good schools, newer homes, commute to Emory/CDC - again... (Atlanta: apartment, houses)

[bestofallworlds]

hello all,

i've been reading all the great posts here and have learned a lot, but still have questions of my own. feeling overwhelmed and looking for advice. we have 2 small children and are ideally looking for a single family house in the 500-600k range that we can stay/grow in for a long time.

i'm hoping for a commute within half an hour to Emory/CDC area, that has a good public school system, but one in which we can get more/newer house for our money (at least a 3BR/3BA, 2000 sq ft). we checked out morningside and decatur areas, but it appears that the itp houses are generally bungalows. we like newer homes, hoping for a great room and a backyard... we're moving from the northeast and thought these features would be easier to come by here. i think i watched too much househunters i love suwanee area, but the commute seems too far. anyone have an idea what the commute from peachtree corners or from the montgomery elementary school part of brookhaven would be? or any other ideas of areas to check out?

thanks in advance!

[lastminutemom]

Montgomery Elementary School would be a reverse commute in the morning, but if you have to go all the way to the Emory Campus, understand that it is mostly surface streets with lots of traffic.... Montgomery Elem is in DeKalb and it is a struggling school system, though I like the new Superintendent. Montgomery is overcrowded and DeKalb has the largest class sizes in the metro area at the elem level.

Once you get to 285, from Peachtree Corners, the commute would be pretty easy as well.

Lots of folks recommend the Parkview High School district in Gwinnett. You can use harrynorman dot com and search by school to get an idea of housing choices.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by bestofallworlds

hello all,

i've been reading all the great posts here and have learned a lot, but still have questions of my own. feeling overwhelmed and looking for advice. we have 2 small children and are ideally looking for a single family house in the 500-600k range that we can stay/grow in for a long time.

i'm hoping for a commute within half an hour to Emory/CDC area, that has a good public school system, but one in which we can get more/newer house for our money (at least a 3BR/3BA, 2000 sq ft). we checked out morningside and decatur areas, but it appears that the itp houses are generally bungalows. we like newer homes, hoping for a great room and a backyard... we're moving from the northeast and thought these features would be easier to come by here. i think i watched too much househunters i love suwanee area, but the commute seems too far. anyone have an idea what the commute from peachtree corners or from the montgomery elementary school part of brookhaven would be? or any other ideas of areas to check out?

thanks in advance!

Its not there. Most of the single family housing stock inside 285 is 70s or older or 7 figures and up.

You can find 2000 sf 3br for your price range, but it will be an older house.

Note that many of the "bungalows" have finished basements and are a lot bigger than they appear from the street.

You either have to compromise on "newer" or on your commute.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Montgomery Elementary School would be a reverse commute in the morning, but if you have to go all the way to the Emory Campus, understand that it is mostly surface streets with lots of traffic.... Montgomery Elem is in DeKalb and it is a struggling school system, though I like the new Superintendent. Montgomery is overcrowded and DeKalb has the largest class sizes in the metro area at the elem level.

Once you get to 285, from Peachtree Corners, the commute would be pretty easy as well.

Lots of folks recommend the Parkview High School district in Gwinnett. You can use harrynorman dot com and search by school to get an idea of housing choices.

The toughest part of the Peachtree Corners commute may be once you get off 85 and get on the surface streets to get to Emory/CDC.

[bestofallworlds]

thanks lastminutemom and bu2! i am open to OTP, as well, which is why i asked about peachtree corners. what would your best guess be as to rush hour commute times to emory from/to PC? i will check out parkview too - any idea re: those commute times (either on their own or as compared to PC)?

[wasel]

I don't think commuting from Montgomery School district to CDC would be that hard. You could take Chamblee-Dunwoody, go through downtown Chamblee and pick up Clairmont to Lavista to Emory.

You can find new construction in your price range but hurry as prices seem to be going up! :-)

[red92s]

I know this isn't really an answer to your question, but In all honesty, with your budget and "wants", I'd find a way to be okay with the housing options in Decatur in my price range. You've got some of the best schools in the state and no-highway commutes to the Clifton corridor. I guess I'd compromise on the house a bit before I started substantially increasing my commute AND looking in lower rated school districts. There isn't some magic hidden gem that's going to offer you the same quality of schools and the same commutes as Decatur but with newer houses. The proximity to CDC and Emory are a big reason money doesn't go far in Decatur.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by bestofallworlds

thanks lastminutemom and bu2! i am open to OTP, as well, which is why i asked about peachtree corners. what would your best guess be as to rush hour commute times to emory from/to PC? i will check out parkview too - any idea re: those commute times (either on their own or as compared to PC)?

A commute between Peachtree Corners and Emory University would about 40 minutes or so each way during rush hour.

As you probably already know, the Simpson Elementary and Pinckneyville Middle school attendance zones are the best places to look in the Peachtree Corners area (...Pinckneyville Middle School feeds into Norcross High School, of course).

The Peachtree Elementary School attendance zone is also a good place to look in Peachtree Corners, though Peachtree Elementary is not necessarily as ultra-highly regarded as Simpson Elementary is (Simpson is regarded as one of the best elementary schools in the state of Georgia).

As other posters have stated, the Parkview High School cluster is also an excellent place to look for housing.

The Parkview High School cluster is more highly-regarded overall than the Norcross High School cluster/Peachtree Corners area where there is a much larger transient population that has been attracted to the increased amount of apartment housing in that area.

The Parkview area also seems to be a shorter drive to (and from) Emory with most rush hour commutes taking about 30-35 minutes each way on most days during rush hour.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by bestofallworlds

hello all,

i've been reading all the great posts here and have learned a lot, but still have questions of my own. feeling overwhelmed and looking for advice. we have 2 small children and are ideally looking for a single family house in the 500-600k range that we can stay/grow in for a long time.

i'm hoping for a commute within half an hour to Emory/CDC area, that has a good public school system, but one in which we can get more/newer house for our money (at least a 3BR/3BA, 2000 sq ft). we checked out morningside and decatur areas, but it appears that the itp houses are generally bungalows. we like newer homes, hoping for a great room and a backyard... we're moving from the northeast and thought these features would be easier to come by here. i think i watched too much househunters i love suwanee area, but the commute seems too far. anyone have an idea what the commute from peachtree corners or from the montgomery elementary school part of brookhaven would be? or any other ideas of areas to check out?

thanks in advance!

Based on your criteria, you should look in the Parkview Cluster.

[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