JoyceL

I am considering moving to Atlanta, and am wondering whether there are any neighborhoods that meet these criteria:

1. small houses. I want a small house, preferably with only 1 floor, or (at most) 2 floors

2. walkability: the neighborhood must have sidewalks

3. some shopping nearby, but not too commercial

I just returned from a scouting trip to Atlanta, and I saw only one area that meets the above criteria: a small section of the Virginia Highlands, located near downtown. But even there I was not too happy with what I saw (the homes were closer to each other than I would prefer, and I did not see a single garage).

Area there any neighborhoods I missed that would meet my criteria?

These are the areas I already visited: Buckhead (too commercial), the Medical Center area, Dunwoody, Roswell, Sandy Spring, and much of the inner city, e.g. Midtown, Virginia Highland, Inman Park. Outside the inner city, I did not see a single residential area having sidewalks.

JoyceL

Correction: the village of Decatur has sidewalks. I liked it a lot, but the homes were too large!

GoTravel

What is your budget?

OneWanderingJew

The neighborhoods w/the smaller houses tend to have teeny lots and conversely the big old houses are on more land. You might want to try Brookhaven--though you will need your car to shop.

starrsville

OMG, Joyce. Decatur is the queen of "little houses". My realtor (who sells the McMansions but hates them) and good friends live in nice little bungalows in walking distance of the Decatur square. I'm not sure what you saw in Decatur, but it's not the "real" Decatur. But, few of those little bungalows are going to have garages.

You are right - most of Atlanta neighborhoods do not have sidewalks - unless they are planned communities (usually McMansions).

padams421

There's an older section of Marietta, near the square, that has sidewalks.

ssbs2

How far outside Atlanta are you willing to go? Peachtree City has some loveley small homes. I live in Summergrove in Newnan, which has all sizes of homes, and sidewalks.

JoyceL

Thanks everyone, for the suggestions.

Starrsville: What part of Decatur has small houses? I drove around some residential streets near the town shops, but I only saw large houses.

OneWanderingJew: Where is Brookhaven? I cannot find it on any map of the Atlanta region. Also: Is Brookhaven completely without any shops? I expect to use my car for most shopping (e.g. trips to the mall), but I like living in an area that has some stores and restaurants within walking distance.

For budget, I do not want to spend over $230,000 for a home. A garage is not a "must have" item.

OneWanderingJew

Brookhaven is an area of Atlanta basically just north of Buckhead--follow P'tree Rd north and it's more or less between there and say Briarcliff Rd. I like it but you need to know it is more neighborhood-y than mixed use w/some commercial mixed with residential like you saw in VA-Hi. You will find everythign you need nearby but you'd want to drive to run errands. You *might* be able to find a small older house (1940s-1950s) needing some reno in your price range there.

Garden Hills is another thought. It's SE of Buckhead. Cute older houses--can't remember if most streets have sidewalks--but the roads were quiet and there are a few little shops you could probably walk to. My friends used to live on Stephen Long Dr. and we'd walk to a neighborhood pub called the Treehouse and hang out. Right around there you will find a few little shops, coffee house and restaurant whose name escapes me at the moment.

JoyceL

Thanks. This morning I remembered I did drive through part of Brookhaven, the area near the MARTA station. It is a beautiful area, but the homes were so obviously out of my price range that I didn't pay much attention to any other aspects of the area.

I will not buy a home needing a lot of fixup work, no matter how terrific everything else is, because knowing myself as I do, the fixup work would never get done . But from what I saw of Brookhaven, even the "handyman's specials" may exceed my budget.

I'll check out Garden Hills.

Decatur (near the town center) is exactly the type of place I want, i.e. residential streets, with sidewalks, near shops, with the added bonus of a MARTA station nearby. Are there any other towns like this in the Atlanta region?

starrsville

Decatur really IS what you are looking for - and has tons of small houses for sale. You need to take another look. Call a realtor. Heck, call me. I probably was in Decatur when you were in town. Email me at starrsvillega at yahoo and I'll give you the name of the realtor I used when I sold my big house in the 'burbs. He lives in Decatur. Specializes in the little neighborhood he lives in but knows the area like the back of his hand. He even puts out little American flags at everyone's mailbox in the neighborhood for the 4th holiday. It's the place where people walk and visit and get to know one another and take care when the elderly fall and go to the hospital.

mpkp

Atlanta is not a city like most cities. There are a few neighborhoods but for your price range, it will be very difficult to find in a safe neighborhood that is not a fixer upper.

We do not have a lot of neighborhoods with sidewalks. Garden Hills is a beautiful neighborhood with walkability but I doubt you will get anything for under $500,000. It has a lot of $1,000,000 homes.

Also, are you considering the property taxes. Living in Atlanta will probably mean property taxes of $5,000 in that home -- or more.

