Moving to Atlanta; Where Should We Look for Houses?

Hi, I have read the other posts and haven't seen anyone mention Smyrna/Vinings area. That is where I lived for over two years, before that I lived in Buckhead. I loved Smyrna as it was right off of 285, shopping was easy, commute was easy, and the houses are nice and within reason. Smyrna is before Marietta and closer to 285. I lived near the Village Green Market Place off of Atlanta Rd and S. Cobb DR. The village is quaint and they decorate it with thousands of lights at Christmas, there is also a huge library and beautiful park across from it with a duck pond and fountain. There is also next to the library a recreation center that is open to all residents and there is a public pool nearby. The library, park, rec. center is all around the village market. There is also festivals and fireworks thoughout the year(this area is smaller than the Marietta square). I can't say enough good things about Atlanta. Scottish Rite Children's Hospital is great, Piedmont Hospital is where I had my second daughter and that was great too. The only negative I found living there was traffic. I think you will love Atlanta, welcome!!!

Hi there, K.: I'm familiar with Dunwoody, having lived there before we moved to the Alpharetta are a number of years ago. I don't think you're going to find a house in Dunwoody for that price though. Homes have really gone up in price in the Dunwoody area. You may have to come further up Ga. 400 into the Roswell area. Best of luck

Traffic in Atlanta can be awful. If you can avoid a commute then you should! Dunwoody is a great area to live. They have some great Charter Schools and it's a nice, family friendly area.
I was new to Atlanta and moved to Dunwoody. Then I got a job that was just one exit up I-285 on Ashford Dunwoody Rd and have loved the extra time this gives me. Living so close to my work in Atlanta is a rare blessing and because I am so close I am able to go home on lunches and spend more time with my family since I'm not spending two hours a day commuting.
Marietta is a nice area but if your husband is going to be working in the Dunwoody Area, I would suggest you look in Dunwoody for a home. This will ensure no commute time for him and with the great Charter Schools and Family Friendly area it really would be a great place to start looking!

Take Care and Good Luck with your Move!

Hi K.. I just sent you a private message. I would love to speak to you about your specific needs. I can also send you an educational report that will outline the different schools in Atlanta. This will give you a better idea of what you want for your family.

Talk to you soon!

Look in the cities close to Dunwoody: Alpharetta, Norcross, Johns Creek, Duluth. Have you thought about renting first? It might help you get familiar with the areas before you actually buy. We're in Johns Creek and it's probably 25-35 minutes to Dunwoody. My area has homes from $200-$500K, but I know there are quite a few rentals available, too. A few friends rented before settling down and buying, not surprisingly, they bought within a mile of where they rented! Good Luck!

Hi K.,
We moved here from WI about a year ago. I was in the same dilemma as you; we didn't know anything about Metro Atlanta!
Our research showed us the best school systems for our price range were in Cobb County, specifically East Cobb.
I am very happy with the choice we made. There are many homes for sale in our area in the price range you are looking for. My husband works in the same area as your husband - his daily commute is about 1 hour (we live about 15 miles from the office). The traffic here stinks!
I'd be happy to pass along my realtor's info if you are interested.
Best of luck!

M.

We moved to Suwanee about a year ago from St louis and love it. The schools are great and it is a very family oriented community.

Just be aware -- and if you're from Dallas, I know you guys can do traffic -- that Atlanta traffic is some of the worst traffic! Check out Moving.com. Under the Real Estate title, is a "city profiles". Click on that and enter the zip you're looking at. Up comes a profile report. You can click on the "compare to another city" and compare any areas you're looking at to Dallas. Gives you a good idea what it's like when you're comparing the prospective new place to your "old place".

K....come on over...Atlanta is a great place to live. Don't get me wrong, I've heard fantastic things about Dallas, but this is a great place. Just about anyone can find the perfect place for them to live...the area is so diverse.
I have a 4 year old and a two year old, so I'm no expert on schools. However, I will say Cobb County has the best reputation. Marietta is part of Cobb County. I love Marietta.
Pre-K is 4 years old, but my kids started pre-K at 2 because they go to a private school. (started out for daycare purposes while I worked) I grew up in Illinois where schools are heavily funded, so private school was never even thought about in my neighborhood. However, here private school seems the best option. (just what I heard, not passing judgement)
The good areas I've heard about for public schools is Sope Creek and Addison for Elementary... Lassiter, Pope, and Walton for high school. I've also heard good things about Wheeler High School.
You'll probably hear from those more educated about the education system around here.
Good luck!

North Fulton schools also have great reputations, and what I prefer about our school system is that unlike Cobb, there are a lot of magnet school options. So if you child is gifted in science, arts, math, technology, there are magnet schools designed for their interests.

Roswell is closer to Dunwoody, and you could find houses for $230,000 in this market. Also consider Dunwoody. The Chamblee Middle School and Chamblee HS are top-knotch. Montgomery is a good elementary school in that cluster. The housing prices are higher, but at least you wouldn't be commuting as much. Figure in the cost of gas and time on the road, and it might be a wash.

