Another S. Floridian needs advice on moving to the Griffin area (Atlanta: apartment, homeowners association)

[KitCat20]

Yes, another one of us! My husband and I work for a large corporation whose latin american division is located in Miami, Florida (our current home). We may be offered a transfer to Griffin, Georgia. I'm trying to do the research with this possible move that we didn't do with the move to Miami. We really got screwed on cost of living and quality of life when we came to Miami. I won't go into details because so many of the other posts hit the nail on the head. Can I ask some questions of those knowledgeable about the Griffin area?

- Can you recommend where we might look for a home that fits our needs/wants?
- How are the public schools there? How are the private schools and the cost?
- What areas should we definitely avoid (because of crime, cost, schools, neighborhoods on the downturn, etc.)
- How is the quality of life in the "suburbs" of Atlanta (Giffin area)? Are people friendly and honest? Is it easy to get things accomplished (get to the grocery store, get a plumber to show up at your house, get good service at a restaurant, etc.)?
- How's traffic in the Griffin area?
- Are there old/historic homes to purchase in the Griffin area? Or is it mainly newer construction? (In Peoria, we lived in a Craftsman bungalow built in 1918 and loved it's character and quality.)
- How common are three-car garages? (Muscle cars are my husband's hobby, so we need lots of parking space and working space).
- How common are basements in Georgia? Do the homes with basements cost significantly more?
- How common are homes with pools in Georgia?
- How does managing the landscape/yards in Georgia compare to South Florida versus the midwest?

Here's a little background on my family and our needs/wants.
We need a single family home. We have a 10 month old daughter, so we may or may not be in Georgia long enough to worry about schools. We have a nanny we'd like to bring with us and we'd like to buy a home with a separate apartment or in-law suite for the nanny to be a live-in. We're not big city people. We feel comfortable in small cities or big towns. We like a comfortable lifestyle, but we don't need to keep up with the Jones. We're fine not living in the areas that are considered to be the best. We just want a safe, affordable, friendly neighborhood without a long, frustrating commute to and from work each day. Although we can put up with a homeowners association and regulations, we don't wan't a neighborhood with an overboard homeowners association. We love old homes, but we're not at a point in life where we can do major remodeling because we just don't have the time or energy.

I really appreciate any advice or information you can share.

[GriffinGeorgia4444]

I would look for a home on Maple Dr. or College St. or within the Country Club.
Public schools are horrible & continue to spiral downward.
One private school in Griffin: Griffin Christian Academy--affordable.
People are very friendly in Griffin, but it is a small town with a lot of small town gossip.
There are many older homes in Griffin. Maple Dr & College St are where you should begin looking.
3 car garages are not extremely common, but most of the residential lot sizes are bigger than in Atlanta, providing extra space to build additional storage/garage.
Basements & pools are both very common.
Yards are not too bad..in the summer you probably need to mow once a week, maybe less. And all the grass is on red GA clay! GA has been experiencing a lot of droughts lately too.
Hope this helps!