Need help!! Relocating to Atlanta!!
 

Hi! My husband & I have recently moved to Atlanta. We are looking for a single family house (no more than 5yrs old hopefully) around $140k near MARTA. We can't decide on an area . . .

We recently lost a house in College Park off Old National Highway because we won't get our 1st paystubs til 11/30 so they sold it out from under us. So now we're trying to find other locations.

Can anyone recommend areas? We don't mind taking the bus to a MARTA train station. I will be working in Midtown, hubby downtown. Thanks for any help!

Do you absolutely need a HOUSE? I only ask this because apartments seem to be going up like wildflowers all over the metro area. - Something to think about anyway. New houses/subdivisions are also popping up at alarming rates, but be cautious. They are very expensive and they are not being built well (because there is such a hurry to get them up) Also, houses are built so close together, you may feel like you are in an apartment anyway ;-)

I live in the Kennesaw/Marietta area. Without a car, you would have to take a Cobb County bus to get to MARTA (but that is also something to think about) It is a nice location (and about the same distance as College Park, just in an opposite direction)

I know this isn't the advice you were looking for. I hope someone else can help. I just wanted to contribute.

Ps- Welcome to Georgia! :))

My son lives in Sandy Springs and likes it very much. He is 1 mile from the MARTA stop. FYI, JUdy

We did the whole "moving to Atlanta" a few months ago and the thread probably had 75 posts. Why not do a quick search and see if you can find it soe people don't reinvent this well-worn wheel.

I live and work in Sandy Springs. I cannot imagine a new, single family detached house in the area in your price range. Most in that category are 3-8 times that.
Don't give up your quest. Private leveraged home ownership is the best tax break for the middle class. And, there's the joy of owning your own piece of dirt that may appreciate. Find a good real estate agent who represents buyers. The seller will pay her commission.
Welcome y'all.

Yes, Lex, you are right about single family homes in SS. My son lives in a condo off of Glenridge Pkwy. We used to live off of Holcomb Bridge rd(Nesbit Lakes) and home prices there are creeping up too. I think the Atlanta market is pretty hot right now. wannago: a good real estate agent is must IMO.

Hi to all & thanks for the responses - please keep em coming! ;-)

Yes we do absolutely need a house . . . we lived in a coop apartment in NYC & 50% of the reason we chose Atlanta is because I could find work easily here (my firm's home office is here) & we could buy a house in our price range. We considered buying an apartment intown, but figure if we pay another $20k we can get a house with a backyard.

Unfortunately we've found zilch in our price range in Sandy Springs. I "think" we've got a good agent - better than the last one we had who didn't even bother to tell us the builder sold the house from under us (we came out last weekend, decided to drop by to see how progress was going & got the news it was sold).

I'll check out Marietta. We used to take a bus to the train in NYC so that doesn't bother us at all, we just want to have a choice & not have to be totally dependent on our car, as we only have 1 right now.

Please keep the areas coming & thanks!

Mike T - the link you provided is a link to this thread . . . I did a search for your post & couldn't find it. I'd love to read it if you or anyone can get it for me.

"New houses/subdivisions are also popping up at alarming rates...houses are built so close together, you may feel like you are in an apartment anyway"

The first part is precisely WHY a person wants to buy one for an investment. The second part doesn't matter, if you're selling in 1-2-3 years and buying something larger.
Consult your local R/E pro.

If you don't have docs for the loan, waiting is best until you do have the docs, to get the best loan terms possible. Otherwise, a person could go stated income on an I/O loan, knowing both the loan and the home are tmeporary. Watching the home build equity from sheer inflation is a wonderful thing.

TripleSecDelay,
I was just letting her know what she can expect here. I just wanted her to realize that new houses are going up very fast - too fast to allow for quality. Also, if someone wants any kind of yard, they may be disappointed.
That is a fact of what the market is like right now. ... I wasn't trying to get into the economics of it.

Not everyone wants to move every few years. I have lived in the same house for 20 years.

I don't think these real estate agents are doing their job, I need to change my profession. I have lived in Atlanta all my life. (I'm in my forties) Clarkston, Decatur, Chamblee, Sandy Springs, Cabbagetown, Forest Park, East Lake, I could go on and on. They are many eclectic, funky, up & coming, established, fun neighborhoods all around metro Atlanta. Finding the right home sweet home is not that hard. I have owned over 6 houses here and each one was special. Yeah, they weren't new homes but with the right my touch, add-ons, updates, and clean your room attitude, there are still homes available in your price range wannago35. Wanna a really good buyers agent? Just kiddin.

OK so I have a question - my hubby & I wanted a newer home cuz we didn't want responsibility/extra maintenance an older home can come with. Wallace_and_Gromit said new homes aren't quality made - are there any builders I should avoid that you guys know of? I've been using JD Power as a guide.

We were trying not to buy a home made before 1990 & that's really pushing it. Before anyone says it yes we know houses are extra maintenance & a lotta responsibility but older homes can be even more so.

Lapdog - you said you can go on & on . . please do I'm researching as many areas as possible!

Does anyone know if there is bus service to the train in Powder Springs?

THANKS!!

wannago go to ajchomefinder.com; a map of every county and neighborhood in the metro Atlanta. You can type in any type of home, zip code/neighborhood, rooms, and price.

Thanks much Lapdog!

I'm in the process of selling my condo in Dunwoody/Sandy Springs and know there is very little in the $140k range around the top end of Atlanta...and you will be hardpressed to find a newer single family home for that price but could buy a townhouse or condo for that. I'm from NY and you won't get a tiny matchbox like you would there--you might want to reconsider given your price range and just check out the condo market...

Have you played around on realtor.com? The have all the MLS and GMLS listings...

I'm considering a move to Atlanta as well. Relocating from Boston for a very good job opportunity. I'm trying to determine housing costs and I have a pretty good idea what to expect in the intown neighborhoods that seem to fit what I like (Va Highlands/Morningside), but I am having a hard time finding a suburb that might work (meaning it won't be the 1 hour plus commute for 10-15 miles like people talk about). No kids so schools aren't an issue. Don't need a mansion; would like a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath house possibly with pool or backyard big enough for pool in a pretty safe suburb *ideally* with a nice town center with a couple of good restaurants and some charm. Range is up to around $425,000. Can anyone tell me suburbs to look in? Thanks!

To Iamq:

Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell would all be places to preview. First two are closer in than the latter.

To hmmm:

Thanks. Have seen all on map. Any idea of commute times for each to downtown? (Driving or drive to Marta and take from there).

Iamg:
Commutes: perhaps 45 minutes drive/marta rail from Sandy Springs or Dunwoody. Maybe 30 minutes more from Roswell/Alpharetta. Caveat: My office is 4 miles from my home in Sandy Springs, and, I do not commute during rush hour.