Ferrari Friendly Real Estate in Atlanta Metro?

Hi F-Chatters,

I've been a long-time subscriber, occasional poster. I'm working on getting my first F-car: a Mondial Cabrio.

I've got a question regarding GA real estate searches - as it relates to F-cars and other "low-to-the-ground" types. My wife and I are in the market for a house in the Atlanta area. We've been in Georgia for almost 2 years now -- leasing in various areas of Atlanta to get to known the areas. We've been looking at residential properties (for us to occupy) for the last couple of months.

Now -- it's getting very frustrating trying to find properties that are friendly to low cars -- as well as having enough room and storage to park more than a handful of cars (read: two). We have a modest budget so that has had a good part to do with it, but our realtor is of no use to locate properties that have a nice driveway, nice garage space, or even a flat lot so I can build a nice 3, 4, 5, 6 or whatever car garage. I also have a fifth wheel RV (32 footer) that we'd like to keep on the property so covenants are an obstacle. I find the hills in Georgia are a pleasant change from South Florida where we lived for 6 months prior to coming here... but it sure makes it hard to find a car-happy home. That's car & happy --- not cra**y.

I work inside the perimeter so a commute is another factor. I love my job -- if only they'd move out of the perimeter so I could bump out to a country road with about 5 to 10 acres on it. Then I'd be set.

So, given my situation, does anyone have any tips for finding a decent home that's friendly to cars/parking/storage/workshop/RV garage/etc? I've tried EVERY combination of search words on the Intenet MLS that I can think of.

"3 car"
"4 car"
.... all the way up to 20 car
(PS - there's a beeee-u-tiful mansion up in Clermont, GA with a 12 car garage for sale! It's on a private airstrip with a hangar to boot!!)

"RV"
"parking pad"
"detached garage" -- this one tends to go the other direction because it generally means that the existing garage on the house has been converted to living space, so it's a washout

"acreage"
"1-2 acres"
"2-5 acres"
"5-10 acres"
"10-20 acres"
"more than 20 acres"

"workshop"
"carriage house"
"circular driveway"
"2/two driveways"
"boat door"
"mechanic's dream" -- I actually found one with this: way out in Grayson!
"level lot"
"long driveway"

...and I can't even think of all of the different criteria I've used. We've hit some "okay" houses but nothing that jumps out at us.

FYI - our budget is not huge (300 and under) because I also want to start a business soon and I don't want to drag a huge mortgage into a startup. I known that's not a lot for a house with the PERFECT car storage solution -- but in Atlanta real estate... I should be able to come up with SOMETHING better than a 2-car garage and a hilly driveway. We've been primarily looking on the east side - outside of the perimeter. Gwinnett County: Lilburn area. Hwy 78 is a great way for me to get in to work.

Oh yeah - the house. We'd like a minimum of 3 to 4 bedrooms with an office. 2.5 to 3 baths. I can work with the house if it's not perfect. If the lot is big enough, I can always build on to the house down the road if I need to.

Any suggestions? Anybody have a setup like this that they're looking to sell.....????

Thanks in advance-

Mike

 

South Forsyth County...prices are reasonable, taxes are low, the North Georgia mountains are a short drive away for fun Saturday morning drives and there are a lot of gear heads including Ferrari and other exotic car owners in the area...that's where I live and I commute 21 miles one way to work each day...well worth it IMHO...Check with French Properties in Cumming...they have been in the Forsyth County housing market for decades...

 

PM me. What you are looking for is almost exactly what I am after right now and my agent has been real good at understanding "my special needs". I am in Suwanee and have the same basic criteria as you!

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into Forsyth County and French Properties.

 

PM is on it's way.

 

Just for kicks, I looked for this and can't find it. Can you please post a link?

 

Here is my 2Cents worth... I've been in the Real Estate Development biz in Atlanta and elsewhere.... for what you are asking for inside 285 does not exist... unless you want a town house... those are easy to comeby, and would fit your price range. Smyrna, and West Marrietta may also work, but prices are going to be from hi $200 to $400 with acreage... I have a Realtor that I can refer you to as well.

