I actually wrote this on my phone during Garrett's ice skating lesson yesterday. I needed to play with it a little more before unleashing it on the public...
Location, Quality of Life, Location
It's time for Garrett's (mostly) weekly private ice skating lesson. These are done during public skating sessions, so there is always lots going on... Garrett always jokes about the figure skaters... girls without pants (remember, he's 4). But, I digress...
The point is that I drive 30 minutes or so to get here, twice a week, once for his lesson and once for hockey practice. We also have season tickets for the Atlanta Thrashers, and drive about 30 minutes the other way go to games. My wife goes into her office about once a week... also downtown, and about 30minutes away. I visit my office once every week or two... about 45 minutes the other way. We have balanced where we live with the needs that we have to be in different parts of town.
Oddly (or not), we love where we live because we are in the center of our world. As I counsel clients when buying a home, we talk about their "wheres." Where do they work? Where do they play? Where do they have commitments. And it is different for every person.
Some may need to live close to work, others may work from home. Some have family members that they need to be able to attend to, others want proximity to a certain school. It's different for every person.
If you are a buyer, one thing to keep in mind is your "where." There is an allure with the bigger homes further out in the suburbs. Every metropolitan area has them. Same price, 50% more home... But there is more of a price. Forget the cost of gas... It can certainly be a variable to consider... But there is something much more important.
Quality of Life
I love driving. I love road trips. Some of my best memories are hitting the road with my family or friends and seeing the world. Commuting is NOT a road trip. 
None of my best stories start with "I was stuck on I-85 in traffic..." I would rather spend that time doing other things. I would rather mow the grass than sit in rush hour traffic.
Sure, there are ways to turn that time into productive time... but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be better spent playing with my kids, talking with my wife or even relaxing.
That is one of the reasons I like Lilburn so much. It is convenient to downtown Atlanta. The homes are a good value. The school clusters are rated quite highly. There are a host of recreational opportunities. From the Mountain Park Pool and Lilburn Town Park to Stone Mountain Park and two different Moe's restaurants (I like Moe's...), Lilburn presents a very compelling case as a way to have great quality of life, a nice house at a reasonable price and a convenient location.
If you are new to the Atlanta area, let's talk about Gwinnett County and Lilburn. If you are in the area, you already know about it... and we can find you a great new place.
From the new LilburnDwellings.com.
