MOVING to ATL...FEELING OVERWHELMED (Atlanta, Alpharetta: luxury, house hunting, income)

[Ol-doc]

Hello,
My husband and I have recently accepted job offers here in Atlanta area. He will be working with Gwinnett county, and I am home based. We just had our first house hunting trip, and I am rather overwhelmed by the areas and different facets to consider.

School systems, conviences, diversity, family-friendly are all important. We have been primarily focusing on the following areas: Suwanee, Duluth-N. Fulton, Duluth-Gwinett, John's creek, Buford, Dacula. We were thinking about considering Alpharetta, but have heard horry stories about the traffic.
Thus, any input (pros vs cons) on these areas would be great.

Also, how is the townhome market vs single-family home market in these areas?

Appreciate sincere, honest, and balance feedback

[dncngrl1964]

Originally Posted by Ol-doc

Hello,
My husband and I have recently accepted job offers here in Atlanta area. He will be working with Gwinnett county, and I am home based. We just had our first house hunting trip, and I am rather overwhelmed by the areas and different facets to consider.

School systems, conviences, diversity, family-friendly are all important. We have been primarily focusing on the following areas: Suwanee, Duluth-N. Fulton, Duluth-Gwinett, John's creek, Buford, Dacula. We were thinking about considering Alpharetta, but have heard horry stories about the traffic.
Thus, any input (pros vs cons) on these areas would be great.

Also, how is the townhome market vs single-family home market in these areas?

Appreciate sincere, honest, and balance feedback

Town homes are often difficult to sell
when looking for marketability and resale ...go for a SFR

[sweettea1]

It's natural to feel overwhelmed, especially when moving the entire family. My advice it to take things one piece at a time, with the first order of business being jobs. Looks like you have that down so now you want to find a home nearby so traffic won't be much of an issue. What is your price range for housing? This will help posters guide you in the direction of family friendly and safe neighborhoods near your work. Would also advise against a townhome in this market unless you want to rent until you find a home to purchase.

[OhioNative]

Alpharetta, Johns Creek, and the N. Fulton side of Duluth (which is now John's Creek) are basically the same. Traffic is bad everywhere in metro Atlanta - the issue with N. Fulton is that many of the side roads are 2 lanes, making it difficult to get around. N. Fulton probably has the best schools. Suwanee was just voted the #10 best place to live in the US by money magazine - it's probably a little more convenient traffic wise. Regarding traffic, it really depends on where you are and where you will be driving to. If you live in N. Fulton and drive to Gwinnett, there is really no easy way to get there, unless you live in John's Creek just on the other side of the river. Gwinnett is also a very large county, and getting from one area to another can be difficult. Where in Gwinnett will he be commuting?

[Go Blue 99]

Suburban townhomes are not ideal for resale or appreciation. There is definitely a glut of luxury townhomes on the market (and still being built). I would only buy a townhome if inside the perimeter, where you have access to a lot of DINK couples.

[goozer]

I would advise you to rent first. The housing market in Atlanta is vast and it takes a long time to figure out where you would be most comfortable living. If you rush to buy, you may get a great place that you'll love, but you may also quickly learn that there are other neighborhoods, or other amenities, that you would like more. Plus, if you really end up hating your house b/c you rushed to buy, you would be hard pressed to sell at a profit in a year or two. I know it seems daunting to move to a short-term rental and then move again into a house, but the cost of a local move is not that much, particularly if you have time and you can truck some car loads of small things over yourself. I say get comfortable with Atlanta and your desired neighborhoods first, then take the time to leisurely look for the perfect house. There are a lot of deals to be had if you are not in a mad rush.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by goozer

I would advise you to rent first. The housing market in Atlanta is vast and it takes a long time to figure out where you would be most comfortable living. If you rush to buy, you may get a great place that you'll love, but you may also quickly learn that there are other neighborhoods, or other amenities, that you would like more. Plus, if you really end up hating your house b/c you rushed to buy, you would be hard pressed to sell at a profit in a year or two. I know it seems daunting to move to a short-term rental and then move again into a house, but the cost of a local move is not that much, particularly if you have time and you can truck some car loads of small things over yourself. I say get comfortable with Atlanta and your desired neighborhoods first, then take the time to leisurely look for the perfect house. There are a lot of deals to be had if you are not in a mad rush.

I'll second that. There is no way to predict how traffic will be to and from a certain area unless you have driven it on a regular basis. Even if you come here for a couple of days you might not get an accurate feel - for example, the worst traffic times are on Monday mornings, Friday afternoons, and of course Halloween afternoon (which is actually the worst traffic day of the year according the the radio, seriously!!). The lightest day is Friday morning. You need to make the drive on a variety of days and times to get an accurate feel - rent first.

[Ol-doc]

Originally Posted by Go Blue 99

Suburban townhomes are not ideal for resale or appreciation. There is definitely a glut of luxury townhomes on the market (and still being built). I would only buy a townhome if inside the perimeter, where you have access to a lot of DINK couples.

Thanks for the input. What is "DINK couples"?

[Ol-doc]

I appreciate all the feedback. We were also considering purchasing a townhome for the purposes of having a long-term rental property. Do townhomes rent well in the Suwanee, Duluth, John's Creek area?

[Twinkletoes]

DINK = Double Income No Kids

I live in Suwanee, which borders Johns Creek and Duluth. My opinion is that townhomes are not the thing to buy in those areas. You would pay nearly as much as you would for a single family home, and SFH's are easy to rent out. The area is family-friendly because they have good schools, so you could rent a house (with a yard) to a family with kids. Singles can easily find rentals closer to downtown and the nightlife.