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The acre requirement is going to severely limit you anywhere close to town. Most of the acre+ lots are in the very expensive areas. If your husband demands an acre lot, then he will have to deal with the requisite commute. Bang for the buck at the $450k range, I’d be looking in Smyrna, Marietta, Newnan (although the commute from Newnan is much further), and possibly the west side.
Thank you for the recent responses - we're thinking we will focus our search in the Marietta area. I will just have to convince the husband that .5 acre is more than sufficient for our needs. I've seen some great listings with everything we'd like in a home, but with .5 acre in the Marietta area so we have to give somewhere it seems. Marietta looks to be close to amenities, has good schools and is commutable to many business hubs where my husband would be looking for employment. It's also commutable for me to get to the airport.
Since we'll be renting at first, I've read there are some not so great areas of Marietta we should keep away from - any particular locales we should steer clear from? We'll be visiting in two weeks to drive the town and check some places out. We'll more than likely do this for a few weekends before we pull the trigger (in addition to my husband's likely travel for interviews).
Thank you for the recent responses - we're thinking we will focus our search in the Marietta area. I will just have to convince the husband that .5 acre is more than sufficient for our needs. I've seen some great listings with everything we'd like in a home, but with .5 acre in the Marietta area so we have to give somewhere it seems. Marietta looks to be close to amenities, has good schools and is commutable to many business hubs where my husband would be looking for employment. It's also commutable for me to get to the airport.
Since we'll be renting at first, I've read there are some not so great areas of Marietta we should keep away from - any particular locales we should steer clear from? We'll be visiting in two weeks to drive the town and check some places out. We'll more than likely do this for a few weekends before we pull the trigger (in addition to my husband's likely travel for interviews).
If you need to be close to the airport, you should definitely consider Peachtree City/ Fayette County. McIntosh High in Peachtree City has the 5th highest SAT scores in the state and all schools in Peachtree City are consistently ranked in the top 10% of the state. The city also has the lowest crime rate in the state according to some publications. It's about 20-30 minutes from the airport so it's home to a lot of Delta executives and Pilots. The average family income here is well over 100K.
Peachtree City is a master planned upper-middle class suburb with over 100 miles of golf cart paths. There are over 12,000 registered golf carts in the city and families use them to drive to school, church, restaurants, parks, and shopping. Kids as young as 12 can drive golf carts with a parent and 15 and older can drive solo. Most high school kids drive golf carts to school which saves on car insurance!
Also, here are a couple of typical PTC neighborhoods with 1-3 acre lots from the high 300's to 500's. Both also offer summer neighborhood swim teams. Woodcreek
I will just have to convince the husband that .5 acre is more than sufficient for our needs.
Everyone has their own reasons, but is there a reason your husband requires a minimum acre lot? An acre lot is pretty damn big, so I assume there's a list of reasons behind it.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by judyrules
Thank you for the recent responses - we're thinking we will focus our search in the Marietta area. I will just have to convince the husband that .5 acre is more than sufficient for our needs. I've seen some great listings with everything we'd like in a home, but with .5 acre in the Marietta area so we have to give somewhere it seems. Marietta looks to be close to amenities, has good schools and is commutable to many business hubs where my husband would be looking for employment. It's also commutable for me to get to the airport.
Since we'll be renting at first, I've read there are some not so great areas of Marietta we should keep away from - any particular locales we should steer clear from? We'll be visiting in two weeks to drive the town and check some places out. We'll more than likely do this for a few weekends before we pull the trigger (in addition to my husband's likely travel for interviews).
Historically the delk road area doesn't have a great reputation, I've never had any issues though. But follow delk road east from the freeway and the area changes for the better quite rapidly, like maybe a mile until it hits Terrell Millard. My former neighborhood was on the left as you went another 1/2 mile. Nice,quiet, safe. As I mentioned I came from an area where starter homes were almost a million and I was very happy there. I would have stayed but the landlord wanted to sell. The schools were not so great though.
But go on the right side of Terrell mill instead and you were zoned for very good schools . Nicer hoods which got better and better and much more expensive. I liked it well enough to look for a home to buy there. I wanted a nicer home but they were in the 500k plus range.
I wound up in north Marietta in a very nice neighborhood, 5200 sq ft for under $500k. The high school near me is Lassiter which is ranked number 5 in the state. Very safe, no,issues except farther from downtown Atlanta. But I can be in most of the dining areas like the square, downtown Roswell in 15 minutes so it's all good.
The area west of 75 around franklin road is not the best either. Bust as you get closer to the square it gets better. There are also some nice areas in west Cobb too.
