Moving to atlanta soon? Read this first (Lawrenceville, Norcross: buying, construction)

[FactSeeker]

1. Budget : $900 Max
2. House/Condo/Townhome? House or Townhome or 3 bedroom apt
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): At CDC
4. Children(public school vs. private): public high school and elementary for 14yr and 7 yr old
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Suburban but close to CDC
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Preferably near public transit
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.

Asian Indian. I live in a single family home with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bath paying under $900 for mortgage. How is housing in Atlanta or suburbs? Is Sandy Springs affordable? Would like to know how Marietta is and the schools there. How is the commute to downtown from Marietta? Also commute from Norcross, GA or from Johns Creek. Is downtown more expensive than suburbs? I live in suburbs of Indianapolis and here downtown is cheap compared to the suburbs. My children currently go to top schools here (Fishers High School). Would like to know in general the schools in Atlanta and suburbs. Would really like to know how the people are and how accepting they are of Asian Indians. Which places to avoid and schools to stay away from etc? Any other information about CDC and working conditions will also help.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

[Lastar Jenkins]

Im looking forward to moving to Atlanta in 3-6 months i am 26disabled on disability with two children . Im trying to see if there section 8 list is opening and how can i apply online. Are there any other programs that can helo me housing before i move all my medical equipment. Thanks

[hongkyongnae]

Hello everyone. Thanks for thread. I may be moving to Atlanta soon and am asking Advice on neighborhoods. Below is the info mentioned at the start of the thread.

1. Budget : $270,000 would be as much as we want to pay for single family house.

2. House: single family, 2 bath, 2+ bedrooms. Don't need a big yard, I am tired of cutting grass.

3. Employment Status(commute): It will be a job right next to the capital bldg dead downtown, with the university system of Georgia.

4. Children(public school vs. private): no kids. Don't care about the schools.

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: suburban is best, quiet neighborhood is important. If parks are near by for our very small dog, that would be great.

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? In a dream world, I could catch MARTA each day. But failing that, the shorter the commute the better. It would have to be a great house for me to commute over 35 minutes one way.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Safe is essential. Better educated is nice as is international since we both will work with university types.

Thanks in advance to you all for helping. I have seen some really great posts here.

[RobVetNyc]

Originally Posted by ATLHRLGUY

Sticky?!?! If something similar is already posted...sorry.

Helpful Tip,
For all of those about to move or thinking about moving to the Atlanta metro area, in order for us to better assist you and for you to get more responses please provide us with as much of the following information as possible in your initial post please:

1. Budget
2. House/Condo/Townhome?
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)
4. Children(public school vs. private)
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.

These are just a few off the top of my head, feel free to add more.

1. 1000-1350
2. Loft
3. Retired
4. None
5. Urban
6. Not Important
7. Midtown to Buckhead

Retired Military, 39... Divorced male... Removed - do not post your personal emails here please. Use the site's direct mail feature. ... Move time frame is flexible: Feb, Mar or April...

[Lastar Jenkins]

1. 400-600
2.Townhouse
3.Disability SSD
4.Public
5.Urban
6.Not important
7.Midtown or downtown

Disabled with two child and medical equipment moving june . I will be there in end if March to see different areas. Im try to see can i get help with housing assistance

[aamu_97]

Greetings,

I am relocating to Duluth in a couple of weeks to work. I have responded (submitted my info) to several ads for rental houses and townhomes in Duluth/Suwanee areas. I have requested info on at least 20 properties. Out of 20 inquiries, I have received 1.....I repeat..........1 call back.

This realtor told me that realtors will not return calls and I am inclined to believe her. I am African-American and I grew up in Bama so I have very thick skin, however her questions and condescending tone right off the back about credit, income, etc were offensive to me.

For the record, I am an engineer with several years of experience and a 6fig salary.

I am just looking for a nice, modern, safe place to walk/run with my dogs, close to shopping, and no longer than a 20 minute drive from work.


1. Budget-</=1300; I cant see paying more than that on something other than my own mortgage (maybe in 1 or 2 years of finding my way around the area)
2. House/Condo/Townhome? doesn't matter
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)-commute, preferably less than 20mins
4. Children(public school vs. private)-No kids
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two-mix
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. I do not care about demographics...never had to worry about certain people moving to an area based on the color of one's skin in the Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast.

