Decatur real estate – Oakhurst Decatur homes for sale 

It’s time again for the 2009 Oakhurst Wine Crawl (aka Oakhurst Wine Tasting Festival). 

On February 28th from 4 to 7 pm, local Oakhurst businesses will open their doors and feature wine from around the globe. 

This is one of my favorite Oakhurst events and it really kicks off the Spring Festival season.  Usually about 20 different businesses will participate and it is great fun to visit the local auto repair shop or the optomotrist’s office and sample a glass of wine. 

If you haven’t been to the Oakhurst Wine Crawl before, please know that it SELLS OUT FAST.  Only 750 tickets are sold each year and it is best to purchase them prior to the wine festival so you don’t have to wait in the long lines.

ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:  Kavarna Coffee, Steinbecks and Universal Joint (all are on the corner of East Lake Dr and Oakview). 

TICKET PRICES:  $20 advance purchase; $25 on the day of the event

++++++++++++++

KERRY LUCASSE  ::   Decatur Real Estate Consultant  ::  KELLER WILLIAMS  ::  (404) 432.1844

 **Serving Atlanta’s Intown Neighborhoods, including Decatur, Oakhurst, Winnona Park, Kirkwood and Virginia Highlands

INTOWN ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOODS – FOR YOUNG FAMILIES

I work with dozens of home buyers who are relocating to Atlanta and their first question always seems to be “what are the best Atlanta neighborhoods for young people and / or young families?”

Since this is such a common question, I wanted to post it here on ATLhomesearch.com in hopes that I can help other families who are thinking about moving to the Metro Atlanta area.

If you are fairly new to Atlanta, you’ll find that every “Intown Atlanta” neighborhood in has its own unique characteristics, so I’ll be ranking them for you, using the following criteria:

Schools
Home Prices
Parks & Rec
Community
Entertainment / Nightlife
Parks, Recreation, Outdoor Facilities

Over the next two weeks, I am going to be doing a three part series, highlighting the Top Atlanta Neighborhoods for Young Families. To follow are two of the hottest Intown Atlanta neighborhoods:

DECATUR NEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTION: Located less than 10 minutes from Downtown Atlanta, the City of Decatur (zip code 30030) is absolutely charming. It has a Norman Rockwell appeal, but with more of an urban hip feel. The Downtown Decatur area offers a wide range of very popular restaurants and shops and the Marta transit system makes it easy to travel anywhere in Metro Atlanta. Decatur has a strong neighborhood and business associations and they organize dozens of festivals and events each year — from Wine Festivals, Arts Festivals, Book Festivals, live jazz on the Decatur Square, 5K runs, and Holiday Tour of Homes.

HOME STYLES: Older brick homes, Craftsman bungalows and cottage homes are abundant in this area. A small number of new construction homes are also available throughout Decatur.

DECATUR HOME PRICES RANGE FROM $275 – $550K for a 3 bed / 2 bath home in the City of Decatur.

DECATUR SCHOOL SYSTEM: The City of Decatur offers some of the best schools in Metro Atlanta. Oakhurst Elementary, Winnona Park Elementary and Clairemont Elementary are at the top of the list. Many home buyers choose Decatur because of the excellent school system. For more information on Decatur schools, you can visit http://www.GreatSchools.com

DECATUR NEIGHBORHOODS: If you are interested in living in the City of Decatur, I highly recommend looking in Decatur’s most popular neighborhood OAKHURST. To view the homes available in Oakhurst – Decatur, please visit: www.inOAKHURSTga.com

RATINGS FOR DECATUR:

Schools — 5 out of 5 Stars
Community — 5 out of 5 Stars
Parks & Recreation — 5 out of 5 Stars
Nightlife — 3.5 out of 5 Stars (great nightlife, but not late night — usually quiet by midnight)

VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS in ATLANTA, GEORGIA

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND NEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTION: “The Highlands” is probably Atlanta’s most popular neighborhood for young families and professionals. Developed in the early 1900′s, it consists of six distinct commercial “villages” alternating with short, walkable blocks of upscale shops, restaurants and pubs. The primary intersection is Virginia Ave and N. Highland Ave — hence the name!

