Technology Park Job, where to consider living? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: real estate, rental)

[bortass]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

that's a big operation they have going over there - I see it out of my window every day.


If you insist on using MARTA (which I recommend for your office location + size of house you need + budget of 250k) I'd look South

It is a big operation. 22 stories just for IT. There will be a lot of 'shock' if I relocate to that office. Going from work at home to an open office environment, etc.

I think MARTA is going to be key. I have been talking to a teammate that lives up north and he takes the bus in to avoid being stuck in traffic and can read etc on the 30 minute ride. I'd just as soon not drive to work, less wear and tear on the truck, and other possible hassles. Granted that could change once I get my feet under me. That MARTA station being right there looks awful convenient though.

[testa50]

Getting to MARTA and on the train will be plenty of wear and tear on the truck and somewhat of a hassle during rush hour, unless you plan to live in College Park or East Point. There are some nice areas around there, but you're definitely not really getting the suburban/rural experience. It's more like gentrifying intown neighborhoods. Just depends on whether that's your cup of tea or not.

[bortass]

Originally Posted by testa50

Getting to MARTA and on the train will be plenty of wear and tear on the truck and somewhat of a hassle during rush hour, unless you plan to live in College Park or East Point. There are some nice areas around there, but you're definitely not really getting the suburban/rural experience. It's more like gentrifying intown neighborhoods. Just depends on whether that's your cup of tea or not.

One thing I'll be trying to find is more info on the available public transit from outlying areas. What are the easy ways to get to the office from wherever... I'll drive if I have to and long drives aren't a big deal if I'm moving. Things I'm not sure about would be parking and just getting used to driving in a real city. Nothing in Maine counts and I've driven in Boston once 20 years ago...

It will all come down to the various options and which seems best. Luckily I'm a fairly flexible person, so I'll adjust. I'm not someone that's set on any one thing. All I know so far is traffic sucks from the north. MARTA has a station at the new office and I've used MARTA from the airport to North station and Buckhead. My MARTA experiences weren't bad but that was not during rush hour either, lol.

I have at least 12 months to do research since I don't think I'd try to move until 2020. I'll probably be in ATL again this spring for a team meeting and maybe I can arrange to look around some. I normally just stayed in the hotel in my spare time on previous trips.

[ATLTJL]

Well, you're not going to want to take MARTA from the South. The last stop is the airport, I don't think day parking is possible there, and once you've gone to College Park, you've more or less entered traffic.

Normally, I'd say what you want to do is live up north and drive to the North Springs MARTA station. Peachtree Corners/Tucker may suit your needs, and you could use the Doraville station (though I drive a bit more to use Chamblee because I find the Doraville station dumpy and whatever, I admit it, I'm a snob).

Something else that COULD work for you is perhaps living out east somewhere and driving into the Indian Creek station. Sorry, I know nothing about the areas to the east except that places like Conyers and Covington exist. They aren't as popular, so that probably makes them cheaper and have less traffic. You can also live to the west, but I can't in good faith recommend using any of the MARTA stations west of Five Points.

[bortass]

I've been poking around the MLS to get a feel for things and I like what I see in Peachtree Corners. Granted they are higher than my current ball park numbers but I could probably swing it. Granted markets will change before I'm ready to buy but it's still fun to browse and see what's out there.

[ATLTJL]

Good eye.

I'm a fan of Peachtree Corners. It's a great area that has pretty decent access to the city, mainly through access to MARTA. A really great thing about it is also it's growing in its own right, offering amenities of more established upscale suburbs. Check out the Forum on Peachtree Parkway for Peachtree Corners' main shopping district.

PC also gives you great access to nature. Look at the Medlock Bridge Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Jones Bridge Park. To the north, you have access to the world class Gwinnett county park system, and Johns Creek and Alpharetta also offer ample outdoor recreation areas. Berkeley Lake is also a hidden gem that I believe has the wealthiest census tract in the entire metro, or some kind of measure, I don't know.... the point is, there's a ridiculous amount of money in the relatively tiny area.

[bortass]

What about Duluth, Roswell, and Decatur? My GF is onboard with moving and she started to do some of her own research on other sites. Those places came up with regard to overall safety. Her position is 100% work from home. So I'm the only one that will need to deal with a commute.

This also means that the housing budget has changed but I don't know to what yet. I'd say at least 350k as a ceiling will probably be doable since we'll be selling two house up here. So we have more flexibility. My original numbers were just me alone and I think I could swing the low 300s, if needed.

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by bortass

What about Duluth, Roswell, and Decatur? My GF is onboard with moving and she started to do some of her own research on other sites. Those places came up with regard to overall safety. Her position is 100% work from home. So I'm the only one that will need to deal with a commute.

This also means that the housing budget has changed but I don't know to what yet. I'd say at least 350k as a ceiling will probably be doable since we'll be selling two house up here. So we have more flexibility. My original numbers were just me alone and I think I could swing the low 300s, if needed.

All great areas

Roswell - lots of parks and trails, activities on the river, nice downtown area.
I used to live there but I'm not sure how the RE market is nowadays. You'd find a house for 350k, but I dont know how old or updated it would be. Drive to north springs Marta station from there - 15-20 minutes maybe more maybe less depending on where in Roswell, and what time of day

Decatur - you'd want to live in the city limits of Decatur where houses are quite pricey. One of the best areas in ATL

Duluth - I havent spent time here but have a feeling it would be a great fit

[bortass]

Thanks a lot for the input. Our current ceiling for window browsing is 400K, a big jump from my original post. We're seeing a number of houses we like in different areas which is good. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find something that we like in an area that we will like when the time comes. We're looking at GA MLS and Zillow to get a feel for things. Places we browsed were Tucker, Peachtree Corner, Dunwoody, Doraville, and I think Sandy Springs.

I've been taking the street addresses and plugging them into a transit map. That way we can see where houses in the same town/city compare with regard to where they are for transit. For example some of the houses I found were actually closer to Indian Springs MARTA station than I would have guessed based on the town itself.

I have a coworker in Cummings that takes the GRTA express bus in to work. He mentioned the big swing in commute times. It sounded like the 6:30 bus might take 45 minutes or so but show up late and take the 7AM bus, it'll be more like 90 minutes. This will definitely be a learning experience.

I have a feeling we'll be looking to rent a house when we move down but that's still a ways out.

[DaBurgh]

Yep, I live in Cumming and I've done GRTA - it's the 400 bus from Cumming to Downtown. I take the 545am bus and the first stop is the corner of West Peachtree and North Avenue. From there, to get to your office you would walk 3-4 blocks north on West Peachtree to get to work.

That GRTA bus is convenient - it is exactly 45 mins as your friend says. To get home, I'll take the MARTA train from North Avenue to Sandy Springs and hop on the GRTA bus from Perimeter back to Cumming (bus #401). By doing that, I avoid sitting in traffic in downtown on the 400 bus heading back North.

Cumming/Forsyth area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and country. With that is growing pains - road work, bad drivers, construction noise, etc. Great for families. Alas, I'm single and want an easier commute, so I'm renting out my house and moving down to an apartment in city proper.