Am I crazy for considering this commute? (Atlanta, Roswell: renting, condo)

[NotSoCityGirl]

Hi All,

My husband and I moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles almost a year and a half ago. We've been renting in town, near La Vista/Briarcliff Rd since we got here and love our neighborhood, but the houses are too small for our growing family. So we now know we are happy in Atlanta and are looking to buy. We have two large very energetic dogs and a 2 year old son with plans to have another child soon. I'd like to buy a 4 bedroom house with at least a half-acre yard as we frequently have out of town guests and I want a dedicated guest bedroom.

I work in Buckhead near Lenox Mall and I'm considering moving to East Cobb! Schools are very important to us and I know the best schools are out there. Now the question is - am I going to go insane because of the commute? In LA I was commuting 45 minutes each way for a 13 mile commute. It wasn't bad, but the older my kids get it might be hard to make it home in time for their activities?

My husband is a stay at home dad/freelancer, so he doesn't have to worry about location.

Another wrench to throw in this is that we will not buy a house that has an HOA. My husband is sort of anti-authoritarian, and doesn't do well with things like you have to paint your door a certain color and you can't build a skate ramp in your backyard...

So - what are your thoughts? East Cobb doable? Another better suggestion? Here is our standard info:

1. Budget up to $400k, but ideally closer to $350k
2. House/Condo/Townhome? House with 4 bedrooms/half an acre-ish
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) Commute to Buckhead
4. Children(public school vs. private) Public School
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two We are okay with suburban or a mix of the two
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Semi-important, I'd love to be able to have easy enough access to pick people up at a Marta station instead of having to drive down to the airport to pick them up, but this isn't as important as good schools/big lot
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Young Families - lots of kids out and about

[arjay57]

I'd consider the Murphy Candler area. Awesome homes and yards and very close to Buckhead.

1552 W Nancy Creek Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30319 - Zillow

[ericsonga]

Originally Posted by NotSoCityGirl

Hi All,

My husband and I moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles almost a year and a half ago. We've been renting in town, near La Vista/Briarcliff Rd since we got here and love our neighborhood, but the houses are too small for our growing family. So we now know we are happy in Atlanta and are looking to buy. We have two large very energetic dogs and a 2 year old son with plans to have another child soon. I'd like to buy a 4 bedroom house with at least a half-acre yard as we frequently have out of town guests and I want a dedicated guest bedroom.

I work in Buckhead near Lenox Mall and I'm considering moving to East Cobb! Schools are very important to us and I know the best schools are out there. Now the question is - am I going to go insane because of the commute? In LA I was commuting 45 minutes each way for a 13 mile commute. It wasn't bad, but the older my kids get it might be hard to make it home in time for their activities?

My husband is a stay at home dad/freelancer, so he doesn't have to worry about location.

Another wrench to throw in this is that we will not buy a house that has an HOA. My husband is sort of anti-authoritarian, and doesn't do well with things like you have to paint your door a certain color and you can't build a skate ramp in your backyard...

So - what are your thoughts? East Cobb doable? Another better suggestion? Here is our standard info:

1. Budget up to $400k, but ideally closer to $350k
2. House/Condo/Townhome? House with 4 bedrooms/half an acre-ish
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) Commute to Buckhead
4. Children(public school vs. private) Public School
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two We are okay with suburban or a mix of the two
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Semi-important, I'd love to be able to have easy enough access to pick people up at a Marta station instead of having to drive down to the airport to pick them up, but this isn't as important as good schools/big lot
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Young Families - lots of kids out and about

Lot's of people do it, but it ain't gonna be fun. With your criteria I think I would choose to be in Roswell instead. It's a much easier commute since you can just get on 400 and go all the way to Buckhead and it's close to MARTA. Also, the schools in Roswell are top notch. As far as finding a neighborhood or house without an HOA, that's gonna be tough. Most neighborhoods have one, so it's going to be a slow road finding that. Good luck!

[ericsonga]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I'd consider the Murphy Candler area. Awesome homes and yards and very close to Buckhead.

1552 W Nancy Creek Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30319 - Zillow

As arjay stated, it's a great area with nice homes. But once your kid gets outside of elementary school, the schools are crap. Montgomery Elem is great, but Chamblee Middle and High ain't so hot.

[10 feet tall]

Not sure East Cobb is what you're looking for. Why not stay right there in the Lakeside High district?

[ATLTJL]

I live in Duluth and work downtown.

When I made the decision to buy in Duluth, I never thought I would work regular hours. During off peak times, the commute was fine, but I just started commuting during peak times.

So far it hasn't been as bad as I had feared. I use an app called Waze on my phone that monitors traffic in real-time through other Waze users (it measures how fast they are moving) and it steers me around problem areas and takes me on the least congested route. So far it's been working well.

It's no walk in the park and if I could afford to sell my house and move closer into town, I might. But I can't, and especially since I'm not sure how long this schedule is going to last, I'm just grinning and bearing it. I thought it would be much worse than it actually is.

[tonygeorgia]

No.

http://www.xpressga.com/pages/intera...system_map.php

Take the Express bus into downtown and then hop on Marta into Buckhead

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ericsonga

As arjay stated, it's a great area with nice homes. But once your kid gets outside of elementary school, the schools are crap. Montgomery Elem is great, but Chamblee Middle and High ain't so hot.

I was thinking Chamblee High was now one of the best around. Schooldigger ranks it number 20 in the state, and its SATS are right up there with other top schools.

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I was thinking Chamblee High was now one of the best around. Schooldigger ranks it number 20 in the state, and its SATS are right up there with other top schools.

If you get in a certain program it is good, but if you don't (most kids) its not so great. Families in the Montgomery Elementary district usually opt for private after elementary - similar to the nearby Dunwoody area.

[blackhemi]

You're not crazy. Lots of us do it. Heck, I go from Covington to Johns creek. 55 miles by freeway, 45 by back roads.

I mastered the back roads too. Takes me an hour in the mornings via freeway and an hour and 15 on the way home on back roads.

I will eventually move a little closer but I dont like city life, HOA's, etc.