Moving to Georgia...need info on Johns Creek, Roswell, Milton areas

[msg73]

I might be relocating to Georgia and wanted see if I can get some local intel on some nice areas to live north of Atlanta. I have 4 elementary aged children and will be working out of Buckhead. Could anyone give me some good areas to help narrow down my search?

I've been researching Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Roswell and Milton areas and am looking for the following characteristics:

- Commute to Buckhead (near Lenox Square) less than 1 hour.

- Safe, family oriented neighborhood. Swim/tennis/golf amenities preferable

- Very good schools

- Min 1/2 acre lot. 3/4+ acre preferred

- 5000+ sqft home

- 700k-900k price range

I see a lot of higher end houses on the market for over a year at times. Are they overpriced or are homes just not selling?

Thanks,

Mike

Edited August 16, 2014 by msg73

[Braxton1]

I am not good on real estate, but Zillow.com is your friend.

Are you thinking public schools? A LOT of people who can afford it in Atlanta just send their kids to private schools. The price ranges extend to upwards of $20k per year, but that is the absolute high range.

The commute down Georgia 400 is spotty. There are a LOT of folks trying to do the same thing at the same time as you are. MARTA (the public transport) trains are pretty nice and there is the North Springs station that would serve your area and there is another train station right at Lenox. (MARTA buses are scary; the trains are pretty good.)

Hope to shoot with you when you get here!

[Jadeslade]

For that price range, you might want to check out Stone Mountain or Lithonia area. One of the major PITA commutes in the entire US, to Buckhead as Braxton alluded to. You can sometimes find a rental over the hill (Roxboro Rd and environs) but for family, stick to suburbs. If you are from Atlanta (I say that loosely, since almost nobody is actually from Atlanta) its easier to find stuff in areas you might not expect south of the city, puts you on opposite side of town. What I mean is, it is hard to picture things until you spend some road time. People commute from Canton, so good luck, I'm sure you will find something, there is a lot out there. Powder Springs area can be good. Good luck!

[jroback]

I think the first step for you should be be to determine public vs private schools for your kids. People who come from the northeast, in general, expect more from public schools than you are going to find in Atlanta. We bit the bullet and sent our two kids to private schools, near Buckhead. But it will run you $20-25k/year/kid. If you are set on public school, there are only a few communities (mostly northern suburbs in Cobb County and some parts of Gwinnett County) that have truly good public schools. Hope that helps. PM me if you want more info.

[ron169]

I'm from south Georgia. In my experience, as an outsider looking in, plus visiting several schools in the area with our football team, I would suggest Gwinnett county. Don't know commit time from there to buckhead though.

[jroback]

Its all trade-offs. If you have the money, Atlanta private schools and a home near Buckhead will give you the best of all worlds. If you go for the best public schools, then you deal with commuting in via 78 (south Gwinnett), 85 (north Gwinnett), 400 or 75 (east Cobb), which are all rough, although hundreds of thousands do it every day. You will also get more home for your money with this second option.

[msg73]

Thanks for the responses. With 4 kids, I can't afford to send them all to private schools. So, I'm willing to deal with the longer commute if it means living in a better public school district. Milton seems to all have larger lots (1+ acres). Any cons to living there?

[jroback]

Been there with the kids for baseball games, and its a nice area. If you look below, Milton HS and a few surrounding high schools are all ranked pretty highly in GA.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/georgia/rankings?int=9aa408

[Jadeslade]

Milton is nice. Fulton County. Cobb County nice also. You're in the right area. If you move, get a garage. You will appreciate it in the winter. It's the south,yes, not always warm. But way better than 90% of anywhere else! Good luck.