Houses near Emory (Roswell, Decatur: rent, new home, neighborhood)

[yxnstat]

Hi all,

I'm looking for houses from which I can commute to Emory via public transit. I'm trying to figure out if I can find a place for under $125,000; otherwise I'll rent.

Is a listing like this too good to be true? New construction, half-hour commute: Georgia Multiple Listing Service

I don't have children and I won't be having any soon, so schools are not an issue for me (except insofar as they affect the house's resale value). I also don't really mind being in a not-too-nice neighborhood.

[lastminutemom]

If you are worried about appreciation in value, that is probably a risky purchase. When and if the housing market improves, there will be scores of new homes built in the area and that will make it harder to market your "older" home. Just something to think about.

The house looks great though. You need to really check out the neighborhood.

[atltechdude]

I wouldn't say that is too good to be true. I'm in that area and I've seen some lower priced homes around there for similar.

[spyderman33]

I would rent instead of buying... If what the analysts say comes true, the housing market will dip again...

[ATLTJL]

If you think you will be able to commute from Roswell to Emory in a half hour or under, you've got another thing coming!

If you drive a car and commute during non-peak hours....maybe. If you are commuting during peak hours, or have to rely on public transit, NO WAY.

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

If you think you will be able to commute from Roswell to Emory in a half hour or under, you've got another thing coming!

If you drive a car and commute during non-peak hours....maybe. If you are commuting during peak hours, or have to rely on public transit, NO WAY.

Roswell no, however the house the OP posted is not in Roswell, it is in unincorporated Dekalb just east of Decatur, which would offer a reasonable commute to Emory. The address of the listing agent was in Roswell.

[ATLTJL]

My bad! I was looking at the address of the realtor.

I thought that was an odd architecture choice for Roswell!

I did a quick Google street view of the area. I don't know how old the images are, but the neighborhood looked a tad sketchy....boarded up houses, junk cars on the road, etc.

If living in a neighborhood like that doesn't bother you, I'd say consider it. I just wouldn't expect to get anything back on an investment like that unless your horizon exceeds 10 years. For me, the annoyances such as potential crime, neighbors that leave junk cars out, etc. wouldn't be worth it. Everybody is different though, so just know what you are getting into. I would drive by at night a few times and see what is going on in the area.