Atlanta Investing

[Peter Nierman]

Hi Everyone, 

I live in Seattle and am looking into buying a rental property or two (probably single family homes) in the Decatur area of Atlanta.  Does anyone have thoughts on this area for investing in rentals? This is my first foray into out-of-state investing; and this will also be my first true rental property (i have a mother in law in my house). 

Specific zip codes where I am looking are 30034 and 30032.  Despite the fact these homes are all in Decatur, Zillow seems to predict varying appreciation - one house up 7% over the next year, whereas another not too far away down .3%.  Any thoughts from locals would be appreciated.  

Thanks, 

Peter

[Jason Hern]

 Hi Peter, to help clarify where you are looking, properties that you see listed in Decatur are not necessarily in the city of Decatur but in Dekalb County. It is a very large county that runs south Atlanta to north Atlanta with an incredible dynamic in between. You can go from a D neighborhood to an A neighborhood in a short time. On top of that you can go from a great buy to a bad buy in one block because of school zones. Your best bet is to team up with somebody who knows the areas street by street and can really give you the feedback you need to invest wisely.

Best of luck!!