Residents of The Manor at Buckhead??? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartments, to rent, condos)

[dagny07]

Any current or former residents of the apartments at The Manor at Buckhead? I'm looking to move to Atlanta in a few months, and these apartments seem really nice. Any information on location, safety, quality of apartments, etc. would be much appreciated! Also, I will be working at Ga Tech. Does anyone know if the commute will be reasonable? Thanks very much!!

[stepsinsc]

I lived there last year for about one year.

It's nice. The place is well kept. If you're in your 20s and single, it's a great social scene. The pool is pretty packed every weekend where the sun is shining. If you want a quiet place it may not be for you.

It's about as safe as you can get intown. My old roommate (who still lives there) said there was a recent shooting. This is pretty extraordinary; I was not aware of any break-ins into apartments or anything like that. Break-ins into cars, however, can be common, even though it's a gated community. But again, I think you'll find this anywhere and it's defintely NOT a inherently dangerous place, IMO. Just don't leave valuables in your car.

The location was great for me because I work in Buckhead less than 1 mile away. You pay for this location, as it is not an inexpensive place. Given my commute time, it was well worth it for this reason alone. There is a MARTA station that is less than a mile away (10-15 minute walk). Driving downtown would probably require taking Lenox Rd to 400, and that would kind of suck. Traffic at the intersection of Lenox Rd. and Piedmont (getting onto 400) was always pretty bad. And I'm sure it's even worse once you actually get on 400. I'd GUESS it'd be a 40 minutes commute on average.

Parking can be tough as it fills up fast. Oftentimes I parked against a curb, which they allow if you have a parking tag. We were on a waiting list for garage reserved parking for 8 months and by the time it came available I just declined it.

Management is okay. It takes a while to get a response on repair issues and things like that. I had a pretty big beef with them over wrongfully towing my car once, but that's probably a pretty rare occurrence which I won't go into.

In sum, I liked it b/c of my commute. But if it weren't for that I probably wouldn't recommend it for ME. Partly b/c I was engaged and not interested in the social scene (although there is lots of eye candy), so it tended to be rather loud. Indeed, it has the reputation of being a party complex. The walls can be thin too, as my roommate had constant problems from his neighbors' subwoofer at nights keeping him up.

If you're working at GT, why not try midtown? Seems like it'd be the same social scene but with much less of a commute.

[dagny07]

Thanks very much for the info! I'm in my early 30s, single female, so I would like a social scene, but my idea of social scene is probably different from 20-somethings :-) This helps a lot. I will check out midtown. I'm actually visiting Atlanta this weekend for 3 days. I would like to buy a condo, but I think it's a good idea to rent for at least 6 months just to figure out what part of the city I would like to live in long term. Thanks again! Any recommendations on apartments in the area would be great.

[George Chong]

Check out these websites for Midtown to get your bearings and to conduct your research:

www.midtownalliance.org
www.midtownatlanta.org

In addition to Midtown, you might want to check out Inman Park too. It might have the "scene" that you are looking for. Either places would be a easy commute to GA Tech.

www.inmanpark.org
www.inmanparkvillage.com
N. Highland Steel | Perennial Properties I don't have any personal experiences with these apartments but they are in the middle of everything in terms of shopping and restaurants.

Good luck!

[Tyryztoll]

I lived at the Manor between 03 and 06 and loved it. However, when I moved to Boston I was under the impression that they were going to convert the apartments into condos. Did they not follow through on this?

Regardless, I really enjoyed my time there. I had a small one bedroom, but it was tucked away on the top floor at the back of the complex looking west toward Roswell Rd., and it was incredibly cozy. The apartment had W/D hookups, gas fireplace, crown moulding, seperate doors in the bed and living rooms to the balcony (I loved to sit on my balcony sipping a good beer or wine and watch the sun set over the trees), and even a cable outlet in the kitchen, which I loved because I cook a lot and it was great to have a small TV to watch while doing so. I was even more fortunate to have quiet, respectful neighbors throughout my entire 3 year occupancy, although I obviously can't promise you would. The pool and fitness center were very nice, despite the pool being slightly on the small side, and they had a very posh clubhouse that featured a movie room with a big screen and theater seats that you could rent. The staff were very nice, and although I only needed maintainance a couple times over the entire 3 years, they showed up promptly and were courteous. I was working at Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs while I lived at the Manor, and found the 10 minute commute to be nothing short of delightful in comparison to my infamous 2 hour treks going back to my days of suburban living. Elevators were another big bonus, as was the access to Marta, which I took advantage of early and often. It was great to be able to go to events downtown without worrying about getting a DUI or sitting in traffic half the time.

There were some negatives, particularly the parking, as one poster already mentioned. Covered, reserved spaces were available, but kind of expensive, so I toughed it out in the main lot. The majority of the problem stemmed from people allowing visitors to pass through the gates and take up the spaces meant for the other residents. I worked the 3-11 p.m. shift at Northside when I first moved in, and so I would come home and there would often be no spaces available, forcing me to park curbiside, and even THOSE spots were taken on some nights, which meant I had to park outside the gates. It was better once I moved to the day shift, because I'd get home before 4 p.m. when a lot of residents would still be at work and the nightime frolicking hadn't started yet. The other poster also mentioned car break-ins, and this was also true. It never happened to me, but we'd get memos every few weeks telling us to keep our cars locked and keep our eyes out due to the latest rash of car break-ins. All I can say about that is that you're living smack dab in the middle of a major metro area with a high crime rate, and so there's not too much you can do about it other than take precautions.

The only scary thing I ever encountered while living at the Manor was a fatal drive-by shooting, which took place a couple hundred yards west of my balcony on Roswell Rd. It happened right after I moved in........I was sitting at my computer desk in the bedroom one night when I heard the unmistakable sound of five or six rapid and loud gunshots in the distance. Shortly after that the first flashing police lights appeared, and before I knew it the whole area was illuminated by scores of them. It turned out to be a gang related incident, but was pretty unnerving regardless. Aside from those things, I don't remember having any problems with crime in the 3 years I was there.

Anyway, hope this helped some. I'd be interested to know wether the Manor is still apartments or if the condo conversion actually happened if you have that info. Also would like to know what the current rents are if that applies......I was paying $950/month when I moved in Spetember of 2006. I've lived in many apartments in many cities, and would have to say that the one at the Manor was my favorite. Great location, competent staff, great ammenities, and very, very cozy.

[stepsinsc]

Northman,

They started the condo renovations but then stopped midway for some reason and kept them as apartments. I think new management acquired them around that timeframe.

Don't really know what their rent rates are for 1 bd, but my roommate and I were paying $1400ish for a 2bd/2bath.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by stepsinsc

They started the condo renovations but then stopped midway for some reason and kept them as apartments.

Are you serious??? I was moving anyway, as I had accepted a job in New England, but they gave us letters telling everyone they would basically have to move out if they didn't want to accept the offer to buy their renovated apartments. That would have PISSED ME OFF!!! I loved that apartment!

[ATLfun]

I suggest Bennington Towers in Buckhead

24 hr concierge

Close to all the major interstates

Best school systems

More secure area- mostly residential area

Close to shopping center