Worse Commute - GA 400 or 141/285/85? (Atlanta, Roswell: houses, buy, construction)

[AtlantaRes73]

We have been looking for a good area to move to in Atlanta and can't decide where we want to end up. We are looking for a newer 4 or 5 bedroom house with a basement in the 450K range and can't seem to find anything in-town in one of the good elementary school districts for that price.

Recently, we have started to consider moving out to the suburbs and I was wondering which area would have the worse commute between Roswell and Duluth. The area of Duluth we'd be looking in would be near Northview High School and the area of Roswell we'd be looking in would be Near Roswell or Milton High School. My office is downtown off Peachtree Street so if we live in Roswell, I will take 400 to get to work and if we live in Duluth, I will take 141 to 285 to 85.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

[neil0311]

Now I don't use MARTA much because it doesn't go where I need to go, but when I lived in Duluth in the early 90s and needed to go downtown, I would park at Doraville and take the train. If you're planning on coming down Rte 141 anyway, why wouldn't you park and ride at Doraville?

[rackensack]

Where have you looked? I'm surprised that in the current market you can't find anything workable in a decent school district for under $450K. I guess "newer" might be the dealbreaker here, or your definition of a good school district, but still . . . .

And if you're going to be working downtown near Peachtree Street and are worried about the commute, MARTA would be a feasible option from either Roswell (North Springs station) or the Duluth area (Doraville station), unless it's greater than walking distance from a station to your office, or you have mobility issues, or something of that sort.

GA 400 is probably slightly worse than I-85 getting to I-285; I-85's probably worse than GA 400 once you're inside I-285.

[AtlantaRes73]

Thanks for the input so far. The areas that we have looked for houses in-town include the Brandon, Jackson, Smith, Morningside, Oak Grove, and Briarlake elementary districts. There are plenty of 4 bedroom houses for around 450K, but we would like something that was built in the 2000's because we plan for this to be our 20-30 year house. We figure there will be less maintenance required on a newer house.

Unfortunately, MARTA is not really an option for me due to the walking distance from the station to the office.

[lastminutemom]

If you were willing to look in Oak Grove and Briarlake, you might also consider Dunwoody, however I don't think you will find anything newer in that price range, though you might find something renovated

Though I am not an expert, homes built in the 60s seem pretty solid to me, especially compared to some newer homes. However, if your budget limits you to unrenovated homes that isn't much fun either.

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by AtlantaRes73

There are plenty of 4 bedroom houses for around 450K, but we would like something that was built in the 2000's because we plan for this to be our 20-30 year house. We figure there will be less maintenance required on a newer house.

I wouldn't necessarily assume that. A lot of the construction in the last couple of decades has been crap -- nice and shiny on the surface, but corners cut everywhere on the stuff that's out of sight. Most builders have been building houses to sell, not to last.

With something older, it's had a while to settle and for any major problems to have surfaced. You can predict with reasonable accuracy many of the significant repairs -- roof every 15 years, furnace every 15-20, A/C compressor every 10 years or so -- and in most cases you'll be doing those same repairs, on the same schedule, with a newer house. In fact, an old house with a new roof and furnace might be more maintenance-free than an eight year old house that's less than 10 years from needing both.

[anadyr21]

In terms of the 141-285 part of your potential commute, if you are working normal business hours, it's horrendous. Starting at 7am, it may take as long as 30 minutes to get from State Bridge and 141 to 285. Then, you still have to deal with 285-85. If you leave around 6:45am, that makes all the difference in the world. Coming back up between about 4-7pm 285 at the top end, especially around 85 can be a parking lot. Then you'd still have to deal with 141, which can be just as bad. It will lessen up a bit once you get back to about State Bridge.

You couldn't pay me to do a Duluth commute, IF you have to do it during normal business hours. If you can avoid commuting during those hours, it's pretty smooth sailing, assuming no major accidents.

[SunsetBeachFL]

Hope your employer is paying for your parking. I assume you've checked the prices if your employer is not paying. Good luck!

I did the E. Cobb to downtown for a few years, nasty... 285 to 400 was the best I could do. Longest commute was 2 hours when there were snowflakes ('cause everyone has to go out and buy bread and milk).

[dens]

Cannot address Duluth but I live off exit 9 (haynes bridge) to the west. I am only 2 miles from the 400. If I leave home by 7am...I am in my office on Peachtree and 17th (midtown) in 35 minutes and only 40 minutes hom at night from 5 to 7pm...really a nice commute if you leave by 7 am and are close to 400.

[pellur]

I drive everyday on 400 - from exit 11 to downtown. I usually start at 6:40AM and I can reach downtown by 7:20 - 7:25AM. Going back around 4:15PM is little better with 35 minutes of total travel time. By the way, I should add that I take HOV lane whenever possible.