All Forum Posts by: Mallory Austin

Hey everyone! Just a quick update. We are thrilled we decided to buy on the west side. Well, my husband isn’t as confident as me and im sure a part of that comes with the pressure he feels to protect his family and being on high alert is an unfortunate burden he carries around in that neighborhood. It’s all the transient foot traffic up and down our street that has created pause. But overall, I don’t feel unsafe in my home and our long time resident neighbors still haven’t had any issues. I am confident it will change eventually and a part of that will always be city living. We are excited about the news for phase II of Lee + White (among some other coffee shops and restaurants coming to the area) and the Microsoft campus coming to the upper west side, just 3 miles away. It confirms that it will only get better with time.

Our renovation was a bit of a nightmare, firing two GC’s and taking almost two full years to complete. We did learn so much and can apply this knowledge to future projects and make great money off this knowledge one day!

We are going to get an appraisal soon, but based on real estate agents evaluation and comps, we are looking at ~$500k as a current value. I’ve included some photos for those curious and those who have followed this journey. 

Thanks to everyone for the advice and I’ll be sure to update this if we decide to sell in the near future!

@Melissa Dinas We thought about house hacking but it really didn't fit our needs. If we would've bought a few years ago then yes, definitely! But now we are finally ready to start a family and need the space for our home businesses, in-laws, etc. Also, the house had such a wonky setup and was already "attempted" to be converted to single family. The amount it would've cost us to make it a duplex wouldn't have made sense for us to go back and make it a SFH. We felt like we had to commit one way or the other and we went for just one space. Our compromise was to design the upstairs to be like a private in-law suite so it could be rentable on Airbnb when we choose to do so. Full bed, full bath, sitting area, living room, and we will be adding a kitchenette.

Update on the appraisal, again we are all-in at $370k with renovations and the ARV came back at $407k. We are thrilled!

@Rick Baggenstoss I was so glad that I read your post just in time. My husband and I were able to change our plans a bit and attend the self guided portion of the tour last Saturday. I am curious to find out which house was your last flip. We saw so many that we loved! Not only were the houses so interesting and beautiful, we were blown away by the welcoming and genuinely friendly community in West End - it confirmed we are making (what seems to be) the best decision buying on the westside. Everyone was incredibly neighborly, it almost felt a bit like traveling back a few decades. I am even more excited now! Thank you again for your help and wisdom. 

@Kerri Mikolaizyk Hello and yes - big update! We decided to go under contract and thanks to @Account Closed - your feedback seriously helped shape my decision. The BP community is amazing. I am very thankful you shared your wisdom with me.

@Matt Grubb Yes, we do have a HUD Consultant and he provided a few recommendations but most were too busy to take on another project.

After 6 months of searching high and low for the right home that will also yield a great investment opportunity, we are under contract on a home in the West End. We are going the 203k renovation loan route and wanted to get a few quality recommendations for GC’s. We have met with quite a few and I find myself not trusting any of them enough to move forward. Looking for recommendations of someone who is trustworthy but also not the most pricey as we are on a budget for these renovations. Thank you! 

Abhishesh, yes! I definitely have and I love this area as well. It’s on my radar as a neighborhood I’m checking daily for new listings. Do you have properties in the west end area? If so, have you had good luck? 

My husband and I are looking to purchase our first home and we are very interested in finding a house we can live in for at least 3-5 years and gain a significant amount of equity. We have scoured all of the neighborhoods and suburbs in the Atlanta Metro area and most of the sought-after neighborhoods are outside of our budget (Morningside, Inman, East Atlanta, etc). 

We are looking to stay in the $300k range or less for a home that is turn-key. We are open to getting a home renovation loan and finding something cheaper and renovating, but we still can't get into the prime areas for the budget.

We have been advised to make sure to choose an area insulated with good schools and parks but that's just not possible with our budget unless we go to the suburbs, which we are not willing to do. Although the suburbs may see a small but steady amount of positive equity growth, there is nothing hot and exciting happening in the suburbs to yield any high returns. Plus, we aren't "suburb people". We love intown living and our ideal situation is a house with some character in a diverse neighborhood with community gardens, BeltLine, etc.

We have heard and seen an opportunity on the Westside (Grove Park, West End, Adair Park, Capitol View / Perkerson Park, and some streets in Mozley Park) with all of the exciting developments that are planned or in progress. We are wondering if choosing a home that's walking distance of the BeltLine can serve as some level of insulation since there are no good schools in or around the Westside.

The main question is - will those areas actually develop as planned or can it go backwards? Is it a gamble to move into one of these neighborhoods if the market crashes? Can it still be lucrative to buy a house that isn't in a good school district? 

We are very conflicted because we have heard opposite advice from seasoned real estate professionals and developers. The West End was very, very bad just a few years ago and it's already booming with $500k+ homes. 

We have a great real estate agent but he only knows what he knows and can't predict the future. I would love to hear feedback from others that may have been in this situation or can just offer additional advice.

Thank you so much!