If you purchased a home or condominium as your primary residence in 2013, you are eligible to apply for a homestead exemption. (a.k.a. reduce your property taxes! Oh Yeah!)
If it’s your first time buying, or living, in a condominium, you will have many questions! Life is different, even than that of an apartment building. Remember, in an apartment, one company owns the ENTIRE building. In a condominium, you own your individual unit, and a percentage of the rest of the building based on the size (square footage) of your condo.
The policies for moving into a condominium building in Midtown Atlanta are as varied as the buildings themselves. But let’s review some of the most standard policies:
The Loading Dock — Another part of a condo building that will vary widely, is the loading dock and where your moving truck can have access to the building. Older buildings, or buildings that were first apartments, and then converted to condominiums may not have ANY loading dock. Your truck may have to park on the street. In this case, if can’t be left unattended by you or the moving company at any time during the unloading process. If the building has a loading dock, ti will depend on how secure the dock area is. Some newer buildings have a loading dock this is much like a garage. The moving van can be parked inside, and the door closed. Depending on what kind of traffic still is in and around the dock, you may need to have someone remain with the truck. (Or the door on the truck can be locked each time.)These are just some of the main questions we are often asked about How Do I Move into a Condo Building! If we think of something we missed, or other details, we’ll be back to update this information!
The month of January, 2014 has quickly slipped past us! But it’s not to late to take a look back at 2013 and the….
Condominium living in Midtown Atlanta is as varied as the very people that occupy them! From high-rise glass towers to historic buildings, you can find something that fits your taste, size and hopefully….budget….when you look for a new home in Midtown!
So what buildings were most popular in terms of number of homes sold? Drum roll please….
10. Tuscany Condominiums — Juniper Street (21 Homes Sold)
9. Mayfair Renaissance/Mayfair Tower –14th Street ( 28 Homes Sold)
8. 1280 West — West Peachtree Street (29 Homes Sold)
7. Cornerstone Village — Peachtree at 6th Street (30 Homes Sold)
6. Plaza Midtown — West Peachtree at Peachtree Place (9th Street) (31 Homes Sold)
5. Spire Midtown — Peachtree at 7th Street (33 Homes Sold)
4. Metropolis Midtown — Peachtree at 8th Street (40 Homes Sold)
3. Park Central Condominiums – Juniper at 13th Street (43 Homes Sold)
2. Viewpoint Condominiums — Peachtree at 6th Street (44 Homes Sold)
And, for the second year in a row, the Number One Selling Midtown Atlanta condominium building is…
1010 Midtown Condominiums (73 Homes Sold)
It is first only fair to say that this was the last new construction opportunity available in Midtown Atlanta (not counting Midtown West) and as a result, this building had the most inventory to sell that had never been occupied. I’m sure 2014 will show some very different numbers now that the building is sold out.
If you would like more information about ANY of these Midtown Atlanta condo buildings, there is a link to each building above, or feel free to use the Contact button and we will get right back to you!
Don’t get me wrong…we love our Midtown Atlanta and high rise condominiums! But that may not be the living option for everyone, right? So, we keep a pulse on the surrounding areas that people might also want to consider. There’s Midtown West, or West Midtown, however you prefer to call it. Inman Park, Morningside-Lenox Park, Druid Hills…these are just some of the communities that surround, or are near to Midtown Atlanta. Another prominent one is the City of Decatur. And guess what… Decatur Named a Top 10 US Neighborhood!
The American Planning Association’s has placed Decatur on its 2013 list of 30 Great Places. Each year, the nonprofit organization each year selects 10 public spaces, 10 neighborhoods, and 10 streets that it says celebrate exemplary character, quality and planning. Decatur landed in the Great Neighborhoods section!
According to the APA’s website, ” Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work every day.”
I recently sold a home to a couple just on the edge of Decatur that love the area and all it has to offer. If you’d like to learn more about Decatur, here are some helpful resources:
Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch News Site
As I show Midtown Atlanta condos on a daily basis, I’m almost always assured to be asked the question, Is there guest parking in Midtown Condos? The answer to that question is NOT a simple Yes, or No. More like…Maybe? Or depends on the building?
Probably the best answer IS it depends on the building. Some of the Midtown Atlanta Condo buildings have paid retail parking space, which allows for your guests to park in the retail parking area, for a fee. One building in particular, 1010 Midtown does NOT allow this. Visit a few of the restaurants in the 12th and Midtown area, and decide to take a cab home to avoid a DUI? You’ll find a $150 boot on your car the next morning. (Very unfortunate and really don’t understand why they do this?) Yet another building, Plaza Midtown has NO guest parking. All of the retail parking is just that…for retail, and there is no overnight parking allowed either.
Buildings like Metropolis, Spire and Viewpoint have the paid retail parking. Park Central DOES have guest spaces, available on a first-come, first-served basis. But at least they have them, and they are free.
So you say, there must be a better way? Indeed, you see all these parking lots around Midtown, but they too cost money, and may not be all that secure for an overnight stay. So along comes SpotShare!
SpotShare, developed back in 2003, is an online parking registration site that can be used by condominium residents. It allows residents to donate and request parking spaces in their own building’s residential parking area. Imagine, you have a 2 bedroom condo with 2 spaces, but only one car. You can offer up that extra parking space when you are sure you won’t need it, and help out a neighbor! How cool is that? And really, this can be a life-saver for many of our Midtown Atlanta condo residents.
If your Midtown Atlanta condo building does not offer SpotShare, mention it to your Property Manager or a Board Member. There is a cost to the association (I’m not sure how much) but not only will it make your life a bit easier for you AND your guests, it is a great selling tool when you are looking to sell your condo!!
As a real estate agent, I’m expected to know a lot.
After all, you’ve decided to come to me to help you with one of your biggest financial investments…buying a Midtown Atlanta condo. And one of the questions often centers around parking spaces. Parking Spaces in Midtown Atlanta Condos…Do They Really Matter?
Yes.
When purchasing a Midtown Atlanta condominium, the “standard” is one parking space per bedroom. The parking space does not belong to the condominium unit itself, but is a limited common element of the entire building, and is assigned to your specific unit. But there are exceptions to this rule, and the “standard” may not apply.
The biggest challenge falls when you purchase a two-bedroom condominium, and it only has ONE ASSIGNED parking space. This brings up that phrase from the Apollo movie, “Houston, we have a problem.” Now you, the Buyer might say, “It’s ok, I only have one car.” Well, that may be fine for you, but as your Buyer’s Agent I’m going to be talking to you about RESALE!!!! One parking space may not be a problem for you, but when you go to sell, and that next Buyer is looking for a two-bedroom with 2 parking spaces, your home just became more difficult to sell.
I dislike the overused phrase, “trust me” but in this case, trust me.
Case in point. I just lost a rental listing I had in a Midtown high rise building. Really a beautiful home…all new hardwoods, bathrooms and kitchen all remodeled…beautiful. 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. It was on the second floor, which I’m sure was a deterrent (that’s another subject) but….you guessed it…..ONE PARKING SPACE. I can’t tell you how many times I showed that condo, and got asked, “But we have two cars, where do we park the second car?”
