Condo Living – New York Times is a great article about condo living in various cities in the U.S. It talks about the various reasons why people buy condos, and what they like about urban living.
The vibrancy of city living — culture, shopping and the finest restaurants — appeals to a broad spectrum of second-home buyers, including aging boomers looking for a getaway and globetrotting jet setters beefing up their portfolios.
Midtown Atlanta
Many of those buying in metropolitan areas may already have a second home or even a third, but their collections are simply not complete without a pied-à-terre in an energetic urban locale. According to the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent of all home sales in 2005 were second homes. And a third of those were in urban areas.
While many American cities offer that type of living and urban amenities, the hottest (and some would argue most prestigious) markets are found in Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The typical buyer in these cities may be a wealthy executive who counts a city condo as one of many secondary homes that he cycles through over the course of the year, or a baby boomer in her 40’s or 50’s.
I’m a relative “newbie” when it comes to real estate. I’ve had my license for 6 years now. I know there are many of you that have been selling for 3 or 4 times that long. And you’ve seen times like this. Or as I have heard the statement many times before, “We still sold houses when the interest rates were 12 and 15 percent.”
So, the challenges of today are somewhat new to me. The last time we had economic challenges, I was firmly seated in a Corporate job, knowing my immediate boss would defend my position (job) at all costs, so I was not to worried. I didn’t have lots of money mind you, but I seemed to be able to hit may favorite local watering hole (a.k.a. club) 3-4 nights a week, the beach on the weekends when I was not working, and had a pretty hot new car! (Let’s see, I miss….ALL those things. Ah, but the past is the past, right?
Well, yes and no. If we were not to learn from our past, why would they teach us history in school? So we can understand where we were, where we are now, and perhaps, where we will be going……enter crystal ball. Oh, wait, I dropped that darn thing cleaning out the basement a few years ago…
Anyways, life is kinda of a struggle right now. I work way more hours than I did in my corporate job (and I never thought THAT could be possible.) Mind you, they are MY hours in MY business for MY gain! Not some corporate giant! But, some days I think, UGH, how much longer must all this craziness last?
I showed a couple condos a couple weeks ago, one of them being a foreclosure. (Imagine that!) And to walk in and find the kitchen sink gone gave new meaning to that old saying “Everything but the kitchen sink.” Remember that one?
But, I know that things will be bumpy for a bit longer. It’s like that airplane flight where the captain comes on and says, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve tried several different altitudes, but it looks like we going to be in this for awhile, so I’m going to keep the Fasten Seat Belt Sign on and ask you to remain in your seats. At this time we are also asking the flight crew to stop cabin service. Thank you.” Ah…wait, my row is next…Please….Please…..(You know with new security you can’t slip your OWN on anymore!)
Anyways, I thought this video would help all of us to remember, Don’t Stop Believing.
“Things go better with Coke.” Remember that commercial campaign for the famous soft drink? Well, Midtown Atlanta will certainly be getting “better with Coke” as Coca Cola begins a transformation of their Midtown/North Avenue campus which will include the relocation of up to 600 employees.
The 35 acre campus, located just West of Midtown on North Avenue will be reinvigorated with a $90 million renovation of its 1.8 million sq. ft. campus, most famous for 1 Coca Cola Plaza, the tower with the logo on top. In a statement to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, spokeswoman Kerry Tressler stated, “The effort is part of reaching our goal of being a great place to work in our 2020Vision and to meet the needs of a high-performance workforce.”
Coca Cola Relocation to Midtown Atlanta
The relocation of employees and the renovations are part of the $13 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.’s North American operations, which was done last October.
Midtown Atlanta
This project is great news for Midtown Atlanta! The Coca-Cola campus is convenient to numerous Midtown high-rise and single family homes. New higher paying jobs could certainly mean more buyers for the many condos available as well as shoppers and diners for Midtown’s retail and restaurant business.
You know what they are. You probably use them is some form or fashion at least once a day. Sidewalks.
A sidewalk is defined by Dictionary.com as, “ awalk, especiallyapavedone,atthe sideofastreetorroad.
So in an urban environment, you’ ve got them everywhere. And they require maintenance. But the $100 question is WHO is responsible for that maintenance.
Sidewalks In Midtown Atlanta
Well, in the City of Atlanta, YOU, the property owner to which that sidewalk abuts to are responsible for that maintenance. Yep. NOT the city of Atlanta, but YOU, the property owner. So, that might explain why some of Atlanta’s sidewalks, and especially in Historic Midtown, are in tough shape. You are probably going to spend $2000-3000 for something INSIDE your home, and not on the sidewalk in front of it!
If you have a sidewalk you traverse on a regular basis, but find it dangerous, say from tree roots or just a state of disrepair, you can contact the City of Atlanta Department of Public Works at 404-330-6240 or e-mail Commissioner Richard Mendoza at rmendoza@atlantaga.gov.
So, the challenges of today are somewhat new to me. The last time we had economic challenges, I was firmly seated in a Corporate job, knowing my immediate boss would defend my position (job) at all costs, so I was not to worried. I didn’t have lots of money mind you, but I seemed to be able to hit may favorite local watering hole (a.k.a. club) 3-4 nights a week, the beach on the weekends when I was not working, and had a pretty hot new car! (Let’s see, I miss….ALL those things. Ah, but the past is the past, right?
But, I know that things will be bumpy for a bit longer. It’s like that airplane flight where the captain comes on and says, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve tried several different altitudes, but it looks like we going to be in this for awhile, so I’m going to keep the Fasten Seat Belt Sign on and ask you to remain in your seats. At this time we are also asking the flight crew to stop cabin service. Thank you.” Ah…wait, my row is next…Please….Please…..(You know with new security you can’t slip your OWN on anymore!)