[DBIF]

I am seriously considering a slightly brash "F it" kind of move to the South. I am not looking at it with rose tinted glasses, I know there is traffic, crime etc but I have lived all over the world and nowhere is perfect. I have some savings so I have a bit of flexibility financially.

1. Budget: That's the first thing I need to understand. Looking at Zillow or Craigslist there are 2 beds around 1500 a month, Even in areas that have been recommended to me (Buckhead, Mid Town, Virginia Highlands). Should I assume that these apts are dumps or can you actually find something decent for that price?
2. House/Condo/Townhome?: Looking for a decent 2 bed apt to rent. cat friendly.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): No job lined up. My focus is on the banking and investment management industry and this is the kind of Job I will be looking for.
4. Children(public school vs. private): No kids, school district not relevant.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Neutral on this. But Easy access to Whole Foords, Trader Joes and or farmers market is a must.
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?: Ideally that would be great yes, but we will have to get a car so ultimately its no deal breaker.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood: I like diversity, preferably not a place overly dominated by 1 single race group.

[allandsome]

aamu_97;

assuming you check this; Duluth/Suwanee runs to the suburban/rural despite still being part of Metro Atlanta. You are very likely to be able to find a house or townhome in your budget range, but you may want to look into some of the better appointed apartment communities along I-85/Satellite Blvd corridor first, possibly close to the McDaniel Farm (large park, great for walking your dogs), even if only in the short term (Which vary from the $700-$1500 in most case, the higher end being for a three bedroom 2 bath.) I say this because a good many of the home rentals in that area you may find aren't going to be through realtors, they are going to be owner driven, locally advertised, and or on local spaces like Craig's list, meaning you are more likely to find non-apartment living once you are more familiar with the area itself.

Duluth/Suwanee is an area that moved from rural to suburban very rapidly, and much of Gwinnett County is a direct result of a lot of white flight from the Atlanta counties. The attitudes here are a serious mixed bag, but it's also a seriously diverse are racially and ethnically, and economically. Downtown Duluth is literally and example of money being on one side of the railroad tracks or the other. It's got its good and bad, ups and down.

Since I don't exactly know where you will be working, I can't guarantee the commute. The Traffic in and around Duluth (basically I-85, Buford Highway, State 316 from Athens) can be pretty gruesome at times because Duluth is the major feed point for all points north and east trying to get into downtown. At peak times, 6-10 minutes for each mile is not unusual.

Hope this helps. Good luck and welcome to Duluth!

Originally Posted by aamu_97

Greetings,

I am relocating to Duluth in a couple of weeks to work. I have responded (submitted my info) to several ads for rental houses and townhomes in Duluth/Suwanee areas. I have requested info on at least 20 properties. Out of 20 inquiries, I have received 1.....I repeat..........1 call back.

This realtor told me that realtors will not return calls and I am inclined to believe her. I am African-American and I grew up in Bama so I have very thick skin, however her questions and condescending tone right off the back about credit, income, etc were offensive to me.

For the record, I am an engineer with several years of experience and a 6fig salary.

I am just looking for a nice, modern, safe place to walk/run with my dogs, close to shopping, and no longer than a 20 minute drive from work.


1. Budget-</=1300; I cant see paying more than that on something other than my own mortgage (maybe in 1 or 2 years of finding my way around the area)
2. House/Condo/Townhome? doesn't matter
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)-commute, preferably less than 20mins
4. Children(public school vs. private)-No kids
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two-mix
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. I do not care about demographics...never had to worry about certain people moving to an area based on the color of one's skin in the Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast.

[allandsome]

Hi DBIF;

I wouldn't assume they are dumps -- what you are going to find will vary wildly even in the same neighborhood, both in how nice/bad they are and what they ammenities are. Unless you aim at established apartment complex what you are going to find is that lot of the apartments in these areas are converted older homes-- tones of charm and quirks, up to code, but maybe lacking a bit in either storage space or any of the new trends in apartment living. But they will be in interesting neighborhoods, usually withing walking distance of at least a few good restaurants, parks, and access to MARTA (the Atlanta metro system). When you are checking, be sure to ask about your parking access if you plan to get a car. In some areas, that's a real premium. So what you may get is not a dump, but a pretty tiny apartment in a great area. Or you probably could get a decent sized house in a not so great area, or in an area kind of caught between the two. Neighborhoods in-town can shift from decent to bad from one street corner to the next.

