Atlanta Real Estate

Location is one way to find the home you’re looking for.  However, it is not the only way.  There is another way.  You can search by builders. 

For example, you can look around where you currently live.  If you find a type of new home you can go right ahead and check it out.  You can even find the precise design that you like, and find out who is building it.

Then, find the builder in the Atlanta area who manufacturers that house you want.  Get precise locations and see if you can get the area or an area in Atlanta that you like.

Naturally, you can expect to use other features to determine which will work best for you.  Survey the other articles written so far, and keep your eyes out on the future.  By doing so, you will find the rest of the information that you need to make the best decision for yourself.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

Greater Altanta is divided into Fulton and Dekalb counties.  So far, we have mainly explored real estate in Fulton County.  The heart of Atlanta is located on the Fulton side.  However, since the 1940s’ highway development, many areas in Dekalb county are great locations for short and easy commutes.

Dekalb to, has new developments as well as older homes.  One example of the latest in full-house ‘condos’, i.e. row houses, are terrific, stylish 3 bedroom homes.  Some of these are super-classy with 3 full stories, all poised around a garage.  Places like this are available for under $300,000 and a timed highway commute of only 15 minutes to get to downtown Atlanta.

Of course if you are a parent or are planning to have children then you want to know about the schools.  Naturally the city and both Fulton and Dekalb counties have public schools.  Children must be 5 years old in order to be entered into the public schools.

Keep in mind that nowadays public schools are only one option.  There are a variety of ways to home school- on your own or in local groups of all political and religious types.  There are private tutors.  There are both private and parochial schools.  This is important to be aware of: you can give your offsring options you may not have had yourself when you were a child. 

It is highly advisable to seek a method of instruction that best suits your child’s disposition and preferences.  Some children prefer more physical hands on environments.  Home schooling and montessori schools are two of the ways to achieve this. 

Whatever it is your family needs, remember that education is available and that public schools are one way, not the only way to provide an education for your “little ducklings”.

One final note: immunization, a home, citizenship…none of these are truly required to have your child allowed to go to school, but the schools will tell you that those are necessities.

For more information visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

What’s out there today?  Well, there’s good news.  As mentioned yesterday, there are many different types of homes available within Greater Atlanta.

For today, we’ll work with the lower end of the spectrum on cost.  Soon enough we will take another look at high end estates for now, lets give the ‘little guy’ a chance.

Well within town, there is a nice humble three bedroom available for the low cost of $86,900.  This one has a healthy tree in the front yard, and has an urban residential setting.  The sidewalk is out your front door and your home is fully detached from the nearest neighbors.  It looks to have been built around the 1940’s though it may be more modern than that.

Meanwhile, you could go someplace else nearby and buy brand new.  In this case, you can go for townhomes.  You can get brand new, reasonably inexpensive- under $200,000, and urban.  What you also get, are attached neighbors.  You still have your choice of styles out there.  There are ones with underneath garages, and no garage.  Futuristic architecture or traditional styles.  All of these are readily accessible well within the Greater Atlanta region.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Druid Hills , visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

So far we have looked at many portions of Atlanta.  Over all, Atlanta, Georgia is a growing area.  Like many large urban expanses Atlanta was surrounded in a wide berth, by a highway loop that was built during the 1940’s.  Just as has been the case with numerous other growing, large urban areas, the population has been ‘filling in the the interior of the loop’ and forming an easy way to define the Greater Atlanta area.

The City itself and its surrounding areas has its own unique flavor.  The earliest suburbs and so forth were built in the 1800’s, with other areas developing afterwards.

Homes of many types are available throughout the Greater Atlanta area.  They run the gambit, from extremely inexpensive new ‘trailors’ ie factory built homes for under $50,000 through old and new houses, cheap and high price condo-apartments, townhouses, factories transformed into artistic, chic loft homes, to fantastic estates running over $5Million. 

The population of Atlanta is also ethnically diverse, and this is only more true given the current influx of residents.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

Mechanicsville is another neighborhood in the Southern section of Greater Atlanta.  This one is also being revitalized.  Many of the homes in this part of town are running between $100,000 and $250,000.

This section has been a part of Atlanta since the 1800’s.  It was a prosperous area.  It received this nickname when the railways were built through town.  The area was unique in that it housed many skilled blue collar ‘colored folks’ especially African-Americans who secured numerous positions on the railways.  There was also a strong populace of ‘Atlanta commuters’ who were more white-collar white folk fixed on bettering themselves.

When the new highways were put in during the 1940’s this was one of the areas that was very hard hit.  Many homes were lost and many others fled due to the drastic increase in noise and car exhaust.

Since the 1990’s the neighborhood has been ‘revitalizing’.  In fact, 10 years ago the locals devised a plan to renew their part of town.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Lawrenceville, visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

Today we’ll take another look at the area South of Atlanta but still within the ‘Outer Loop’ and therefore within the ‘Greater Atlanta’ boundary. Just 5 miles South of downtown Atlanta there lies a place called East View.

Here there is a healthy housing market. There is a sense of renewal here as the community recreates itself as a safe haven for social liberals who are living wholesome, but alternative lifestyles. Most of the people moving into East View have bought in an effort to increase the value of the home and to make it an asset to themselves. Most of the homes changing hands in this part of the South side are in fact ‘fixxer uppers’.

