One week in ATL Metro Area. Also, is it time to panic? (inspector, allergies)

[Larry X]

Don't know where you stay in ATL metro but most of the southern accents are in the southern metro area, East Point, College Park, Union City, Fairburn, Palmetto, Clayton County, S.Dekalb, and so in.

[Group Hug]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Whoa! A silverfish would freak me out. Aren't they the ones with the weird feelers sticking out?

They do kind of have weird feelers sticking out, but they are very small. Of course I hate them, but there are much worse bugs to contend with, such as centipedes. The roach I saw in my bathroom the other night was a million times worse than a silverfish, believe me. Much, much bigger and much, much faster. From what I hear, Georgia also has silverfish. Neighbor says she gets them from time to time.

[Group Hug]

Exterminator was out today. He said my particular cockroach was an "American cockroach," and that it lives outside and finds its way in in the winter. (Specifically, my cockroach is called "smoky brown" for all you bug connoisseurs out there). He found cockroach poo inside the little attic area off of my master (you know, the tiny door... we don't have those where I'm from, so I don't know what they're called). He thinks they are getting in under the eaves of the house.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Group Hug

Here are my first impressions after one week in the Atlanta metro area. But first, something I dread posting because people will make fun of me. Y'all are my only friends down here so be kind. Last night, around 2 a.m. I saw a cockroach in my shower. At least it looked like a cockroach to me. It was fast, it was brown, and it was fairly big. I've never had a cockroach in my home before. Is this normal for the area? Is it time to panic? Advice?

Now, here are my impressions of the area. I've been here a week and had never been here before commiting to move.
1. It smells really nice.
2. It is very hilly with many trees. Beautiful.
3. People are super friendly. Even friendlier than the small midwest town I'm from, except...
4. Repair people and installers are fairly grumpy, unhelpful and don't take much pride in a job well done (I hope I am just having some bad luck)
5. The real estate photographers are evil geniuses and can make a 5x5 patch of grass and a tiny bathroom look like half a soccer field and Beyonce's personal powder room. (Know how much square footage you need before looking at online real estate websites!).
6. ATL metro area is super affordable only if you're moving from another major metro area; especially NYC metro area or NoCal/SoCal. If you're moving from a small town, prepare to pay more for less.
7. It is amazing how close everything is to where you live. I feel like everything is within 10-15 minutes of me, except my husband's work.
8. Everybody has a dog. Everybody. Your argument is invalid.
9. Sweet tea everywhere.
10. Most people don't have a southern accent, but they still say y'all!

Those big roaches are evil!!! I lived in Atlanta for 16 years (also a Midwest transplant) and I never got used to seeing them. When they "fly" across the room over your head, be prepared to freak out! and FWIW, I'm not even really afraid of bugs. I actually love spiders (they eat other bugs) but those big roaches make too much noise when they are walking and are just disgusting looking. Another FWIW, we had a newer house as well and the roaches lived under our patio out back and would really make an effort to get into the house through the back door in the winter. They will also camp out in your crawlspace and you will just have to get used to seeing them.

1. It does smell nice in Atlanta most days.
2. It is very hilly and pretty.
3. I don't think Atlanta folks are nicer than Midwestern folks. Most of the nice people I met in Atlanta were not from the south and most were from the Midwest lol!
4. Repair people there and customer service in general is VERY poor. You do find some nice ones but in general I had way more bad experiences than good experience with service people and repairmen (and government officials/workers, even though they generally are stereotyped into having a bad demeanor, I felt Atlanta and GA workers take it to a whole other level). I actually teared up when my mechanic, a nice old guy from Valdosta, retired in 2009. I never found another decently priced, genuinely nice and fair mechanic after him.
5. Very true your perception
6. Atlanta is not affordable for people coming from the majority of the country IMO. It is similar to most of the country and way less affordable than the Midwest.
7. You are lucky you live close to where everything is. I purposely bought a home in a less desirable area of the actual city of Atlanta because I wanted to be close to work (my husband and I both worked downtown primarily) and I was sick of traffic.
8. Everyone does have a dog lol
9. Sweet tea is good with a lot of ice to water it down
10. Most people I knew in Atlanta weren't from the south and they say y'all all over the country so that is to be expected.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by Larry X

Don't know where you stay in ATL metro but most of the southern accents are in the southern metro area, East Point, College Park, Union City, Fairburn, Palmetto, Clayton County, S.Dekalb, and so in.

