That has to be the most tired and over-used statement in real estate.  But there is a problem with it…  It kind of died as a truism.

The idea behind that statement is that homes in the right area could bring more money.  And that has always been true…  But there is a big donut hole in the theory…

People go to where they can get the house they want…

Even Clark Howard says that.  Look at the Gwinnett County market or the Atlanta area market.  Up until a couple of years ago, buyers would drive out from the center of town until they could find the house they could afford with the amenities they wanted.  Twenty years ago that was “way out” in Lawrenceville or Duluth.  Ten years ago that was Dacula or Buford.  Just a couple of years ago it was Loganville or Flowery Branch.  I would imagine that forty years ago it was Lilburn and Peachtree Corners.

But then last summer gas prices skyrocketed… there were shortages.  People started to look at their lifestyles and the cost of living 40 miles from Atlanta… and working close-in.  And there is a major cost… not just gas, but time as well.

That is one of the reasons my wife and I settled in Lilburn eight years ago.  She worked in Midtown and I worked near Northlake.  Later she worked near Perimeter Center… now she has clients in Midtown again.  She can make it all of the way to the Atlanta Station area in 20 minutes.

We also have to go the other way…  Garrett is playing ice hockey at the Duluth Ice Forum.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there.  And then there were the Thrasher’s Season Tickets… 30 minutes to Philips Arena.  My wife’s parents in Sugar Hill… 30 minutes.

We have found that this is an excellent location to get anywhere in Gwinnett County or into Atlanta easily.  We have at least three ways to get almost anyplace… so we can drive around the traffic.

The best part is that prices here are quite reasonable.  There are areas with homes under $100k that are quite nice.  There are luxury homes knocking on $1m.  There are loads of options in between.

And the other best part is the schools.  Lilburn is the Home of Parkview, and a few parts are severed by Brookwood.  These are a couple of the best clusters in Gwinnett County… and Georgia.  They have both ranked well for decades.

If this area of Gwinnett County sounds like someplace you’d like to call home, give me a call, Tweet, IM, email… whatever.  I know some great homes for sale here.

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