I have seen teardowns in the last 5 years (excluding the V. Street that runs off Oakdale and was all owned by one person. And those houses looked 60s/70s vintage).

Vilenah/Dan Johnson Rds. That was a 50s infill street. It backed up to my grandparents' house on Lullwater. Their house was gutted and a second story was added. The house two doors down on the right was demolished and a new house was built there. The houses that resided two and three doors down in the other direction were demolished in favor of new construction as well. The house that abutted the apartments at N Decatur and Lullwater was demolished for new construction. Mansions were demolished to create the Lion's Gate townhouses, Lullwater Estate Condominiums and the cluster home development across from Lion's Gate. My great aunt's house at Oakdale and ByWay was demolished for new construction. There are quite a few teardowns on Briardale, and a couple of very grand teardowns on Oakdale.