Atlanta Condos For Sale

Atlanta Condo Living | Where Do I Get My Mail?

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Atlanta Condo Living | Where Do I Get My Mail?There are numerous things in your lifestyle and daily routine that will change when you live in a condo. I’d like to say that 99% of them are all good, but there might me some aspects that require some adjustment. One might be picking up your mail.

Atlanta Condo Living | Where Do I Get My Mail?

When you live in a single family home, your mail may have come a couple of different ways. Of course, you may have opted for a mailbox directly at the post office, which you may still have. But the most common way to get your mail was in a mailbox you (or a previous owner or even the developer) installed at the end of your driveway. In older, established neighborhoods, your mail may have even been delivered to a mailbox attached right on your house! Just open the door, reach out and you have it.

Packages? Well, the UPS driver may just drop them on your front porch? Or I’ve actually seen them leaned up against a garage door. Now, what if it rains? Or, or better yet, someone decides to TAKE your package and they are not a member of your family!!!

All this is much easier (and secure) when you live in a condominium building. First, there is a central mail room where all the mail is delivered by your mailman (or woman!) You are provided a key by the developer (new construction) or by the previous owners when you purchase. (A side note….if you are NOT given a mailbox key at closing, be prepared to wait for a key. It can be a lengthy process to get a new one from the Post Office!!!) Once you learn the time the mail is delivered, you just stop by the mail room and collect your mail. Got a package?

Packages are handled differently by buildings, depending on how they are designed and if you have a Concierge or not. Newer buildings will have a package room where your package is held for you. You are either notified by a note in your mailbox, or the building may have a system in place where you get an email notification that you have a package. Some buildings even have video screens in the lobby, or elevator foyer that show your condo number if you have something waiting for you.

In some older communities, your mail box area may have larger spaces with a key where the mailman can leave your package, and put the key in your mailbox. But not everything will fit in these. So they may be left in front of your door! Yikes….that’s not to secure! If that may be the case where you live, you may opt to have things delivered to your office or place where you work, and they may be more secure.

As you get ready to move, watch your mail. You may be surprised at the magazines and catalogs you get that WON’T get forwarded via your mail forwarding. Or it may expire, and you won’t get them. Also time your notification of your change of address so mail does not get left behind at your address!! (I’ve found lots of mail leftover in mailboxes!!!

Atlanta Condo Living | Where Do I Get My Mail?

Downsizing From a House to a Midtown Atlanta Condo

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As you begin to think about not needing all this space, and that second floor you never even visit now, you will have some considerations to make for sure! Are the kids all gone?

Congratulations!!!  You have shipped the last kid off to college! (Admit it, despite being sad to see them go, you are kinda ecited about having the place all to yourselves now. But wait? What are we going to do with 3500 square feet of house for just the two of us? We still have to clean and mow the lawn (unless you have services for both!) What if we ditch the house and move Intown where we can walk and shop and leave the car in the garage? AWESOME!

Downsizing From a House to a Midtown Atlanta Condo

Downsizing to a CondoWAIT A MINUTE!!! We have 3500 sq. ft. of “stuff.” What ARE we going to do? What do we get rid of?

  • “I’m not giving up my Great Grandmothers’s writing desk!!”
  • “I’ve got to have my leather sectional so I can stretch out to watch college football!”

Indeed, these are some of the comments you will hear as you start the challenging process of downsizing from a house to a Midtown Atlanta condo. And some of these comments are important, but some of them we will have to think twice.

I’ve worked with many a condo buyer that is downsizing from a house. And the space of that 2 bedroom condo we are looking at is probably about the size of your kitchen, breakfast, dining, living room and maybe your family room. Yep. Forget that second floor or basement. And I often tell buyers that the furniture that works is your house probably won’t work in your condo!!

My rule of thumb is…if it has tremendous sentimental value (a treasure from your honeymoon trip) or a family heirloom that has been handed down (that writing desk above) then those are the things we want to make sure we can find space for. That leaher sectional will best be sold, donated or handed down to one of those kids who needs furniture!!

It is not an easy process, an may be one you should start BEFORE you even start looking for your condo. But then again, by me showing you some options and space, it may give you a better perspective as to what you can take, and what you can’t.

I found this great article, Moving to a Smaller Home, and Decluttering a Lifetime of Belongings that might help you understand the process and give you some ideas for getting started.

Once you are settled in your new condo, you are going to love your new lifestyle. You may not need that leather sectional to watch the college game as you may join your new found friends at a local sports bar for the afternoon!

Midtown Skyline From Spire Feb 2014

 

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FMLS Logo Listings on this website come from the FMLS IDX Compilation and may be held by brokerage firms other than the owner of this website. The listing brokerage is identified in any listing details. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. If you believe any FMLS listing contains material that infringes your copyrighted work, please click here to review our DMCA policy and learn how to submit a takedown request. © 2025 FMLS.
Data last updated: 6/5/25 10:23 AM PDT.

