Atlanta???

[rhanditresmom]

All of the sudden, I really want to move to the Atlanta area. Not exactly sure why...could have something to do with an episode of House Hunters where a family was looking for a home in Fayette county.

I can't get over the size of lots...I mean, a house on an acre would probably cost me around $500K or more around here!

If you live in the Atlanta area...and you like it...tell me about it! (I have visited before and I have an uncle who lives in Macon) I wanna know about schools and communities...everything.

We're planning to travel there, just to check everything out.

 

[tglenn45]

I can't get over the size of lots...I mean, a house on an acre would probably cost me around $500K or more around here!

i may be wrong but i don't think property is all that cheap in atlanta either. i have a friend who lives in a 2/1 in Decatur that cost him about 250 six years ago.

 

[dsanner106]

Atlanta is relatively cheap for a big city, like all though, there are high and low priced areas. The northside is high, in general and the southside cheap in general. I live in Clayton county, southeast of the city , about a 20 minute drive to downtown. I have a 5 br, 4 bath on 8 tenths of an acre and paid 164,000 6 years ago. Granted it is worth more now. The same home would be a half million on the northside. I do really like atlanta and greatly prefer the southside, having lived in both areas. Much less traffic.

Drew

 

[ugadog99]

Come on over to Coweta County! Our schools are awesome (mine being the best, of course), the housing prices are still very reasonable, we are growing like crazy, yet we still have a country feel. Really, our area (which is just 20 or so minutes from Fayette County) is just great. We are very close to Atlanta but far enough away not to feel too cramped. If you have any other questions, ask away!

 

[minkydog]

We've lived in the Atlanta area for the better part of the last 26yrs, having moved here from Florida. We love it. Although we've seen the traffic grow from merely annoying to horrendous, our lives are so enriched living here we put up with some inconvenience. You can still find some relatively inexpensive housing, the climate is great, and the people are nice. Healthcare is some of the best, especially the children's hospitals. The trick to living in Atlanta is to live on the same side of town that you work in.

 

[rhanditresmom]

We've lived in the Atlanta area for the better part of the last 26yrs, having moved here from Florida. We love it. Although we've seen the traffic grow from merely annoying to horrendous, our lives are so enriched living here we put up with some inconvenience. You can still find some relatively inexpensive housing, the climate is great, and the people are nice. Healthcare is some of the best, especially the children's hospitals. The trick to living in Atlanta is to live on the same side of town that you work in.

Thanks for this information. My DS is a child with Type I Diabetes...he is insulin dependent...he is 13 and was diagnosed when he was 18 months old. It is VERY important to me to be near good children's hospitals. We have been lucky so far.

As far as traffic....Dallas/Ft. Worth is pretty awful as well, and has only gotten worse in the last few years. We are willing to put with that in exchange for a great environment. The climate does seem nice and I'm just so impressed that I could buy a house that actually has TREES in the back yard! If I want a tree here, I've got to sell one of the kids to pay for it! (well, that is a slight exaggeration!)

My DH is ready for a job change and I can work just about anywhere as a speech pathologist.

Ugadogg99, I'm going to check into Coweta County! DH and I don't mind a drive into work. He is driving 40 miles one way right now, every day!! And has been for the past 10 years. It is just a way of life around here.

DSanner106, Clayton Co. looks pretty nice. I've been looking at homes online in Clayton, Fayette, and Cobb Counties. So far, what I'm seeing are nice homes on more than 1/2 acre. I live in a 4b3/3.5 bath (approx. 3600 sq. ft.) on .21 acres...backing up to a busy street. We paid 196K in 1998.


I'm just ready for a change. Thanks to all you Atlanta area folks who are willing to share about your home!!

 

[CheshireVal]

The schools in Clayton County are.... pretty bad. (No offense to anyone who lives there!) You'll do far better schoolwise in Fayette, Henry, or Coweta.

I live in Cobb, myself. I like being a little closer to the city-- some of those counties south of Atlanta seem so far away to me. However, housing costs in Cobb are pretty high (you can't even find a decent condo in my area for less than $200k, and even at that price they're pretty small ).

I have a friend who lives in Griffin (I think that's Clayton County) and her house is beautiful and very affordable. I also have some cousins who live in Peachtree City (Fayette County). Great area, but super expensive.

