Complete Noob - Potentially Moving (Atlanta, Smyrna: apartment, rent, condo)

[Lucretius]

Hello everyone...

I'm in my mid/late twenties fresh out of college and I'm potentially moving to Atlanta soon. I may have a job waiting for me when I get there (still preliminary), if not I won't be moving. I'm completely "green" when it comes to anything related to major financial decisions... and this will be my first "real job." It's a big decision, but Atlanta seems nice.

I just copied the template from the sticky in this forum and answered the questions. Your input is appreciated!

1. Budget
- If I land the job I think I can probably land it's going to be in the 55k - 65k range starting. As a college student recently graduating I have no real savings to speak of... so this is the only measure of what an annual budget would look like for me in Atlanta. How would this income level work out in terms of quality of life? I looked at the average cost of living data but I know that can be misleading.

2. House/Condo/Townhome?
- No idea! I feel like a house is a more reliable investment. I'll likely be in some form of temporary housing while I look for a place. I don't really like noisy neighbors. I'm an animal person (but not one of those insane PETA freaks) and I plan on having a small to medium sized dog.

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)
- I would need to commute. I doubt I could get away with working from home. If I could I probably wouldn't be considering the move.

4. Children (public school vs. private)
- I have no children. I've read quite a bit on this forum about how most people are dissatisfied with the quality of public education in Atlanta and let me tell you that really it isn't any better where I live. I consider government education a failure both philosophically and practically (including the quality of state universities).

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two
- Not sure. I'm single... and I've read that the city is the place to live when you're single. I'm mostly a loner though so maybe something in the country would be better. (currently I live in a small community that some would consider "the sticks" but it suits me).

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?
- I don't mind driving to work everyday as long as the commute isn't over ~45 minutes. I'm comfortable with what I've read the average is (~30 minutes). Of course with gas becoming more and more ridiculous the commute should be preferably shorter rather than longer.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.
- I desire most of the obvious things... low crime (I own guns and I sure would hate to have to kill somebody intruding into my home), a neighborhood in decent condition (no slums/projects nearby) but not something too well groomed, peace and quiet is nice. I'm an Atheist, and I would like to not live in any kind of neighborhood with people knocking on my door on Saturday asking me if I've found Jesus.

I appreciate any insights!

[ATLTJL]

First of all, congratulations!

If you just graduated college and are looking at a salary of $55k - $65k, you clearly majored in the right thing!!!!!

If you've been reading this board for a while, you know that there is always kind of a weird debate between the intowners and suburbanites. It doesn't make much sense, but whatever...I often find myself defending the suburbs because I live in the suburbs. But that's only after years of living intown because I was ready to buy and I could only afford some old house with no insulation, weird bathrooms, and low ceilings or a shoebox condo in the city. Instead, I got a nice house on an awesome piece of property in the 'burbs.

Anyway, the reason I tell you all this is because for people like me, you can sort of argue back and forth the pros and cons of the suburbs vs. the city. HOWEVER, for your station in life, there is absolutely no question: you should be in the city.

You have an awesome salary. You have no responsibilities. You are single. There is going to be plenty of time for suburbs, I promise we'll be right here waiting when you partner up and are ready to buy a nice place. For now, though, there's no reason why you shouldn't rent in the city. You may never get to do it again. Go nuts, rent a small but awesome pad in one of the new high rises in midtown or Buckhead. Go out every night. Live the life! There will be plenty of time to be boring later. I would never want to advise somebody to not be financially responsible....but it doesn't really matter if you save a nest egg your very first year of working. Live while you have your youth. Start saving in year two.

When I first moved to Atlanta, I lived in Smyrna. I hated it. Then I moved to Norcross, which I liked better, but it still wasn't great. Long story short, I eventually moved to Buckhead and had the time of my life. Skip the mistakes I made, and go straight for Buckhead or midtown! Then you can go out and buy a house after you've gotten it out of your system and have made friends and memories.

