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Old 12-17-2007, 05:24 AM
 
25 posts, read 99,627 times
Reputation: 21

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Also..........

If you find that a single family home is out of reach for you; budget-wise, I would suggest a foreclosed townhouse or condo. I hope I am not showing this down your throat. I am just a firm believer in "why rent when you can own?"
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Old 04-08-2008, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Fox Lake, IL
36 posts, read 238,439 times
Reputation: 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tidbits View Post
AthmaGirl,

Think outside the box. Now, I don't say that to be insulting; not at all. I want you to go into this with an open mind. If you have good credit, you can pretty much get anything material in America!!! Why rent if you can buy???

There are numerous foreclosed homes in the ATL and outlying areas. I just urge you to look into it before you say, "you can't". Not all foreclosed homes are in shambles; get out of that frame of mind.

Moving into an apartment doesn't help you credit-wise as far as builing long term financial stability. HUD has foreclosed homes, so does the VA and almost every bank you can think of. You don't have a large income but you appear to live within your means and that is what is important; it isn't how much money we make, but our ability to live within our means. Many people make much more than you and are having their homes foreclosed.

If you can possible go up to $1,000 for rent there is no way you shouldn't invest that in a property to call your own.

1. Find out if you can qualify to purchase a home and for how much.

2. Decide which area you want to live in.

3. Get a realtor to find every single foreclosed property in that area and other outlying areas (in your qualified $ range).

4. Look at many homes so you can have various "I love this one" to choose from. Remember it is a high ticket item and not a DVD player; you can't simply return it .

What area do you plan on living in.....let me know so I can do a basic search so I can give you some ideas of prices.

Remember, foreclosed doesn't mean it has to be delapidated or in shambles. I see you as a survivor....let me know how your progess goes. I wish you all the best....sincerely!!!


Heh. Thanks for the pep talk. I needed that. I am thinking more and more about buying, but scared to death due to our very limited budget. Mom and brother still can't work, so I'm the main paycheck in the household. We don't have any savings except my 401k so I'd have no money down for a house. Maybe my credit would qualify, but with no down payment (and even foreclosed homes require something usually), I don't know how I'd get us into a home.

The problem is, even if I could afford $1000 a month for rent, I can't afford separate utility bills, property taxes, homeowners insurance, etc. There's a lot more that goes into owning a house, then just a mortgage.

But I am weighing my options. But so far, renting seems to be the only affordable option. (as far as also renting a house, not just an apartment)
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Old 04-08-2008, 10:37 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,050 times
Reputation: 10
There are hospitals in Woodstock, in the Towne Lake area. I believe it's called Northside. Very good hospital. Wellstar is extremely hard to get into - try to get some connections before you come down. You can google a complete list of hospitals and it will give full details of locations, numbers, etc. The price of living is cheaper in Kennesaw and would be a great commute to Woodstock (going the opposite direction of traffic during rush hour!) Good Luck!

And as far as housing under $100K, it is do-able, you just need to find a safe area. I know of a new townhome community that just opened up with the prices starting very low in the Woodstock area. It depends how many bedrooms you need. Let me know if you'd like additional info on it! (And there are a lot of office buildings with great companies off of Chastain Road in Kennesaw) Good luck to you too!
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Old 11-04-2008, 08:13 PM
 
Location: Fox Lake, IL
36 posts, read 238,439 times
Reputation: 28
Hello. Sorry, been gone awhile again. That's the problem. I can't cough up $1000 bucks a month. Our rent just went up to $805 (for a one bedroom) in August up here and that's killing me. Plus, my rent includes gas and water, which I could not afford to pay for separately.

I think what I've realized lately, is I just don't have the funds to move to Georgia at this time. With the economy the way it is right now, I guess we're going to have to wait for awhile. I'm even considering moving somewhere cheaper up here instead. We just don't have enough savings for a move.

I hope to get back to Georgia one day, though. Thank everyone, for the advice and suggestions. I have taken them to heart. It's just ridiculous how fast cost of living expenses are going up over the years. I work a full time job and I've been there 11 years, and I still, can't afford a home of my own.

Too many Americans in the same financial boat I guess.
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Old 11-12-2008, 03:39 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,392 times
Reputation: 10
Default Exploring options

I am from Atlanta GA and exploring options to move.
Fairburn, Ga area was not listed as place u have visited, yet this is where town house is located. If you are serious and still looking, please respond.
3 bedroom; 2.5 baths, split level condo/townhouse. Community is gated; built in 1972; have lived in community since 1989 and is a nice, growing community.
I have not placed home on market, just exploring options. I am seeking to sell more than rent. Home is very decent, as you put it and will probably ask for under 100k.