You might be right with Palmetto, but otherwise the other areas you mentioned has lots of transplants. You might find southern accents in Henry and South Fayette counties.

[Group Hug]

Thank you for your perspectives, Residinghere! If I might ask, what area of the country did you move to after ATL? Are you happy there?

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

I actually love spiders (they eat other bugs)

I would be more tempted to feel this way if I hadn't seen what kind of monsters you can get in the house when you have spiders. At a former place I lived, I found centipedes. These guys were so big that the first time I saw one scurry across the floor out of my peripheral vision, I thought it was a mouse. When I actually saw it in plain view, ohmygosh. Terrifying like a horror movie!!!! It was as long as my hand and about half as wide.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Group Hug

Exterminator was out today. He said my particular cockroach was an "American cockroach," and that it lives outside and finds its way in in the winter. (Specifically, my cockroach is called "smoky brown" for all you bug connoisseurs out there). He found cockroach poo inside the little attic area off of my master (you know, the tiny door... we don't have those where I'm from, so I don't know what they're called). He thinks they are getting in under the eaves of the house.

Even though I feel like projectile vomiting right now, let's just move forward.

There's a chance that the exterminator said the thing about the eaves just to add a fee for additional services which his company may not provide, but he can hook you up with someone, i.e. him, who does. I think you should just make them come out every week which should be covered under your current fee if necessary until you can determine if you're on the verge of being swindled.

How did your conversation with the exterminator go? By this I mean, how much did you reveal about your ignorance on the topic? I can honestly say I have never heard of roach poo, but I have heard of rat poo. I know that I can be a bit manic about bugs, but you need to let the exterminator know you're not in for no long talk and you simply want the problem eradicated.

[Gilah G.]

Arrow came out today and schooled me on GA. Bugs said the same thing about smoky brown
Said they fly from the trees into your attic lay eggs then your whole house is roach city.he said the mosquitoes are wretched in the summer. Milli and centipede are pretty popular here too.

[Group Hug]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

Even though I feel like projectile vomiting right now, let's just move forward.

There's a chance that the exterminator said the thing about the eaves just to add a fee for additional services which his company may not provide, but he can hook you up with someone, i.e. him, who does. I think you should just make them come out every week which should be covered under your current fee if necessary until you can determine if you're on the verge of being swindled.

How did your conversation with the exterminator go? By this I mean, how much did you reveal about your ignorance on the topic? I can honestly say I have never heard of roach poo, but I have heard of rat poo. I know that I can be a bit manic about bugs, but you need to let the exterminator know you're not in for no long talk and you simply want the problem eradicated.

ElleKaye, I don't think he was trying to get extra $$ for hooking me up with somebody to seal up the eaves. But I would consider paying somebody to seal that up really well. I am so bug-phobic that I actually put it in our purchase contract to have a bug guy inspect the house for bugs. They found some American roach poop in the attic and they found evidence of some silverfish and some spiders. I was told that their findings were perfectly normal and what one could expect for the area. The inspector said that the roaches get into the attic and poop there and die.

Detest isn't a strong enough word for what I feel about bugs. I really wanted to escape the cold weather of up north, and when I did my research online, I came to the conclusion that Georgia was about as far south as I could potentially stand bug-wise. Florida is off the chain with its bugs and snakes. After a full year here, I should know whether or not I can handle Georgia bug levels. I hope I can deal with it, 'cause I think otherwise I'm going to be really happy here. Nice people, great weather, lots to do, easy day trips to other states, etc.

[Group Hug]

Originally Posted by Gilah G.

Arrow came out today and schooled me on GA. Bugs said the same thing about smoky brown
Said they fly from the trees into your attic lay eggs then your whole house is roach city.he said the mosquitoes are wretched in the summer. Milli and centipede are pretty popular here too.

The exterminator that came out the other day said we didn't have an infestation. I hope to God he's right because that attic door is right next to my side of the bed. No wonder I'm having trouble falling asleep!