I would definitely factor schools into consideration, though, before deciding where to move.

 

[rhanditresmom]

I would definitely factor schools into consideration, though, before deciding where to move.

Without a doubt, schools have to be a priority. I have a 7th grader and a 5th grader. I have read that Fayette county seems to have good schools. I have looked at realtor sites online and the homes are pretty affordable, in my opinion. Of course, this is coming from someone who is smack in the middle of DFW and a decent home in a decent area with decent schools is going to run you at least mid-300's. And that is without any kind of a lot...probably .2 acres or less.

So, with that being said....how do others feel about their school districts?

 

[kfeuer]

So, with that being said....how do others feel about their school districts?

I'm very happy with ours. I'm in Gwinnett County and my kids will be attending some of the best schools in the state. There's good and bad schools in every county, so do your research carefully.

I'm about 20 minutes from Egleston, which is a fabulous children's hospital.

It seems like all the new houses being built are in the $500,000 range, but you can still get nice older houses for $200-$300,000.

I totally agree about making sure you live as close to your work as possible. One of my friend's husbands is having to commute from Loganville (east side of town) to Alpharetta (far north of town) and he's spending 3-4 hours a day commuting

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[CheshireVal]

Schools really vary by zone (even within the same county), so definitely do research! I live in an expensive area of Cobb but the schools in my area are kind of bad. We are considering buying in Northern Cobb (Kennesaw) because the housing is cheaper and schools are better. (East Cobb is also good but a lot more expensive).

Gwinnett is huge -- their schools are hit and miss. They used to be wonderful but with all the growth there, some are having a hard time keeping up with the expanding population. It really just depends on where you're zoned.

I've heard only good things about Fayette.

I think greatschools.net would be a good place to get started as you look around!

 

[sha_lyn]

We are in Cherokee Co (just north of Cobb Co). School system here pretty much sucks. that's why we home school. The growth is out of control and the school system can't keep up. Zoning commission basically told a friend (when opposing a large development in a over crowded school district) "schools aren't our problem, zoning is". We pulled DS out of the PS when the school systems lost its accreditation for 6 months and was placed on 2 yrs probational accreditation.

 

[rhanditresmom]

Ya'll are great. I really appreciate input! I know you really have to research school districts to find the best schools...same around here! It does help to hear from those who live in the district, though. We are heading for high school and middle school, so I just want schools with great opportunities. But, don't we all!!

I'm not necessarily looking for new construction. More important to me would be larger bedrooms and less wasted space. We have a HUGE master bathroom right now...I mean, it is the size of a secondary bedroom, in my opinion! I do not need that much space in a bathroom! I would much rather have a home where my children could have larger bedrooms...and a good size laundry room for myself! Older homes seem to have these features more so than newer construction.

I guess we're going to have to start actively looking for a job for DH! He is an IT Director. I know IT is pretty competitive these days.

 

[rhanditresmom]

We are in Cherokee Co (just north of Cobb Co). School system here pretty much sucks. that's why we home school. The growth is out of control and the school system can't keep up. Zoning commission basically told a friend (when opposing a large development in a over crowded school district) "schools aren't our problem, zoning is". We pulled DS out of the PS when the school systems lost its accreditation for 6 months and was placed on 2 yrs probational accreditation.

ACK!

 

[sha_lyn]

I'm not necessarily looking for new construction. More important to me would be larger bedrooms and less wasted space. We have a HUGE master bathroom right now...I mean, it is the size of a secondary bedroom, in my opinion! I do not need that much space in a bathroom! I would much rather have a home where my children could have larger bedrooms...and a good size laundry room for myself! Older homes seem to have these features more so than newer construction.

Sounds like my cousin's house in Hiram(west of Atlanta). Her master bath is bigger than either of the children's bedrooms. Her master bed/bath takes up more than 1/2 of the second story.

I've noticed several mentioning the south side. I know several looking to move away from the south side because of the gangs in the highschools.
be certain to check on that.

 

[Chereya]

Oooh, I want to jump into this thread!

