Atlanta Condos For Sale

Metro Atlanta Transit Will We EVER Figure It Out?

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Metro Atlanta TransitI don’t claim to know, or understand every issue around transit, or the serious lack thereof in the Metro Atlanta area. I do know our system never developed to keep up with the growth of the city.

Metro Atlanta Transit Will We EVER Figure It Out?

Case in point … WMATA(Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority approved plans for a 98-mile (158 km) regional system in 1968. Construction began after a groundbreaking ceremony on December 9, 1969, when Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe, District Mayor Walter Washington, and Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel tossed the first spade of dirt at Judiciary Square.

Opened in 1976, the network has grown to include six lines, 91 stations, and 117 miles

The DC Metro System today…..

Washington DC Metro

Then Atlanta …. Construction began on the MARTA system in 1975, with the first rail service commencing on June 30, 1979. The system has since built most of the proposed rail lines, as well as stations in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and North Springs which were not included in the original plan. The missing rail segments include a Tucker-North DeKalb line with service to Emory University andNorth Druid Hills, a Northwest line with service to Brookwood and Northside Drive, extension of the West line to Brownlee-Boulder Park near Fairburn Road, extension of the Proctor Creek line to West Highlands, and a branch off the south line to Hapeville and Clayton County. 

The MARTA rapid rail system has 47.6 miles of route and 38 rail stations located on four service lines.

MARTA Atlanta Map

Yes, we’ve made a baby step forward and now for the first time in more than 65 years, streetcars are on the streets of Downtown Atlanta. I can only imagine being able to connect to the Beltline, to MARTA and then off to who knows where? I can dream, right?

There is an Atlanta based organization that I discovered with some great information about transit. Citizens For Progressive Transit. Check out some of the info on this site. Or you can find their January, 2015 Newsletter here. It’s worth a read and the interesting transit talk that will happen this year at the state level.

I just know, that if we really want to be the world-class city we really want to be….transit needs to be a critical part of it….and our love of the automobile needs to go through some serious therapy.

 

 

Top 10 School Districts in Atlanta GA

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Metro Atlanta Top 10 Schools As a real estate broker, I’m often asked about schools. Since I don’t have children (and even if I did) I always advise my clients to do their own research into schools. What may be important to one parent, may not be important to the next, right?

Top 10 School Districts in Atlanta GA

But we found a source in Niche.com and wanted to share it. Niche is transforming the way people make big life decisions. By providing reviews and insight from everyday experts, they make choosing a neighborhood, college, or K-12 school a more transparent process. Founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University students as CollegeProwler.com, they have since grown into one of the largest content startups in the country. Obsessed with providing students, families, and professionals with best-in-class content and deep insight into big life decisions, every year, they help millions of people find their niche and thrive within it.

So exactly WHAT is the Niche School District Ranking Methodology?

  • Students are very happy with their experience in all aspects including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness;
  • District schools are exceptional academic institutions in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
  • District schools are made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
  • Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the district offers.

So……

Top 10 School Districts in Atlanta GA

In the essence of full disclosure, we took this list right from the Niche.com website…so a couple of the school districts are a stretch to be called “Metro Atlanta” but we wanted to list them as they were on their site!

  1. Top 10 Schools Metro AtlantaBuford City Schools
  2. Decatur City Schools
  3. Oconee County Schools
  4. Forsyth County Schools
  5. Bremen City Schools
  6. Gwinnett County Schools
  7. Carrollton City Schools
  8. Morgan County Schools
  9. Marietta City Schools
  10. Cherokee County Schools
  11. Fayette County Schools
  12. Cobb County Schools
  13. Cartersville City Schools
  14. Fulton County Schools

Again, we stress this information comes from Niche.com, and we are simply sharing it. Each parent and student should look at, and do their own research and investigation as to which school system is best for them. 

As you look at this list, you can quickly see why the Metro Atlanta suburbs sprawl as families look to live in good school systems, and most of those circle the City of Atlanta! 

Comcast Southeast Headquarters Plans Metro Atlanta Expansion

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Comcast Southeast Headquarters is looking for a new home which might include the addition of some 200 corporate-level positions. The company’s current office location is at Courtyards Drive in Norcross. A Google Map and directions (shown below) shows about a 20 mile commute from Midtown Atlanta to the current office location.

Comcast Southeast Headquarters employees that are looking for a more urban, walkable community will want to consider Midtown Atlanta. While a majority of the housing options consist of condominiums and townhomes, there are single family home neighborhoods close by.

The map below shows an outbound commute time at 6pm, NOT an 8am or so time that you might be headed OUT to Norcross from the Midtown Area. At this time of the evening, your inbound commute from Norcross way still take in the neighborhood of 40 minutes, as you will encounter most of your rush hour traffic at the GA400/I-85 merge coming into Midtown.

If you are looking for condominium-type living closer to the Norcross office location, Norcross will offer townhome communities, but not much in the way of actual condominiums. The future re-development of the General Motors site in Doraville (at I-285 and I-85) will most likely offer some options, but those will be a couple years in the making…at least.

If you are looking for a single family neighborhood close to the Comcast Southeast Headquarters, there will be numerous options for you to choose from!

We look forward to helping you find just the right place to call home when you relocate to Atlanta!

