Mableton...? (Atlanta, Smyrna, Vinings: apartment complexes, rent, buying a house)

[lokka]

Hi -- first off, thanks to everyone who contributes to these forums... My wife & I are fairly new to ATL, and have relied quite a bit on this site to get info on Atlanta & surrounding areas.

Here's our situation:
We came to ATL thinking we will rent in Smyrna for a while, and then buy a house in an area we like. Our budget was around $400-500K, and after some research thought Smyrna might work best for us.

Unfortunately, our previous house is still not sold... and even though it's now rented, that income is not counted towards my income... pushing down the amount I can qualify for drastically down.

This has forced us to start thinking of alternatives... and I'm now beginning to look at Mableton. I've noticed the Pebble Brook Estates area, north of Venterans Mem. Hwy...

Schools are not much of a concern as we plan to send to private school; although commute to that school would be a concerns.

Work locations are around 285/75 intersection and downtown... for which Mableton doesn't seem too bad.

That said, we are not in too much of a hurry to buy either... We could deal with the apartment until April/May next year.

I'd love to hear some opinions, posts on what you guys think Mableton would be for a young family (early 30's)... the goods, the bads, and the ugly... Any particular areas in Mableton to look at avoid? Should we put off buying a house and look at just renting one?

[lorilove]

Renting for one year is definitely an option, interest rates and home prices are extremely low right now but they are not going to increase much over the next year.

While you may not buy at the absolute bottom of the market (let's hope this is the bottom), you will be very close to the bottom even a year from now.

[rcsteiner]

I live less than a mile west of Pebblebrook Estates in the older Stoneybrook subdivision (just south of Vinings Estates off Civitania), and I think the entire area bounded by the E/W Connector, Veterans Memorial Highway, Buckner Road, and Floyd Road is nice, especially the northern half.

Not sure where the Smyrna city line falls, since I know Vinings Estates is actually in Smyrna, as is the Chimney Oaks subdivison immediately to our north.

The only potential problem area I could see is anything immediately adjacent to Veterans Memorial Highway itself, but others here have lived in places like Providence and Cobblestone Creek, and those places also seem to be fine.

Just a general rule, business disticts and apartment complexes can be problematic, but you can give the Cobb police department a call and ask them about specific locations.

I should add that we've lived at our current address for six years now, and in the general area for almost exactly seven, and so far I've found the southern part of Smyrna and northern part of Mableton to be a positive place to live.

[lorilove]

Here is the ward map for Smyrna, GA. You can zoom in to see the roads and city limits clearer.

http://www.smyrnacity.com/Modules/Sh...x?documentid=8

[JoeP]

Look at the neighborhoods off of Nickajack Rd between Fontaine Rd and Floyd Rd. Several nice neighborhoods along this stretch (all on a hill between those 2 roads), adjecent to the East West Connector, the Silver Comet Trail...

Many homes in the lower 200s, if not lower due to the recent few years taking a hit on values everywhere.