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  1. #1

    Moving to the Triangle - Real Estate insanity

    Hi all. Just looking for some advice here. My family of 5 will be moving out of Vegas and into the triangle region early next summer. We are trying to get a nice house/property but I don’t know much about the areas outside of Durham. Budget is about $400k for a home. Cary seems nice but way too expensive. Apex/holly springs seem great as well. What I am looking for is an area that has great homes for a great price but also in a good area. I read fuquay might fit the description...any opinions?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Maybe a moot point if you are working from home. Is there a distance to the office/place of work that matters?

    Most of the time, “everything” is about 20 minutes away between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

    Do schools matter?
    Wake County historically has done a lot of reassignments due to growth.

    Apex, Cary, Fuquay, Holly Springs, North Raleigh are all pretty nice.

    Your price point will still buy a decent home, prices are rising and most homes on the market don’t stay on the market long.

    I can refer you to a friend who is an excellent real estate agent.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Earth
    As a fellow Ohio transplant familiar with western Wake County, I will tell you my next house will be in the point of NE Chatham County. The median home in Cary is $385K per Zillow, and you should be able to get a nice 2000 SF place on your budget in Cary/Morrisville/Apex.

    Do you need public schools? You can afford western Wake County and possibly Chapel Hill-Carrboro on that budget. If you plan to drive your kids to a private school everyday, you have a lot more flexibility.

    Office location(s). Be aware that getting out of RTP is a nightmare between 4:00 and 6:30 in all directions and all major roads. If you are considering Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, I would also look at Orange County and slightly west. Elon will be a common commute to RTP sooner than people want to admit. (Elon is way outside the area right now.)

    Snow. Good news - this area shuts down with a 35 degree rain. Bad news - we don't have good snow clearing services. There is a distinct snow difference from NW to SE. Cary probably wins in snow clearing. Chapel Hill is probably 2nd. Raleigh and Durham are awful.

    Good luck.
    Last edited by duke2x; 08-10-2020 at 12:48 AM.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by LasVegas View Post
    Hi all. Just looking for some advice here. My family of 5 will be moving out of Vegas and into the triangle region early next summer. We are trying to get a nice house/property but I don’t know much about the areas outside of Durham. Budget is about $400k for a home. Cary seems nice but way too expensive. Apex/holly springs seem great as well. What I am looking for is an area that has great homes for a great price but also in a good area. I read fuquay might fit the description...any opinions?
    Knowing where you will work can help. Some places are better for RTP, some for downtown Raleigh or Durham, etc.

    Every area has a very different feel about it. I would really recommend trying to get a feel for each area. Visit the major shopping centers. Try driving around during morning and evening rush hours. I'm partial to the country/county life myself and live in the Swift Creek unincorporated area just south or Raleigh, east of Cary, Apex, north of Fuquay and west of Garner. It's a special watershed area around the backup water supply for Raleigh (Lake Wheeler). All lots are close to an acre due to watershed restrictions. Very easy commute to downtown Raleigh (where i used to commute before COVID-19). Older houses are more affordable (under $400k and sell fast), but many newer ones are pushing past $600-700k. Best part is that it's part of the Neuse river basin, so you don't have to deal with the crap that flows from Chapel Hill (unlike Apex, Holly Springs and Fuquay)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by duke2x View Post
    As a fellow Ohio transplant familiar with western Wake County, I will tell you my next house will be in the point of NE Chatham County. The median home in Cary is $385K per Zillow, and you should be able to get a nice 2000 SF place on your budget in Cary/Morrisville/Apex.

    Do you need public schools? You can afford western Wake County and possibly Chapel Hill-Carrboro on that budget. If you plan to drive your kids to a private school everyday, you have a lot more flexibility.

    Office location(s). Be aware that getting out of RTP is a nightmare between 4:00 and 6:30 in all directions and all major roads. If you are considering Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, I would also look at Orange County and slightly west. Elon will be a common commute to RTP sooner than people want to admit. (Elon is way outside the area right now.)

    Snow. Good news - this area shuts down with a 35 degree rain. Bad news - we don't have good snow clearing services. There is a distinct snow difference from NW to SE. Cary probably wins in snow clearing. Chapel Hill is probably 2nd. Raleigh and Durham are awful.

    Good luck.
    I'm not sure snow removal should be a big determining factor. The Triangle averages about six inches of snow per year. Just relax and enjoy the day off.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    I'm not sure snow removal should be a big determining factor. The Triangle averages about six inches of snow per year. Just relax and enjoy the day off.
    I never saw snow in my life before I went up to Duke on Angier Duke weekend my senior year in HS. There was a foot on the ground -- hoo-boy!! Turned out, that was about the total for my four years at Duke.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    I'm not sure snow removal should be a big determining factor. The Triangle averages about six inches of snow per year. Just relax and enjoy the day off.
    Proximity to bread and milk stores is much more important!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Just wanted to be the first to say it, LV, but you're gonna have to change your DBR moniker to remain "location-appropriate."
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Rent free in tarheels’ heads
    We lived in Durham for 11 years but then moved to western Wake County for better public schools once they got thru elementary school. We still love Durham and all that it has to offer culturally (though not quite so much right now). But the middle school situation made it tough to justify staying any longer than we did.