I know your pain when it comes to Ferrari's and drive ways in GA! those crowns are a bit&*!!! on the front spoiler and or belly pan!!!

 

Hey Mike, I actually own a real estate company and a mortgage company. Man do I understand your frustration. Sort of been there too! Contact me so I can put you in touch with my number one producing sales agent. She's very familiar with your area and others. I do not want to get into specifics on this post but I'm sure I can help you in both the buying and financing process. Hey, if anything maybe we can drive around and look at properties in my F-car!

 

i was thinking the same.

 

For what it is worth. I have one of the top Real Estate teams in the metro Atlanta area. I live in Forsyth County and sell the entire area. What you are looking for does not exist in the area for 300k and under. We can find you something in the Snellville area or Dawson or maybe Hall County if you need more space for vehicles. Go to www.callchuck.com and search your heart out for any active listing in the surrounding area of Atlanta. By the way, French Properties went out of business 2 years ago. I am Chuck Rosenblum w/Remax Greater Atlanta and ProStar Realty,LLC. I have owned Ferrari's (5 to be exact) for over 12 years. Certains areas of Atlanta will be more user friendly to your future Ferrari.

 

Thanks for the input everybody.

To Spirot's point, I know it doesn't exist inside the perimeter for the prices we're shopping for. So, I'm figuring that it's "some distance" outside 285. I'm just trying to maximize my bang for the buck and still have a reasonable commute.

One of the areas where we leased for a while when we got to Atlanta was the Loganville area (just past Snellville). They commute wasn't horrible. We went out that direction to lease because I wanted to find some acreage.

The other areas we've leased are Windward Parkway - Alpharetta and we're currently in the Briarcliff / Northlake Mall area just inside 285 at Lavista.

Thank you for the offers from those of you with real estate companies. I'll PM you if I'm interested in working with one of your realtors. Our relationship with our current realtor is getting frustrating because she thinks we're too picky. We think she's not finding properties that match our criteria. She says that she's never had a client ask her to help find properties with RV parking. And she's been in real estate for 22 years??!?!?

If anyone wants to pitch in for the purchase price of that mansion with the 12 car garage, airstrip, and hangar up in Clermont, GA.... I'll GLADLY commute that far!! In fact, I'd love to have a house on an airstrip. I'm planning to start flight lessons for my private pilot certificate at PDK airport after we buy a house. I know there are a number of airparks in the (extended) metro area. They tend to have larger lots and a lot of people store their RVs in their hangar next to their aircraft. I've looked at Whispering Pines, Lyon's Landing, Mallard Landing, Air Acres, Lenora Airpark, and that airstrip down in Stockbridge with the community next to it. (I forget the name of the airport).

Here are the two MLS numbers to the Clermont, GA property:

1778053
3160160

I think one is FMLS and one is Georgia MLS. Use the first one and punch it into an MLS search website. You can view 16 pictures and the virtual tour.

Chuck, I looked at www.callchuck.com (nice website) but the URL on top doesn't change so I didn't see a way to post a link straight to that particular listing.


Mike

 

Go to the property search link up top and it should put you in search mode.

 

True. I actually went direct to "Quick MLS Search" on the bottom left to enter the MLS ID directly.

To clear up confusion, what I was referring to is the URL (also known as the "website address bar") at the top of the browser. You site never changes from "http://www.callchuck.com/". I was hoping once I found the property, the URL/address would be something like "http://www.callchuck.com/listings/?property_id=12345678" or something similar. That way I could post the URL address direct to that property. That's all.

(My day job is in Information Technology/computers... can you tell?)

Mike

 

Hey...! I just made Formula Junior. That took a while.

 

With all respect to the pros in this thread, it does exist in a reasonable price range and commute. I moved a couple of years ago and had very similar criteria, and found what I was looking for. My wife is an agent and we looked at several hundred houses online, actually drove to look at at least a hundred (regular agent would have fired us). A big concern for us was schools, so that definitely limited the search.

We ended up in East Cobb with an older home that had been very well maintained, and was in one of the best school districts in the state. My driveway is perfectly flat without even the "curb bump" so many houses have. Being in east cobb, the area is fully built-out so the only new contruction is tear-downs and $800k++, so my property values are nicely increasing.

