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Hi - I've looked around the forum and have seen some posts from people in similar situations but wanted to post for further guidance.
We just found out that we will be moving in the next month or two for my husbands work to the northern 'burbs of Atalanta. He'll be working in Peachtree Corners. We have a two year old and one on the way, so while we have a little while before having to worry about school, we'd still like to be in a good school district.
We'd like a single family home, at least 3 bedrooms (prefer 4), in the $250-275 range, and trying to stay around a 30 minute commute for my husband (I won't be working). It looks like Suwanee is a good place to live, but I heard something along the lines of "stay North/West of 80" which knocks out that southern tip of Suwanee, I've been seeing some good looking houses in the Arbor Trace area but should we be avoiding that? Duluth and John's Creek seem to be good places? What about Peachtree Corners, I haven't seen a lot said about it recently.
I realize that the market is rather hot, anything I am looking at online right now will likely be gone in a week but I still like looking and getting an idea of different areas. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Perhaps rent somewhere nearby for a little bit so you can get familiar with the area prior to purchasing a home?
Peachtree Corners has a reputation for decent schools. Same with John's Creek.
There isn't a lot of inventory at your price point in the nicer areas. Most of the single family houses around that area for that price appear to need some work. Might be able to find a nicer townhome though.
Lived in a S/D off of East Jones Bridge for years; years and years ago, I might add. Peachtree Corners incorporated as a city a couple of years ago. Taxes would be Gwinnett County and PTC (common abbreviation of Peachtree Corners). Still, the area has stayed nice. There is a nice park, on the Chattahoochee River, at the end of East Jones Bridge. Can't comment about public schools, as I am out of touch.
Might check a bit further north in the city of Johns Creek (Fulton County), or South Forsyth County. Both would fit the ~30 minute commute. Can't comment about schools and taxes for Johns Creek/Fulton County. South Forsyth has excellent public schools and taxes are reasonable. There is a city hood referendum (City of Sharon Springs) on May 22, which would increase taxes, (new city and offset for loss of tax revenue to Forsyth County), if approved.
Hi - I've looked around the forum and have seen some posts from people in similar situations but wanted to post for further guidance.
We just found out that we will be moving in the next month or two for my husbands work to the northern 'burbs of Atalanta. He'll be working in Peachtree Corners. We have a two year old and one on the way, so while we have a little while before having to worry about school, we'd still like to be in a good school district.
We'd like a single family home, at least 3 bedrooms (prefer 4), in the $250-275 range, and trying to stay around a 30 minute commute for my husband (I won't be working). It looks like Suwanee is a good place to live, but I heard something along the lines of "stay North/West of 80" which knocks out that southern tip of Suwanee, I've been seeing some good looking houses in the Arbor Trace area but should we be avoiding that? Duluth and John's Creek seem to be good places? What about Peachtree Corners, I haven't seen a lot said about it recently.
I realize that the market is rather hot, anything I am looking at online right now will likely be gone in a week but I still like looking and getting an idea of different areas. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Thank you!
Suwanee (both in areas west and east of Interstate 85) along with Duluth, Johns Creek and Peachtree Corners are good places to look.
There currently appears to be very little single-family home housing inventory with 4 bedrooms at $275k and under on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) west of I-85 until one gets as far north as the Sugar Hill/Buford 30518 area which is also a good area to look in because of the good quality of the schools in the cluster of schools anchored by Lanier High School and because of the excellent quality of the schools in the Buford City Schools system (which is independent of the larger surrounding Gwinnett County Public Schools system).
You will be hard-pressed to find a 4-bedroom single-family home for $275k and under in this current highly-competitive real estate market in areas south of Georgia State Route 20 and west of Interstate 85.
If you look west of I-85 (where the homes will be higher-priced when they are on the market), the neighborhoods in the clusters of schools anchored by Norcross/Paul Duke STEM, Duluth, Peachtree Ridge, North Gwinnett, Lanier and Mill Creek high schools in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system and the clusters of schools anchored by Johns Creek, Chattahoochee, Northview and Centennial high schools in the Fulton County Schools system will be the best areas to search.
(...Though, the housing market is so intensely competitive right now west of I-85 that you potentially might have to consider living in an apartment, condo or townhome because of the lack of housing inventory within your price range west of I-85 and south of GA 20.)
If you look east of I-85 (where the houses are likely to be more affordable and within your price range of $275k and lower), limit your search for housing to the neighborhoods in the clusters of schools anchored by Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill, Mountain View and Mill Creek high schools.
East of I-85, you potentially may have to go as far north as to the wedge area beyond the I-85/GA 316 split (east/south of I-85 and north of GA 316) to find single-family homes within your price range within a highly-desired school district, while (as noted before) west of I-85 you may have to go as far north as almost up to or beyond the GA 20 corridor to find something within your price range of $275k and under.