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Cornerstone Village Midtown Atlanta 2015 Annual Meeting

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Cornerstone Village Annual MeetingDo you live in a condominium community? Or even a single family home community that has an association? Does your HOA have an annual meeting? Better question might be….

Do You ATTEND your Annual Homeowners Meeting?

Cornerstone Village Midtown Atlanta 2015 Annual Meeting

I had the opportunity to attend the Cornerstone Village Annual Meeting earlier this week. In most HOA communities, you must have a 2/3 attendance (via in person or through a proxy vote) to conduct official business. In the case of Cornerstone Village, with 310 homes, if my math does me correct, there has to be approximately 207 owners present at the annual meeting in order to have a quorum and conduct business. I attended because two owners that I manage their rental condos for, asked me to attend, and I did so by having their proxy vote.

But, there was not a quorum. Nope. Not enough owners attended (or turned in a proxy vote) to do any business.

So what you say? Say WHAT I say?

You OWN a home in this building. You have a financial interest in how the association is run, or the building is maintained and presented. But you don’t bother to come to the annual meeting. Tisk Tisk.

Here’s the most scary part of this….There were numerous people interested in running for the HOA Board of Directors. People that have “stepped up to the plate” to offer their time and talent into running and managing the community (along with a great Property Manager!) But none of those people were elected. Because an election could not happen without a quorum of owners.

So what happens now? The current Board of Directors will hand pick and select the NEXT Board of Directors. How’s that for democracy?

Now, I happen to be writing about Cornerstone Village, but this is an all too common occurrence at many annual meetings for the HOA. Not just this building. You have a financial interest in this building. If the lobby looks bad, or the association is not managed properly, you could have problems in the future, be it in the form of a special assessment, or a challenge selling your home because of excessive rental units, poor reserves, condition of the amenities…and more.

You need to pay attention to what happens in your building. And if for some reason you don’t THINK you should go, or care about the annual meeting, then give your proxy to an owner that does.

What Condos Have Sold in Midtown Atlanta?

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Midtown Market Report November 2015I was at my desk bright and early this morning (that would be 6:30am for me!) and I had not yet thought of a blog topic for today. So the question came to ME, and then I figured it had to come to you if you were looking to Buy or Sell a Midtown Atlanta Condo….

What Condos Have Sold in Midtown Atlanta?

And we want to keep this information pretty relevant if you are on the edge of getting ready to Buy, or the edge of getting ready to LIST your Midtown Atlanta Condo For Sale, right? So, I did a map search of the MLS (shown at the right) for the last 30 days and came up with the following results:

There were 34 condo sales in the aforementioned map area, ranging in sales price from $74,900 at Melrose Park, to $762,500 at Spire Midtown for a combined condo. (two units combined to one…specifically Number 2305….she was a beauty by the way!)

Some other noteworthy sales include a 1 bedroom at 1010 Midtown for $323,500 and a 1 bedroom at Aqua for $300,000. Y-E-S…I said a 1 bedroom! For you “How Much was that per sq. ft.?” types, 1010 was $371 per sq. ft. and $283 per sq. ft. at Aqua. The 1010 home was 872 sq. ft. vs. 1,060 at Aqua. Was one a better deal than the other? Well you certainly got more square footage for your money at Aqua. But, if you are looking at monthly costs, the HOA at 1010 is $260 per month vs. $527 at Aqua. That’s a bit of a difference on your monthly costs!

I’ve included a list below of all the 34 sales, so you can see the buildings that had sales, and the prices. Another notable fact….over half of the sales were OVER $200,000. Just showing any Buyer sitting on the fence, that waiting will probably only cost you more. Interesting note is the inventory at Cornerstone Village…. some nice options got taken up at a $150-170,000 range, and the current listings in the building ar at $160 and $190,000. Also, there are two 2-bedroom listings that have been on the market for 90 days. Buyers are looking for value, but can’t wrap their heads around the open loft-style of these two listings. (Both have walls that do not go all the way to the ceiling, so privacy in the bedrooms is limited.) Mind you, a creative agent can point out how easy it would be to close off a bedroom with minimal construction and create a totally unique space and condo for the building. But hey, that’s just my salesman mind at work!

 What Condos Have Sold in Midtown Atlanta?

What Midtown Condos Have Sold

Midtown Condo Sales

What Condos Have Sold in Midtown

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(all data current as of 6/5/2025)


FMLS Logo Listings on this website come from the FMLS IDX Compilation and may be held by brokerage firms other than the owner of this website. The listing brokerage is identified in any listing details. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. If you believe any FMLS listing contains material that infringes your copyrighted work, please click here to review our DMCA policy and learn how to submit a takedown request. © 2025 FMLS.
Data last updated: 6/5/25 10:23 AM PDT.

Walk Score provided by walkscore.com.

 
 

What Are Condo Docs?

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Declaration of Condominium, condo docsWhenever I work with a condo buyer (and that is pretty much every day!) there are numerous things we do as we purchase a condo. While buying a single family home in a subdivision might have HOA rules, they are usually much more involved when you purchase, and live in a condo.

