Moving to Atlanta from NJ/NY (Marietta, Smyrna: real estate, apartment, lease)

[bvalenzuela]

I recently just got back from GA and saw tons of houses that were just amazing and the prices were just great compare to what you get here in NJ. I am really considering moving but I keep reading about the dreadful commutes people have. I will most likely work in the Atlanta downtown area, since most of the advertising agencies are located there. What are some areas that I should be looking at the will keep my commute under, lets say an hour. I was considering Lawerenceville, Dacula, Marrietta, Kennensaw. Can anyone tell me if any of these places will give me a decent commute time to and from work. I would like to start setting my expectations so that if I ever get there I am not miserable spending 15 hours a week in traffic. One of the reasons for leaving NJ is to have a better quality of life, but if i am spending 15 hours in traffic, don't know if it's even worth it. I really am excited of what I saw there, but I have no idea about the commute to downtown. From what I've read, it seems like the Marta is not even an option since it does not goes outside the perimeter. I was considering Park and Ride? Does anyone do park and ride? Is that even an option to avoid inside the perimeter traffic? Also, when does the trafficking gets bad? Is it in the perimeter or getting close to the perimeter of Atlanta? I got my heart set on moving out there for all the other good things (Better home price, better communities, better weather, slower and quieter evenings, etc..), but don't know if the traffic situation will add any better value. I currently commute an hour and 20 minutes to work but that's in a nice bus that I can do some reading or nap, just looking for a better commute time. Any feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks all!

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by bvalenzuela

I recently just got back from GA and saw tons of houses that were just amazing and the prices were just great compare to what you get here in NJ. I am really considering moving but I keep reading about the dreadful commutes people have. I will most likely work in the Atlanta downtown area, since most of the advertising agencies are located there. What are some areas that I should be looking at the will keep my commute under, lets say an hour. I was considering Lawerenceville, Dacula, Marrietta, Kennensaw. Can anyone tell me if any of these places will give me a decent commute time to and from work. I would like to start setting my expectations so that if I ever get there I am not miserable spending 15 hours a week in traffic. One of the reasons for leaving NJ is to have a better quality of life, but if i am spending 15 hours in traffic, don't know if it's even worth it. I really am excited of what I saw there, but I have no idea about the commute to downtown. From what I've read, it seems like the Marta is not even an option since it does not goes outside the perimeter. I was considering Park and Ride? Does anyone do park and ride? Is that even an option to avoid inside the perimeter traffic? Also, when does the trafficking gets bad? Is it in the perimeter or getting close to the perimeter of Atlanta? I got my heart set on moving out there for all the other good things (Better home price, better communities, better weather, slower and quieter evenings, etc..), but don't know if the traffic situation will add any better value. I currently commute an hour and 20 minutes to work but that's in a nice bus that I can do some reading or nap, just looking for a better commute time. Any feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks all!

I am in NJ too looking to move to Atlanta in a year or so. What part of Jersey are you from. Commuting an hour and 20 minutes to work by bus I am guessing you work in Manhattan or somewhere in NYC. I did that commute too and some days the bus took 2 hours depending on traffic

[bvalenzuela]

I live in Union Township, NJ commuting to Union Square. I take the NJ Transit then take a train to 14th street. I've been reading some crazy things about traffic in Atlanta and want to make sure I understand what I can potentially be getting into. I am willing to sacrafice a couple of things for a better quality of life, but spending 15-18 hours a week commuting is not ideal. What are your thoughts so far? Where do you currently live? Also, what areas are you considering in GA?

[plessthanpointohfive]

Hi, I live in the city limits of Atlanta and my commute is 3.5 miles. I did this because I (and my husband) could no longer stand the 1.5 hour commute, one way, to work. We work at a place known as the Clifton Corridor where CDC, Emory, CHOA, and other places are.

First, you can get REALLY good value for a home in any Atlanta suburb. And schools are usually good (with the exception of Cobb County where they tried to put stickers on books warning about evolution... details: Selman v. Cobb County School District: Court Rules Against Evolution Disclaimer ).

Second, those areas are socially conservative and fairly religious. This is a plus for some people and a minus for others but it's something you won't see in a real estate ad.

