When you are deciding where to buy a home in Atlanta you can use this simplest method of search possible. It is as easy as this if you don’t have a specific location to which you want to move:

1. Spread the map on a table, close your eyes and throw a dart at the map. Where the dart lands, move there.

2. Ask your friends if they know any place around Atlanta. They probably have an obscure Aunt that lives in some suburb around Atlanta, move there. This method saves the hole in your coffee table from the dart.

3. Look on Google maps, or overhead satellite mapping and pick a spot.

4. Read about Atlanta and a great new bar, move around the block.

Okay, all kidding aside with the presence that real estate now has on the internet, it is no big deal to get the information that you need to make an educated decision.

When looking for properties in Atlanta, my clients tell me that they are searching based on the following criteria:

1. School scores – easily found on county websites
2. Demographics for people similar to them – found on census bureau
3. Shopping – found by googling
4. Easy access to where they work – found by mapquest
5. Airport location and access to other transportation – found by mapquest
6. Area that they can afford – found on Realtor.com
7. County that has low taxes – found on county websites looking at millage rates
8. Sometimes based on cultural events and surroundings – found on Atlanta Access and Kudzu.com websites
9. Whether they want mature landscaping or cleared land – found on Realtor.com looking at pictures of homes and their surroundings
10. Whether they want a social neighborhood with pool and tennis – found on Realtor.com

Once you have investigated these areas, my real estate clients tell me that it becomes obvious to them where they need to be to put down roots in Atlanta. Hopefully this will work for you as well. As you go through the list of 10 things to search, I think that you will be able to also identify what is really most important to you on the list. You will then have your top three criteria to focus on.

Once you have decided where you want to be, let a real estate agent set up a search for you on their MLS (multiple listing service) so that you can be notified of new homes as they come on the market. This MLS “gateway” is a free service and is very valuable when it comes to getting an education and ultimately buying something. The system works based on your price range, location and criteria so as a house falls into your price range, you are sent an email. This is very effective and every buyer should be on this system. We do this for all of our buyers and it has really helped them by keeping them in the loop and thus they are able to make a quicker decision after they have received enough education. It always buyers to make their search more efficient, informed and focused.