What Are Condo Docs?

In every condominium purchase contract I write for my clients, I always include this special stipulation:

SELLER TO PROVIDE FULLY RECORDED COPY OF CONDOMINIUM DOCUMENTS, CURRENT ANNUAL BUDGET AND LAST 6 MONTHS HOA BOARD MEETING MINUTES TO BUYER WITHIN THREE DAYS OF BINDING AGREEMENT DATE. IF BUYER FINDS OBJECTION WITH ANY INFORMATION THEREIN, OR THE SELLER FAILS TO DELIVER SAID DOCUMENTS WITHIN THREE DAYS, THE BUYER MAY CHOOSE TO VOID THIS CONTRACT WITH WRITTEN NOTICE TO THE SELLER WITHIN 4 DAYS OF BINDING AGREEMENT DATE AND WILL BE ENTITLED TO A FULL REFUND OF ALL EARNEST MONEY.

The condominium documents included the Declaration of Condominium and The Association By-Laws. As you can see above, I additionally request a copy of the HOA Budget and the last 6 months of HOA minutes.

What’s IN the Declaration of Condominium? Here’s a sample Table of Contents:

  • Definitions
  • Location, Property Description, Plats and Plans
  • Units and Boundaries
  • Common Elements
  • Limited Common Elements
  • Association Membership and Allocation of Votes
  • Allocation of Liability for Common Expenses
  • Association Rights and Restrictions
  • Assessments
  • Insurance
  • Repair and Reconstruction
  • Architectural Controls
  • Use Restrictions
  • Leasing
  • Sale of Units
  • Maintenance Responsibility
  • Mortgagee’s Rights
  • General Provisions

Condominium Rules and RegulationsThis particular condominium Declaration is about 70 or more pages. Your newer buildings will have much longer condo docs. But you can see there is a wide variety of things that are cover. I mean, I could do a blog post series on every topic. (Hmmmm, there’s a thought?)

It’s important for you to review this document, no matter the length. SERIOUSLY!  You may not read it in depth, but by scanning the Table of Contents and then each section, you will have a better understanding of the “Rules of the Road” for living in that condo building.

The Declaration of Condominium is filed by the Developer when the Condominium is created. You are provided a copy (especially in new construction) by the sales representative for the Developer. But in any re-sale, you must obtain a copy from the Seller. If you note in my special contract stipulation, I underlined the words FULLY RECORDED COPY OF CONDOMINIUM DOCUMENTS.   What THAT means, is over the course of years, the owners can have voted to amend, or change the condo docs. They could have agreed to change anything from a pet policy, to leasing terms to parking assignments. Each time the condo docs are changed, they must be legally recorded in with the Clerk of Superior Court in the County where the building is located. Of course, all of Midtown Atlanta will be Fulton County.

We want to see ALL the changes to the original Declaration, to make sure there is not some material change that could affect you, and how you live and enjoy your home.

The Association By-Laws are simply the rules and make up of the Homeowners Association, or HOA. Equally Important, as they will spell out the makeup of the Board of Directors, Meetings, and the Powers and Duties of the Board. (Yeah, this is important!)

As we obtain, and review these documents, I’m here to answer any questions you may have. Your lender, if you are obtaining financing, will certainly review the budget to look for things like reserve fund balances and the income and expenses of the association.

It’s all good…and certainly nothing that should “scare you” when you look at these documents. When you live in close proximity to your neighbors, and share common things (walls, hallways, club rooms, etc.) you need to have “rules of the road”  to guide everyone!

Changes Are Coming to the Closing Process!! TRID

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Closing Changes When Buying a Home September 30, 2015
If you are purchasing a home or condominium, and you will be making your LOAN APPLICATION AFTER Saturday, October 3rd, the process is changing! And could be a bit complicated if you don’t work VERY CLOSELY with your real estate agent, your lender and your closing attorney!!

If you have purchased in the past, maybe you remember last minute amendments to your Purchase and Sale Agreement? Maybe they were to correct a name, or an address, or clarify a special stipulation in the Agreement? Ah, not so fast now!!!!

The new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID) is going to make follow up ever so important! NOW, when you receive something from your agent, your lender or the closing attorney, it will require your IMMEDIATE and FULL attention. Due to new disclosure time lines, everything must be in place at least 10 days before the closing (to assure that everything moves on schedule!)

Every purchased a home or condominium with a “back-to-back” closing? Where you needed to close on your first residence so you could buy your next home? These types of closings will be even more difficult to manage, because if anything goes wrong on the first closing, that messes up the days needed for the disclosure, it will in turn delay your next closing.

In a nutshell, what does this all mean? It means you need to have YOUR TEAM in place, and have your real estate agent as your Quarterback to make sure the process is moving along. Anytime you are sent something that requires you read and sign, you need to give it you immediate attention, so it can be handled accordingly!

Changes like this can be challenging, but I’m here to help you through, every step of the way!

For More Information about the new Process and understanding it, CLICK HERE for the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau and helpful information about the new forms.

 

 

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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