The Atlanta Real Estate Edit
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Everything here answers a question a client actually asked me — the neighborhoods, the numbers and the timing, written the week it mattered.
Five Things Worth Doing This Halloween Weekend in Gwinnett and DeKalb
This week's two counties are Gwinnett and DeKalb: a free Dia de los Muertos festival in Norcross, trick-or-treating and a movie in Old Town Lilburn, sold-out-prone ghost tours in Lawrenceville, The Incredibles on Decatur Square, and the last three nights of Stone Mountain's Pumpkin Festival.
An Air Force Pilot and His Wife Just Opened a Personal Training Studio in Acworth
Alloy Personal Training's newest studio, at 3384 Cobb Pkwy NW in Acworth, had its Cobb Chamber ribbon cutting this month. It's a national small-group training franchise, but the Acworth location is owned and run by a northwest Cobb family -- here's who they are and what the studio actually offers.
Green Coyote Cantina Cuts the Ribbon on a Second Location in Avondale Estates
Green Coyote Cantina, the Tex-Mex spot that's run in East Cobb since 2022, held its official ribbon-cutting this week for a second location in Avondale Estates, in the new downtown DeKalb County has been filling in around the town's green.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Cobb Votes Tuesday on Backyard Houses, and Five Points Slips Toward 2031
Cobb commissioners vote Tuesday night on a code change that would let homeowners in single-family neighborhoods put a second small house in the backyard, and on new size and cooling limits for data centers. MARTA's chief told city council the $230 million Five Points rebuild is facing a roughly $40 million budget jump, with the contractor now looking at May 2031. And 793 student beds broke ground in the West End.
Five Things Worth Doing This Weekend in Fulton and Cobb
This week's two counties are Fulton and Cobb: GreenFest on the Westside, the 41st Halloween Hikes in Roswell, two free Cobb County festivals on the same Saturday, and a 150-booth crafts festival in downtown Smyrna.
Smiley's Burger Club Smashes Into Summerhill With an $8 Cheeseburger
Smiley's Burger Club, the Decatur smashburger shop that has won ATL Burger Week two years running, opened a second location in Summerhill on October 1, with an $8 cheeseburger and no alcohol yet, in a Fulton County neighborhood still filling in around Georgia State's stadium.
Five Things Worth Doing This Weekend in Gwinnett and Clayton
Gwinnett and Clayton this week: a free two-day arts festival in Sugar Hill, an arena concert and a hockey home opener sharing one campus in Duluth, a county fall festival in Riverdale, and the one Friday window a week to tour an 1839 house in Jonesboro. Dates, times, addresses and prices for October 16 to 18.
Durtybirds Southern Kitchen Settles Into Jonesboro With Oxtails Worth the Drive
Durtybirds Southern Kitchen opened in a Jonesboro strip mall this July, and a real sit-down review from The Infatuation this month confirms the oxtails and turkey chops are worth the drive into Clayton County.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Cobb Puts $1.15 Billion on the Ballot, and the City's Apartment Pipeline Hits Zero
Early voting opens Tuesday on a six-year, $1.15 billion Cobb sales tax that decides whether roads and libraries get paid for by shoppers or by property owners. In the City of Atlanta, zero new market-rate apartment projects opened in the spring quarter and lease renewals hit a four-year high. And Duracell cut the ribbon on a $56 million research headquarters on the Westside.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Atlanta's Zoning Rewrite Gets a Failing Grade, and Lawrenceville Says Yes to Costco
The city's own consultant says the proposed zoning code would lock single-family Atlanta in place, and the Zoning Committee meets October 15 to start over. Lawrenceville cleared a 158,000-square-foot Costco that will not open until 2028 or 2029. And at Belvedere Plaza, the grocery store is not going back where Kroger was.
Bach to Rock Opens a Real Music School on Peachtree Industrial in Duluth
Bach to Rock opened a full-service music school at 3455 Peachtree Industrial Blvd in Duluth this summer, then had the City of Duluth out for an official ribbon cutting in September. Here's what it teaches, who runs it, and why it's worth knowing for Gwinnett families.
