ATL to Orlando???

[wowser05]

Originally Posted by jasonmckinley

I lived in Atlanta for 8 years- now live in Orlando. My advice to you is check out Winter Park, Thornton Park, College Park and definitely Baldwin Park.

Winter Park is not really like anything in Atlanta (especially Park Ave which is awesome). Thornton and College Park would be somewhat like the nicer parts of East Atlanta mixed in with some parts of the Highlands in the sense that it's a more historic part of the city. Baldwin Park isn't like anything I've ever seen before- it has apartments (Post mainly) up to $3 million houses... restaurants, a couple of laid back bars, gym, CVS, dry cleaners, Publix, running trail, dog beach, etc. It is the sweet spot for young professionals (we live in Baldwin). You can get to any of the places I listed above in under 15 minutes if you live in Baldwin and you never have to leave Baldwin if you don't want to. When you see Baldwin, you will understand (it's not for everyone but we like it). Forget about going to Disney for nightlife- once you move here you will want to avoid that part of the city unless you have to go there.

My wife and I like Orlando much more than Atlanta (we lived in the Highlands, Ansley, and Vinings while in ATL). Orlando has lakes everywhere, better scenery, less people, and most parts of the city feel "higher end" than Atlanta. Also, the weather is really not that much different. We extend the heat about 4 weeks on either end of the summer- so it starts getting pretty hot here in late May (instead of late June in ATL) and won't end until around Halloween (normally pretty cool/crisp in ATL for Halloween). Worth it for the winter though...grass stays green here, trees keep their leaves for the most part, etc. Most of our family is in Atlanta so we go back often and we always comment how much happier we are here. Plus, you get a 6% raise when you move to Florida which is nice.

Good luck- I don't think you'll regret the decision.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like Baldwin is the place I would want to live in. I've stayed all around Metro Atlanta, (Perimeter, Poncey Highlands, downtown near blvd, Decatur, Turner Field) and now living in my house in Grant Park. As soon as I get a renter for this one, (hopefully June), I'll be ready to go.

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by wowser05

As soon as I get a renter for this one, (hopefully June), I'll be ready to go.

I am sure you looked into selling your house, but I would suggest you revisit selling it versus renting it.

It can be disastrous being a long distance land lord. My advice is to get rid of all ties to a city when you move. You don't want to have to deal with that stuff hundreds of miles away.

[wowser05]

Originally Posted by brianjb

I am sure you looked into selling your house, but I would suggest you revisit selling it versus renting it.

It can be disastrous being a long distance land lord. My advice is to get rid of all ties to a city when you move. You don't want to have to deal with that stuff hundreds of miles away.

Actually I dont want to sell. Values in Atlanta are sufferring. Even though I got it for 50k under value compared to my neighbors , I wouldnt get a price for what its worth. Im in the property management/real estate industry. I have a real close friend who's own a management company. He's offering a deal almost free of charge to handle them. I like to find my own tenant though. But I do know how stressful it is. Its stressful when you live a few miles down the street. Lol. You just have to find the right tenant.

I still plan to invest in atl even if im not staying there because I have some good connections and I know the market quite well. Just wanna try out the beaches and florida for a while.