Commuting both Atlanta & Alpharetta. Where to live in between for a family? Help... (Sandy Springs: real estate market)

[Shin Dynamo X]

So we are moving from DC to ATL. My upcoming IT Security job will require me to work at both Atlanta and Alpharetta. It is tough because both sites are far from each other and a pain in traffic!

For my family of 4, should I rent a home between both cities to reduce my commute?? Which cities do you recommend? I want a place that is safe, but have malls, Best Buy (nearby), and good schools.

P.S. Also my wife is a teacher, so she will have to find a teaching job, hopefully in good school system


1. Rent Budget: Up to $2500
2. House/Condo/Townhome? SFH
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) : Commute
4. Children(public school vs. private): Public
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: Mix
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? I just want a commute less than 1 hr
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. : I want diversity, in upperclass neighborhood

Thanks!

[st3mpy]

Dunwoody would be a nice place to start. That will give a reverse commute into Alpharetta by car, and you could Marta into Atlanta when needed. Schools are good, area is diverse, and malls are right around the corner.

[Shin Dynamo X]

Thank you. I checked Dunwoody but there isn't much of an inventory for rentals. Many of the places are pretty old from what I researched. Do you recommend any other cities? It would be great to find a place with nice neighborhoods for my kids.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Shin Dynamo X

Thank you. I checked Dunwoody but there isn't much of an inventory for rentals. Many of the places are pretty old from what I researched. Do you recommend any other cities? It would be great to find a place with nice neighborhoods for my kids.

Inventory for detached single-family home rentals is likely going to be somewhat limited in many cases because of the intense competitiveness of both the rental market and the overall real estate market throughout many parts of metro Atlanta's Northside at present.

Sandy Springs and Brookhaven could be other places that you look for housing, but finding housing of any kind (including multi-family purchases and rentals as well as detached single-family purchases and rentals) potentially will be a challenge in the current market where there appears to be a shortage of existing detached single-family homes throughout many areas, especially in areas with the most and best amenities.

You should also look in areas that are not located directly halfway or directly part-way between Atlanta and Alpharetta but provide relatively good access to both areas.

Look in other nearby areas like Chamblee, Peachtree Corners and Norcross 30071....Each of these areas offer good urban/suburban schools and provide relatively good access to both the Atlanta and Alpharetta areas. You may also have better luck finding some type of acceptable housing option in those areas than you might have in areas like Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven.....Though be prepared to include multi-family dwellings (condos, townhomes and apartments) in the current highly-competitive North Atlanta (North metro Atlanta) housing market.

With your rental budget of up to $2500/month, I guess that you could also look in the Buckhead area in an area of tons of great amenities and improving/rising public schools in the North Atlanta cluster of the Atlanta Public Schools system....Though even more so in the Buckhead area than throughout other parts of greater North Atlanta, multi-family dwellings will have to be a key part of your search because of the limited inventory of affordable high-quality detached single-family dwellings in such an affluent and high-demand area in Buckhead.