Midtown and Virginia Highlands are more or less adjacent to each other, Buckhead is further north, more high-end but in kind of a transitional state at the moment. (Not a bad thing, just a lot of shifting around).

Midtown puts you (as the name suggests) pretty much dead center in the long sprawl of the city of Atlanta, with the actual Downtown (where the capital and all the official buildings are, as well as most of the big banks and investment firms) south of you and Buckhead to the north.

Back to those apartments - I think that as long as you are flexible in your thinking about living space, you can find something to suit, for you cats as well. You may have to do some trade offs -- depending on your lifestyle (i.e. if you like to cook and entertain, some of the places are going to have really small kitchens, places with bigger kitchen-dining areas may have really small bedrooms.) If you are okay with more generic spaces then check out the half dozen or more apartment management companies around town (AMLI, Post Properties (varying quality depending on area but pretty decent rates), MAA-Allure in Buckhead and Brookwood spring to mind. (new properties, better areas, slightly higher in price.)

If you are willing to take slightly more risk (i.e. neighborhoods that are themselves good but may abutt to ones that aren't as great) you can also look at Little Five Points, Inman Park, Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown and Grant park. All of those are up and comers, being redeveloped, rough around the edges but pretty cool and fun and easy access to pretty much anywhere in the city.

Your other option is to check out areas like Decatur which isn't technically Atlanta but is close enough to spit on it *g*

Good luck!

Originally Posted by DBIF

I am seriously considering a slightly brash "F it" kind of move to the South. I am not looking at it with rose tinted glasses, I know there is traffic, crime etc but I have lived all over the world and nowhere is perfect. I have some savings so I have a bit of flexibility financially.

1. Budget: That's the first thing I need to understand. Looking at Zillow or Craigslist there are 2 beds around 1500 a month, Even in areas that have been recommended to me (Buckhead, Mid Town, Virginia Highlands). Should I assume that these apts are dumps or can you actually find something decent for that price?
2. House/Condo/Townhome?: Looking for a decent 2 bed apt to rent. cat friendly.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): No job lined up. My focus is on the banking and investment management industry and this is the kind of Job I will be looking for.
4. Children(public school vs. private): No kids, school district not relevant.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Neutral on this. But Easy access to Whole Foords, Trader Joes and or farmers market is a must.
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?: Ideally that would be great yes, but we will have to get a car so ultimately its no deal breaker.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood: I like diversity, preferably not a place overly dominated by 1 single race group.

[suchaladyjay]

Originally Posted by DBIF

I am seriously considering a slightly brash "F it" kind of move to the South. I am not looking at it with rose tinted glasses, I know there is traffic, crime etc but I have lived all over the world and nowhere is perfect. I have some savings so I have a bit of flexibility financially.

1. Budget: That's the first thing I need to understand. Looking at Zillow or Craigslist there are 2 beds around 1500 a month, Even in areas that have been recommended to me (Buckhead, Mid Town, Virginia Highlands). Should I assume that these apts are dumps or can you actually find something decent for that price?

Atlanta isn't that expensive, so these prices are right and I would say a little high; there are complexes around Midtown, where I suggest you stay based on your #5 easy access points.

2. House/Condo/Townhome?: Looking for a decent 2 bed apt to rent. cat friendly.

My Response:Look on Ponce De Leon and around that area; There are 2 bedrooms that start at 1200 and go up from there. Most native will say you're crazy for paying that much

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): No job lined up. My focus is on the banking and investment management industry and this is the kind of Job I will be looking for.

My Response:This is not a good move to make without a job (anywhere now is a bad move without a job), I remember when I was younger around 2000-2003, I will just up and move and find a job like that...those days are over

4. Children(public school vs. private): No kids, school district not relevant.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Neutral on this. But Easy access to Whole Foords, Trader Joes and or farmers market is a must.

My Response: Midtown has walkable ones (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods) but Buckhead (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Fresh Market) is good too!

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?: Ideally that would be great yes, but we will have to get a car so ultimately its no deal breaker.

My Response: Transit is fine in the city, outside of 285, I wouldn't do it.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood: I like diversity, preferably not a place overly dominated by 1 single race group.

My Response: Midtown hands down