Hi Samantha Hodges send me a Email and I can show you around I am a Real Estate Agent with Platnium Real Estate located in College Park GA. cbattleloan@gmail.com and I can start sending you some info on homes. around what time fram are you looking at to make your move?

Hello:I am a resident of South Fulton myself and love it!!!! First you need an agent that knows the area very well(like me!!!). There is beautiful developments near College Park that have many amenities and are located in the suburbs.There is also many options when it comes to schools(both public and private).If you like Historic Districts, there is many around and they are so interesting and quaint.I would love to help you.Give me a call or email.Ana Ramiscal.

Hello. First, know that I do understand the Atlanta area, having been here my whole life. Most everyone seems to be afraid to state the obvious in these answers. No matter what you do, stay away from College Park. It is the ghetto. You will get robbed at night. (I'm sure people will get mad and say "How can you stereotype like that!" But we all know it's true.) Nobody on this posting would feel safe sending their teenage daughter on a quick errand to the store at night anywhere near College Park. While it sounds like you are working in College Park, don't live there. Commute in.
For your price range, you can't beat the Virginia Highlands area or even the West Midtown/Atlantic Station/GA Tech area. Maybe as convenient would be Vinings or Smyrna (you can still buy TONS of house in Smyrna and be very convenient to 285, which will quickly shoot you down to the College Park area.) In Atlanta one of the most important factors is commute time. Before you buy, make sure you drive your morning drive from the potential house to your place of work to see what you're in for.
I hope this helps!
Nathan

Samantha -

I came here from NYC/LI back in '93, Atlanta is nice enough but it's not NYC.

At that price point you should stay in and around areas of demonstrated value retention. Given the academic reference, you will probably find areas around Emory and Ogelthorpe attractive. Your first consideration given your price range is getting an area with economic stability. The Atlanta media and real estate community has a habit of pumping up different areas as "the next best thing" and that often falls flat. The condo market in Atlanta is a train wreck - do not consider it. I'd also shy away from chasing foreclosures - again, why would you drop that kind of money in an area full of foreclosed homes. Don't get sucked into the vortex of the "new" community - ask how Atlantic Station is doing....

This is a market in which long term success is acheived by returning to the fundamentals. Any agent worth their salt can outline areas of the city where you would be fine to buy a home in that price range. My opinion (based on 15 years of appraisal and sales experience in this market) is that College Park isn't one of them. Here's a "heat map" you might be interested in: http://www.hrmiller.com/atlanta-heat-map.asp

I'm happy to offer more specific opinions, let me know if you need anything - thanks

Hank Miller, SRA, ABR
Associate Broker & Certified Appraiser
Prudential Georgia Realty
678-428-8276

Good Morning Samantha,

College Park is very close to Atlanta. Coming from NYC the transition will be more enjoyable if you stay close to the City of Atlanta. I would suggest you look into the neighborhoods of Virginia Highlands, Morningside, and Midtown. The drive would be less than 15 minutes and you would be in an area with stable property values and a high quality of life (meaning you won't live in your car.) Typically the price range for a single family would start between $400,000 and $500,000 but there are some incredible opportunities now. Condo's start in the $100's for a one bedroom and $200's for two bedrooms. New luxury high rise condos are also very affordable.

Do you live in the NYC now or in the suburbs? Feel free to call me with any questions.

Kevin Harden
404-388-8723

Hi Samantha,

I grew up in College Park and know a good bit about the area. Please take a moment to check my website. I have some great listings that may be of interest to you in areas that could work. They are quality new -construction homes and are quite the bargain, being foreclosures and such. Congrats on moving to ATL! I believe you'll love it here. Feel free to call or pop me an email and I'd be happy to connect you with some real deals. I've been focusing on foreclosed new construction homes lately and boy are they plentiful!

Take care!
Jana Bryant
Coldwell Banker
404-409-1351

Hi Samantha - I just reread your question and realized you are looking for a diverse Suburb with good schools.
I'd recommend you contact Curtis Williamson below (Also a TruliaPRO Agent ) since he specializes in the Peachtree City Area. Peachtree City is in Fayette County, but different from the nice city of Fayeteville.