Btw I once wanted an acre too but budget and more important factors prevailed. Why do you want an acre?
I appreciate all the great advice I've received so far! I realize we're limited thus far since we don't know where my husband will be working just yet. He's got his resume out there. He's an accountant so he can work with any type of company which is why we felt we could try to figure out a location since home and schooling matter. This will be our home for at least the next 10 years (if not our "forever") home so that is why we have a few must haves we don't want to compromise on (my husband will not budge on the acre+ requirement).
We understand and further see that we're priced out of the nicer areas for what we want but did happen to find our wish list in the Lawrenceville and Cummings locations so we we're thrilled with that.
Proximity to the airport is actually important for me but we were told by a local friend that we should stay away from Southwest Atlanta due to crime. We're hestiant to be south of Atlanta at all because of that. From a post on another thread about South Fulton and Clayton counties bring crime ridden, that seems accurate?
We've found some houses that fit our list in Marietta, but found some comments online about Marietta not being what it used to be and that crime has moved up from Atlanta to Marietta so now we're hesitant to be in that area.
Petty crime doesn't bug me, what we're looking to stay away from (again, as would any sane person) are things like drive bys, burglaries, muggings, homicides, etc (ya know, the usual).
Driving into downtown daily may not be required for his job, so we're open to areas OTP, if he gets a job commutable to that area. We just want a place in our budget local to amenities we could drive 10-15 minutes to (a nice suburban downtown with restaurants would be nice). Don't know if I'm seeing that in the Cummings and Lawrenceville areas. Marietta area looks to have something like that, but folks (not on CD) are saying crime is creeping up?
We're hoping to have some feelers on the job front in the coming weeks but hope y'all can assist in guiding us in the right direction. Thank you again for everyone's response!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by judyrules
Thank you for the recent responses - we're thinking we will focus our search in the Marietta area. I will just have to convince the husband that .5 acre is more than sufficient for our needs. I've seen some great listings with everything we'd like in a home, but with .5 acre in the Marietta area so we have to give somewhere it seems. Marietta looks to be close to amenities, has good schools and is commutable to many business hubs where my husband would be looking for employment. It's also commutable for me to get to the airport.
Since we'll be renting at first, I've read there are some not so great areas of Marietta we should keep away from - any particular locales we should steer clear from? We'll be visiting in two weeks to drive the town and check some places out. We'll more than likely do this for a few weekends before we pull the trigger (in addition to my husband's likely travel for interviews).
I am very concerned that you seem to be getting far ahead of yourself in searching for housing before your husband finds a job and knows where he will be commuting to and from for work each day.
Though it likely may be a little farther out from the city, housing with acreage in areas of good and great schools can be found in every direction of the map in the Atlanta area.
Your best course of action is to wait until your husband gets hired to a well-paying or good-paying accounting position that he thinks he will like before you make any financial commitment to rent or buy a home.
You are very strongly advised not to underestimate the challenges of commuting during rush hours and peak traffic hours in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area and region.
Like was stated before, rush hour and peak-hour commuting will be a completely different *ANIMAL* in Atlanta than it will be in Raleigh.
...Which is why you absolutely must take into account where your husband will be commuting to and from for work each day before financially committing to rent and/or buy a home, and is why you are very strongly advised to wait until your husband gets hired to a well-paying job before making a financial commitment to rent or buy a home that fits your criteria of under $450k on one acre of land in an area of great schools.
You can find what you are looking for in a home and school district... But don't risk your family's quality-of-life and your husband's personal sanity by financially committing to a home before you know where in the Atlanta metro area/region he will be commuting to and from for work each day.
Let your husband get hired to a job that he thinks he will like first and then find the house that is geographically convenient to where he will be commuting to and from for work, second.
With Atlanta's metropolitan and regional rush hour and peak-hour commutes (which can include massive traffic jams even on WEEKENDS) being what they are, it is very, very important that you not put the cart before the horse (in looking for a home before finding the job) as a newcomer to the area that is not yet familiar with Atlanta's infamous rush hour traffic meltdowns.
It is very critically important that you heed the advice to let your husband get hired to the job first and find the house, second.
Appreciate the input on Peachtree City. I hadn't really considered south of Atlanta because of the crime in the surrounding areas but it definitely seems like a place we'll put on our list when we start visiting in 2 weeks. My husband is a golfer and he enjoys the idea of traveling through town in a golf cart. It sort of seems though that it's in a bit of a bubble, which concerns us. We like the idea of living someplace but being able to venture out to neighboring towns.