Coming from Dallas, you might be in sticker shock seeing what you can buy here for the same price you can buy it in the mid-cities area my sister lived in. She was in North Richland Hills, and you could get a much nicer house than what you can in Atlanta for the same price. I think coming from a really family-oriented area like Dallas, you'd be really happy with the rec and parks programs in Roswell.

Marietta is awesome! My husband works in the Sandy Springs/Dunwoody area and its only a 30 minute commute for him. You should be able to find some houses within your price range too.

Another place to consider is Kennesaw. Like Marietta, its in Cobb County, which is known for its superb school system. Kennesaw is a little further out, but you can find a bigger/newer house for the same price. In fact, my hubby and I are considering Kennesaw our new home in the near future for this exact reason.

Good high schools in Cobb County include: Lassiter, Kennesaw Mountain, Kell, Wheeler, and Sprayberry.

If a short commute is high on your list, you can always check out Alpharetta (Fulton County). We checked into it briefly, but most of the houses we were interested in were too expensive. You may have better luck, due to your maximum price being higher than ours. Im not too familiar with the school system there, but Im sure you can find a national rankings list online if you're interested.

Good luck and keep us posted on your decision!

We live in East Cobb and the schools are excellent(Timber Ridge ES/Dodgen MS/Walton HS). Walton HS is one of the top HS in the nation. My husband works in Norcross and I work downtown and they are both easy commutes. $230s will get you in the city of Marietta, but the commute is going to be longer. Don't go for Kennesaw, West Cobb or Woodstock (all of these are bigger houses for your money) because your commute is going to be way to long! Good Luck and happy house hunting!

We LOVE Roswell (just north of Dunwoody). 14 yrs. ago I married a man with a house and have never regretted the move. We've raised our 10 yo son and 8 yo dtr. Definitely a small town feel with bigger town amenities. Top schools (both public & private) , lots of churches, lots of local flavor and a parks & rec dept. that is unmatched! All this for only 45 min. for the airport and 25 min. from downtown Atlanta.

Definitley worth considering!!!

Hi there, I just moved to Atlanta Ga a few months ago.I moved from College Station Tx. My husband got a job at Georgia State University in Atlanta. I live in Smyrna ga. Its about 20 mins away from his work.I have a 2 year old boy and 5 months pragnant. Let me tell you that Dunwoody is the nicest place. They have good schools.But its expensive in that area if your looking for a house.If you want to find a house for $230,000 you can get an old house or even not find a house for that much. I checked myself. Im looking for a house too and i would love to live in Dunwoody, but can't. You can find houses in marietta. Its not a bad area but it's not the best. And finding good schools will be hard. Im looking for houses in roswell and alpharetta, they have very good schools and safe. Like i said marietta its good,not bad. its depends were in mairetta. The more north you go the best schools you can find and good homes. I wish you luck

Hello~ I moved here nine years ago and love it! Please consider checking out Suwanee off GA400 Exits, 12 & 13.
Also, known as John's Creek Area. The school sytems is
great as well as churches. There are lots of sporting
activities and baby groups. My husband works in Dunwoody area and commutes. We love it here! If anything check it out.

Hi K.,
You will absolutely love it here! I moved here from LA about 10 years ago and haven't looked back. I have a 10 yo girl and 7 yo boy, it's a great place to raise kids...the parks, sports, family oriented activities are everywhere.
It's difficult to tell you which area to look at without knowing more about what you are looking for (age of home, # of bedrooms/baths, basement, swim/tennis n'hood, etc.). Alpharetta tends to be more expensive than other areas but it's the closest to Dunwoody with excellent schools.
To give you a very general idea on how it works here is there is a freeway called "the perimeter" or 285 that is like a circle (sort of) around Atlanta. People inside the perimeter (ITP) are definitely biased toward ITP. The further away from the perimeter you go the less expensive it is for houses. Growth has moved outside the perimeter and continues to do so. Dunwoody is located practically on the exact "northpole" of the perimeter. Just north of Dunwoody is Alpharetta.
A few people from Suwanee responded to you and they love where they live. It is definitely an area I would recommend you look into. It's newer, clean, great schools and you definitely get more for your money. The commute isn't too bad to Dunwoody either (depending on time of day it could be around 20-45 minutes). It has lower taxes there too (than Alpharetta).
Marietta is a bit older (age of homes) and further West/North of Dunwoody (but possibly similar commute time). The best schools there are Walton/Pope HS districts.
One piece of advise I have is to try finding a house in a swim/tennis n'hood. This is very common here and regardless of whether you play these sports, it's a great way to meet people. Typically these n'hoods have swim teams for the kids (as young as 4 yo) and many tennis teams for both kids and adults (for all levels of abilities).
I'm a realtor in the area and work with out of town clients all the time. If you'd like to speak with some of my out of town clients to see how I work I'd be happy to send you their contact info. In fact, I sold a house of a family that moved to Argyle, TX last summer. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. I love my job (even in this crazy market) and really do enjoy helping people find the perfect place for them. My info: ###-###-####, ____@____.com best,L.