Real Reasons not to move in Buford

Buford, Georgia is a booming town here in North Georgia. There are so many people that are desperate to live in this town for several reasons, but there might be a few reasons you would want to avoid living there.

As an agent and team leader here in the North Georgia suburbs, my team and I specialize in helping families from all across the country relocate here, and I would say about 8 out of 10 times, when people reach out, they mention that they think Buford would be a great place to live, and I do agree, it is a pretty awesome town.

There is a tiny portion of Buford that is in Hall county, but majority of it lies in Gwinnett County. It also sits on the south end of Lake Lanier, which is a big part of the town’s charm. There is great shopping, great schools, and it’s in a pretty fantastic location. So why wouldn’t you want to live here?

The first and probably biggest reason you might not consider living in Buford is the cost of homes. As I’ve mentioned in previous videos, Buford is expensive. Now, it’s not as pricey as towns like Cumming or Alpharetta, but if you have a more reserved budget, you might find that Buford is a bit out of your price range. The median sales price of homes in Buford in September 2021 was just under $400,000. Prices will also fall on the higher side if you are in the Buford City School district as well, since there is a massive demand to be in this district since these are some of the highest rated schools in the state.

You’re also going to have to pay more than $400,000 if you want to be on Lake Lanier in Buford as well. Depending on where you are relocating from though, you might think that this median sales price is really not all that high. Many clients are so pleased to find out how far their money stretches here, when they come from more expensive states like California or Florida.

However, some people automatically assume that since the median sales price of a home in Georgia is lower than the national average, that every part of the state will be super affordable, and depending on your budget, that’s just not the case.

Another reason you may not choose to move to Buford is, well, you might not be able to find a home! Inventory is very limited in Buford because like I mentioned earlier, demand is so high. At the time of filming this video, there are currently 133 homes for sale in Buford, and only 30 of those are in Buford City School district.

By the time you factor out the listings that are just parcels of land, the ones that aren’t in your price range, aren’t big enough or are maybe even too big, it’s slim pickings. You will notice a lot of new construction coming to Buford, because developers want to capitalize on the demand for the area obviously. 

That leads me to my next reason as to why you may not want to move to Buford. This area is constantly growing and changing. There are new construction neighborhoods, new stores and shopping complexes and restaurants popping up all the time. Buford recently got a new Sprouts grocery store and a Top Golf, which is an indoor golfing experience that’s hugely popular. Of course there is already the huge Mall of Georgia, not to mention the no less than 15 car dealerships, and all of the stores and strip malls. If you are not on board with a lot of growth or changes, or want to be in more of a rural area, Buford might not be the place for you. Luckily enough, there are plenty of towns around Buford that can give you a more rural feel, but growth and expansion is happening everywhere you look these days here north of Atlanta. With all of this growth comes traffic, so if you classify that as a reason not to move, then add that to your list as well.

I wouldn’t consider this a reason not to move here, but it is something that surprises some people, so I did want to mention it. Many people have this idea of Georgia that everyone here is of the same race, religion, income bracket, and political affiliation and that my friends, is simply not true. Buford is a melting pot of all of these different things. There may be some smaller towns around the state that might fit the mold of that stereotype, but that won’t be the case in Buford or any of the towns surrounding it, especially the closer you get to Atlanta. 

What do you think? Would any of these things keep you from buying a home in Buford? If you are still interested in learning more about the town, check out this other video on my channel about the best neighborhoods in Buford.