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My husband and I are moving from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area this coming summer. I am doing a lot of research on what particular town would be best. We really want to buy right away instead of renting because we have moved several times in the past 5 years and want to settle down!! We are primarily moving because we want more than we can afford for our family in So. Cal. Excellent public schools are top priority. We want a fair amount of space. Minimally an acre or two. So far, Roswell and Acworth are my top choices. It will all depend on where we find a house that we like of course, but I am looking for opinions of residents, pros and cons of each, and other town suggestions north of Atlanta are welcome. Commuting into the city won't be a daily thing. My husband is an actor and personal trainer and I am a hair stylist looking for a higher end salon, ideally in the town that I live in. I like Acworth because of close access to the lakes. My husband disdains leaving the beach because he surfs but learning to loving water skiing will have to do! We love cafes and flea markets and farmer's markets and the kids are very involved in sports. We currently live in Montrose, Ca which is about 18 miles north of downtown, and it's a small family oriented community. That's what we are looking for but without the million dollar price tag!
My husband and I are moving from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area this coming summer. I am doing a lot of research on what particular town would be best. We really want to buy right away instead of renting because we have moved several times in the past 5 years and want to settle down!! We are primarily moving because we want more than we can afford for our family in So. Cal. Excellent public schools are top priority. We want a fair amount of space. Minimally an acre or two. So far, Roswell and Acworth are my top choices. It will all depend on where we find a house that we like of course, but I am looking for opinions of residents, pros and cons of each, and other town suggestions north of Atlanta are welcome. Commuting into the city won't be a daily thing. My husband is an actor and personal trainer and I am a hair stylist looking for a higher end salon, ideally in the town that I live in. I like Acworth because of close access to the lakes. My husband disdains leaving the beach because he surfs but learning to loving water skiing will have to do! We love cafes and flea markets and farmer's markets and the kids are very involved in sports. We currently live in Montrose, Ca which is about 18 miles north of downtown, and it's a small family oriented community. That's what we are looking for but without the million dollar price tag!
With its great direct access to and very-close location on and near Lake Allatoona and with some really good schools in the feeder zones for North Cobb and Allatoona high schools in Cobb County and in the feeder zone for North Paulding High School in Paulding County, Acworth is an excellent place to start your search.
You will probably get more bang for your buck in Acworth, but North Fulton is also worth a close look Help us out a little bit:
1. What do YOU mean by a "fair amount of space"? A quarter acre lot? Or a minimum of 5 acres? We don't know what your point of reference is. :-) Do you mean "space" as in land? Or "space" as in larger home? How large of a home? 3 BR? 5 BR?
2. Age of kids, and sports? For example, if they are into soccer, there are superb soccer clubs around, but you might not want to commute from Acworth to get them to practice. Ditto with swimming -- if you are getting up at 4:30 am for morning practices, you probably do NOT want to add a 25 miles drive on top of that.
3. North Fulton has areas that have easy access to Lake Lanier, the "other" large lake in the area, also with excellent schools. Roswell is a bit south of that area, but it does has an interesting "lake district" of it's own, and is near the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
Consider, also, some of the areas in Forsyth (some of the better public schools in the state) and Gwinnett. Were I you, I'd contact a knowledgeable realtor.
Consider, also, some of the areas in Forsyth (some of the better public schools in the state) and Gwinnett. Were I you, I'd contact a knowledgeable realtor.
If they aren't moving until summer, they may think it's a little early for an agent; however, OP, if you are interested in keeping an eye on the market and prices, it's possible to contact an agent now, and be set up on an alert system to see what houses come on the market in geographic areas that you are interested in, see what the prices are, see how fast they sell, and possibly narrow your search for when you do make your home buying tour visit. February/March is not too early to start looking for a late spring/summer closing -- especially if you are looking in neighborhoods with a high percentage of families and children, who may not want to move their kids before the end of the school year (which is generally the end of May, around here).
Also, keep in mind that most schools around here start in August -- sometimes the first week of August. So moving "in the summer" is generally a two-month window, around here, if you are trying to get the kids settled before school starts.
