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Old 11-06-2006, 02:30 PM
 
90 posts, read 411,467 times
Reputation: 43

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I think that anyone interested in moving to GA (or anywhere really) should consider making a real trip prior to moving for good. Not that this hasn't been said before but I rented a car this weekend and took a look around Cobb County. There are VAST differences between the GOOD part of town and the NOT SO GOOD part of town. Do your research. On the internet the homes look amazing and cheap but this is definelty for a reason. I was driving FOREVER in search a house I saw on the internet in West Cobb. I never found it but it became very clear that south cobb (I'm not so sure I actually even made it to West Cobb) is not going to work. We are not planning on buying unitl April or so and I'm moving to Atlanta in February to get situated but my point is before you make any drastic decisions get a car and drive around. Oh and try it on a Friday afternoon... that was interesting!

I'm still moving... but I'm bumping up my price range by about 50K. Don't be fooled by the internet depending on your preferences it might not be as cheap as you think!
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Old 11-06-2006, 03:46 PM
 
Location: FL to GA back to FL
894 posts, read 4,338,648 times
Reputation: 442
So very true. We were in GA at the end of July, and could not believe the difference of the pictures on the internet and the actual house. We drove around for 4 days and couldn't believe what we saw. We are moving up next month, but will rent first to get a true feel for the areas that we are considering. You most definately get what you pay for!
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Old 11-06-2006, 05:03 PM
 
Location: South Charlotte
233 posts, read 904,424 times
Reputation: 157
Quote:
Originally Posted by jillmaican View Post
I think that anyone interested in moving to GA (or anywhere really) should consider making a real trip prior to moving for good. Not that this hasn't been said before but I rented a car this weekend and took a look around Cobb County. There are VAST differences between the GOOD part of town and the NOT SO GOOD part of town. Do your research. On the internet the homes look amazing and cheap but this is definelty for a reason. I was driving FOREVER in search a house I saw on the internet in West Cobb. I never found it but it became very clear that south cobb (I'm not so sure I actually even made it to West Cobb) is not going to work. We are not planning on buying unitl April or so and I'm moving to Atlanta in February to get situated but my point is before you make any drastic decisions get a car and drive around. Oh and try it on a Friday afternoon... that was interesting!

I'm still moving... but I'm bumping up my price range by about 50K. Don't be fooled by the internet depending on your preferences it might not be as cheap as you think!
I know, GA is good for those bright and sunny pictures.

The thing is, there are really nice areas within metro Atlanta, but the people run down these areas. I remember looking at apartments in College Park, maybe 7 years ago now, the apartments were beautiful, but the area was run down.

I rented apartments in Clayton, Cobb, and DeKalb counties, but decided to move out of state. Before leaving I was actually considering purchasing a townhome in Tucker, but that didn't happen as planned. I really like Tucker and Snellville.
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Old 11-06-2006, 05:47 PM
 
Location: Triangle, North Carolina
2,819 posts, read 10,372,550 times
Reputation: 1518
Quote:
Originally Posted by jillmaican View Post
I think that anyone interested in moving to GA (or anywhere really) should consider making a real trip prior to moving for good. Not that this hasn't been said before but I rented a car this weekend and took a look around Cobb County. There are VAST differences between the GOOD part of town and the NOT SO GOOD part of town. Do your research. On the internet the homes look amazing and cheap but this is definelty for a reason. I was driving FOREVER in search a house I saw on the internet in West Cobb. I never found it but it became very clear that south cobb (I'm not so sure I actually even made it to West Cobb) is not going to work. We are not planning on buying unitl April or so and I'm moving to Atlanta in February to get situated but my point is before you make any drastic decisions get a car and drive around. Oh and try it on a Friday afternoon... that was interesting!