On the car front, I have a 2-car garage with an enormous parking area and plenty of property to build a separate garage in the back. The parking pad will hold a trailer or RV with no trouble, doubles as a basketball court. Because it's an older neighborhood (appx 30 years), covenants are really lenient and everyone keeps their houses nice because it's just the right thing to do.

Keep looking. They are out there.

Mark

ps - I work downtown and my commute averages 35 minutes in the morning, 50 minutes in the afternoon. Really nice.

 

As far as dealing with agents... no disrespect to any Realtors here... they are a dime a dozen in Atlanta, and the market is Fantastic for buyers.... average time on the market is increasing... Dont let Relators tell you otherwise... its well over 90 - 120 days ( unless unique property) as for rates, they are still good, and look for ARM's to start to be attractive again.

Biggest steal coming in the Atlanta market... condos on Peachtree... there is over a 3 year supply!!!

For my area to watch ... Smyrna / Vinings / West Buckhead... that triangle is seeing huge mid market growth, and sensible development... both in and out of the permiter.

Developers will be getting desperate come the Fall... so there will continue to be great bargans out there.... DO NOT RUSH, TIME IS YOUR FRIEND!

 

u can buy a $300k and under home in East Cobb ( I have a home there ) in the Walton school district ???

 

wow. i did a search on jennypruitt.com and i guess you can. some houses in indian hills, etc. not far from me. that is your best bet and where i'd buy.

 

That is true! 99.9% of all agents make under 30k a year. If your not making or averaging 500k-1m a year in what you do now than you should sell real estate. This is what I average a year for the past 12 years every year... good or bad market. I take it personally when someone like yourself seems to know it all and give someone expert advice. He is not looking for condo's or investment properties, but a specialized property in a certain area. I do not know what you do for a living but I would not openly insult what you do for a living. Developers are desperate now...if you did not notice... all builders are cutting new homes up to 75k off the price right now and these are homes not even retailing for 400k. I have $2,000,000 plus homes that you could buy for $500k off asking price now. Blood is in the streets NOW...this is a buyers paradise. Obviously you did not pay attention to what this gentleman was looking for!

 

i wish they were discounting in my neighborhood

 

I live in a humble $150k townhouse in a quiet subdivision on Blackjack "Mountain" in east Cobb. Not sexy, but roomy, peaceful and with a two-car garage. It works!

 

Yes you can, in many places. In fact, Indian Hills is one of the best places to buy right now. The values are still pretty low, best schools, large lots and the best part is that it's getting rebuilt. People are starting to buy the older ones in poor shape and then leveling them to build McMansions, and the values are supporting that. I'm not in Indian Hills, but my house is about a mile from Walton. I love the area.

And like I said, ALL the new construction is 800k and up. I've got 9 new homes just outside my neighborhood with asking prices of 1.2M. Like the other guy said, I'll bet you could buy them now for substantially less than that. Atlanta has so much inventory that it is a buyer's paradise right now. Anyone not buying is missing the boat.

Mark

 

Looks like I hit a nerve.

Sir,with all due respect, all of my comments are spot on. I know all the big guns personally - Wes Vawter, Berma Weller, David Tufts, etc... As well as many of the large Developers, You dont need a Real Estate License to know Atlanta Real Estate.

There are not many Realtors who are earning $500K to $1Mill in Atlanta real estate... especially in this market. My compliments to you for your success in a difficult market.

I did not intend to insult anyone, however with blood in the water my suggestions are quite valid. Take your time, its a buyers market it, in SFR, or Condo, Town House etc... Unless your in Office or multi tenant retail, you are having a difficult time selling.

Since you have been in the buisiness, you should be the first one to state that there are so many useless Realtors out there, and they will say / do anything to get you do buy a home.

My point is, you can get a good deal, but it is gonna take time.

 

Amen! And most of the so called agents out there do make it hard for us( the ones that actually do this for a living) a bad name. Point well taken, and you did hit a nerve because I work to hard in this business to keep my reputation and business going upward through all these years. By the way.... those big guns you know are old school and great people. I have been selling in Atlanta for 12 years and I am considered one of the new guys on the block!