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Home & Real Estate
Trends • Development • City Living
Up in the Air...bnb
Realtor Leslie Johnson uses short-term rentals to look for his next home
By Kathy Dean
T hrough his career in real
estate, Leslie Johnson has had
a close view of the resurgence
happening in many Intown
Atlanta neighborhoods. He decided to get
a closer view when considering where to
buy his next home.
For nearly 15 years, Johnson, Managing
Broker in the Harry Norman Intown Office,
lived in Midtown high-rises, and he was
used to the full-service lifestyle and easy
commute. “I lived at 7th and Peachtree Street
and managed a real estate office at 10th and
Peachtree, so I had a 2-block walk,” he said.
He didn’t want to fool with a car —
and he didn’t need to. “Midtown is truly
a walkable community. It was cheaper
without a car, and I could walk to stores,
restaurants, everything I needed,” Johnson
said. “I sold my car and never got around to
buying another one. I had an urban lifestyle
and could manage very well between
MARTA, car services and Zip cars.”
Then he took his current position
with the Harry Norman Intown Office in
Atlanta. Its location on Piedmont Avenue
near Monroe Drive meant that purchasing
a car was necessary. “I considered buying a
house, too, but I realized it was going to be
a big change in my lifestyle.”
Johnson sold his condo and put his
furnishings in storage; he didn’t have a
permanent place to stay, but he had a
plan. He wanted to experience the Intown
neighborhoods for himself and find the right
place to set down roots. It meant doing more
than just looking before he leaped.
“I decided that before I bought a
house or condo, I wanted to try out the
neighborhood,” Johnson said. “I wanted to
know: Can I walk my dog at night here?
Where do I get my groceries? Can I find a
pharmacy that’s open at midnight?
“And I could experience the commute
from home to work. Until you live and
drive in an area, you don’t actually know
what it will be like.”
Through Airbnb, he found short-term
rentals on homes, apartments and rooms in
neighborhoods around the Atlanta BeltLine.
Johnson said he was able to experience
the character of each neighborhood by
interacting with people in the area.
“In some Airbnb’s, where someone rented
out their apartment or duplex, I stayed
alone,” he said. “Many times, though, people
rented out a room or section of their home.”
In those cases, Johnson got to spend time
with the owners. “That was especially helpful
since I could talk to them and find out about
the neighborhood, get suggestions on where
to eat and shop, and find out the best way to
travel in and out of the area.”
Like many urban areas, Atlanta is
Leslie Johnson outside one of the Airbnb residences he tried out in Grant Park while searching for a new home.
Photo by Isadora Pennington
experiencing a return to its city center. In
the last century, people were leaving the
cities behind and now the trend is to come
back to the city. “Atlanta is a city on the
verge,” he said. “We see neighborhoods that
had been all but forgotten coming back.”
According to Johnson, the resurgence
of many Intown neighborhoods is largely
due to the Atlanta BeltLine. The one-time
railway corridor circles Atlanta’s core. It’s
being developed as a multi-use trail that
will connect the city’s neighborhoods.
“The BeltLine is completely changing
everything. I think it’s a bigger deal for
Atlanta than the Olympics were. The
railroad built the city, and now it’s saving it
by revitalizing the city’s urban core through
the BeltLine project.”
Johnson said that the revitalization goes
beyond Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward and
Morningside. It reaches into neighborhoods
like Peoplestown and Summerhill.
“Peoplestown is changing, but there’s a
good infrastructure there,” he said. With its
location close to Downtown and Midtown,
the neighborhood shows a lot of potential,
he added. It also offers an easy commute,
with lots of ways in and out.
There are lush, hilly landscapes in
Peoplestown, green with trees and affording
spectacular views of Downtown. It’s a
community that Johnson feels is a good fit
for him, and he has considered purchasing a
home there.
“When a house listing came up, I found
an Airbnb right across the street and stayed
there for a week,” he said. “I could see the
property every day and experience life in
the neighborhood.”
Summerhill has a similar location
and views of the city, but it’s not quite as
developed. “There aren’t a lot of shops in
Summerhill yet, but you can see where
they’ll fill in,” he said. “Downtown,
Midtown and Grant Park are all close by,
and it has a similar feel to Peoplestown.”
In Grant Park, Johnson felt a very
eclectic vibe. The neighbors were friendly,
and it seemed to him that everybody knows
one another. “It’s easy to find cafes to eat
at. It’s still very urban and felt a lot like
Midtown, but lateral, with more single
family homes rather than high-rises,” he said.
He also had good experiences with
Ormewood Park on the east side and
Mozely Park on the west side. “Mozely
Park reminded me of Jefferson Park in
East Point, which is well-known for its
friendly neighbors who visit and have
dinner together,” he said. “Mozely Park is
developing that same vibe.”
Johnson shared one caution. “When
looking for a home in these traditionally
underserved areas, it’s important to get
professional help from a Realtor.”
For example, a grandparent may have
built the home and passed it down through
the family without a proper will or formal
transfer of title. Very often, property deals
were handled through handshakes and there
is no deed to record the transaction. Claims
against the property may have to be ironed
out, in some cases.
“There are ways to resolve these issues,”
he said, “but you need good representation,
especially when buying in neighborhoods
that had been underserved for so long.”
Johnson said that Airbnb has been
a great way for him to try out the
neighborhoods, and he recommends it. “If
the neighborhood isn’t right for you, it’s
okay. There’s one that will be a perfect fit.
They all have character and good neighbors.”
Johnson made it clear that he has the
greatest respect for the people who’ve been
living in these Intown neighborhoods
the whole time, the people who nurtured
them and kept the area settled. “I believe
that as these neighborhoods go through
their redevelopment cycles, it can be done
well,” he said, “The new homeowners just
need to be respectful of the neighborhood’s
character and history and build on it.” 03
26 February 2018 | DU
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