Roswell, Sandy Springs or East Cobb. (Atlanta, Alpharetta: renting, houses, established neighborhood)

[MisterNY]

My wife and I have been here for a few years, and love it! We currently live by Atlantic Station (renting). It's time to make the move and purchase a home. We need more space, and a calmer environment for the kids. We've been looking at homes in Roswell and East Cobb. Our realtor mentioned taking us to Sandy Springs and Alpharetta for more options. (We're open to these options).

My wife works in Buckhead (Piedmont Hospital) and I work from home, when I'm not traveling. Aside from catching flights weekly and making it to the airport, I don't feel the effect of traffic. We would not mind being in town, but we want some space (more house and land for our money), and not looking for cookie cutter, subdivision homes with no land outside of Atlanta.

Our kids go to private school, but considering putting them in public school next year. So good schools are very important.

We don't mind buying a fixer upper, but it must be in good established neighborhoods.

Can anyone chyme in on the 30076, 33075, 30328 zip codes? What areas of Roswell, East Cobb would you avoid? We were hoping to find a fixer upper in the low $200k cash, but can afford more ($300K would be our max).

Does anyone have any information on Martins Landing in Roswell? We looked at a few houses in that area as well.

Aside from saving on taxes, what other advantages are there to living on the Cobb County side of Roswell?

Must haves:
Land/Space (1 acre+, pref)
Older home (No cookie cutter/small subdivision)
Fixer upper (a plus, but not necessary)
Great schools
Established area (& not close to apt complexes)


Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[berkeleylake]

I would pick Roswell if your wife has to commute during rush hour and you plan to use public schools somewhere down the road. For me personally, I would choose East Cobb over Sandy Springs if I were using public schools.

I like 30076 (Roswell) the best for that particular area. I would look in the Roswell High School cluster but I think most of it is located west of 400.

Martin's Landing is a great older Roswell neighborhood, but I don't know anyone living there now to tell you how it is these days. That is the one big plus about Roswell, a good portion of it was developed over 20 years ago, so there are plenty homes with charm and some with big lots and now many heavily shaded.

Not sure if you have or not, I would go to greatschools.org and view the schools in some of these areas to narrow down where to look.

[MisterNY]

Thank you for the reply. I go on greatschools.org, but it's mostly parents' experiences/ratings. I don't always take these ratings and comments too seriously. Like many things, these things are purely subjective. I will however, do more research. Thanks again.

What seems to be going on with Sandy Springs and its schools? What areas of Sandy Springs would you recommend/avoid?

Speaking of houses, I will say I am particularly impressed with the older homes and spacious lots in Roswell.

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by MisterNY

Thank you for the reply. I go on greatschools.org, but it's mostly parents' experiences/ratings. I don't always take these ratings and comments too seriously. Like many things, these things are purely subjective. I will however, do more research. Thanks again.

What seems to be going on with Sandy Springs and its schools? What areas of Sandy Springs would you recommend/avoid?

Speaking of houses, I will say I am particularly impressed with the older homes and spacious lots in Roswell.

In Sandy Springs look at the Heards Ferry - Riverwood cluster, which is top notch (but pricey and probably not within a 300K budget). Otherwise, I personally would stay in Roswell or East Cobb.

[Heathrowga]

I live in the 30075 section of Roswell (Mountain Park elem, Crabapple MS, Roswell HS). Housing is reasonable, husband gets to 400 in under 20 minutes most mornings (he takes MARTA to downtown), and the schools/parks are fabulous.

I'd recommend this area to everyone.