As well as the good attitude often found in those who buy this type of place, there is another special feature. When people work on their homes in these often highly emotional labors of love, they develop what can only be described as intimacy with the place. They are often the first people since the builder’s to get in there and work on these homes, but because they live there, there is no possibilty for running away from either the good or the bad. There is no doubt about it; working on a home you live in will cause a sense of intimacy and realism about your domicile like nothing else can.

For more information visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

Forest Park is well within the ‘Greater Atlanta Highway Loop’.  This area has its own small municipal governing system.  This is the first neighborhood we’re looking at that is definitively in the Southern side. 

Amongst other qualities, Forest Park has its own public parks.  They do bother to arrange for free-to-the-public events.  Freebies, as we all know, come as a great relief to those who pay and pay, regardless of ones level of means.

For some, this is unwished for.  For others, Forest Park is the land of hope.  If the idea of paying $300,000 for a home makes your hair stand on end, then you have a chance to find a much cheaper place in Forest Park.  One of the forms of home in the area is what used to be called ‘trailer parks’. 

Nowadays, the attitude is more one of accepting that these are not and never will be used as trailers.  They are homes.  The difference is that they were factory built, and then shipped out to sites.  They are very humble, and quite simple.  They are also affordable to many who would otherwise have no choice but multiple residence dwellings such as apartment, duplex or townhouse.  Prices range from as little as $17,000 to along the lines of $55,000.  The good news is that you will not be forced to rent against your will.

Freshly manufactured, well tended parks often offer community playgrounds and swimming pools.  There are also well wooded lots.  There is a lot of potential for high quality, inexpensive living for many in these subdivisions.

Nearby, the city’s best auto racing is also accessible.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Lilburn, visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.

This one taught me something.  The way you are going to take this depends a lot on how you have been living up to now.  If you are highly urban, or European then you will understand.  If not, then probably not.

There are so-called condominiums out there that are really row houses.  Sometimes these are also called townhomes.  One of the ways Atlanta is developing spiffy new neighborhoods is ‘full family condos.’  That means your new apartment will be enormous and instead of neighbors on three or four sides, you only have them on two.

If you were in fully detached houses, or even lived in a duplex, these homes ‘lock you up’ so to speak on both sides instead of none or one.

Of course if you were living in DC, of Chicago or London, then there’s a good bet that you have long grown accustomed to this type of housing.  Available in town, are brand new ones, right now!  You get all the functions of a full house, including a garage, basement and many bedrooms.  You still get some of that exceptionally urban excitement and full front look that is a unique quality to the ‘row house’ condominium.

Facts are facts, four bedrooms with a full garage is a roomy place by most modest middle class standards.  The mortgage payment on these, for a $266,900 price tag, will be as high as $1755.73 if you swung an unbelievable ‘no money down’ deal.  If you’ve been growing a nice ‘nest egg’ for this part of the process, then you will be able to negotiate much lower monthly installments.

To get idea about Atlanta homes visit atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta real estate agent.

One Halloween, believe it or not, a thought emerged.  “What?” I wondered for the first time ever, “is the mortgage payment on that house?”  We smiled, my son said “Trick or treat” and they gave him a treat.

This was symptomatic of an obvious developmental change.  Some buyers bloom early, whereas others only develop an interest in home ownership later.  It is a bit like the transition between crawling and walking….renting to owning. 

The mortgage payment depends on more than one factor.  One, is price of the house.  Another, is how much of a deposit was made on the property.  There is also, the length of the mortgage loan- long term commitment is what its all about…or at least, it appears that way…and then there is the rate of interest on the loan. 

Here are some figures just to give you the idea of the kind of relationship these factors have to one another.  A rather fancy Million dollar home can have a monthly mortgage payment of over $10,000 based on a 10 year loan, with $50,000 having been paid ‘put down’ on the home at the beginning.  This very same home can have a monthly payment of about half that because of taking out a 30 year loan, instead of the 10 year one.  You can drop your monthly payments by thousands if you could, for example, put $200,000 down on that Million dollar home.

If price tags get your attention early on: here’s another view.  Let’s say, you noticed an attractive $189,000 house in the neighborhood.  You have your feet under your rump, but how do you stand up without holding onto the livingroom table?  Grab the table:  here are some different possible payments based on one price and a 30 year mortgage.  If you were able to put $50,000 down on this house, you could get sensible payments of $833/month.  The exact same place with only $10,000 down and the same rate of interest on the loan would require $1073/month.  Finally, let’s say you were to manage to make a “No money down!” deal on this residence. Then you would need to be prepared to put one foot in front of the other one at $1133 every month.

Maybe the baby makes one step and falls down.  Yes, every month, for thirty years in a row.  The baby can do it, but not all at once, not all today.  Today, that may be daunting to you, but you can do it.  Eventually, just like the baby, putting one foot in front of the other for thirty years in a row of mortgage payments will be perfectly normal and easy to take in your daily stride.

If you are looking for Homes for sale in Little Five Points, visit us at atlanta-homes-guide.com a Atlanta homes real estate agent.