The High Museum Turns 100 and Is Closing Peachtree Street for a Free Block Party
On Sunday, October 18, noon to 5 p.m., the High Museum of Art closes a section of Peachtree Street in Midtown for a free, rain-or-shine centennial block party with DJs, live music, dance and food trucks. Here is the schedule, what costs money, and how I would plan the day.
Five Things Worth Doing This Weekend in DeKalb and Cobb
DeKalb and Cobb this week: a 21-and-up night at Fernbank, a midnight wake in a Marietta house museum, 200 porches turned into stages in Decatur, chalk artists taking over Marietta Square, and a free anniversary party at Arabia Mountain. Dates, times, addresses and prices for October 9 to 11.
Cotto Modern Italian Trades Burgers for Handmade Pasta in Vinings Jubilee
Cotto Modern Italian held its grand opening in Vinings Jubilee on September 17, taking over the old Stockyard Burgers & Bones space with handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and an 84-bottle wine list.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: A $5 Million Hole in a Westside Budget, and a 1932 Schoolhouse Finally Gets a Developer
A 137-unit English Avenue apartment building is sitting at 20 percent complete because its budget grew by $5 million, with a funding decision due in mid-November. Atlanta picked a developer for the shuttered 1932 Lakewood Heights Elementary School. And a 330-key Alpharetta hotel traded for $220 million. Three items about what building actually costs right now.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: DeKalb Narrows to Three School Maps, and the Beltline Buys Its Last Parcel
DeKalb Schools is down to three redistricting options across six northern clusters, moving between 1,619 and 3,184 students, with a board vote due by the end of the year. In Johns Creek, 28 businesses open at the $560 million Medley on October 29. And the Beltline closed on the last 0.2 acres it needed to finish the 22-mile loop. Three items, three dates.
JETSET Pilates Opens in Buckhead Landing -- and Is Already Planning a Second Atlanta Studio
JETSET Pilates opened a new reformer studio in Buckhead Landing this spring under first-time franchise owners Nick and Neo Celeste, then announced a second Atlanta studio within about a week. Here's what's inside, and why it's worth knowing for the Piedmont Road corridor.
DeKalb's New HomeStart Program Could Put $20,000 Toward Your Down Payment
DeKalb County's new HomeStart program could put up to $20,000 toward a down payment for income-qualified buyers, part of a $155 million housing bond the county approved in July. Here's what's confirmed so far, and how to get on the list before applications open this fall.
Five Things Worth Doing This Weekend in Clayton and Fulton
Clayton and Fulton this week: a free homeownership expo at the Morrow Center, the 17th Lake Spivey Road Race, the Ansley Park Tour of Homes, a free pumpkin patch at Oakland Cemetery, and a pie festival that has already moved indoors. Dates, times, addresses and prices for October 2 to 4.
Lumier's Chimney Cake Brings Georgia's First Kurtoskalacs Shop to Peachtree Corners
Lumier's Chimney Cake, in a Peachtree Parkway strip center, is the only shop in Georgia built entirely around the Hungarian chimney cake. Atlanta Magazine wrote it up this month, and it's already sitting at a 5.0 rating across 560 Google reviews.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: A Dead Tower at Spaghetti Junction Gets Its Permit, and Dunwoody's Biggest Office Goes Up for Sale
DeKalb issued the land disturbance permit Monday for a $53.3 million conversion of the vacant Presidential Hotel into 282 apartments. Two miles away, the 1.1 million square feet State Farm leases in Dunwoody hit the market. And in East Cobb, a dead Walmart grocery goes before the planning commission October 8. Three empty buildings, three different answers.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Cobb Puts a Number on the Backyard Unit, and the Beltline Gets a January Deadline
Cobb commissioners got their first look at code amendments that would legalize 850-square-foot backyard units and set the county's first data center rules, with the vote set for October 27. In the city, council gave itself a January 26 deadline for a Beltline rail funding plan. Three decisions, three dates.
PVO Pet Collective Opens Its First Storefront in Edgewood
PVO Pet Collective, a mother-daughter pet boutique, opened its first brick-and-mortar store June 13 at 285 Mayson Ave NE in Edgewood, DeKalb County. Here is what is inside and why it is worth knowing if you work buyers in that corridor.
