working in alpharetta or morrow (Atlanta, Roswell: real estate, for rent, condo)

[angelica99]

i will possibly be working in alpharetta or morrow. with the gas situation, and knowing how bad traffic is, i want to be fairly close to the city that i will be working in. i will be renting for a year, to decide exactly where i want to buy, but would like to rent close to where i potentially want to buy. i've read many of the posts and see both areas have their pro's and cons. alpharetta- pro-relatively safe con-lots of traffic and congestion and morrow- pro- affordable con-clayton county ie bad schools, high crime. i'm mid twenties female, with a 5 year old son. i'd like an area that is fairly safe (i know crime happens everywhere, but i don't want to have to be scared for my life everyday), and within reasonable distance to the city of atlanta so that i can visit family and friends, and recreational activities on the weekend. if i were to choose to work in morrow, i was considering living in fayetteville or college park (near camp creek area) and if i lived in clayton county possibly sending my son to private school. and if i worked in alpharetta, possibly living in roswell,norcross, marrietta or vinings. when i do decide to purchase, my budget will be in the 200's (high 200's is my max), close to shopping and resteraunts, and a single family house, since i want to rent in an area close to where i eventually want to buy, so i know sandy springs, dunwoody, and alpharetta would not be possible. what area's would you recommend if i were to live in alpharetta or morrow? thanks for any help.

[angelica99]

okay, i just looked on a real estate website, to see how much single family homes were in alpharetta, and i found some from 90k-200k, but most of them were in 30004 and 30022 area codes. i didn't know houses were this cheap in alpharetta! should i be concerned with these areas?

[mmenomen]

First, I would use greatschools.net for researching public and private schools rankings / scores and other information. Then narrow down some areas you want to look in. The good part is, you can definitely find a decent house for that price range. A very good time as a buyer as you know.

If I were in your situation, I personally would pick Alpharetta because of the great public schools. You can find a house priced for 170s-220s in Alpharetta and Roswell. The house would be around 20 years old (3 BR/ 2B), and it is feasible to find one in this slow market. There are areas in Marietta where you can find this price range, too. Renting first is definitely a good idea because you may find you like another area of the city better after being here a while. I am sure there are plenty of houses for rent too, because some people cannot sell their houses.

EDITED POST:
You wrote:

30004 and 30022

Those areas in Alpharetta are fine, just enter the zip codes in greatschools.net and research the schools to see for yourself. Most anything priced under 170K is going to be a townhome or condo in the Alpharetta area.

If you choose the area South of Atlanta (College Park / Morrow) you are closer to downtown Atlanta, but the area lacks a lot for someone with a school aged child. The public schools are not good and the crime rates in most categories are higher than that of Marietta / Alpharetta / Roswell. There are private schools, but they can be selective and expensive, but the trade off is you can get a large house for less than 200K. If you choose the South side, I would select areas in Fulton County and stay out of Clayton (Morrow) because of the public schools and crime.

Fayetteville is nice, but it is harder to get to because it is not near an interstate. Fayetteville has decent public schools, too.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by angelica99

okay, i just looked on a real estate website, to see how much single family homes were in alpharetta, and i found some from 90k-200k, but most of them were in 30004 and 30022 area codes. i didn't know houses were this cheap in alpharetta! should i be concerned with these areas?

Here's a link to the school system's site. Identify the better high schools and their clusters and then search for homes in these districts.

City of Alpharetta Website || High Schools

Centennial High School is mentioned frequently in discussions about effective schools. FWIW.

[angelica99]

thanks for the links and info!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by mmenomen

First, I would use greatschools.net for researching public and private schools rankings / scores and other information. Then narrow down some areas you want to look in. The good part is, you can definitely find a decent house for that price range. A very good time as a buyer as you know.

If I were in your situation, I personally would pick Alpharetta because of the great public schools. You can find a house priced for 170s-220s in Alpharetta and Roswell. The house would be around 20 years old (3 BR/ 2B), and it is feasible to find one in this slow market. There are areas in Marietta where you can find this price range, too. Renting first is definitely a good idea because you may find you like another area of the city better after being here a while. I am sure there are plenty of houses for rent too, because some people cannot sell their houses.

EDITED POST:
You wrote: Those areas in Alpharetta are fine, just enter the zip codes in greatschools.net and research the schools to see for yourself. Most anything priced under 170K is going to be a townhome or condo in the Alpharetta area.

If you choose the area South of Atlanta (College Park / Morrow) you are closer to downtown Atlanta, but the area lacks a lot for someone with a school aged child. The public schools are not good and the crime rates in most categories are higher than that of Marietta / Alpharetta / Roswell. There are private schools, but they can be selective and expensive, but the trade off is you can get a large house for less than 200K. If you choose the South side, I would select areas in Fulton County and stay out of Clayton (Morrow) because of the public schools and crime.

Fayetteville is nice, but it is harder to get to because it is not near an interstate. Fayetteville has decent public schools, too.

Actually, you can find some great neighborhoods and good schools in the Camp Creek/College Park area.

Good Luck.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by angelica99

i will possibly be working in alpharetta or morrow. with the gas situation, and knowing how bad traffic is, i want to be fairly close to the city that i will be working in. i will be renting for a year, to decide exactly where i want to buy, but would like to rent close to where i potentially want to buy. i've read many of the posts and see both areas have their pro's and cons. alpharetta- pro-relatively safe con-lots of traffic and congestion and morrow- pro- affordable con-clayton county ie bad schools, high crime. i'm mid twenties female, with a 5 year old son. i'd like an area that is fairly safe (i know crime happens everywhere, but i don't want to have to be scared for my life everyday), and within reasonable distance to the city of atlanta so that i can visit family and friends, and recreational activities on the weekend. if i were to choose to work in morrow, i was considering living in fayetteville or college park (near camp creek area) and if i lived in clayton county possibly sending my son to private school. and if i worked in alpharetta, possibly living in roswell,norcross, marrietta or vinings. when i do decide to purchase, my budget will be in the 200's (high 200's is my max), close to shopping and resteraunts, and a single family house, since i want to rent in an area close to where i eventually want to buy, so i know sandy springs, dunwoody, and alpharetta would not be possible. what area's would you recommend if i were to live in alpharetta or morrow? thanks for any help.

Keep in mind that overall compared to other counties Clayton County schools do not do well,but thats not to say you will not find a good school.Morrow is a very well run city and the crime is not that bad at all.Morrow is clean and inexpensive.Of course Fayetteville and Alpharetta have more positives but im not sure about what you will get for the money vs the other places.Look in the Fairview and Rex areas of Clayton/Henry?DeKalb county.Many people don't know about this area just off of I675.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by afonega1

Keep in mind that overall compared to other counties Clayton County schools do not do well,but thats not to say you will not find a good school.Morrow is a very well run city and the crime is not that bad at all.Morrow is clean and inexpensive.Of course Fayetteville and Alpharetta have more positives but im not sure about what you will get for the money vs the other places.Look in the Fairview and Rex areas of Clayton/Henry?DeKalb county.Many people don't know about this area just off of I675.

Yes, the Fairview/Rex are is nice...and beautiful.