You potentially also may have to consider moving into an apartment, condo or townhome to find something affordable within a highly-desired school district that is within reasonable commuting distance of your husband's job in the Peachtree Corners area in this current highly-competitive real estate market in Northeast metro Atlanta.
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 03-26-2018 at 02:44 PM..
As others have stated, you are unfortunately extremely unlikely to find what you are looking for at your price point. BUT, I don't think you are ridiculously out of line. If you were able to come up just a little bit, say to $325k or $350k, I think you probably COULD find something suitable. I don't think it's prudent to wait because these prices are not going to come down any time soon. They may fluctuate here and there with the market, but I don't think you're likely to find a nice 4-bedroom home in this area for $275k ever again in our lifetimes.
Peachtree Corners is the closest, but you're also going to pay the most, even though the schools aren't as good as Johns Creek, Suwanee or Duluth. That's because you're more convenient to Atlanta. I think you are wise to look at Duluth/Suwanee. Forget Johns Creek because since it has the best schools in the metro, it's going to be the most expensive. If I were you, I'd look north of McGinnis Ferry Road, in the area of Forsyth county often referred to as Suwanee (even though it isn't really) and sometimes Cumming. Use Peachtree Industrial Blvd and 141 as your guide, as these will be your husband's arteries into PTC.
Just one quick word on property taxes since it was brought up. I looked into this last year when Gwinnett county raised its millage rate. Everybody assumes Gwinnett county has lower property taxes than other counties, and I discovered that this is, in reality, not true. In fact, Gwinnett has HIGHER property taxes than Fulton county. Everyone assumes since the rich people in north Fulton subsidize the poverty in south Fulton that their property taxes are extremely high, and this simply is not the case. Why is Gwinnett's property tax higher? Your guess is as good as mine....some will say to fund the school system, which isn't as good as the schools in north Fulton. So I really have no idea. You will, however, find lower property taxes in Forsyth county.
To break it down:
My first choice would be Johns Creek. This is where the best schools are, the best retail, shopping, infrastructure, etc. But you probably can't afford it.
My second choice would be south Forsyth county because it's probably the most affordable and has the second best schools. It also probably has the most up side in terms of appreciation as the area is just exploding in growth.
My third choice would be Suwanee/Duluth. This area has already undergone a lot of growth and has very good, but not excellent schools (Peachtree Ridge is better than Duluth). BUT, it is possible if you look long enough, you may find something in your price range as people move out and sell their homes. Duluth has been around a while, so you may be able to find something that is say 25-30 years old and probably needs some updating if you keep checking.
The good news is the Duluth/Johns Creek/Suwanee general area is one of the best parts of Atlanta. I love it, I'd never go into the city if I didn't have to except for the occasional rock concert, restaurant outing, etc.
Look in the Brookwood HS cluster near Snellville. My parents just sold their updated 4 bedroom house in a nice neighborhood for 300K last summer. Depending on where exactly the job is and the house, it's about half an hour.
Could also look in the Parkview HS cluster as well as Grayson HS if willing to go above half an hour for the commute.
Also the area east of 85 is fine, I'd just stick to around Duluth Hwy/120 and areas northward.
When my parents did move, their budget was a little lower than yours and they were looking for 3 bedrooms. They're empty nesters so they didn't mind finding a house that needed a lot of work and could be patient since the school year wasn't a concern. It was definitely a challenge. Anything in that 200-300 range that was livable was going fast. At least in the areas they were looking which is pretty much the same area that you'll be looking in. There are townhomes that can be found for a reasonable price. My parents thought about it, but didn't want to keep their dog cooped up in a small space with very limited yard. Something to think about.
FYI, my son goes to Northview in JC and the school is extremely competitive in academics due to the amount of Asians at the school which is 52% this year.
As others have stated, you're probably going to have a hard time finding 4 bedrooms for under $300K anywhere between PTC and Suwanee, and it not be a townhome. Its possible, but the pickins will be mighty slim. 3 bedrooms? That's much more doable.
A word about commute times. Using the intersection of Peachtree Pkwy and Spalding Dr as "Peachtree Corners", I just checked Google Map drive times coming in from Suwanee and from Johns Creek, each at McGinnis Ferry. Each one was right at 30 minutes.
FYI, my son goes to Northview in JC and the school is extremely competitive in academics due to the amount of Asians at the school which is 52% this year.
No offense, but the school isn't competitive just because the students happen to be asian. That's a stereotype! There are other good schools in the area that don't have a plurality/majority of asians. Is that because those students are <insert race>?
No offense, but the school isn't competitive just because the students happen to be asian. That's a stereotype! There are other good schools in the area that don't have a plurality/majority of asians. Is that because those students are <insert race>?
Not "just because," but it is a significant factor. It is evident that most Asian families have an incredible work ethic when it comes to children's education. And, that's not a stereotype. That's a compliment.
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