Wow, these are all important thoughts and considerations. I am already looking at real estate online. My husband says I'm obsessing a bit early, but I do want to feel as knowledgeable as possible when the time comes I will know a good deal when it shows up. We are looking primarily at foreclosures. We will most likely need a month to month rental innitially since we won't buy anything sight unseen, of course. Will that be dificult? We will be heading out there the beginning of June. In order for kids to start school in the school where we are buying we will minimally need to be in escrow already when school starts in Aug. Regarding the sports thing, my kids both play soccer and my son plays baseball. I definitely do not want to be driving 20 mins. for practices and games. Are there local leagues in Acworth?? That would be a deal breaker if we need to do extensive travel. Right now my kids practice and game within a two mile radius and it already feels hectic!! I would love any input on great salons also if anyone has thoughts on the matter. My "lot's of space" reference was mostly about the outdoor space. 1-2 acres would be ideal. 3-4 bedroom. My daughter really wants chickens and a pot-bellied pig. Also, it seems like many homes for sale are in HOAs. I really want to stay away from that if possible. I tend to like older character homes which seem a bit hard to find also. Thanks for all the imput!!
Wow, these are all important thoughts and considerations. I am already looking at real estate online. My husband says I'm obsessing a bit early, but I do want to feel as knowledgeable as possible when the time comes I will know a good deal when it shows up. We are looking primarily at foreclosures. We will most likely need a month to month rental innitially since we won't buy anything sight unseen, of course. Will that be dificult? We will be heading out there the beginning of June. In order for kids to start school in the school where we are buying we will minimally need to be in escrow already when school starts in Aug. Regarding the sports thing, my kids both play soccer and my son plays baseball. I definitely do not want to be driving 20 mins. for practices and games. Are there local leagues in Acworth?? That would be a deal breaker if we need to do extensive travel. Right now my kids practice and game within a two mile radius and it already feels hectic!! I would love any input on great salons also if anyone has thoughts on the matter. My "lot's of space" reference was mostly about the outdoor space. 1-2 acres would be ideal. 3-4 bedroom. My daughter really wants chickens and a pot-bellied pig. Also, it seems like many homes for sale are in HOAs. I really want to stay away from that if possible. I tend to like older character homes which seem a bit hard to find also. Thanks for all the imput!!
1. In the area around Acworth, foreclosures make up between 7.7-9.0% of the total sales. Also, the supply of distressed properties (foreclosure and short sale) has dwindled considerably in the Atlanta area. In the middle of 2011, the Atlanta area had almost 6500 listed distressed properties. By 3rd quarter of 2013, we were down to about 1500 listed distressed properties. There's some speculation that banks might shake loose some foreclosed properties for sale with the improving market; still, pinning your hopes on finding a great foreclosure in a specific area may prove frustrating. We are solidly in a seller's market, here -- in the areas around Acworth, there's about a 2 month supply of homes -- which is pretty darn low.
2. Of course you don't want to buy anything sight unseen. But even rentals are getting problematic around here, and rental rates are increasing steadily. I would expect that a month-to-month, or even a short-term rental, in that general area might be a challenge.
3. FYI, here in Georgia, we don't call it "being in escrow." In Georgia, your deposit, if you are using a buyer's agent (and you should seriously consider it -- their commission is paid by the seller) is usually held by the real estate brokerage. Sometimes it is held by the seller, if the seller is a bank or a builder. Generally, closings are handled by attorneys who specialize in real estate -- the attorney's office handles obtaining the title insurance, prepares the papers, coordinates with the lender and the real estate broker(s) and the buyer and seller to make sure that title is clear, mortgage is handled, disclosures are signed, and prepared the HUD-1 for everyone to review prior to closing. In the case of a foreclosure, it may be an attorney's office that works exclusively for a particular bank or banks and you may be required to use them for closing. Otherwise, as the buyer, you may choose your own closing attorney (again, a buyer's agent will be able to recommend several that you can choose from.)
4. Soccer teams. Age of child? Does s/he play club (or 'travel team') soccer? Or is s/he a recreational player? For primarily travel/club teams, to get an idea of the offerings, check out Georgia Soccer's website: The Official Site of Georgia Soccer | Georgia Soccer. It's a little confusing -- if s/he's a recreational player, there's programs all over the place, at churches, at YMCA's, and many of the soccer leagues are probably not members of Georgia State Soccer Association. If s/he's a club player, then it may be a question of trying out for a team. Try-outs for club teams are usually at the end of May/beginning of June, depending on your child's age -- be warned, it's usually pretty competitive.
