Originally Posted by
MikeF16
I think my family has nearly settled on Atlanta as our next home. I tried to convince my wife to go to SLC but I couldn't sell it, but I can't be too unhappy that we've settled on ATL -- it beats Del Rio doesn't it?
Anyway, we're looking in a few different areas. We want to stay within an hour of the airport during a standard rush hour, under $500k for 3500-4000 square feet of move-in ready accommodations (or willing to build new), and good high schools. We are currently looking at Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Alpharetta, Marietta, and Kennesaw. Would be willing to spend a little more for a lake house on Lanier or Alatoona (or West Point Lake??? -- not sure about schools down there), or acreage.
I'm not overly familiar with ATL other than Virginia Avenue, so any guidance/recommendations would be appreciated. Realtor recommendations (plus, do you think I'd need a north realtor and a south realtor?), places to stay away from, and stuff you wish you knew before you moved there would be a huge help. Thanks!
I've lived in East Cobb County (Bubble) move away for about 15 years and when we came back we settled on Peachtree City (another bubble) down south - mostly because the northside has grown so much and the traffic can be absolutely terrible.
You shouldn't have too much trouble finding the square footage you're looking for given your budget in any of the areas you mentioned. Obviously as you get into the pricier school districts (Walton, Pope, Lassiter, etc) on the northside that might be a bit more of a challenge. Generally speaking, I've found the northside/East Cobb to be more expensive than PTC/Newnan/Fayetteville, but you can spend as much as you want in either area.
To add to your list, I'd check out a little further north in Roswell, Alpharetta or Milton. West Cobb (Kennesaw/Woodstock) is also really nice but is building/growing/congesting just like the rest of the north side.
Plenty of our guys live up in Cumming and Johns Creek (don't know much about it, but I always hear the name) but you'll still be looking at commuting on 400 which can be nightmare unless you can assure off-peak commutes.
Down south the biggest pilot ghettos are PTC, Fayetteville and Newnan. If I had to do it again, I'd look a lot harder at Newnan - we end up driving over there several times a week for various reasons (shopping, kids activities, etc) because PTC has relatively little shopping beyond groceries, Walmart and Home Depot.
PTC is great for what it is (families) but is a strange mix of younger families and retirees, or near retirees - all which add up to pretty much everything closes at 8-9pm. No nightlife to speak of, if that interests you. The school's are great, lots of activities for the kids, and plenty of cart paths to run, bike, walk the dog...
Going further down 85, I would skip LaGrange (West Point) and drive another 30 minutes to Auburn, AL. I'm partial because I had a hell of a good time there for 4 years, but it's also a great town for families, and we have plenty of pilots making the drive (90ish minutes to the lot) so Short Call is doable from your couch.
Can't speak for most of the rest of ATL, but you want to keep a close eye on the schools if you have kids. Make sure you find a nice school district (that is trending upwards) or be willing to pay for private schools.