Gainesville, GA area moms, need help ASAP please

[mariza]

DH is wanting to move to the area, (I know there was a related thread a few weeks ago) his Step Mom and sister live here and I decided to come down for the weekend to check out the surrounding communities.
I'm in Acworth with a friend right now, but we are driving up to Gainesville later today. I'd like to see some of the communities in the area but don't know were to start. DC's are 29 months and 9 months, I want to live close to the highway, but not so close you can hear it. What should I do today and tomorrow? We are going to look around at some houses, but I really want to focus more on getting to know the area and it's amenities before I look at homes.
Any suggstions?
I've been here before, but never looked at it through the perspective of possibly living here. MIL and SIL are campaigning to get us to move, so I wanted some less biased opinions. We currently live in New England after moving there from FL last year. I didn't like FL and thought moving back to NE was it, but it is sooooo expensive! Thanks for any help/advice!

[gatorruth]

I live in Duluth and my SIL lives in Gainsville ( no kids). I am not sure the schools are great in Hall County. There is a huge influx of migrant workers (for the chicken farms) and many don't speak english (so the teachers have to work harder with those kids) at home. Forsyth county (and N. Fulton) have much better schools, FWIW. I have a realtor friend who works this area (and she may know of neighborhoods in G'vlle). Let me know if I can help.
Ruth

[JTsMom]

I'm in Buford (a little farther south). We moved here back in NOv from S. FL and we LOVE it here. People are so much friendlier, love the weather, there's tons to do, it's 100X more affordable, etc. There are a LOT of transplants here, so being from the NE, you'll feel right at home. I'm originally from Pittsburgh. One day I was at Publix, and I saw a lady in a Steelers shirt. Another lady walked up to her and told her she was from Pittsburgh too, so of course I had to chime in as well- it was pretty funny- all of us in one aisle at Publix. LOL

The downsides- the traffic, and good schools are hard to find (they do exist though).

I don't really know Gainesville that well as far as communitites go. If you are flexible about where you can buy though, you might want to check out Braselton, Jefferson, Hamilton Mill (in Dacula) and the rest of Dacula, Suwannee/Duluth/John's Creek. They are all relatively close. Depending on your price range, Alpharetta is popular as well (too pricey for my tastes, but it's nice).

You can buy a gorgeous, brand new home in all of those areas for $300-400K- 5 or 6 bedroom w/basement, in a great neighborhood, granite counters, heavy trim packages, etc.

If you decide to come a little further south, let me know and I'll rattle of what I know about specific neighborhoods- we've seen them all! We decided to rent for 1 year so we could really get a feel for the area b/c there are countless options.

Good luck!

ETA Don't know what your price range is, but you can find something in any price range- there are townhomes (brand new) from around 170-190, and million dollar homes. There are tons of things in the 2's as well.

[mariza]

Hi Ruth,
I should have specified, we are definately looking in Forsyth County. Where SIL lives, it is Gainesville, but they are in Forsyth County and MIL is also in Forsyth, but in Cumming (very confusing to me since we don't really use county designations in MA the way other areas do).
My trip this weekend is just to scope out the area and check out the different communities and shopping, distances from said communities to everything else. My MIL has already contacted her realtor, but I told him we were just getting to know the community right now and I really don't want to get wrapped up in houses.
Is there a development that you would recommed I drive around while I'm here? SIL lives in Riverstone Plantaion which is very nice, but I don't want a house as big as hers!

Mariza
Mommy to my "Thing 1" DD 1/05
and "Thing 2" DS 9/06

[gatorruth]

I can't really help with n. Forsyth, b/c I'm more familiar with S. Forsyth-- (John's Creek area like Lori said above). I'd go on line to find out what schools have the best ratings - I think I've seen a post on here a while ago about it- and then go drive around and see what you like. Sorry I can't be more help...

Ruth

[Bethann31]

I'm in Gainesville. And a realtor, so I know the area pretty well. Send your cell phone number if you want and I'll give you a call.


Beth
mom to:

Josh 3/90
Mollie 4/92
Jeffrey 12/94
Katherine 6/03

[mariza]

DH is pretty stuck on living in Forsyth County because his family is here and it would be helpful to have them close by. The only problem I have with that is the traffic concern. I will most likely be working in Atlanta and I've heard horror stories. I don't mind driving about an hour or I'm even open to MARTA, but is it unrealistic to think I could do that commute in about an hour (give or take a few minutes)?
Today MIL is taking us driving around to see the area, I want to find the local Catholic Church, daycares, schools, etc. and compare their distance to the different communities and the highway. I don't mind highway driving, but I hate having to drive more than 10 minutes to get to the highway.
I'll ask MIL about the areas that you mentioned. If we do decide to move down I think we'll be looking in the 200 range. Anything over that seems to be a lot more house than I want. I would like a one-level 4 bedroom 2-3 bath with a fireplace and an open floorplan. From what I've seen online the floorplans I like are about $200k- 250, I don't mind paying more but it seems anything more is huge and I don't want to spend my life cleaning it :)

[Twin Mom]

Your commute will really depend on where in Atlanta you are going to work. Atlanta is very spread out in terms of offices and lots of different parts of town are considered "Atlanta". I would recommend that you not buy a house until you and your DH know where you will be working. It's great to be near family but if your commute is a nightmare, you may not be very happy with your choice. Commuting is one of the worst parts of living in Metro Atlanta. MARTA doesn't come to Forsyth so unless you drive to a bus or train station, it probably won't be an option for you. If you can commute outside of rush hour, you will do much better. If you can't, your commute time will probably be long unless you work very close to your house.