young family from florida moving to gwinnett (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: transplants, real estate)

[Annmarie050]

We are from the miami area in florida and we are looking to move to gwinnett county what cities do you all suggest based on the following... we have 2 children ages 3 and 7 and are looking for A+ schools, also we would like to move to a safe area/neighborhood. I am looking for some distance but don't want to be more than 5 or 10 minutes from the local shops and restaurants. Also we are so used to the mixture and blends of cultures here that we would like to be around a mixed neighborhood or town. I am working on my bachelors degree and will become a teacher before we move and my husband works in restaurant management. Generally we are an out and about family and would like to have all the comforts of back home. Keeping in mind that our price range would be 150,000 - 210,000. Is it even necessary to rent before we move? and what hotels/acomodations should we stay at when we scout the area? The areas that have been jumping out at us are lawrenceville, duluth, douglasville, snellville. If anyone would also like to recomend any other areas that are also 20-30 min outside of atlanta that would be great. We will be looking foreward to everyones advice and feedback thanks!

[jxu66]

Probably not in Duluth area. City of Duluth area is very popular with a lot of transplants. Expect 250s or more for existing home. Maybe in Sugar Hill or Suwanee, north of Duluth area.

By the way, don't expect get to downtown in 20 to 30 minutes from Duluth or Lawrenceville. I-85 South is very bad in the morning. Expect at least one hour commute to downtown Atlanta.

[DoveDiva]

Links for you:

www.greatschools.net <---school ratings and such
www.gapsc.com <---need to be fully certified here to teach--GA has its own certification test now. We no longer use the Praxis.

FYI: Douglasville is nowhere near Gwinnett. It's in Douglas County, which is in the West Metro area...it's about 25-40 minutes away from Downtown (depending on traffic)

My suggestion: If you want to be close to the city and want A+ rated schools...you are probably going to be looking at spending closer to 200K+ for a house.
Hope this helps

[dlh891]

My family recently relocated to Snellville from Florida and we are very happy here. It is nowhere near as diverse as Florida, but we are helping the area (we are a mixed family, lol).

There is a lot to do here with parks and shopping etc. You have to be diligent to find a great home under 200,000 here, the cheaper ones are snatched up quickly.

What's the weather down there this weekend? We are leaving tomorrow for a wedding at the Miami Shores Country Club on Saturday.

[jxu66]

I agree with dlh891. Snellville is one of few places in Atlanta that's still affordable and has good schools - Brookwood and Parkview high school districts traditionally have excellent reputation. I personally don't know that area too well. However, one of posters Ghanley who is teacher. She mentioned that all those schools are getting a little too crowding for her taste.

[Annmarie050]

thanks for the feedback guys, Right now i am having some real estate companies send me some relocation packets so hopfully it will help me make my transition. in response to the weather, right now it is kind of cloudy but overall you can't get better than this for the end of february!

[martyogelvie]

I currently live in Lilburn (homes ~250k). My 6 year old goes to a school in the Brookwood district. Both Brookwood and Parkview rate very well. He is doing well in school and they are constantly keeping us informed of his progress. He is graded daily on his work and his attitude. If he does great in school one day, we know. If he does bad, we know, even if he is just so so , we know. I love that about the school, constant communication. The High Schools are all very crowded and we expect to move further away from Atlanta before our kids get to High School.

Lilburn and most of the suburbs of NE Atlanta are very nice, diverse, and close to most anything you could want or need. People here are very nice and pleasant, crime is fairly low and the climate is great except for the pollen during the spring. IF you have allergeys, your gonna hate Georgia in the springtime!

Traffic is a bummer but if you can find a commute that doesn't require any interstate travel (i285 or i85) you will be ok.

[hessblog]

my wife is a teacher...and we chose suwanee in Gwinnet...we've lived in Atlanta for over 12 years and this city is fantastic!!! small town, 5 minutes to everything, including a new amazing downtown...schools are some of the best...we love it...

we live in Village Grove...one of the builders is Americas 2007 builder of the year...here is their website...tell Elaine that Steve and Sheri sent you:
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here is a site that shows new homes in suwanee:

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best of luck

[Roadrunner69]

I went to Snellville in Feb. and really liked it so much I started looking at homes on the internet. I work for a national company and it looks like the closest location is in Braselton. Can anybody give me some idea on the commute time between the two and the traffic conditions, or should I look closer too Braselton I don't mind 30 minutes but not an hour. Thanks