Third, Park and Ride is a GREAT option if you actually work in true DOWNTOWN Atlanta. People not familiar with the nuances of Atlanta's neighborhoods will tell you that I live downtown when I live 3 miles east of downtown in a neighborhood called Candler Park near the commercial district of Little Five Points. Atlanta's actual downtown is also mostly a business center though it is starting to get more and more residential high rises and renovated lofts, etc. Unless it's changed in 2 years most Park and Ride goes to a downtown Atlanta MARTA station where you would then need to walk to work or jump on a bus. For me, it overshot the Clifton Corridor where I worked so I would have to backtrack on a MARTA bus. It ended up that it took longer! So, if you work downtown and can get to your work easily from the Park and Ride drop off then it's a nice option.

Fourth, check out other rideshare programs such as Vanpools, etc. http://www.187ridefind.com/

My one question would be...what's your price range? $300-$500K can buy a lot in the city. It buys more in the suburbs as far as material goods but in the city it buys time.

Good luck!

[plessthanpointohfive]

Like I said in some other thread...find where you work, draw a 10 mile circle around it, list the things you need, then the things you want, and narrow it down from there. That's the BEST way to figure out where to live in Atlanta and it's suburbs!

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by bvalenzuela

I live in Union Township, NJ commuting to Union Square. I take the NJ Transit then take a train to 14th street. I've been reading some crazy things about traffic in Atlanta and want to make sure I understand what I can potentially be getting into. I am willing to sacrafice a couple of things for a better quality of life, but spending 15-18 hours a week commuting is not ideal. What are your thoughts so far? Where do you currently live? Also, what areas are you considering in GA?

I live in Paterson, NJ and I commuted to 53rd St. in Manhattan. I have no idea where I want to live in Atlanta. I guess wherever my job is I will search within commutable distance to that. I want to get out of jersey because I won't be able to afford a nice home in Northern NJ at the rate the market is going here. Taxes are insane and the house sizes are so tiny in comparison to how much they cost. You don't even get any land!!!

[brookdaleresident]

Actually, the price of homes in NJ has come down considerably. That said, houses are still much less in ATL area.

[atlantagreg30127]

Well, MARTA (it's just "MARTA" by the way and not "the" MARTA)... only runs in Fulton and Dekalb Counties, but there is a small regional express bus service called "Xpress" that does run into many of the suburban areas. They have parking lots and you can just leave your car there and ride the express bus in to town. Some of them use nice buses similar to Greyhounds (with bathrooms), others use city type transit busines (no bathrooms). It's around $3 each way.

Their web site: XPRESS HOMEPAGE

Otherwise, if you want rail/subway, yes, you need to live closer in. A one hour commute on a normal day shouldn't be a problem in Marietta or Kennesaw, or Smyrna on the Cobb side. Duluth is doable on the other side, but I wouldn't bet money on going much further North on that side. Alpharetta ... maybe or maybe a little over. On the South side, Peachtree City in about an hour (or so). These are again on "normal" traffic days, not taking into account any bad wrecks, etc.

[ScranBarre]

Something folks moving to Greater Atlanta from NJ/NYC may want to consider is that once you sell your home there, you probably won't be able to go back if you experience any sort of cognitive dissonance after your relocation. Selling a home for $500,000 in North Jersey and buying a similar home for $200,000 in North Georgia might seem wonderful, but unless you carefully invest that $300,000 profit and experience steady appreciation on your new home in ATL, the ability to repurchase a $500,000 home in North Jersey will become very difficult.

If you're financially-stable enough you might consider holding onto your home in NJ/NYC and then renting an inexpensive apartment in Greater Atlanta on a short-term basis (CraigsList is a good resource to use for this). From this you can live for a couple of months in North Georgia to get your "feet wet" while deciding if this truly is the area for you or not. If so, you can sell your home in North Jersey and then scope out property in North Georgia while living in your apartment. If not, then you can just move out of your apartment at the end of your monthly lease and back into your home in North Jersey without much financial penalty. This is just something to consider before taking the plunge from the exorbitantly-priced BosWash Corridor to the inexpensive South and then being unable to reverse your decision if you wanted to.

[kayrob]

Hello fellow Jerseyans. I moved from Scotch Plains in March. Now Scotch Plains is a real nice town but we never could have affored the type of home there that we just purhcased in Douglasville. And to the OP. You might want to look into towns like Douglaville, Powder Springs, Lithia Springs, Mableton. There are Park n Ride options or you can drive along I-20 to the closest Marta station and commute in via train as I now do many mornings. Something that's currently colder here than up there though. Ayt least its not expected to last too much longer.