To answer the acreage question, he grew up in the woods on 3-5 acres of land and likes the idea of getting back to that. He doesn't want neighbors looking in on us while we're out in our backyard, which I can appreciate. We live in a cookie cutter subdivision now where our neighbor's kids often play into our yard on a daily basis. We'll be eating in our backyard and have to deal with the neighbor's grillout party two doors down. I think we'll be able to get the privacy we need with .5 an acre and proper landscaping.
We aren't pulling the trigger on a home for at least a year (since we'll be renting) so no decision is set in stone right now. We'll just be renting. We are not underestimating Atlanta traffic. We're both originally from the NE so we get it. With the sprawl that is Atlanta, we would like to get some ideas of which locations will suit us best. Our son starts kindergarten in August so we'd like to get that down first and foremost. Location matters to us most and will dictate where my husband will be looking for work. Not the other way around. We're not going to accept a job and then find housing around it. That's what got us in the situation we're in now and we're not making that mistake again.
Again, I truly do appreciate the wealth of information shared by all.
Appreciate the input on Peachtree City. I hadn't really considered south of Atlanta because of the crime in the surrounding areas but it definitely seems like a place we'll put on our list when we start visiting in 2 weeks. My husband is a golfer and he enjoys the idea of traveling through town in a golf cart. It sort of seems though that it's in a bit of a bubble, which concerns us. We like the idea of living someplace but being able to venture out to neighboring towns.
To answer the acreage question, he grew up in the woods on 3-5 acres of land and likes the idea of getting back to that. He doesn't want neighbors looking in on us while we're out in our backyard, which I can appreciate. We live in a cookie cutter subdivision now where our neighbor's kids often play into our yard on a daily basis. We'll be eating in our backyard and have to deal with the neighbor's grillout party two doors down. I think we'll be able to get the privacy we need with .5 an acre and proper landscaping.
We aren't pulling the trigger on a home for at least a year (since we'll be renting) so no decision is set in stone right now. We'll just be renting. We are not underestimating Atlanta traffic. We're both originally from the NE so we get it. With the sprawl that is Atlanta, we would like to get some ideas of which locations will suit us best. Our son starts kindergarten in August so we'd like to get that down first and foremost. Location matters to us most and will dictate where my husband will be looking for work. Not the other way around. We're not going to accept a job and then find housing around it. That's what got us in the situation we're in now and we're not making that mistake again.
Again, I truly do appreciate the wealth of information shared by all.
If you feel like PTC is too much of a bubble, you might really like Newnan or Senoia. Very nice small towns with large lots and easy access to the airport.
Also, there are quite a few nice areas on the south side in Fayette and Coweta counties that are low crime, and nice. In fact all the towns surrounding Peachtree City are great areas. Tyrone to the north is another affluent city, Fayetteville to the east is home to the new Pinewood Studios (film location of all the Marvel movies) and the Pinewood Forest development. Then there’s Newnan, Sharpsburg, & Senoia (Home to The Walking Dead TV show) to the West. Just keep in mind there’s a huge Northside bias in Atlanta. Some of the best areas in metro Atlanta are the southwestern suburbs, which still have the only traffic free commute during rush hour in Atlanta, and are convenient to the airport.
3 of the safest cities in Atlanta are on the southside (Peachtree City, Senoia, Tyrone)
While PTC Dad's posts about the communities in the South Atlanta metro are excellent, the only reason I would caution against those communities (Peachtree City, Tyrone, Newnan, Senoia, etc.) is because your husband may have a much harder time finding a job.
With exception to Kia Motors (30 minutes SW of Newnan) and Hartsfield-Jackson / Delta, most of the major job centers in Metro Atlanta are along and north of I-20 (Sandy Springs, Marietta, Alpharetta, etc.). Many employers north of I-20 would be very hesitant about hiring someone that lives well south of I-20, not only because of the traffic but also because of the distance (from Newnan to just downtown Atlanta, it's a good 40 mile drive one way). This would especially be a problem if your husband lands a job and then (heaven forbid) things happen and he has to look for another job a few months / years later. Then there's the consideration of gas prices too (which have recently begun to rise again). As an example, if your husband did land a job in, say, Marietta, and you guys buy a home in Newnan or Peachtree City, he's going to hate that commute every day if gas returns to $3-$4/gallon.
True, the film industry is booming in the South Atlanta metro, but most of the jobs being created are for those who specialize in film / tv production. A good 90% of the back office support businesses and regional / world HQs (which tend to hire a larger number of degreed individuals for well-paying jobs) are from downtown Atlanta and northward.
Last edited by citidata18; 04-22-2018 at 06:01 PM..