I'm still moving... but I'm bumping up my price range by about 50K. Don't be fooled by the internet depending on your preferences it might not be as cheap as you think!
Good comment Jill,
There are many folk who come in thinking they are buying their utopian home
GEORGIA is CHEAP.
Like anywhere else, you get what you pay for.
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Old 11-06-2006, 09:22 PM
 
31 posts, read 148,852 times
Reputation: 31
Completely agree about Cobb county. marietta around the square and parts of smyrna have gotten really bad over the years. anywhere close to the I-75 corridor has gotten worse in the last decade.

there are still really nice areas in cobb with great school, but get prepared to drive a lot and pay at least 265k for used house and 400k for a new home in these areas
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Old 11-07-2006, 10:31 PM
 
Location: West Cobb County, GA (Atlanta metro)
9,191 posts, read 33,778,844 times
Reputation: 5308
Atlanta and the surrounding areas vary greatly.

In Cobb or anywhere else in the area, you can be in a complete ghetto, drive 5 blocks, and suddenly you're looking at gated communities of homes costing $500,000 to $700,000 or more - then go 5 more blocks and poof, you're back in the hood again. Likewise, go far into the burbs and you can find yourself in a nice area within walking distance of trailer parks with Pit Bulls.

As many people will say on here, it's always best when relocating to a different part of the country to RENT FIRST in an area you're interested in, before buying. You can change apartments easily every 3-6 months when you're lease is up - you can't sell a house so easily that often.
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Old 11-08-2006, 07:09 PM
 
2 posts, read 4,991 times
Reputation: 10
Hi Jill,

My husband and I plan to relocate to Georgia around April.07. Like you, we would like to find a nice quiet area that is diverse and within a few minutes drive of a shopping area, supermarket etc. etc. I was considering Gwinnett county but after reading these threads and doing some research on line, I am very concerned about crime in that county. I see lots of nice houses for sale in Lawrenceville for tempting prices but I think there is a reason for that. Before I relocate, I plan to go down for about 3 weeks next month to check out as much of the area as possible. Your advice was on the money! All that glitters is not gold! I will let you know how it goes.
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Old 11-08-2006, 09:19 PM
 
90 posts, read 411,467 times
Reputation: 43
hi mbarnett,

Well good luck on your house search. Actually Gwinett is the area that we first saw and fell in love with. Its the drive that has me concerned. If you really like Gwinett try Duluth. I absolutely loved it there... lawrenceville (in my opinion) was a bit questionable. There were nice areas but the neighborhoods were not consistent enough. Some streets within one neighborhood was fine but then a house across the street has 10 cars in the front with a whole bunch of people living there. We kind of figured that the only way to get around that situation is to put ourselves in a certain price range. It should get intersting to say the least. I knew that relocating was going to be some work but I'm suprised by how varied areas can be from one street to the next. Best of luck!
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Old 11-09-2006, 08:56 PM
 
340 posts, read 1,572,483 times
Reputation: 90
Check out Alphretta. You can find a nice neighborhood there for sure.
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Old 11-10-2006, 03:42 PM
 
Location: Winter Springs, FL
18 posts, read 150,405 times
Reputation: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by jillmaican View Post
hi mbarnett,

Well good luck on your house search. Actually Gwinett is the area that we first saw and fell in love with. Its the drive that has me concerned. If you really like Gwinett try Duluth. I absolutely loved it there... lawrenceville (in my opinion) was a bit questionable. There were nice areas but the neighborhoods were not consistent enough. Some streets within one neighborhood was fine but then a house across the street has 10 cars in the front with a whole bunch of people living there. We kind of figured that the only way to get around that situation is to put ourselves in a certain price range. It should get intersting to say the least. I knew that relocating was going to be some work but I'm suprised by how varied areas can be from one street to the next. Best of luck!

Wow, I am glad I took the time to read through your comment. I am planning to relocate to GA, particulary Lawrenceville, from the advice of a friend. I will definitely do my homework and look into other areas within Gwinnett County before deciding. And I will definitely rent for a while before buying so that I can really get to the areas. Thanks for the info.
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