5. Baseball teams: I'm not up on the baseball offerings in the metro area, perhaps someone else can speak to that.
6. Just in a casual glance at the offerings available now, there's 5 homes in Acworth, near the lake, between $100,000 and $183,000, 3-4 bedrooms, 3 of them 1-2 acre, 2 of them 3/4 - 1 acre. None of them are in HOAs. So yes, there is some availability, not necessarily foreclosures. Why limit yourself to foreclosures?
7. Ideally, you could come out to Atlanta for a long weekend in February (President's Day weekend, if it's a holiday for you) and have an agent line up homes for you to see in areas that you have designated. In the course of looking at homes, you'll get a feel for the area, and if you have two or three days, you'll be able to drive around a bit and see where Acworth fits into the Atlanta metro area. Even if you didn't find anything, you could also zero in on possible rental areas, etc. I hate to think of you landing in Atlanta with nowhere to live! :-) Houses will be coming on the market after the holidays, and February would be a good time to see the offerings. Starting to look in June is almost too late -- schools (especially Cobb County schools) are extremely finicky about students being registered in the district where they live -- and if you're renting in a less than optimum school district, you may be looking at having to transfer your kids after school starts if you don't move in until after school starts.
So helpful! Thank you for all of your insight. Our kids are young, 10 and 7. They are not playing club soccer but my 7 year old may be soon. Our district is just as strict about residency that's why this is going to be tricky!! Are rentals really hard to come by? With housing being so inexpensive to purchase it seems as though there would be very few houses for rent. We may have to rent for a year in the district we think we want to buy but then we are limited to houses available in just that area unless we want to pull our kids out and move them again in a year. Our kids have already been in three different elementary schools. I hate the thought of continuing to move them. Lots to think about. Yes, a visit would be ideal in the spring if we can make it happen. Maybe a for sale by owner or rent to own situation might pop up....that could give us a bit of wiggle room. Atleast there seems to be lots of areas with great schools. Here it is much more difficult to land a house in a great school district. And of course, if one does, it is outrageously expensive. Atlanta, here we come!
A visit is definitely in order. Montrose Ca is an awesome area. Certainly exclusive and with that comes a hefty pricetag. Why choose Atlanta if I may ask. I'm from an area close to montrose. The northeast section of LA. It was quite a cultural shock when I moved here in the mid to late 2000's. I'm still trying to adapt and adjust to life here. If you ask me, acworth is way too country for my taste. Plus it's way out there in terms of geographic location. If you are settled on that area I'd suggest either Woodstock or kennesaw. More developed. You may see that as good or bad. Now Roswell is great but also pricey. Woodstock and kennesaw less so. And kennesaw state university gives it a nice college town feel. Other areas to consider are the usual suspects on par with your roswells and such: north Fulton, Gwinnett, and south Forsyth counties. But you absolutely need to visit, even if alone.
A visit is definitely in order. Montrose Ca is an awesome area. Certainly exclusive and with that comes a hefty pricetag. Why choose Atlanta if I may ask. I'm from an area close to montrose. The northeast section of LA. It was quite a cultural shock when I moved here in the mid to late 2000's. I'm still trying to adapt and adjust to life here. If you ask me, acworth is way too country for my taste. Plus it's way out there in terms of geographic location. If you are settled on that area I'd suggest either Woodstock or kennesaw. More developed. You may see that as good or bad. Now Roswell is great but also pricey. Woodstock and kennesaw less so. And kennesaw state university gives it a nice college town feel. Other areas to consider are the usual suspects on par with your roswells and such: north Fulton, Gwinnett, and south Forsyth counties. But you absolutely need to visit, even if alone.
Good comments, though Acworth does have a very built-up area of development and many shopping amenities along the US 41 North Cobb Parkway corridor.
And like Woodstock, Acworth has an adorable downtown village area that is on the rise over the long-run, though Woodstock's downtown village area is a little more advanced in its development.
Acworth also seems to have much more of the direct lake access that the OP seems to be looking for, though much lake access can be found in the western portion of the area with a Woodstock mailing address north and northwest of the Towne Lake development by way of Bells Ferry Road.
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