good schools, newer homes, commute to Emory/CDC - again...

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by bestofallworlds

thanks all. based on housing prices/size and quality of schools, we are seriously considering moving to suwanee/duluth (closer to i-85) and getting a car that would be exempt in the i-85 express lane. we are really committed to public schools, and, not that rankings are everything, but suwanee and surrounding towns had several of the top 25 high schools in GA and the housing prices are so much lower. neither grady nor lakeside were ranked, which could be for several reasons, but makes me think twice. decatur high did well, but the housing costs in the city of decatur seem so high, and it doesn't seem like we can afford a house with the kind of space (indoor and outdoor) that we want. while i'm not excited for the prospect of that commute, i think weighing it all out, it may be worth it.

Personally, with young kids I wouldn't worry less about Grady's scores and more about commute times. The east side of the City of Atlanta is getting more and more affluent, and more of those folks are putting their kids in public schools. On the other hand, traffic stinks and is only going to get worse. Swanee is pretty far away from CDC-Emory. Are you both doing the commute, or will someone be close to the kids?

I like the Parkview area--and would be confident that Camp Crek Elementary will be good for at least 10 years. The high school is good now--but what it wil be like in 10 years is more of a guess. That wouldn't stop me from buying, but it might stop me from "over-investing" in the area. I would be more comfortable investing much less than your 500-600K range for that area. Really you can find nicely updated homes in pretty neighborhoods with big lots for half that, if you want. Look around the Miller Road area.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by wasel

If you are really concerned about Lakeside High and the housing value for money etc., I would seriously consider Brookhaven, Chamblee or Dunwoody. Chamblee High is a great school and so is Dunwoody...lots of affluent highly educated parents are involved in these school clusters. I have nothing against Suwanee but that commute will be brutal...and Emory is still a ways off the interstate so even traveling HOV will only help you to a certain point. I know that commutes really have an impact on quality of life in Atlanta and based on your stated price range you have the ability to avoid this if you can. Just my 2 cents.

The HOV will get you to Lindberg. It makes a real difference. That's a mile of the parking lot known as Braircliff that you avoid. Now you should price it outside 285. It gets pretty steep at times.

The Chamblee magnet is pretty good. Its a similar situation at Lakeside with their AP classes. Its the rest of the school that ends up with a lot of dropouts.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jeoff

Personally, with young kids I wouldn't worry less about Grady's scores and more about commute times. The east side of the City of Atlanta is getting more and more affluent, and more of those folks are putting their kids in public schools. On the other hand, traffic stinks and is only going to get worse. Swanee is pretty far away from CDC-Emory. Are you both doing the commute, or will someone be close to the kids?

I like the Parkview area--and would be confident that Camp Crek Elementary will be good for at least 10 years. The high school is good now--but what it wil be like in 10 years is more of a guess. That wouldn't stop me from buying, but it might stop me from "over-investing" in the area. I would be more comfortable investing much less than your 500-600K range for that area. Really you can find nicely updated homes in pretty neighborhoods with big lots for half that, if you want. Look around the Miller Road area.

Our philosophy was to find a good elementary school and worry about middle school later. You might go the private route. You might move. You might have a new job in another city. And a weak school might become good. 5-6 years is a pretty good stretch of time for change to occur (good and bad).

[jeoff]

Not sure if your job is at the CDC or not, but, for some, there are things that can make long commutes more tolerable. Some lab people are able to work odd hours--get in at 6:00, out by 2:30, some non-lab people telecommute one day a week, and there is a vanpool available for those with steady hours. Sometimes these things can be negotiated with a supervisor, sometimes not.

Also, I would expect for home selection to improve a bit in a couple of months. I wouldn't totally write off closer in areas based off of what you see now.

[bestofallworlds]

fast forward a few months... i wanted to give you all an update and thank you again for all your help!

we lived in temporary housing on briarcliff, very close and convenient to work, for a couple of months. the area was fun, but the housing was expensive. great parks around, but we still couldn't stomach the idea of paying for the housing and then paying for the private school on top of it. admittedly, there were areas that had good elementary schools and our kids are young, but we have led a pretty nomadic lifestyle up to now, and are hoping to be in one spot for the LONG haul.

we recently bought a house in duluth. lots of space inside and out. my three year old feels so free - i can tell she has so much room to run around now. the commute isn't wonderful, but not terrible. it's about half an hour to the north druid hills exit from the door of my house in the peach pass lane. we got the electric car because there's no way we could pay the $15-20/day to use that lane otherwise. with the gas and the toll savings, i think the car was a pretty good investment. i do feel like i've made the sacrifice of time, which sometimes hangs over my head, but, for my family, i think it was worth it.

so that's where my head is at today. maybe i'll be back with an update of misery in a year or two... stay tuned!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLectric

Have you looked at the Oak Grove/Briarlake areas off LaVista and Briarcliff Roads? It's very close to CDC/Emory, so close that many employees live in the area. Oak Grove Elementary and Lakeside High are both sought after schools. Homes in the area include new construction, newer infill from the last 10-15 years and updated homes from the 60s and 70s. Doing a very quick search I found a couple newer(approx year 2000), large homes.

2336 Oakshire Ct, Decatur, GA 30033
2892 Payton Oaks Drive, Atlanta, GA 30345
2212 Tristan Circle, Atlanta, GA 30345

Excellent recommendations. I would second that.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by bestofallworlds

fast forward a few months... i wanted to give you all an update and thank you again for all your help!

we lived in temporary housing on briarcliff, very close and convenient to work, for a couple of months. the area was fun, but the housing was expensive. great parks around, but we still couldn't stomach the idea of paying for the housing and then paying for the private school on top of it. admittedly, there were areas that had good elementary schools and our kids are young, but we have led a pretty nomadic lifestyle up to now, and are hoping to be in one spot for the LONG haul.

we recently bought a house in duluth. lots of space inside and out. my three year old feels so free - i can tell she has so much room to run around now. the commute isn't wonderful, but not terrible. it's about half an hour to the north druid hills exit from the door of my house in the peach pass lane. we got the electric car because there's no way we could pay the $15-20/day to use that lane otherwise. with the gas and the toll savings, i think the car was a pretty good investment. i do feel like i've made the sacrifice of time, which sometimes hangs over my head, but, for my family, i think it was worth it.

so that's where my head is at today. maybe i'll be back with an update of misery in a year or two... stay tuned!

Glad to hear you found a solution that seems to be working for you! Welcome!