What are Atlanta's best/worst neighborhoods

Question

Hey guys, so like many others I'm very interested in this Atlanta market. I however am having some trouble differentiating the good areas from the "war-zones". I guess I've heard, as a rule of thumb, not to buy anything in close proximity to the airport, as well as to stay away from SW ATL. It seems as though the areas south of I20 and west of I85 are experiencing a "revival"... Oakland City, Venetian Hills, Bush Mountain, etc. all appear to be great places to invest. I've also read how terrible College Park, Forest Park, and Hapeville are, however at a glance look much more inviting than other areas (north of I20) such as English Ave, Bankhead, Grove Park, Vine City, and Just Us. Am I getting bad intel?

I could use some help.

I'm looking at areas around Oakland City, Venetian Hills, English Park, Bush Mountain, Cascade Ave. as well as Mableton, Stone Mountain, Decatur, and Austell.

Are College Park, Forest Park, Hapeville, East Point viable options for someone who is unwilling to invest in C/ (war-zone) areas?

I could use some help.

I'm looking at areas around Oakland City, Venetian Hills, English Park, Bush Mountain, Cascade Ave. as well as Mableton, Stone Mountain, Decatur, and Austell.

Are College Park, Forest Park, Hapeville, East Point viable options for someone who is unwilling to invest in C/ (war-zone) areas?

Michaela G. · Answer

I suspect your information comes from someone in the suburbs. They're all scared of sw Atlanta. Also keep in mind that most of the southern parts of Atlanta are predominantly black, so other issues might play into that.

I invested in grant park in 91 and people were earning me of criminality all around me. I bought in Pittsburgh after the crash and everyone told me I was crazy (now I get 10 calls a day from investors wanting to but my properties. I just bought a house in college park and I'm renovating and moving in in a few weeks.

Mark Graffagnino · Answer

Great points by @Michaela G. and @Denette Casey above.  People have made millions of dollars investing in SW Atlanta.  There are some areas like West End where now you're too late to the party.  I've done great deals in SW Atlanta, but those houses I was buying for $20-$30k are now selling as wholesale deals for $80-$90k.  Personally I'm still not ready to venture into English Ave or Vine City, but I know investors who are buying vacant homes and just sitting on them and waiting (property tax bills are not even a rounding error for them).  I like Bankhead and Grove Park, but prices have gotten too high IMO for wholesale deals over there, if you want to flip.  If you're interested in buy and hold I think you can do well.

I like CP, EP and Hapeville because of the proximity to the airport.  I have an AirBnB near that airport that is doing well.  Some areas of FP are right on the approach path to the airport runways which can hurt your property values.  I was looking at a vacant apartment complex in FP and wondering why it was vacant, the place looked like it was nice back in the day.  Then a plane came screaming overhead on a landing approach and I knew why it was vacant.

Denette Casey · Answer

I agree with Michaela. In any neighborhood, you will find problems some more than others. I live in Stone Mountain. It is a huge community. there are areas that are absolutely breathtaking.! What you may find is many of the original homeowners have moved out in some areas and have renters. Not all renters are bad. Some you would really think they are the property owners. Use Realty.com live camera to look around the neighborhoods Google Earth photos may be a year or two old. Surrounding houses in a community will tell the real story. The comps in the area will also help tremendously. Jason, you are on the right track. Also find out from each city and empowerment zones, along with Chamber of Commerce what is planned in the area. You will see what industries are growing or not. Then make your decision. Hope this helps!!! Sorry my picture is not up yet. I am new to this group.

Jason Pennacchio · Answer

I can't be too sure but I believe some of your sentiments may be a little out dated. Many areas may not be prime-wealthy gentrified neighborhoods, and I'm sure there are war zones but I don't know if there's as many as some have made it out to be in the past. I bought a home in Stone Mountain and heard mixed things about it initially but I flew down and drove/walked around and found it to be an exaggeration. It was a nice area to me, if NYC had neighborhoods that looked like the street my rental is on in Stone Mountain it'd be going for 1 million plus lol. I think so much of Atlanta is booming right now its hard to say what neighborhoods will be the next be up and coming.

Michaela G. · Answer

I agree. Airport city is going to create a huge jump. I own 2 vacant lots right in the middle. They'll need them. I just bought a house adjacent to it...on Herschel rd...and am expecting that appreciation.

In east point you'll ft. McPherson and Tyler Perry developments. Also stuff happening downtown. The old car dealership on Washington is going to help surrounding homes.

Read www.curbed.com and stay on top of what's being developed where.

Evan Parker · Answer

@Mark Romano

To @Michaela G. point, I echo what she said. I just bought in East Point and the house and area is fantastic and not nearly as "bad" as people would make things out to be without ever having been there. This is by no means applicable across the board, but I've found A lot of times:

•  "War zone" areas are commonly socially defined as: lower income areas with what people deem to be heavy foot traffic. So, when crime happens in these areas, people attribute it to the community and effectively devalue the community.

Now, to draw contrast I've found a lot of times :

• "Hot places to live" areas are commonly socially defined as: higher income areas with often times 3 - 4x more foot traffic than their lower income counterpart. However, when crime happens in these areas (and crime happens a lot here), people tend to not pay much attention or just have a casual mindset about it.

I've also personally lived in Midtown Atlanta, where the values are extremely high, have the hip restaurants right next to me etc etc. and I had my car broken into the first WEEK of me living there, haha no exaggeration. And interestingly enough, when I crime map the "bad" East Point areas and compare it to the "good" Midtown/West Midtown areas, there's actually far more crime in Midtown/West Midtown by comparison.

TLDR; South and SW ATL isn't as bad as people make it out to be. "War zone" is often subjective and rarely a true war zone. Don't listen to what people say if you haven't been in the area and vetted things for your own comfort level.

Michaela G. · Answer

Heck, so 2 years is enough to get your tax free profit and go and buy another house.

Robert Higdon · Answer

College Park and East Point still have a lot of growth coming.   Check out articles online about 'Airport City' for example.   While prices have risen over the past few years in these areas, I would expect them to continue with coming development and attraction to the area.

Mark Romano · Answer

@Michaela G. Thanks very much!!! This is helpful.  I think I'll start to readjust my strategy.

What are Atlanta's best/worst neighborhoods

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