MARTA also does not go everywhere in Atlanta. There are two lines -- North South and East West. If living on Marta was important to me, then I would go into Decatur -- one of the older neighborhoods that has not yet been renovated.

There are a lot of garages in Virginia Highlands but they often are behind the homes. This area would also be too expensive for your budget unless you did a fixer upper. A lot of these homes are $500,000 +. It has been in transition for over 15 years now.

OneWanderingJew

Joyce--
I'd concentrate your search exclusively on Decatur since it has pretty much everything you want. It's a great area and I have no problems recommending it to people. The problem you are going to come up against (anywhere inside the perimeter or close-in areas like Decatur) is definitely your budget unless you are willing to compromise and live in a condo, buy a fixer-upper or move out to the 'burbs. Atlanta is more affordable than many other cities, but $230k doesn't buy a whole lot. Plan on doing a good bit of hunting and hire a good realtor!!

BTW, are you going to be commuting for work? If so, your drive needs to be considered before anything else!!! It's no exaggeration that traffic here can be an utter nightmare and your quality of life will definitely be impacted by how much time you spend driving.

Good luck!
OWJ

Brian_in_Charlotte

Let's not sugar-coat this. You will never find a house in a nice, safe neighborhood inside the Perimeter with a garage and doesn't need renovations for $230K. And in the neighborhoods mentioned above, you'll not get what you're looking for for under $400K.

To do so, you have to compromise on one or more of your critera.

As certain areas of Atlanta are gentrifying quickly (or at least were when I moved away 3 years ago), I think your best bet is to look in those transitional neighborhoods. I'd look at the areas south of Virginia Highlands & Decatur - maybe Cabagetown? - or maybe on the recently discovered west side off off Howell Mill.

But buying into a transitional neighborhood is a tricky thing and you'll certainly want some very competant and knowledgeable help with this from a realtor.

Otherwise, you'll have to look way out in the suburbs.

I do agree that Decatur is the perfect spot, but for $230K, it's just not going to happen, unless you move into some of the sketchier areas south of the railroad tracks.

starrsville

Brian, I have really enjoyed your posts but it IS possible to get in that price range in a good neighborhood in Decatur - if you are looking for what the OP is looking for - a SMALL house. I watched one go on the market and sell and the young couple are in the process of moving in right now. That house also has a 1 car garage.

The operative word is "small". If you are looking for a 3/2 with 2 car garage - well, then you are right. You will have to pay twice that. A realtor that specializes in what the OP is looking for will be the key to finding a perfect match - but the buyer will have to move fast and make a decision quickly. Those jewels don't last long - mainly 'cause folks buy the little ones to enlarge or tear down.

Brian_in_Charlotte

Was that within walking distance of the Square? If so, that's a fantastic deal. I know there are still a bunch of little houses (2/1s) down south of the railroad tracks towards Avondale Estates, but figured that area may still be a little sketchy.

But nothing wrong with sketchy, as I can't imagine this area isn't continuing to improve as Decatur's charms become more well known. Just depends on what the OP's tolerance levels are.

I agree she should consult a realtor knowledgeable on the Decatur area.

starrsville

Yep. Walking distance from the square. VERY safe area. I've walked the pups at midnight there many a night. Great neighborhood feel. OP can just squeak in at that price point - but not for long.

Went to the Decatur Beach Party a couple of weeks ago. Lots of fun - especially watching hundreds of kids digging in the sand in the middle of the (block offed) city street!

JoyceL

Thanks again everyone, especially for the wakeup call about prices. I had thought $230,000 would be more than adequate for a small house.

In answer to some questions: I will probably not be commuting to an office, so traffic will probably not be an issue. If I do commute, it would be headed north (to Alpharetta), so I would be going in the opposite direction of most rush-hour traffic.

I prefer a small house, but would also consider a townshouse style condominium. This may put some neighborhoods closer to my budget.

starrsville

Joyce, the commute north TO Alpharetta is no longer going against traffic. Believe me, I drive 400 in both directions during the day. Quite often, the traffic is worse heading north on 400 during the mornings than it is south. In fact, the person I sold my house to on the east side of town commuted to Alpharetta everyday. Crazy.

If you are going to work out of a home office, you will have more options. Things are cheaper outside of the Perimeter. Some 'burbs are revitalizing old downtowns (Norcross etc) but you have to be careful.

Atlanta has always been a sprawl of development. Newer subdivisions have sidewalks for walking - but really only Decatur is a real town swallowed by the sprawl of Atlanta that has all that you have described.

starrsville

You may think outside the box and move to an actual small town within an hour of Atlanta - if you don't have to worry about a commute. Madison. Covington. Others come to mind. LOTS of options if you are interested in that.