photo courtesy of BrookhavenGardens.com

Brookhaven Gardens is a small residential neighborhood in the incredibly popular and fast growing Brookhaven community of DeKalb County in intown Atlanta.  The neighborhood, originally constructed in the late 1990’s, is home to a variety of floorplans and size homes.  You will find the small neighborhood tucked away within the larger Brookhaven Fields community and adjacent to the even larger Drew Valley community. 

Highlights of the neighborhood include an active Homeowners Association, which acts indepently and also participates within the larger Brookhaven Fields Civic Association.  Each year in the fall, Brookhaven Gardens organizes a block party filled with great food courtesy of the neighbors, karaoke machines, pony rides, visits from the local police and fire departments giving tours of police cars and fire engines, football on TV, and other surprises.  In addition, Brookhaven Gardens participates in the annual Brookhaven Fields Yard Sale, an event that grows every year and one that you should give serious consideration to attending if you have never seen it.  It’s the largest organized yard sale I’ve ever seen in Atlanta.

Perhaps one of Brookhaven Gardens’ best features is also the area’s best kept secret, a small fountain filled pond, home to at least 10 beautiful and friendly ducks.  Neighbors sometimes pause for a humorous duck crossing in the street, and many are found feeding the neighborhood “pets” from their waterside decks.  The community is built around the pond, and a waterfront gazebo is a welcoming spot for visitors to feed the ducks or enjoy the sounds of the fountain.

The quiet community is a refreshing suburban setting within 1 mile of the hustle and bustle of Buckhead.  The homes within Brookhaven Gardens are still considered an exceptional value given their size.  When compared to new construction in the area, an objective buyer will quickly see that these spacious homes, priced in the $500,000+ range, are undervalued.  My wife and I lived within half of a mile of this neighborhood in Ashford Park for many years, and we never even knew Brookhaven Gardens existed until we began looking for larger affordable housing in the area.  We love Brookhaven, and we were willing to sacrifice space in order to stay in the area.  Thanks to this neighborhood, we didn’t have to do that.  We moved into Brookhaven Gardens almost 2 years ago, and our home is much bigger than we thought we would find.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and the location is to die for.  Nowadays, I’m surprised the word is not out about this great neighborhood.  Of course, the homeowners of Brookhaven Gardens would just assume you not know about their little secret.  That’s what makes it special.

Lesley and I would like to congratulate Lynn on the sale of her home, which closed today (Tuesday October 14th).  Lynn is more than a client.  She’s a friend and a neighbor in Brookhaven Gardens.  We’re so sad to see her go, but we are happy for her and her move to sunny California.  Before moving out Lynn had an estate sale, which we advertised on the blog earlier, and someone asked her if she had miracle workers selling her house.  I don’t know about miracle workers, but we have certainly provided our clients with information and processes that get results.  If we can help you with anything relating to real estate, give us a call or shoot us an email.  We’d love to help you. - Andy

Are we reaching the bottom?  Everyone wants to know.  You typically don’t know you’ve reached a bottom until things are heading north again.  Well, the good news in DeKalb County is just that.  Year over year home sales in the month of July pushed into positive territory again, and in August pending sales were up 43% over last August. 

DeKalb County is home for us, and we could help make it home for you.  With great areas like Brookhaven, Decatur, Dunwoody, Stone Mountain, and up and comers like Chamblee and Doraville, DeKalb County is well positioned and a great place to call home.

Sembler creates restaurant, retail ‘village’

Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Rachael Tobin Ramos Staff Writer 

Jeff Fuqua, president of retail developer The Sembler Co., is about to bring urban cuisine to the semi-suburban enclave north of Lenox Square.

For the mixed-use project that has been named Town: Brookhaven, Fuqua hopes to create a Virginia-Highland “north,” he said.

He’s lured nearly a dozen local restaurant concepts to his Brookhaven development, including Ray’s on the River, Nuevo Laredo Cantina, Atkins Park Tavern, Rolling Bones Premium Pit BBQ, San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co., The Real Chow Baby: New American Stir Fry, Genki Noodles and Sushi, Sogno Gelato, Raving Brands’ The Flying Biscuit Café and Moe’s Southwest Grill and Mirko Pasta, from a co-owner of the Figo pasta chain.

“I made the decision about 10 months ago not to align ourselves with national tenants,” said Fuqua. He’s also looking for 10 local fashion retailers, such as Bill Hallman.

The 600,000-square-foot, $500 million project in Brookhaven has been changing in response to the neighbors, said Fuqua. The site is on Peachtree Road, adjacent to Oglethorpe University.

Neighbors urged him to shelve plans for a high-rise, and to consider the local restaurant angle, he said, which he has done.

Brookhaven, a wealthy enclave north of Buckhead, for years had little more than a now-closed Jocks & Jills Sports Grill to satisfy the area’s hungry families, empty nesters and 2,000 Oglethorpe University students.

“There were no local, chef-driven restaurants,” said Fuqua.

Recently, the Jocks & Jills became Hudson Grille by Metrotainment Cafes, and several restaurants, including Valenza, have opened on Dresden Drive.

With construction of Town: Brookhaven, nearly 90,000 square feet of restaurants will change the culinary scene.

Dekalb County Board of Health has an awesome website where you can search for your favorite restaurant and view their most recent ratings.  Check it out at http://atlanta.digitalhealthdepartment.com/dekalb/.