My husband just interviewed with a company in Alpharetta and we are looking at a house in a community in that area. I guess the house is technically not in Alpharetta anymore but in Milton?? The listing said the schools were Manning Oaks Elem, Hopewell Middle and Alpharetta High but I am thinking that since Milton was created recently they might be shuffling around the school districts or building new schools. I tried to check some school rating web sites but they are so hard to get a good idea about. From what I gathered, the Alpharetta schools in general were pretty good but that Manning Oaks was on the lower end of their scores. My kids are still young, I have a 3.5 DS who goes to half day preschool and a 1.5 year old who stays at home with me. But it's good to have a plan for their future schooling.

I would love if any of you have insights to the schools in the area or just that area in general. The whole creating a new town thing is new to me so I don't know what is involved in all of that or what it might mean to live with any of the changes that might be happening in the future.

Chereya

 

[Miz Diz]

You definitely want to live as close to work as possible. Sometimes it takes my DH an hour or more to get to work and we only live about 15 miles from his office. I am about 12 miles from my office. I can get there in 30 minutes if I leave at 7-7:15, but it can take me an hour if I leave my house at 7:45.
I know nothing about the South Side, but houses in my area are not cheap and the lots are not huge, either.

 

[Robinrs]

Here's a link to the rankings of the schools in the area: http://www.psk12.com/rating/USindexphp/STATE_GA.html

The schools can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. I sold my house and moved into a better school area for my son when he started kindergarten, it was cheaper than private school!

I like in Atlanta in North Dekalb. I work 15 mins away and it can take up to an hour to get to work. When I lived in Stone Mountain I would leave my house at 6:45am and arrive in Buckhead at 8:45!! Man, I hated that commute.

If you can take spend some time here BEFORE buying a house. My niece came in from San Francisco thinking everything here was relatively FREE compared to the multi million dollar homes she left in Nob Hill but I begged her to WAIT. Learn the areas and the commute, do a LOT of research and make your choice wisely. Atlanta and their outlying areas are very spread out and the traffic is ABYSMAL at rush hour and at lunchtime, and since everyone is from somewhere else they all drive like morons... ....not fun at all. My Dad was a professional driver and when I took him for a drive in Atlanta he cringed at the idea of his "little girls" driving in that nightmare.. My 14yo son told me he doesn't even want to try until he's 20! "These people are CRAZY!!" Yep, and his Mom is one of them ,,,

Good luck in your endeavors. I did all the necessary research before I moved here 20 years ago when I was 31. I have moved around a lot since then and all of the areas have their own flavor. Find the one that's right for you.

 

[leafette]

Here's a link to the rankings of the schools in the area: http://www.psk12.com/rating/USindexphp/STATE_GA.html

The schools can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. I sold my house and moved into a better school area for my son when he started kindergarten, it was cheaper than private school!

I like in Atlanta in North Dekalb. I work 15 mins away and it can take up to an hour to get to work. When I lived in Stone Mountain I would leave my house at 6:45am and arrive in Buckhead at 8:45!! Man, I hated that commute.

If you can take spend some time here BEFORE buying a house. My niece came in from San Francisco thinking everything here was relatively FREE compared to the multi million dollar homes she left in Nob Hill but I begged her to WAIT. Learn the areas and the commute, do a LOT of research and make your choice wisely. Atlanta and their outlying areas are very spread out and the traffic is ABYSMAL at rush hour and at lunchtime, and since everyone is from somewhere else they all drive like morons... ....not fun at all. My Dad was a professional driver and when I took him for a drive in Atlanta he cringed at the idea of his "little girls" driving in that nightmare.. My 14yo son told me he doesn't even want to try until he's 20! "These people are CRAZY!!" Yep, and his Mom is one of them ,,,

Good luck in your endeavors. I did all the necessary research before I moved here 20 years ago when I was 31. I have moved around a lot since then and all of the areas have their own flavor. Find the one that's right for you.

I agree with this. I live in a northern suburb of Atlanta. My commute is a nightmare. You'll have to determine what kind of traffic nightmare you can tolerate and which you can't.

I drive to one of my offices twice a week. 1 1/2 hour drive there (which is without traffic) but well over 2 1/2 hours home (in traffic).

 

[mckryan]

Griffin is in Spalding county.

I agree with Robin - rent here for a bit and figure out where you want to live and then start hunting.

 

[mckryan]

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