Quote:
Originally Posted by AthmaGirl View Post
Hi all. I know this is a little long. But please read the entire post because I have specific questions since I finally had a chance to visit Georgia in person recently.

I've been on and off this site for quite a while now. I finally got a chance to visit Georgia for the first time in years recently. I rented a car and did a lot of driving down there. Mostly the suburbs outside the Eastern parts of Atlanta. (I put a list of the towns I visited below)

Here's the thing. I notice most of the posts about folks moving back to Georgia asking where to move to, concern people who can afford houses. I haven't noticed that many posts for those of us who need to look for rentals or housing in lower income areas if that's all we can afford.

I only make around $25,000 a year. I pay $765 a month for a one bedroom apartment up here in Illinois. My mom is starting social security this year which might help us be able to afford up to $1000 a month for rent. I might consider buying instead of renting again, if I could find a decent older area in Georgia where houses might start at 100k and under. I could rent with the option to buy. Or perhaps a condo or townhome maybe? I'd even consider moving us to a trailer park in Georgia if it's decent.

My question is, even though I visited a lot of areas in my visit to Georgia, I'm still not sure where the "decent" working class neighborhoods are in these towns. I don't mind if an area is racially mixed as long as it's not full of gangbangers. (my family and I are white folks)

I am a data entry clerk. I need to live close to any area that has lots of office parks but I don't have to live in that area. I liked Duluth a lot. I was thinking of us possibly moving to Duluth since it might be cheaper but then I could work in Alpharetta, Roswell, Dunwoody, etc. Does that sound like a good option?

Also, I don't like "small towns". I like more developed areas. I like to be close to lots of stores, for shopping basics. I don't mind all the development in Georgia and traffic because I'm used to it up here in Illinois where I live and work. I like to live in a "busier" area so that I'm close to office parks for work and basic shopping. (stores like Wal-Mart, etc)

Where's a good lower income place to live in Georgia for someone who only makes $25,000 a year? The only reason I'm not considering Atlanta itself is due to my asthma and the smog in the city.

The other reason I'm asking, is even though I got to visit a lot of areas, I was only in Georgia a week and only had time to "drive through". I got a basic feel of all these areas but I'm still not sure which areas have the most office parks and which areas might have lower income neighborhoods that are still decent. I need more help in narrowing it down. I did like Duluth a lot though.

Also, just so you guys know, I am used to an hour commute to work one way up here in Illinois. And when we get snow up here, it can be an hour 1/2 to two hours to get home. (and last year, it snowed a lot) Keep that in mind if you make any suggestions. I don't mind traffic. The traffic I experienced while driving around Georgia did not faze me at all since I'm used to it up here, but, I would like to try and keep my drive to work no longer then an hour if possible somewhere in Georgia.

Here is a list of all the areas I visited in Georgia.

Duluth
Conyers
Stockbridge
McDonough
Lithonia
Social Circle
Walnut Grove
Monroe
Loganville
Snellville
Grayson
Lawrenceville
Auburn
Winder
Dacula
Alpharetta


I didn't get a chance to visit all the cities I wanted to.

Here are other towns I'm considering but didn't get a chance to visit:

Vinings
Smyrna
Sandy Springs
Marietta
Kennesaw
Acworth
Woodstock
Cartersville
Sugar Hill
Buford
Suwanee
Fair Oaks
Powder Springs
Mableton
Austell
Douglasville
Doraville
Norcross
Lilburn

Athens

Remember, I don't care if an area is more racially diverse, as long as it's decent. I also don't care if it's a more congested area with traffic. That works better for me actually. My mom and brother live with me and I'd be moving all three of us. Since rent is going up so much, I may be able to afford an older house to buy possibly in an older neighborhood. I can't afford a new house in the newer neighborhoods. They are just too expensive. I'm looking for houses that are 100k and under. I could maybe rent a house and buy later.

I know there are posts about all the areas I listed above in this forum, but I've found most of those posts are for folks who are looking to buy homes that start at 200k and over. I can't afford that. What are the best towns for those of us who are lower income and can't afford to buy new but we want to be close enough to towns with lots of office parks for jobs?

Thank you in advance. This forum has been very helpful to me over the past year.
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