Penny Wise? (Atlanta, East Point, Alpharetta: real estate, to rent, crime rate)

[dforce59]

What about areas where I see houses for less than 200k? Are these in areas of disrepute, or are the areas as just as nice but the houses are less fabulously built or less sq. footage? For example, I saw a house in the 30096 (Duluth) for $139,000 on real Estate Web site. It had severall pics of the house (interior and exterior) which impressed me greatly. Where is the catch here? I would love to get some varied responses on this. I am in NYC, but considering strongly to re-locate to the Atlanta area (Job permitting, of course). As I read these posts, i am wondering, if I can get away with a nice house, having all the expected amenities, for less than $150k, in the credible areas (Snellville, Duluth, Peachtree City, Fayatteville) , why hunt for a house for $250,000+?

[jxu66]

First advice always is rent for a while and buy later so that you can understand the neighborhood.

After getting that out of way, I will add something to Duluth part of neighborhoods.

Due to US post code, a lot of places called Duluth are not actually in city of Duluth. Those places are belongs to Gwinnett unincorporated part of Duluth. I am assuming that most houses around 150,000 you see are in south of Pleasant Hill Road. Due to lack of gwinnett code enforcement and sometimes understaff, a lot of those houses have fall to maintain the standard.

The nice part of Duluth is in the city of Duluth although we do have extra tax.

The house market along peachtree industrial pass pleasant hill are one such nice neighborhood. Another is sugarload CC country area. Unfortunately, you won't able to find 150,000 for anything

Hope this helpful.

[dforce59]

Most helpful indeed. I will definitely take you up on that tip to rent for the first six months before choosing an area or house for that matter. Thanks also for effort to educate on geographical boundaries.
D
PS: What zip code(s) cover the City of Duluth?

[jxu66]

Here is city of Duluth map.

http://www.duluthga.net/dt/planning/pdf/Duluth_street_map.pdf (broken link)

Just add something. Snellville is probably cheaper option than Duluth. Brookwood schools are probably best in Gwinnett, although it is a little crowded. Not sure why, in general, Snellville is more affordable than nice part of Duluth.

[LawrencevilleGA]

It's pretty crazy down here Like JX stated. The towns seem to have town envy. Duluth is not always Duluth. Alpharetta and Johns Creek. It takes a little while to really know what town you are really in. The highways have one number say eg.Highway 20, but the name changes as you drive through the towns. Drove us crazy for a few weeks. Ppl will tell one or the other when giving directions. Take highway 20 west is easy. or Take Loganville hwy West-->(they forget to tell us it turns into Grayson Hwy-->Buford Hwy is not easy when your new. It's all Highway 20.
Anyways
I like Duluth. Johns Creek area. Prices were a little bit out of range for us.
We ended up In Lawrenceville. Areas by here are Grayson, Snellville, Loganville. (all have homes in 150's-250's) West of us is Suwanee. North is Dacula.Both seem to be a hot spot

[Need_affordable_home]

Georgia's prices are more reasonable than some states. I do want to let you know Atlanta has super high crime. If I decide to live in Georgia, it will be at least 50 miles away from Atlanta in a safe suburb. Houses will cost between $100k and $300k. The catch is you get alot more house if you go to $200k or over. The cost per square foot drops.

[bmurphy]

Atlanta's crime isn't "super high" if you factor the population. There's a LOT of people to spread that ~800 index of crime over. Just remember to divide the crime rate by the population. It's likely confined to ghetto areas. Don't write off an entire city like that.

[Need_affordable_home]

The crime index is over 1000 and I wont feel safe anywhere in Atlanta. I live with parents in a gated neighboor and we still get break ins. No area is safe enough for me if the city has a high crime index, the criminals burglarize everywhere in the whole city

[sprtsluvr8]

Some people are so paranoid...I would hate to think I'm so afraid that I can't live where I choose...You can get a small to medium sized house that has been refurbished for that price in East Point. A couple of neighborhoods to look for are Conley Hills and Jefferson Park, both historic districts with bungalows built around 1900 to 1940 and on. Both areas are very Morningside-ish. You can spend more than your price, but a nice house is very doable.
I feel like a broken record about the crime in a big city...some areas of E.P. are high in crime. My area isn't at all. Quiet streets, nice middle income families and a lots of gay men (isn't that the major sign of rising property values?). Both neighborhoods are racially mixed also, which is a rarity in Atlanta in seems. Let me know if you're interested in knowing more. I've lived here for 13 years so I can share a lot.

[bmurphy]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

The crime index is over 1000 and I wont feel safe anywhere in Atlanta. I live with parents in a gated neighboor and we still get break ins. No area is safe enough for me if the city has a high crime index, the criminals burglarize everywhere in the whole city

What is a neighboor? I still think you mean neighborhood. Yeah, pet peeve, but oh well.