All Forum Posts by: Rebecca Cardona

@Rick Baggenstoss really appreciate your insight! Think we’re going to go drive around some of the South Atlanta neighborhoods like Hapeville and such this weekend so we can really narrow our focus. We live on the East side ourselves, so Decatur was attractive given proximity, but I see what you’re saying with home prices.

@Chauncey Glenn I am an Atlanta native and also looking to make my first investment purchase with a similar budget. The feedback you're seeing on here is accurate - the neighborhoods you've outlined are very expensive to get into for a turnkey property, and if you're looking to use an FHA loan and only put 3.5% down, you're mortgage note will be way too high for you to make the kind of cashflow you want. I'm debating now between the Southside towards the airport, close to public transportation, and where development is starting to pick up (i.e. East Point, College Park, Hapeville, etc) or a suburb north of the city where there are consistently really great schools to attract families. Best of luck in your hunt!

@Elaunte Brown awesome, thanks so much for weighing in! I’d love to connect!

I've seen these properties as well, and I live on this side of town. Edgewood is considered in-town and definitely the "hotter" area of the two. The duplex is walkable to a train station and lots of retail/restaurants. Honestly I love the duplex if you get the money to work - we thought about house hacking and selling our SFR to live there, but we don't want to leave our school system. Belvedere Park is OK, I don't know enough about REI yet to know which will be better for you, but as a local, I'd expect Edgewood to have higher demand and prob a more "hip, millennial" type renter vs Belvedere Park, and probably greater long-term appreciation because of its proximity to the city and public transit.

Hi BP!

Looking for any advice as we're looking to make our first rental purchase. We're targeting Smyrna, GA just outside of Atlanta and looking at either a SFR at a higher price point and less monthly cash flow vs a townhome where we can buy for much less, add value through a facelift, and see better monthly cash flow.

What are your thoughts on investing in a townhome for a long-term buy and hold strategy? We’re classifying the neighborhood as a B-.

Thanks all!

@Mitch Messer thank you for the warm welcome! The comments on this thread are definitely giving me some perspective, and it sounds like we'll be better off focusing on a more stable area for our first deal. Thank you!

@Joel Owens a very good point on the % of net wealth. Really appreciate your perspective, thank you! We’ll probably look for something with less risk for this first house.

@Bryan Mitchell thank you so much for your perspective!

My husband and I have a max budget of $50k liquid cash to invest, and we are planning to purchase a buy-and-hold investment property in Atlanta in the $100k-$200k range. We’re looking at properties in Smyrna/Marietta, Stone Mountain/East Decatur like Gresham Park area, or Pittsburgh/East Point.

We know cash flow is king, but can’t help but be tempted by Pittsburgh or East Point for the potential appreciation, but CoCs seem lower with rental rates still low in those areas and home prices on the rise.

The East side seems like CoC opportunity may be better with rental comps right around the 1% of home value number, but not sure what the demand is like over there or what the appreciation opportunity will be.

Smyrna/Marietta is attractive because of the schools, but again not sure what the appreciation opportunity will be given they are a bit more mature markets. Either way, planning to hold for 10-20 years, maybe longer.

Any suggestions for us from you seasoned vets would be greatly appreciated!!

My husband and I have a max budget of $50k liquid cash to invest, and we are planning to purchase a buy-and-hold investment property in Atlanta in the $100k-$200k range. We’re looking at properties in Smyrna/Marietta, Stone Mountain/East Decatur like Gresham Park area, or Pittsburgh/East Point.

We know cash flow is king, but can’t help but be tempted by Pittsburgh or East Point for the potential appreciation, but CoCs seem lower with rental rates still low in those areas and home prices on the rise.

The East side seems like CoC opportunity may be better with rental comps right around the 1% of home value number, but not sure what the demand is like over there or what the appreciation opportunity will be.

Smyrna/Marietta is attractive because of the schools, but again not sure what the appreciation opportunity will be given they are a bit more mature markets. Either way, planning to hold for 10-20 years, maybe longer.

Any suggestions for us from you seasoned vets would be greatly appreciated!!