Four Things Worth Doing This Weekend in Cobb and Gwinnett
The North Georgia State Fair in Marietta, the Duluth Fall Festival and its Sunday 5K, a free two-day world-food festival on the Lawrenceville Lawn, and a 1926 silent film with live theatre organ. Times, addresses, what each one costs and where to actually park, September 25 to 27.
SIREN Opens in Brookhaven, Built Around a Wood Fire and Dry-Aged Fish
SIREN, a wood-fired seafood restaurant from the team behind Arnette's Chop Shop, opened August 18 in Brookhaven. No prices are posted yet, but the custom grill and one of the South's only dry-aged fish programs are reasons to know about it before your clients do.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: A $15 Million Tax Break on Monroe Drive, and DeKalb's Tax Clock Runs Out Sept. 30
Invest Atlanta approved a roughly $15 million tax break for 1,100 apartments at Amsterdam Walk, DeKalb's first property tax installment is due September 30, and Gwinnett now taxes blighted property at seven times the general-fund rate. Three items, three different kinds of money.
Five Things Worth Doing This Weekend in Fulton and DeKalb
Shaky Knees takes over Piedmont Park, Roswell throws its 60th arts festival, and DeKalb-Peachtree Airport runs a free air show that ends with fireworks. Dates, times, addresses and what the parking actually looks like, September 18 to 20.
Heritage Opens in Summerhill With a $195 Tasting Menu, and a Cheaper Way In
Chef Demetrius Brown's new Afro-Caribbean restaurant opened September 10 on Georgia Avenue. The tasting menu is a splurge, but the à la carte side of the room is where most people should start.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Cobb Is One Vote From Legalizing the Backyard Unit
Cobb County is one October vote away from allowing accessory dwelling units, the Beltline broke ground on the Northwest Trail and recommended a $3.5 billion rail alignment, and Fulton finally has a date for corrected tax bills. Three items, three deadlines.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Your Fulton Tax Bill Is Not the Final Number
Fulton County mailed provisional property tax bills that are still due this month, the Atlanta Regional Commission put a 367,000-home target on the next ten years, and Gwinnett is down to about 9 percent undeveloped land. Three items, three different clocks.
This Week in Metro Atlanta: Smaller Apartments, New Beltline Condos
Two things moved in Atlanta this week that actually change the math for buyers and investors: rental units keep shrinking, and a new Southside Trail condo project opened under $400K.
A New Head Spa Opens on Johnson Ferry Road, Built From a Founder's Own Hair-Loss Story
Willow River Head Spa opened at 2997 Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb this fall, built by a founder who started the business after her own stress-related hair thinning. Here's what the treatments actually involve and why it's worth knowing about if a client is moving to Marietta.
A Jonesboro Salon Owner Beat Clayton County's Zoning Board to Open Her Doors
Khalilah Few spent over a year fighting Clayton County for permission to open a natural hair and braiding salon on South Main Street in Jonesboro. The county finally approved it in September. Here's what happened and why it matters if you're opening -- or just using -- a storefront business in Clayton County.
The Beltline Effect, Block by Block
Trail proximity is priced into Atlanta real estate — but not evenly. Here is how I read the difference between a two-minute walk and a nine-minute one.
What Builders Will Actually Negotiate
Builders rarely move on base price. They move on almost everything else — and most buyers never ask.
When to List in Atlanta — and When Not To
The calendar matters more here than most sellers expect, especially in relocation-heavy submarkets.
The Atlanta First-Time Buyer Reality Check
What your monthly payment actually includes, why pre-qualification is not pre-approval, and where entry pricing still exists.
The Gwinnett Value-Per-Foot Math
Why the commute trade still pencils for a lot of families — and how to run the number honestly.
Renovate or Rebuild: The Ranch Question
Sandy Springs, Peachtree Corners and Chamblee are full of 1960s and 70s ranches on lots worth more than the house.
City of Atlanta vs. Metro Atlanta: Why the Distinction Matters
Taxes, schools, permitting and services all change at lines most buyers cannot see.
What You Actually Net at Closing
Sale price is the headline. Net proceeds is the number that pays for your next house.
How Atlantans Actually Choose a Neighborhood
It is almost never the house. It is the fifteen minutes around the house.