Finding land just north of Atlanta, GA

[Dave D]

Hi,

I'm currently living just north of Atlanta near Gainesville, GA and have been investigating the purchase of a land/home package in the Hall, Jackson, Gwinnett,
Dawson and Lumpkin county areas. Talking to the local dealers so far, all I have heard is how tough it is to find land. While this is not suprising, I'm wondering how much is hype to stir the buyer up to purchase quick and take what they can get and how much is truth. I'd really like to be able to find some folks that actually put together manufactured home communities in this counties, but haven't been successful to date. Anyone have any suggestions? Also, any recommendations on manufactured homes and brands in this area?

Thanks,

Dave in Oakwood GA

[rmurray]

Check out the thread of conversation dated 7/4...The first post is titled "Lot cost - Mr. Murray's Opinion".
Tracy has done all the work in this area..She knows what is available and probably will respond to e-mail..This subdivision she has found sounds nice to me..

Good Luck

[Tracy]

Hey, Dave - No, I DON'T believe the dealers are blowing smoke about the scarcity of unrestricted land in north Georgia. I've been looking for MONTHS and have just about given up. If you DO find a piece of land, you'd better jump on it immediately - I mean THAT DAY ! The development I was inquiring about in my July 4th posting is called Sherwood Forest. Developers are Mariah Construction - (706) 864-9083. Don't know if you're looking for an actual subdivision, but this is nice because all lots are at least 1.5 acres - many look larger than that. The large hardwoods make the place very pretty. The houses already there are nice - homes must be double-wides or triple-wides. I've pretty much decided that the 50-mile commute is not manageable for me, but let me know what you think about the place.

[Dave D]

Tracey,

I've been up there as well as a couple other places just off of HWY 400. Not sure where you're driving to, but of the other two, one has paved driveways and one does not, but offers a 20" X 20" Steel garage with gravel driveways in a beautiful area.

I am driving down to the I-285 and Peachtree Industrial Intersection, so it's not an impossible drive for me, but I don't want to have to drive out from the Sherwood Forest subdivision, it's just too far, but the other two outfits are acceptable. I have some information you'll probably be interested in, email me a phone number or I can send you mine if you wish, we can share notes, I'm still about a year I think from buying a home, saving the money now. But will see how it goes. I wonder why manufacturers don't simply buy the land themselves and partner with contractors to finish it out for them.

Dave in Oakwood

[Tracy]

Hey, Dave - I just remembered another development that might interest you. It's up at Carter's Lake - a place called Talking Rock Creek (if I remember correctly) and it's actually in 3 counties: Gordon, Gilmer and Murray. It's a 7500 acre development on a mountain. It's kind of an unusual place - there are manufactured homes there along with site-built houses and cabins. There's also a part of it reserved for RV's. They also have tennis courts and a pool which I never did go look at, but it's not your typical swim/tennis community. I'd call it "wild and woolly." If you like rustic living, this place is for you. The roads go up this steep mountain that made me wonder how anybody ever hauled a mobile home up there,but they're all over the place. There's no manicured type of lots - they're mostly in a very natural state. I looked at a lot back in January that was close to the top and very beautiful for only $6000 - it was a one acre lot - very heavily wooded, but the bumpy road with the sheer drop-off would've scared me off if the long commute (60 miles) hadn't. If you've got a 4-wheel drive vehicle, it wouldn't be a problem. There's a $250 a year homeowners association fee and it IS a gated community, but I think the gate is mainly to keep hunters out. It appears to be a rather loosely-governed place as far as the HOA goes, which is good ,in my book. I got the impression that everybody minds his own business so I think the main purpose of the dues is to keep the road halfway negotiable. I don't have the phone number but any real estate agent in those parts could probably give it to you. I also talked to a real estate agent in the Gainesville area that you might want to call - her name is Wanda Campbell - 770-533-6703 - she told me about a 3/4 acre lot in the Lake Lanier area for $27000 that had an old house on it that would have to be demolished. This was several weeks ago, so I doubt that it's still available but you never know. Hope you have better luck finding something than I've had!

[rmurray]

If manufacturers did what you suggest...you would be limited to the home you got...Some manufacturers have done developments in parts of the country...but have a terrible time justifying the cost and time involved..

Horton Homes opened a developement in Augusta...Their lack of expertise and market knowledge shows...They took a nicely wooded tract and clear cut it so there are now NO trees...subdivided to 1/4 acre lots...in an area where everyone wants 5 acres...placed 13 models in inventory...been open about a year...no sales yet..

It will take subdivision developers to do this right...Unfortunately they do not understand manufactured homes well...When ever they try to develope with manufactured homes..they fail..

[Tracy]

NOTHING looks good on a 1/4 acre lot! NOTHING! And because of the rather plain exteriors of most manufactured homes, you've GOT to have trees and enough land around them to make the total package pleasing to the eye. A modest house (manufactured or site-built) can look very inviting if the lot it sits on is beautiful. I'm not a tree-hugger, but trees make ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the overall attractiveness of a home. Horton Homes should've known better.