HOME STYLES: Tudors, Craftsman Bungalows and four-square style homes are abundant in Virginia Highland. New construction luxury homes are also available, but the prices are usually going to be over $1.0M.

HOME PRICES: For a traditional 3 bed / 2 bath tudor or bungalow style home, the prices range from $450K to $700K for a renovated home in Virginia Highland (zip code 30306).

RATINGS FOR VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS:

Schools — 5 out of 5 Stars
Community — 4 out of 5 Stars
Parks & Recreation — 4 out of 5 Stars (three small parks with Piedmont Park nearby in Midtown)
Nightlife — 5 out of 5 Stars

SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS: Morningside, Lenox Park, Johnson Estates and Midtown Atlanta all border Virginia Highlands and are still close enough that residents can walk to the to the Virginia Highland shops and restaurants. To view ALL the homes for sale in these charming Atlanta “Intown” neighborhoods, visit: http://www.ATLhomesearch.com/Neighborhoods.html

If you have any questions about the top neighborhoods in Metro Atlanta, please don’t hestitate to call me at (404) 432.1844.  I’d be honored to show you around my favorite city!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

All the best,

Kerry Lucasse

SEE MY CLIENT FEEDBACK AT http://www.KUDZU.com  [just enter "Kerry Lucasse" into the Kudzu search bar!]

______________________________________________________________________________________

KERRY LUCASSE    ::    Atlanta Real Estate Consultant   ::    404.432.1844

______________________________________________________________________________________

Decatur GA - Living Intown Atlanta -Decorate Decatur Community

Grab your outdoor lights,  garland, luminaries and other holiday decor and get ready for the “Decorate Decatur” Contest!

On Sunday, December 14th, judges will drive through Decatur and pick their 10 favorite homes, as well as one favorite business and one favorite neighborhood.  There will also be one “overall” winner that will receive the Commissioners Cup from the Decatur City Commission.

If you are planning to join in on the fun, all you have to do is pull the decorations out, flip on the lights and call 404-371-9583 to give your address and alert the Decatur judges that you will be participating in the contest.

To view the previous winners, visit the Decorate Decatur web page.  The Oakhurst Business District (aka the Oakhurst Village) was one of the Business Winners last year, along with Wordsmiths and Chik-Fil-A on Trinity Avenue.  My bet is on the Oakhurst Business District for 2008 as well!

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Decatur or Oakhurst GA, please contact your Decatur real estate expert, Kerry Lucasse, at (404) 432-1844.   

Specializing in Atlanta’s Intown Neighborhoods, including Decatur, Kirkwood, Oakhurst, Grant Park, Ormewood Park and Virginia Highlands.

_________________________________________________________________________

KERRY LUCASSE    ::    Real Estate Consultant    ::    Keller Williams Realty

_________________________________________________________________________

For those of you who are thinking of moving to Decatur or selling your Decatur GA home, I thought it might be helpful for you to have a snapshot of the number of active listings (homes for sale) versus the number of homes that are under contract in Decatur.

To follow is my update from the Atlanta First Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  It includes Decatur single family detached home listings for sale in Dekalb County as of November 20, 2008:

Active - 1143 Homes are currently available for sale 

See all homes for sale in Decatur

Under Contract – A total 243 homes are under contract:

• Contingency – Due Diligence - 7 Properties Found 
• Contingency – Other - 4 Properties Found
• Pending - 232 Properties Found

The Decatur real estate market has always been quite strong, thanks to the outstanding school system, the active neighborhood associations, charming neighborhoods, and the proximity to Downtown Atlanta, Emory University and the interstates.

If you are thinking about selling your Decatur home, you can see here that there is only ONE BUYER for every SIX HOMES (approx) on the market today.   To sell your home quickly and for the most money, you need to price it correctly and make sure that your home stands out from the crowd.  

If I can be of assistance and/or if you would like feedback on the current condition and value of your Decatur home, please don’t hestitate to contact me at (404) 432.1844 or email.