If you are a parent, you might want your home to be in a good area with good schools, and probably other families with your children as company for your own. In such a case, Decatur with its excellent schools and over 48 parks excellent for picnics might suit you, or you might prefer Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or Buckhead.

Buckhead is the social center of Atlanta, and only 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta, while Sandy Springs with its large Jewish population is expensive. The median price in 2008 for Atlanta homes is $280,000 and Sandy Springs is well above this. You can get a house here at under $200,000, but also at $10 million. However, as this is written there are condos in Sandy Springs available at under $50,000 for a one bedroom condo to $800,000+. Much depends upon your needs.

What this indicates is that, irrespective of the reputation of the area of Atlanta, Atlanta condos can be obtained at prices well below that you would expect to pay for a single home. It is essential to view properties that appear underpriced for their area, however, and check out the condo fee, since that could be correspondingly higher.