Transferring to a job in Lawrenceville (Atlanta, Buford: homeowners association, house, neighborhoods)

[PAKS03]

I am moving to Atlanta in May and will be working in Lawrenceville right at the cross roads of 316 and riverside parkway. I am moving there with my wife and nine month old daughter. We've talked to a realtor and she suggested areas such as Suwanee, Dacula, Buford, sugar hill and Hoschton. I've been reading everything I can but its hard to try and differentiate between these areas from just what I find on the internet. Are any of these areas better than others. We would like to try and stay under $275,000. The following characteristics are important to me in a area/neighborhood
Good Schools (From what i've heard all these areas have good schools)
Good resale values . I tend to move every 5 years with my job.. I'm moving from Dallas now and am finding it hard to sell my house with all of the new construction around me.
Kid friendly neighborhoods.
As easy of a commute as possible.
An area where everyone takes care of their property
Thanks for any input you have or if you can suggest a desirable neighborhood.

[jschwab11]

That area of 316 is prone to traffic due to its proximity to I-85. Pretty much the entire run of 316 from I-85 to GA-20 (east bound) in the evenings and from Cedars Rd to Collins Hill in the am can be a mess depending on what time you leave. Commutes can be bad from everywhere around here. Leaving your house 15 minutes late could result in arriving 1 hour late (although not really for this area).

I live in the Dacula area, and I can tell you that Gwinnett county schools are fantastic. Resale values around where I live have gone up, and all of the newer construction in the area starts at well above what I paid for my house.

Many of the areas are kid friendly, it really depends on the neighborhood itself. Teenage drivers tend to be a little nerve-racking coming down some roads...but that is the same everywhere. There are a few neighborhoods that are not kid friendly. If you are getting a realtaor, be sure to get homeowners association info and look through it. There was a neighborhood we looked at where you can't have your garage door open unless you are coming or going, no basketball hoops, etc...needless to say, we didn't move there. The HOA info can also help point out places where everyone takes care of their property. I would argue that you may want to seek a neighborhood with an HOA for that very reason.

There are a few homes in my neighborhood on the market at the moment. Almost everyone in the development is friendly, helpful, and there are an abundance of children with an elementary, middle and high school within 5 minutes, along with a community pool (town run, not neighborhood), library, and the majority of the basic necessities close as well. The commute from here to your future location would take about 15 minutes if you left at 6am (to get there by 9, you could probably leave by 8:40 but don't hold me to that). The evening commute back would take a bit longer - by 5 to 10 minutes...there's 2 bad intersections on 316. If you are interested, let me know and I will get you some information on what's here.

Good luck