 

The technology and media company could be scouting for about 150,000 square feet of office space. The Fortune 50 company could also locate a data center and call center operation in metro Atlanta.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

See on Scoop.it – Midtown Atlanta Conversations and Condos

 

 

 

Comcast Norcross Midtown

 

Atlanta Things To See and Do | Atlanta’s Best Hiking Trails

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Deep Creek Range Special Events FacilityMidtown Atlanta is an awesome place to live and play! You know how much I love showing and helping people call it home! But we (myself would be at the TOP of the list) often overlook what there can be to see and do when we get out of our comfort zone. It might be Midtown Atlanta, or maybe it’s that fear of crossing that line called OTP –Outside The Perimeter!

This morning, a friend on Facebook posted a question about places to go hiking, without the couple hour drive to the North Georgia Mountains. And what a find, I did find!

Atlanta’s Best Hiking Trails

First off, that photo is NOT from one of these locations, but from my home state of Montana! But, one of the answers on this person’s Facebook wall was a link to a site called Atlanta Trails! Like, WOW…who knew about this? Ok I’m sure some of you outdoorsies types did, but I did not! But a particular page on the site had me most intrigued…and amazed at some of the places that are probably 30 minutes from the comfort of your Midtown condo!

The Top 10 Favorite Hikes

I’m really amazed at some of these places. Now, I’ve got some knee issues so I’m not sure how viable some of these would be for me, but I was especially intrigued by #2 Arabia Mountain Top Trail! I mean, 23 miles and 30 minutes from the urban core of Atlanta and you find this? WOW!

Arabia Mountain map

 

Let’s just say, you’ll be seeing a blog post with some photos of this one, as I hope to enjoy it in the next few days!

So, hey…when you are sitting in your condo, bored and don’t know what to do….get out and experience nature and it’s wonders just 30 minutes from your parking garage!

Is The Metro Atlanta Home Inventory That Low?

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Metro Atlanta Home InventoryLet’s face it, real estate kind of makes the world go around. After all, it was the real estate bubble that sent the entire economy into a tail spin. And it is the rise of the housing market that will also help move the economy forward.

Just think, as more homes, condos (or in the Midtown Atlanta case….apartments!) are built, we will need more carpet, sheetrock, cabinets, light fixtures, concrete, pool chairs….the list goes on and on.

Is The Metro Atlanta Home Inventory That Low?

But as a real estate broker, I’m often asked about the inventory of homes for sale. I always, always first answer that question with the statement that real estate is local, local, local or as you may have heard, location, location, location. What that means is what is happening in Midtown Atlanta does NOT mirror what may be happening in Gwinnett County or Alpharetta.

But the recent Case-Shiller Report for Atlanta shows just how low our inventory is! Again, keep in mind this is for the Metro Atlanta area, NOT just Midtown Atlanta!

Is Atlanta real estate inventory low

What does this mean? Well, if you are shopping for a home or condo in the $100-200,000 price range, there is some really limited inventory to choose from. If you are shopping at $500,000 and above, you might find a few more options to choose from.

And some Sellers are reluctant to place their home on the market for the very reasons above. “Will be we able to find a place that we like with such limited inventory?” “If our home goes Under Contract quickly, will we have time to find something?”

Hence, it becomes the Seller’s market, because of this low inventory, many homes go Under Contract immediately (or within a couple days) and multiple offers is not uncommon!

Yes, the Metro Atlanta home inventory For Sale IS that low!

Midtown Atlanta Condos For Sale Under $250,000

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Midtown Atlanta Condos For Sale Under $250,000

Atlanta Condo Prices Rise 23 Percent
Midtown Atlanta Skyline

Once upon a time, in a real estate market far, far away, I used to write about condos For Sale under $100,000. Times and prices in Midtown Atlanta, they have changed. And along comes Midtown Atlanta Condos For Sale Under $250,000!!

Midtown condo buildings that once had one-bedrooms for sale at $50-60,000 are now selling for $125,000. High-rise 2 bedrooms that could be had for $191,000 in 2010 sold in 2013 for $305,000 and are now pushing $350,000. (The  $191,000 example originally sold for over $300,000!)

I’m always asked about future value when a Buyer is looking to buy a condo. Of course, I don’t have a crystal ball! (And if somebody DID have one we would not have gone through what we did in 2009-2010 as you can see in the prices above.) Probably the big elephant in the room is future construction. There are numerous apartment buildings that are either recently opened, under construction or proposed! If, and when any of these buildings would make a conversion from apartments to condominiums (and how many of them at the same time…a distinct possibility) could have an impact on resale values of the condo you purchase. Then again, if the prices in these new buildings are significantly higher (and all indications are that they would be) then your values will hopefully be equal or better than what you paid.

But the key point here is, prices are NOT going down. In fact, the Midtown condo market is on fire, and homes that are priced right move quickly. Sellers are trying to push the envelope and ask higher prices, but the final price, unfortunately is going to be determined by what the condo will appraise for, and what your lender is going to be willing to loan for.

When you see a 2 bedroom sold on the 18th floor for $325,000, and a new listing on the 14th floor for $370,000, you have to wonder what the Seller may be thinking? I’m certainly going to be questioning whether that new listing will appraise anywhere close to the list price!

Midtown Atlanta Condos For Sale Under $250,000

You still have options, but a 2 bedroom may be hard to find!

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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