Where to live? Dunwoody...Decatur? Other ideas?? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: houses, safe area)

[ceeya428]

Hello all,

I'm new here and would love some feedback on different areas of Atlanta.
We currently live in town (East Atlanta area) and are considering making a move as our family is growing (one little one and another on the way )

We really love the in town feel but we'd like a larger house with a nice lot and most of the homes we've seen in our area that fit the bill are too pricey for us.

Here are the most important things for us in this house search:
1. Location (good schools, community feel, safe area)
2. Lot (nice sized backyard)
3. Size -Need at least 3 bedrooms preferably more
4. Basement if possible

Our price range will be around 350k or so. We'd love to find something in Decatur but not sure this is doable at this price . We're also considering the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs/Chamblee area but don't think this will be offer the same in town feel that we get in East Atlanta/Oakhurst/Decatur, etc....

Any thoughts?

[lastminutemom]

East Atlanta to Dunwoody/Chamblee is a pretty big change, I would think. People do it but it is generally because they are looking to go more suburban.

Ashford Park (which is really Brookhaven but feeds into Chamblee schools) might be less of a change. It is certainly more suburban, but still has a bit of that intown feeling. Ashford Park school is up and coming I think, and I think there is a tremendous community spirit in that part of town.

I suspect you can find something in Decatur, if you are patient. In this market, people have to be prepared to negotiate price.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

East Atlanta to Dunwoody/Chamblee is a pretty big change, I would think. People do it but it is generally because they are looking to go more suburban.

Ashford Park (which is really Brookhaven but feeds into Chamblee schools) might be less of a change. It is certainly more suburban, but still has a bit of that intown feeling. Ashford Park school is up and coming I think, and I think there is a tremendous community spirit in that part of town.

I suspect you can find something in Decatur, if you are patient. In this market, people have to be prepared to negotiate price.

I actually found a 3/2 in downtown Decatur for 350K two years ago. However, you have to be ready to pounce...nothing stays on the market very long, at least not in my neighborhood.
I'm thinking that another place to look would be in some of the west side intown neighborhoods, like Underwood Hills...there is definitely a price advantage over the east side neighborhoods.

[IntownHomes247]

There are occasionally homes under $350k in Decatur. I had some clients in March who bought a 3/2 house (with expandable attic, unfinished basement and drive-under garage) on Willow Lane for $325k. LovinDecatur is right, the key is preparation and speed. You need to be very well-versed in the inventory. Have all your financing in place. And be ready to make an offer very quickly. For the house on Willow, I had set up a gateway web site for my clients so they could see new listings as they came on the market. My client noticed this new listing. We went to see it that evening and made an offer the next day. Even with that speed, we were in a multiple offer situation (because there are so few nice houses in that price range in Decatur), but we had the winning offer so my clients got the house.

Also consider North Decatur (30033). You'll definitely be able to find a selection of homes in your price range.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

I'm thinking that another place to look would be in some of the west side intown neighborhoods, like Underwood Hills...there is definitely a price advantage over the east side neighborhoods.

Actually, the west side neighborhoods are becoming at least as, if not more, expensive than the east side.

[ceeya428]

Thanks for the feedback. How are the schools in North Decatur? Is it the same atmosphere as Decatur?

[gumboula]

Boy, I could have written almost the exact same post as you did. We just sold our house in a neighborhood near East Atlanta and are house hunting now. I have seen EVERY house in your price range in Decatur, north Dekalb (Sagamore, Oakgrove, Briarlake, Hawthorne, Fernbank, Laurel Ridge, and Henderson Mill schools), Kirkwood, Oakhurst, East Lake, Grant Park, Ormewood Park, Ashford Park/Brookhaven area broadly defined (30319 and 30341 zips), Morningside and Mary Lin feeder neighborhoods, and the list goes on... The market right now is pretty sparse in my opinion. It is nothing like it was a year ago when we first started looking. Prices have dropped considerably, but so has inventory. And in that inventory, there are alot of dregs.

We have seen a few things in Decatur in that price range, but all have "issues" (not enough space, on a less than ideal road, needs too much work, etc.). So I wouldn't rule Decatur out, but you will have to sacrifice things from your list of ideals (especially the fourth bedroom). Likewise the north Dekalb areas have more to choose from, but still issues. I found nothing in Ashford Park/Brookhaven areas. To me, Ashford Park proper has a similar feel as East Atlanta areas; but with smaller houses (WWII era vs. Craftsman), lots of tear-downs for mini-McMansions, and a serious price premium.

LovinDecatur's suggestion of Underwood Hills is a good one (likewise Berkeley Park); but there isn't much there. Prices have gone down precipitously over the past year though, making the area much more affordable. You have to be careful about schools though. E. Rivers is good; but further north, Bolton Academy is not. If you go south in this area, you run into Howell Station which reminds me alot of East Atlanta, but on a much smaller scale. The industrial feel of the area doesn't do much for me, but lots of people like it.

We have also looked in Smyrna. Found a house that we LOVE, but not sure of the city itself. Definitely a different feel from East Atlanta. We are temporarily living in Sandy Springs and I have to say I really like it. Very green and hilly. It definitely has a compact, older suburb feel, versus the sprawl of Smyrna. I haven't explored much in Dunwoody, but I get the sense that it is similar in many places. I think we may expand our house search to this area. The switch from the East Atlanta area to these areas will be a serious change though. But I have to say, the longer our house search has gone on, the more appeal I have found in some of these non-city neighborhoods (and this is coming from a very dedicated city-girl).

[gumboula]

Originally Posted by ceeya428

Thanks for the feedback. How are the schools in North Decatur? Is it the same atmosphere as Decatur?

Schools in north Decatur (Dekalb County) are very good. Oakgrove/Fernbank are tops, followed closely by Briarlake, then Sagamore and Hawthorne, and finally Henderson Mill, Laurel Ridge, and Medlock. This is just my opinion of course based on second-hand information, school visits, and lots of research (plus a great friend who is a substitute teacher and was kind enough to sub at schools I wanted to know more about). These schools feed into either Shamrock then Druid Hills or Henderson then Lakeside. Both patterns quite good, although Henderson/Lakeside the better of the two. Of course things change and it looks like Dekalb County will be closing more schools soon. I am sure lastminutemom will offer more info on these schools.

As far as atmoshphere... It isn't like Decatur. I like the little area around the intersection of Oakgrove and LaVista. But you get further away from this and you have either the Northlake Mall area or Toco Hills. Both a far cry from Decatur, IMO. Spend some time hanging out in these areas and get feel for them.

[IntownHomes247]

North Decatur is definitely more suburban than Decatur but it has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive and relatively convenient to the hipper intown neighborhoods like Decatur and Virginia-Highland. If you want to stay intown and keep your budget under $350k for a decent-sized house, it's certainly worth a look.

As with any home purchase, you'd do best to spend some time in the different neighborhoods. Check out the amenities (parks, pools, libraries, etc. -- whatever's important to you); check out the grocery stores, etc.; drive through in the evening; and check out the rush hour commute time.