Mark my words. Concentrate on midtown or Buckhead. You make too much money and have too few ties to be an urban pioneer and go somewhere like East Atlanta or Kirkwood. Be young, go to the nice part of the city, and be awesome! At least rent in an awesome area for a year before you buy. That way you will be able to drive around and check out the city.

When you're ready, come back here and tell us what you're looking for in a house and area and we will help steer you where to look. For now, though, midtown or Buckhead!!!!!

[lorilove]

As a new college graduate, you do not want a house. i would definitely rent an apartment or condo.

You are not yet stable enough in your career to take on the committment of home ownership. Anything could happen at this point, you could decide to go back and get your masters, as an entry level employee you may need to move for advancement, you might decide you hate your career choice and decide to do something different (it does happen)

If this is the first time you are out on your own and managing your finances - it is too soon to take on the task of home ownership. There will be plenty of time for that.

[ReturningWest]

1. Budget, you should be OK no matter what area you live in with that starting salary.

2. Rent don't own yet, you need to get to know the city and your likes and dislikes. If you are getting a dog, there are plenty of dog friendly appts. Also, there are LOTS of local rescue groups, so finding the right dog will be easy.

3. Employment - location location location, if you could tell us where in ATL your job would be we could better help you with everything.

5. You'd be surprised at all the green space in ATL. Also, there are plenty of day trips to take.

6. The Commute - again, location location location. It will depend upon where you work. Commutes in metro ATL can be notoriously nasty and many will move to make sure their commutes stay reasonable.

7. Until we know where you will be working it's difficult to get to the nitty grittys of the type of location your looking for. Sigh, we are in the bible belt and you will find most are church goers and religion does premeate the south. It's not the knocking on doors you'll be dealing with but often people will ask what church you attend - not to be nosey but to offer their church as an option.

Let us know where your job would be located and that will help us help you as to neighborhoods.

[Lucretius]

I appreciate the responses. It's tough to give good landmarks since I really have no idea. If you zoom out using Google maps it's pretty much smack in the middle of the loop that 285 forms. Kinda where I85 forks off onto 400 north. Northeast of the main city. Since it's not in the heart of the City, I think if I lived in the north eastern portion I could hopefully avoid some traffic.

I apologize for not just giving the address or naming the business.

[jlbunny]

the only advice that I can give you is DO NOT BUY. It doesn't matter you are buying for long term home or for investment. Build your emergency fund and retirement fund first. Meanwhile, rent and live below your means. Since you don't have much saving and cannot say you have job security either (because you have not start working yet), do your house hunting in several years. It is not the time for you yet. Rent first and get to know the city, people, and where you want to live.

[plessthanpointohfive]

By the bye, not every urban pioneer is there because it's all they can afford. Some just like it.

If I didn't have kids I'd be all about it.

So, to Lucretius, if you think you might like some gritty urban project, we got that. But, from your initial post I don't think you would like that.

If you're working on the northside of town then Buckhead and/or Midtown are probably good places to start. Those parts of town are nice, but they have distinct personalities. Buckhead is often categorized as yuppie. Midtown often categorized as artsy, but I think it's really more diverse. There are other neighborhoods that have different personalities so if there's one kind of personality in a neighborhood you prefer, let us know and we can make recommendations.

[testa50]

If your job is near the 85/400 split, living on the east side of town would NOT be a way to decrease commute time. Surface streets are completely jammed in that part of town. Instead, look for places that are only a few miles away and right on the interstate (ahem, Midtown and Buckhead). There are also plenty of apartment options right in that area (Lindbergh has a bunch, among others).

As for "vibe":

Midtown: Large gay scene, liberal and diverse area, entertainment-oriented, more walkable, less safe, definitely getting more yuppie, a few historic and older buildings to mix things up
Buckhead: Yuppie, older, a bit less diverse, business and shopping oriented, less walkable, very safe, good nightlife options but very spread out, everything is shiny and new and wealthy