Is there simply no "right" area for us? (Atlanta: rent, houses)

[featherblue]

Background: We moved to Atlanta a little over a year ago. We rent in Underwood Hills. It's a cute little neighborhood with a convenient commute for us both. (He works off Powers Ferry, I work in Buckhead.) But socially, it's not where we want to live. All of our friends live east of the connector -- North Druid Hills, Grant Park, East Atlanta, Decatur, north Decatur, etc.

We are looking to buy our first house and just can't seem to find the "perfect" area. We will be spending up to $400k, and we want a 4/2 or a large 3/2 with scope to expand to 4beds. We have a 2-yr-old, so schools are important, though we're not scared of improving schools.

We've mostly been looking in Sagamore Hills, Oak Grove, and Ormewood Park. We love the walkability and feel of ormewood park, but the commute scares us. How terrible is the 20/connector/75n commute? Terrible terrible? What are your thoughts on the schools?

We also love love ranches and mcm touches in the N Druid hills houses. The commutes would probably be better, but y'all have really been scaring us with the dekalb county schools talk. Everything seems to be up in the air with the city hoods, etc.

Any guidance? We have a time limit on looking, as we own a flat in London and want to avoid capital gains taxes. Otherwise we would rent for another year in one of the areas.

[arjay57]

I would look in Pine Hills and possibly some of the streets near Sarah Smith like Karland or Allison. You can sometimes find cool MCM's in those areas. They will probably be $400K but should be a good value. A realtor familiar with the area will know where to find them.

[lastminutemom]

Arjay's advice is good, that is a great neighborhood.

A part of me thinks that commute should be your priority because you generally don't visit friends during rush hour etc. At least one of you should have an fairly easy commute. Once your child is school age, that actually becomes even more important.

The question of Dekalb Schools is a problematic one. For me, I don't' see a quick turnaround, but if you have a bright typically developing child in an affluent school district it may be ok. However, DeKalb schools will be one of the last to recover fiscally and get back to normal. And if class size is important to you, keep that in mind.

Would Decatur be a brutal commute?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I would look in Pine Hills and possibly some of the streets near Sarah Smith like Karland or Allison. You can sometimes find cool MCM's in those areas. They will probably be $400K but should be a good value. A realtor familiar with the area will know where to find them.

I really like this suggestion. The biggest challenge to settling in the east side neighborhoods that you have targeted is your commute. The main artery to Buckhead, N. Druid Hills Rd., is a nightmare at rush hour.From Decatur to Powers Ferry Road is unthinkable. I would definitely concentrate on neighborhoods north of I-85. I've always liked Pine Hills; its very sylvan and tucked away and yet is convenient to so many things.
You might also consider some of the neighborhoods located off Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd. in North Buckhead, although you're probably at the low end of the price range there. But you never know.

[featherblue]

Thank you for the input. We have been keeping an eye on Pine Hills, but nothing has come up in our price range. Our realtor is keeping his eye out there.

I neglected to mention that my commute to buckhead is not during rush hour. I work 7am- 12pm. So less of a worry than my husband's to Powers Ferry.

Ideally, yes, Decatur would be it. Schools, walkability, lots of friends in the area. But as LovinDecatur said, the commute is not ideal.

We live where we are now for the commute and we aren't happy, so I don't think moving to Buckhead is going to solve much for us. Aghhh rock and hard place!

Any thoughts on Ormewood Park commute? 20/connector/75n?

[red92s]

We lived in Ormewood for a year (renting) and loved it. From a commute perspective, it's not thaaaatt much farther to the south side of Decatur (Oakhurst/MAK/Winnona Park). Those couple extra miles on I-20 don't hurt much, as they are usually moving quickly.

[netsirk]

I commute up the connector to 75 to the Wildwood office towers every day. Now, I get on the connector from North Highland or one of the other entrances nearby, so I don't know what 20 to the connector is like in the morning. But from where I get on, up to Windy Hill and then into my complex, consistently takes me 17 to 22 minutes in the morning, and I typically leave between 8 and 9 a.m. (I have some flexibility). The five-minute variance in the commute depends on the backup getting onto the connector and/or accidents on the bit of connector I travel on; 75 is not at all bad in the morning.

[noah]

I agree with this. I commute a similiar route but get on at North Ave and mornings are a breeze. If there is reason for pause it would be after work going home but I don't know how traffic is after north ave as you get towards and on I-20.

Originally Posted by netsirk

I commute up the connector to 75 to the Wildwood office towers every day. Now, I get on the connector from North Highland or one of the other entrances nearby, so I don't know what 20 to the connector is like in the morning. But from where I get on, up to Windy Hill and then into my complex, consistently takes me 17 to 22 minutes in the morning, and I typically leave between 8 and 9 a.m. (I have some flexibility). The five-minute variance in the commute depends on the backup getting onto the connector and/or accidents on the bit of connector I travel on; 75 is not at all bad in the morning.