Looking to Move to GA from CA (Atlanta, Alpharetta: insurance, townhomes)

[CABayarea]

My wife and I are looking to move to GA from CA in a few years for retirement. We would like to have at least a 3/2 house with a little acerage. 5 to 10 would be perfect and zoned for horses. We have relatives on FL, Daytona Beach area. We do not want to move to FL because of taxes and insurance. Can anyone make some suggestions on an area near the FL/GA that would be a fit? We would like to be out of an area that snows and is moderate (I am aware of the humidity).

Thanks for your time.

[TakeAhike]

Here's a link to horse boarding facilities in Ga:
http://www.gahorse.com/boarding.asp?st=GA

The towns I recognized are located across the state. I don't know anything about horses myself. It seems that NE of Atlanta--toward Athens/UGA might be a good area.

It rarely snows here. April to October the temperature is very moderate 60/70 during the day and around 40 at night --less humidity the further north you go.

SLS

[cpowers21]

Effingham county might be a fit for you. Lots of land and by the beaches....

[CABayarea]

Thanks for the answers. We are looking to have horse property so the horses will "be with us", so to speak. Further North is a great suggestion.

[TakeAhike]

Maybe you can obtain some FYI in a horse forum?

Georgia has plenty of farmland and UGA has an excellent veterinary school--large/small animals. Gov. Sonny Perdue is a large animal vet by training.

The foothills and mts of North Georgia are very lovely. A lot of the boarding facilities seemed to be in that area--good for horses.

[Figment 07]

We are looking to have horse property so the horses will "be with us", so to speak. Further North is a great suggestion.

If you are seeking that much acreage only to keep your horses close by instead of boarding them miles away, might you consider a planned equestrian community instead? There your horses are still a stone's throw away, yet your home is on a regular lot instead of pasture land.

If the answer is "yes", then I can suggest two communities.

The first is Carmichael Farms in Cherokee County west of Alpharetta.

(carmichaelfarmsga.com)

I haven't seen it for myself, but it sounds interesting -- with about 100 acres of open space/pastoral land in the community protected from development. There is a "village square" with fitness center, pool and tennis courts, a professionally managed 24-stall stable, 2 riding arenas, paddocks, wooded riding trails and a hay barn. The architectural styles of the 4 & 5 bedroom houses ($400s to $700s) are said to be inspired by the traditional southern farm homes of Georgia.


My second suggestion is a place that I have toured recently.

I'll post it separately so as not to exceed post length limitations.

[Figment 07]

This is my second suggestion:

"Serenbe" in south Fulton County -- Palmetto, Georgia 30268

Serenbe is difficult to categorize because I’m not sure there is anything to compare.

I don't know whether to call it a community or a rural housing development, but Serenbe is potentially a whole new small town/village deep in the country southwest of the airport. Maybe you’ve heard about The Inn at Serenbe, a bed & breakfast that opened during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Here’s how the website describes Serenbe community:

Let’s say you could create the perfect place to live.
Blank slate. Anything you want.

You might want a place where your quality of life was extraordinarily high. Where you felt an easy sense of community. Where the principles of sustainability touched everything from your home’s methods of construction to the organic produce on your table that was grown by one of your neighbors.

Speaking of neighbors, you might prefer an eclectic group, from artists to writers to farmers to business people. You might like to walk paths that take you through both forest and meadow, ride horses along tree-canopied trails, or hear music outdoors in your neighborhood amphitheatre.

Maybe you’d just like a place to get away, a place where you can enjoy a simpler life.…

Imagine over a hundred miles of nature paths in your backyard—all for your hiking, cycling or horseback-riding pleasure.

With more than 70 percent of the Serenbe acreage preserved as green space, you will never be more than a stroll away from interlinking greenway trails. Some will meander along creeks and streams. Others will lead you past wildflowers, waterfalls and the ruins of an early farm community.

One of the most pleasing aspects of Serenbe will be the architectural diversity of the community. Building materials and style will be inspired and shaped by local historic dwellings and sometimes implemented with a contemporary approach.

Each of the 220 homes will be certified EarthCraft Homes, with a range of structures to meet various individual needs, from urban live/work space for artists’ studios and home-based businesses, to townhomes well suited to singles or couples, to cottages for small families and estates for those who need a bit more room to spread out.

With a price range beginning around $300,000 to $500,000 and up, the community will likely attract all sorts of people in various stages of life. Some will choose Serenbe as a weekend retreat, and others for year-round living…

Serenbe has a beautiful equestrian center. Enormous barn. The houses and village looked great to me.

You may not be able to tell from the pictures, but even the land in the "downtown" section wasn't completely flat like most newly built (or even old) places you see. They really followed the natural lay of the land. There are a few houses being built in the farmland section with views of Serenbe's barn, paddocks and pastures.

Serenbe would be a good place for horse owners who will not need to commute to Atlanta daily but would appreciate easy access to Hartsfield International Airport now and then.

http://www.serenbecommunity.com (broken link)

[CABayarea]

Thanks to all that have answered my questions. Can anyone help me out on the property tax issue. There are 159 counties in GA. Can anyone please tell me what the "average" property tax is? In CA it is 1% of the purchase price and goes up 1% per year. Then there are bonds and special assesments in the city and county you live in.

[Figment 07]

Can anyone help me out on the property tax issue. There are 159 counties in GA. Can anyone please tell me what the "average" property tax is?

In Georgia property is required to be assessed at 40% of the fair market values. Our property tax rates are expressed in mills. For example, one mill produces $1.00 of tax on every $1,000 of property value. To get the millage rate for each county, check with the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Georgia collects property taxes at both the state and local levels. I’ve lived in Atlanta for a long time and I am never thrilled about mine increasing, but then it helps to remind myself that in 33 states, the property taxes are higher.

This might help you:

OVERVIEW OF GEORGIA TAXES
(from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation)

Overall tax burden: 25th highest
Business tax climate: 21st (1 is best)
Individual income taxes: 19th highest
Corporate income taxes: 39th highest
Sales taxes: 24th highest
Property taxes: 34th highest

You may find the "Georgia County Snapshots Map" helpful as well:

http://www.dca.state.ga.us/CountySnapshotsNet/default.aspx

[ladyhen]

Originally Posted by CABayarea

Thanks to all that have answered my questions. Can anyone help me out on the property tax issue. There are 159 counties in GA. Can anyone please tell me what the "average" property tax is? In CA it is 1% of the purchase price and goes up 1% per year. Then there are bonds and special assesments in the city and county you live in.

I'm currently living about 150 miles north of San Francisco near wine country and the redwoods and 30 miles from the coast.

In Georgia, we had two homes next door to each other. One was over 3,000 square feet (build in the early 1800's, but recently renovated), the other was 1600 square feet and also recently renovated. We paid $1200 combined on both properties for annual property tax.

I'm paying over $8,000 a year in property tax on my current place here in California. It was quite a shock. We were told 1% of the purchase price -but they hiked it when we built on.

If you are used to the "culture" in the Bay Area, you will face major culture shock if you move to Georgia. Just as we did coming here. We've been here four years and have still not adjusted to Californians (and I lived in the central valley and central coast for 19 years before moving to GA.)

You may LOVE Georgia and wish you'd have moved there sooner - but definitely visit for an extended period before you buy to see if it's a fit.