Appreciate the input on Peachtree City. I hadn't really considered south of Atlanta because of the crime in the surrounding areas but it definitely seems like a place we'll put on our list when we start visiting in 2 weeks. My husband is a golfer and he enjoys the idea of traveling through town in a golf cart. It sort of seems though that it's in a bit of a bubble, which concerns us. We like the idea of living someplace but being able to venture out to neighboring towns.
To answer the acreage question, he grew up in the woods on 3-5 acres of land and likes the idea of getting back to that. He doesn't want neighbors looking in on us while we're out in our backyard, which I can appreciate. We live in a cookie cutter subdivision now where our neighbor's kids often play into our yard on a daily basis. We'll be eating in our backyard and have to deal with the neighbor's grillout party two doors down. I think we'll be able to get the privacy we need with .5 an acre and proper landscaping.
We aren't pulling the trigger on a home for at least a year (since we'll be renting) so no decision is set in stone right now. We'll just be renting. We are not underestimating Atlanta traffic. We're both originally from the NE so we get it. With the sprawl that is Atlanta, we would like to get some ideas of which locations will suit us best. Our son starts kindergarten in August so we'd like to get that down first and foremost. Location matters to us most and will dictate where my husband will be looking for work. Not the other way around. We're not going to accept a job and then find housing around it. That's what got us in the situation we're in now and we're not making that mistake again.
Again, I truly do appreciate the wealth of information shared by all.
I agree that renting for about a year or so while you get to know the area much better in person is an excellent idea.
Though, since you are going to be renting while living in the Atlanta area for the first year, it cannot hurt to first find out where your husband will be commuting to and from work each day before committing to a rental lease.
If we seem persistent on emphasizing the point of waiting until you know where he will be commuting and from for work each day before financially committing to either rent or buy a home, it is because of the reality of metro Atlanta's often very tough and challenging rush hour commutes.
Many (if not the majority) of job opportunities will be in the numerous business districts on the north side of the Atlanta metro region above (north of) the general dividing line between North metro Atlanta and South metro Atlanta that is Interstate 20.
The Northside may include more job opportunities but will also include the worst rush hour commutes... Rush hour commutes that can and often will be just downright wretched along such major Northside commuter routes as Georgia 400, Interstate 85, Georgia 316, Interstate 985, Interstate 75, Interstate 575, US Highway 41 (Cobb Parkway), the top half of the I-285 Perimeter, Georgia 141, etc.
For example, you earlier expressed an interest in an area like Marietta because it appeared to be commutable to multiple major job centers. But Marietta, while it understandably may appear to be commutable to multiple major job centers in the Atlanta region, may not necessarily be the best option for every employment option in the region, even on the Northside.
An area like Marietta may be a really good option for commuting to jobs along the I-75/I-575/US 41 Northwest corridor and can be a somewhat moderately good option (depending on the exact time of day and part of Marietta one is commuting from/to) for commuting to Midtown and Downtown Atlanta and (depending on the exact time of day) may even be an okay option for commuting to the Atlanta Airport...
But an area like Marietta may not necessarily always be the best option for commuting to various other parts of the metro area like the Emory University area, the Georgia 400 North corridor (from Buckhead to Dawsonville), the I-85/GA 316/I-985 Northeast corridor, the I-20 East corridor and the Southern Crescent (Southern suburbs).
You have an idea of what areas potentially may be a good fit for you from a housing standpoint, but searching for housing before knowing exactly where your husband will be commuting to and from for work each day seems very risky in an Atlanta metro area known to dole out long and punishing rush hour commutes.
Another major factor that has not been mentioned in this discussion so far are the major traffic delays that can occur during holiday and vacation travel periods on a route like Interstate 75 which is a very major travel route to and from the tourist and resort areas down in Florida.
Around holiday weekends and especially around major vacation periods like Thanksgiving, Christmas Break and Spring Break, the high amount of travel to and from the tourist, resort and vacation areas in Florida adds much more traffic to what is already a severely congested I-75 roadway through the Atlanta metro area often resulting in additional traffic slowdowns and gridlock that is even worse than during normal rush hours that are already tough enough.
I completely understand your desire to live in an area that will be a good fit for you and your family and strongly encourage and support your search to find such an area that will be a good fit for you and your family.
But at the same time, you seriously do not want to risk burdening your husband with a long and punishing rush hour commute.
You have to be careful not to accidentally or unwittingly stick your husband with a wretched rush hour commute because you committed to housing before you knew exactly where he would be commuting to and from for work each day and mistakenly thought that you were moving into a commutable location that really was not as commutable as you might have thought.
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