Where to buy first home? (Dunwoody, Buckhead: houses, price, station)

[K_Chardae08]

Originally Posted by hilltop180

I live in Mableton. I really like it. There are a neighborhoods down by Veterans and Queen Mill road like Providence and Legacy at Riverline. We have family that live in Chamblee and we go to Midtown all the time - both are not very far. The traffic in Mableton is not that bad and there are some planned developments like Riverline that look promising. You can get a pretty nice 4 bedroom house in Mableton for around 250k. Vinings nice but the home values are a lot higher. The main knock on Mableton are the schools but if you don't have kids it's not really a concern.

Thanks!I appreciate your insight. I've actually been through the Providence and Legacy neighborhoods quite a few times...primarily Providence. It's the only neighborhood in Mableton I've really considered so far (not to say I won't consider others). I really like Providence. I was primarily looking at townhomes though as some of the homes that came up for sale were out of my budget. A lot of the homes in my price range in other areas of Mableton were in need of updating...I don't mind needing to upgrade some items, but not if the home is already toward the top of my price range.

I do not have children but I'm still a little concerned about schools due to resale. Everyone has been urging me to buy in an area that has historically had good schools which I agree with, but I also don't want to buy an expensive home that needs a lot of work nor do I want to move extremely far from the city. We'll see.

[0nyxStation]

Look in Buckhead.

[K_Chardae08]

Originally Posted by 0nyxStation

Look in Buckhead.

LOL right...Buckhead is out of my price range unless I want to live in a tiny one bedroom condo or buy a very small home in need of a lot of work

[lindzerin]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Excellent advice, AM. I was getting ready to ask the OP if they are open to an relatively older townhome which tend to be considerably less expensive than new construction in the same location.
I've seen some great deals that meet this criteria in the North Druid Hills neighborhood. The location is excellent as it abuts more expensive areas like Druid Hills, Buckhead, Morningside and Brookhaven and is convenient to Midtown as well.
I've always liked the Executive Park townhouses. Much less expensive than surrounding newer townhome communities, and IMO, more style.

1666 Executive Park Ln NE, Atlanta, GA 30329 | Zillow

We are relocating to Atlanta and looking for similar things, although we have children we homeschool so schools are not the most important thing. Our thinking is....we can't afford the house of our dreams in the suburbs and I'm not sure that I'd want to be there anyway with the commute to midtown for my husband so I want to choose somewhere that will appreciate fast. What are your thoughts LovinDecatur on homes in the 30030 zip that are JUST outside the city limits?? Such as this listing 861 Wheatfields Pl, Decatur, GA 30030 | MLS #8112989 | Zillow OR would North Druid Hills with Laurel Ridge Elem be a better investment?

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by K_Chardae08

LOL right...Buckhead is out of my price range unless I want to live in a tiny one bedroom condo or buy a very small home in need of a lot of work

Not necessarily. There are some smaller homes west of Lindbergh station. It's not all mansions and castles in Buckhead as many would have you believe.

[ATLTJL]

I'm actually going to go against conventional wisdom....even my own.

Up until a few months ago, I would have told you that buying in a good school district is a great way to go, even if you don't have any kids...because you'll probably sell to someone who does or is at least thinking about that.

BUT, reading these boards and talking to people, it seems like there is always some doofus out there who can be convinced the schools are on the upswing or that test scores and school ratings don't matter. So buy where you like!

[K_Chardae08]

Originally Posted by 0nyxStation

Not necessarily. There are some smaller homes west of Lindbergh station. It's not all mansions and castles in Buckhead as many would have you believe.

Well let me rephrase that - 9 times out of 10, the homes that I would be interested in are out of my price range. I'll check out Buckhead though. I probably should go view more older or smaller homes in general instead of assuming they aren't my cup of tea based on online pics.

[K_Chardae08]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I'm actually going to go against conventional wisdom....even my own.

Up until a few months ago, I would have told you that buying in a good school district is a great way to go, even if you don't have any kids...because you'll probably sell to someone who does or is at least thinking about that.

BUT, reading these boards and talking to people, it seems like there is always some doofus out there who can be convinced the schools are on the upswing or that test scores and school ratings don't matter. So buy where you like!

Ha! I've come across the same thing - people indicating that by the time I sell the schools might be OK or saying that school ratings may not be relevant depending on the area...I'm so confused.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by K_Chardae08

Ha! I've come across the same thing - people indicating that by the time I sell the schools might be OK or saying that school ratings may not be relevant depending on the area...I'm so confused.

I look at it this way - your home will likely be one of your most valuable assets over time, perhaps even the most valuable. When picking an asset in which to invest a vast portion of your earned wealth, most folks would advise against picking to invest in a startup company - you never really know how it is going to turn out and very well may fail and close down. Same thing with a house, yet, I believe, more important. I would make the safe decision and buy a home I could afford yet in a good neighborhood (good by schools, crime, etc.) even if the house is not your dream home. Risking that type of capital on a "maybe the community will turn around before I sell" bet would worry me sleepless.

[K_Chardae08]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

I look at it this way - your home will likely be one of your most valuable assets over time, perhaps even the most valuable. When picking an asset in which to invest a vast portion of your earned wealth, most folks would advise against picking to invest in a startup company - you never really know how it is going to turn out and very well may fail and close down. Same thing with a house, yet, I believe, more important. I would make the safe decision and buy a home I could afford yet in a good neighborhood (good by schools, crime, etc.) even if the house is not your dream home. Risking that type of capital on a "maybe the community will turn around before I sell" bet would worry me sleepless.

Very good point. So what are your recommendations for areas that are no more than 10 - 15 miles from midtown? I understand that schools are important, but I'm not interested in moving extremely far outside the city so finding a balance is challenging. I don't expect to buy my dream home this year, but I also don't want to buy a home that doesn't appeal to me solely for the sake of being in a great school district. If I had children, that would be completely different. I would be more willing to sacrifice my wants/desires for the sake of them obtaining a great education...is there a minimum school rating I should consider when searching (i.e. ignoring every home in a school district below a 7 on greatschools.org)?