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Less Is More
Downsizing to a more simple life Intown
By Kathy Dean
M ore and more Atlantans are
trading in their large single
family suburban homes for
Intown living, where residents
can enjoy a “less is more” lifestyle. There’s
less square footage to clean and heat, less
housework and yardwork, and less travel
time to work, shopping, restaurants and
entertainment. There’s more walkability,
more time and more freedom.
Susan and Michael Jackson are retirees
in the process of downsizing and selling
their 5,000-square-foot home in Sandy
Springs. They’re looking forward to a
simpler, more flexible Intown lifestyle.
“The more stuff you have, the more you
have to take care of,” Susan said. According
to her, the purging process is like going
down memory lane. It’s difficult to stay
unemotional, but it’s energizing, too.
“It’s incredibly cathartic and especially
satisfying when you’re completed,” she
said. “It’s also much easier to do the
earlier in life you tackle it.”
While there are many choices for Atlanta
residents looking to simplify their lives—
apartments, townhomes, condominiums—
condos offer an opportunity to enjoy the
convenience of vertical living and the
security of home ownership. Those qualities
are attractive to a lot of different people in all
phases of their lives.
Christa Huffstickler, President & CEO
of Engel & Volkers Atlanta said that she
has seen downsizers from the suburbs
who’ve sold their large homes and want to
move closer to work, culture and the city
core where there’s an emphasis on wellness.
“Condos appeal to a wide variety
of homeowners, from entry-level
millennials to baby boomer empty
nesters and everyone in between,” she
said. “We’ve seen a transition over the
last decade where the lifestyle of the
millennial/generation x and y matches
what the baby boomers want.”
They’re all drawn to life in an urban,
energetic city center, according to
Eluffstickler, where life is spent with friends,
walking in the park, focusing on health
and fitness, going out to dinner, and not
spending two hours a day commuting to
and from work. “We’ve seen a trend where
both move-up buyers and move-down
buyers are looking for the same thing.”
Many people are relocating to Atlanta
due to the strong job market, said Kerman
Elaynes, Senior Vice President of Berkshire
Elathaway CITY ELAUS Condominium
Division, and the city is also retaining a lot
of the recent graduates from high quality
universities, such as Georgia Tech.
“We’re keeping our graduates in
Atlanta instead of having them move to
cities like Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco and Chicago, and that’s largely
because of the reasonable cost of living
here,” FFaynes explained. “With vertical
living, they can find affordable housing
that offers them luxury and convenience.”
FFe added that many of the younger
people who bought condos about 12 to 15
years ago are now ready to move up. “Those
first-generation condominium owners are
staying in condos, rather than moving to the
large home in the suburbs. They understand
the lifestyle, they like it and they’re moving
up, not out to homes in the suburbs.”
The appeal of condo living attracts
buyers from many different facets of life,
from relocation executives to empty nesters
and single/divorcee buyers. Anne Schwall,
Vice President of Developer Services,
Atlanta Fine FFomes Sotheby’s International
Realty, said “While many buyers relocating
from larger urban cities such as New York
seek out condos for proximity to work and
to cut down on commute times, empty
nesters and downsizers are attracted to
condos for the ability to enjoy lock and
leave to travel.”
Although condos appeal to many
different age groups and demographics,
she stressed that the higher price points for
new construction condos is pricing those
newer condos out of reach for younger
first-time buyers. “Empty nester and
downsizing buyers are attracted to condos
for the maintenance-free lifestyle and they
have the financial means, from selling their
existing homes, to afford the newer condos
coming to the market,” she said.
There are a lot of reasons why condo
life is attractive to so many homeowners,
including the ease of the lifestyle.
“Condominiums provide the lock and leave
environment where an owner can come and
go, whether it’s to and from work every day,
traveling for work or pleasure or coming and
going for leisure activities,” FFuffstickler said.
She added that there’s a sense of
simplicity when owners are responsible for
what’s inside their walls, but can rely on a
staff to manage the common areas, pool,
landscaping and the day-to-day things.
For example, The Atlantic, on 17th Street
near Atlantic Station, provides a porter,
doorman and valet who offer security and
convenience to residents.
“Condominiums also offer an array
46 September 2017 inn AtlantalNtomnPaper.com