They have great schools and I believe also have a satellite Campus of Woodward Academy. If you are looking for a nice golf riding community, this would be the one. I agree with Mr. Curtis Williamson, the area you a going to be working in has many nice homes, little downtown shopping areas and great access to Marta/Rail transportation. College Park has many phenomenal renovated Craftsman bungalows. See the link below for information on the homes located there:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/collegepark

Best to you on your house-hunting endeavors and please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Kind Regards,
Ramiro Garcia | http://www.GrantParkExpert.com

Samantha
College Park, Hapeville, East Point is known as the tricities area. There are many areas that have been or are being renovated (1940 to 1960 built homes), plus new homes.
You also have the south fulton area ( fairburn, union city, palmetto) and you can go over into Fayette or Coweta county ( both of which are close). You have a choice of homes on 1/4 to 1/2 acres lots to homes on 1 to 5 acre lots. The best school system is Fayette county followed by Coweta county. There are also numerous private schools.

Samantha,

Newnan and Coweta County are great areas for you to consider.

There are some wonderful communities for you to choose from and the schools are good.

Here is a link to a few homes that meet your search requirements in that area.

http://idxpro.cisdata.net/AR221683/Search/custom_link/?ss_id=79417

If you need a buyers agent to help you relocate feel free to contact me. I'm a relocation specialist with the Cartus Network. Cartus is one of the largest relocation companies in the world!

Samantha: Historic College Park has many beautiful Craftsman Bungalows and quality infill construction. Woodward Academy is located in College Park. Interesting that others have mentioned areas South of College Park, but you may want to consider intown Atlanta with great schools. You'd be taking a reverse commute heading to College Park from intown Atlanta.

We've worked very hard with our public schools in Grant Park and have several charter schools and traditional public schools. We can find you a very nice house in Grant Park in the 400-500K range in Grant Park. http://www.NeighborhoodCharter.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. As you can see we've worked extensively here with education - my wife being the founding director of the Grant Park Cooperatvie Preschool and our kids attending our local Charter Schools.

-Ramiro Garcia
http://www.GrantParkExpert.com
http://www.DweLLintown.com

Samantha,

Welcome to Trulia!

Sometimes the best ways to see how diverse an area is, is by checking the schools, so please follow the links my colleagues have listed. If you do end up in College Park, make sure you select someone who actively works in that area. I happen to have a partner in that area that I would love to connect you with. As for schools in that area I would recommend checking out the private schools.

Good Luck!

Hello Samantha.

You will find http://www.greatschools.net most helpful in respect to school information. You can also search my website for homes and even make a homefinder account that you can customize on exactly what you are looking for and the system will email you upon you saving your criteria and even editing how often you wish to receive new listings.Congrats on the move, please call me if I can be of furhter assistance.
Sincerely,
Tori Lawson

Hi:

I agree fully that http://www.schoolmatters.com is a great website to go onto. Another great website is http://www.greatschools.com. This website compares all types of schools be it private or public education. There are plenty of diverse neighborhoods within 15 minutes of College Park and closer in. Obviously it takes a personal look to know if it is the right area for you. Also in whether you want to be in a more urban format versus suburban format of living. My website, http://www.dmceachern.com, gives a lot of information about the area under the heading of Area Links. Also the website, http://www.knowatlanta.com can give tons of information on the metro Atlanta area. If you have further questions please contact me.

Hello Ms. Hodges,

There are several homes in South Fulton County that meet the criteria that you've described. You may want to visit http://www.SchoolMatters.com for detailed information on schools in the area. The site will allow you to pick and compare schools based upon performance on standardized tests. You can also determine the level of diversity at each school there too.

As you may know, real estate professionals can search for homes based on your preferred high school cluster, so the options are plentiful. I invite you to start your search for homes by using the MLS link below and call on me if I can be of any assistance toward a smooth transition into the metro Atlanta area.