City of Decatur - An Ideal Relocation Choice for Young Professionals and Families Relocating to or whithin the Atlanta Area

[gallery]

Downtown Decatur, just six miles east of Atlanta's city center, is an ideal relocation destination offering all of the amenities young professional couples or families demand:

• Excellent accessibility to Atlanta destinations via MARTA and several direct-shot major surface streets (e.g., Ponce de Leon, DeKalb Avenue);


• Superior schools that consistently outperform the average Georgia school district (http://www.schoolmatters.com/schools.aspx/q/page=dp/did=6273);


• Vibrant, walkable downtown district that includes a variety of locally-owned boutique retailers, restaurants, and services;


• Variety of home types - from affordable apartments to historic million dollar homes;


• Cultural assets including Agnes Scott University, a play house, etc.; and


• Events to engage families such as weekend concerts and farmers’ market hosted on the square and the annual Great Decatur Craft Beer Festival, one of the most sought after Atlanta area event tickets.

Known to local residents by the zip code of 30030, Downtown Decatur’s residential real estate has held strong through the current down-cycle as one of few in-town submarkets to achieve positive appreciation at the close of 2008, reporting nearly 10% over 2007. (See the Atlanta Constitution Journal's 2008 Home Sales Report http://projects.ajchomefinder.com/atlanta-home-sales-report/ziplisting/-diff_price).

Even though home prices have remained relatively unaffected, Downtown Decatur is still an affordable market (average 2008 single-family home sale price of $279,000, 2008 Home Sales Report, Atlanta Journal Constitution & Smart Numbers) offering well-built, and aesthetically-appealing homes.  And, although not as prevalent in Decatur as other Atlanta submarkets, the foreclosure wave has yielded some great deals. A quick search for REO properties (http://www.southernreo.com/)  in the 30030 zip code yielded 37 single-family homes priced under $200,000 and 47 condos priced under $150,000.

If you are looking for more urban living within steps of the Decatur Square boutiques, restaurants and pubs, you can choose from:

• Newer construction mid-rise condos, directly on Decatur Square, with luxury interior finishes and street-level retail that start around $120,000 for a 1 bedroom;


• An older resale condo, some of which are priced as low as $50,000 (foreclosure properties); and


• Moderately priced ($150,000 - $350,000) colonial style, all brick townhomes built in the last 20 – 30 years or large new, luxury townhomes priced at $400,000+.

If you prefer a charming, tree-lined neighborhood home for your family, you can choose from freshly renovated 1920’s+ bungalows priced from $250,000 and newer infill craftsman-style homes from $375,000.  Many of the single-family home foreclosures priced under $200,000 are renovated bungalows, but most have only one bathroom, so may require an addition to reach modern comfort levels.

Click here to see a visual tour of:

Decatur Square Homes & Businesses:  http://ericamchampion.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/decatursquare/

Oakhurst, a Neighborhood in the City of Decatur: http://ericamchampion.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/oakhurst/