    We didn’t get too worked up about reassignment issues in Wake. It hasn’t been a big deal and the kids have liked their schools - as much as any kid can actually like a school. We’ve enjoyed being over here and the 540 extension makes everything very accessible. I passed thru Holly Springs and Fuquay last weekend and was blown away by the amount of development. Again, the 540 extension makes the rest of the triangle reasonably accessible from those communities. I don’t know much about the schools in that part of Wake but the state website with school test scores and rankings could be somewhat helpful.

    We looked at Orange County/Chapel Hill but it just didn’t seem like a great value to us. And know that the Chapel Hill School district is distinct from the Orange County school district. Living in Orange County does not necessarily mean you gain access to “top” schools. We also were not excited about the lack of diversity in that area in general but that’s obviously a personal preference.

    One note about Chatham County. We carefully considered a couple of communities in Chatham. The prices in northern Chatham mirror the prices you’ll see in southern Durham County. It can be attractive. But, again, the school situation is a bit of a toss up in Chatham. In the end, Wake seemed like the best choice for us even though it was the last area we considered and did come with a premium over Durham and Chatham counties.

    Happy to answer any questions if you want to PM me.
    “Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr. Rosenrosen View Post
    We lived in Durham for 11 years but then moved to western Wake County for better public schools once they got thru elementary school. We still love Durham and all that it has to offer culturally (though not quite so much right now). But the middle school situation made it tough to justify staying any longer than we did.

    We didn’t get too worked up about reassignment issues in Wake. It hasn’t been a big deal and the kids have liked their schools - as much as any kid can actually like a school. We’ve enjoyed being over here and the 540 extension makes everything very accessible. I passed thru Holly Springs and Fuquay last weekend and was blown away by the amount of development. Again, the 540 extension makes the rest of the triangle reasonably accessible from those communities. I don’t know much about the schools in that part of Wake but the state website with school test scores and rankings could be somewhat helpful.

    We looked at Orange County/Chapel Hill but it just didn’t seem like a great value to us. And know that the Chapel Hill School district is distinct from the Orange County school district. Living in Orange County does not necessarily mean you gain access to “top” schools. We also were not excited about the lack of diversity in that area in general but that’s obviously a personal preference.

    One note about Chatham County. We carefully considered a couple of communities in Chatham. The prices in northern Chatham mirror the prices you’ll see in southern Durham County. It can be attractive. But, again, the school situation is a bit of a toss up in Chatham. In the end, Wake seemed like the best choice for us even though it was the last area we considered and did come with a premium over Durham and Chatham counties.

    Happy to answer any questions if you want to PM me.
    As an aside that western Wake County 540 extension is a toll road. Matters more to some than others, I suspect. For someone born and raised in North Carolina, it's a bit jarring. Toll roads are a northern thing. Or used to be.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by LasVegas View Post
    Hi all. Just looking for some advice here. My family of 5 will be moving out of Vegas and into the triangle region early next summer. We are trying to get a nice house/property but I don’t know much about the areas outside of Durham. Budget is about $400k for a home. Cary seems nice but way too expensive. Apex/holly springs seem great as well. What I am looking for is an area that has great homes for a great price but also in a good area. I read fuquay might fit the description...any opinions?
    It is traditional, when someone moves to the Triangle, to throw a big tailgate pre-party at your home. So, somewhere with a big backyard and somewhat close to campus would be appreciated by all here I am sure.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    It is traditional, when someone moves to the Triangle, to throw a big tailgate pre-party at your home. So, somewhere with a big backyard and somewhat close to campus would be appreciated by all here I am sure.
    Bring your own mask.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    Bring your own mask.
    At this rate, you may need to bring your own football teams as well.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    When we were moving from Winston Salem to Raleigh in 1979 due to my promotion, we moved to Smithfield, 30 miles east of Raleigh, in Johnston Co. It was her home town and real estate was much cheaper, considering home loan interest rates had just gone to 15-17%, and we got a special deal for only 12.5%. Yippee! Fortunately, you are looking more in the 3% range, so not a big deal. Oh, we bought a 2000 square ft. house for $64,500. Not missing a zero there. My ex sold it last fall for ~$175K. Schools in Wake Co are better than Johnston Co., although my daughter and now my grand kids are doing fine (my daughter moved her family back to Smithfield, from the Boone area, in 2012, and bought their house 2 years ago.

    I know I'm not really contributing anything helpful here as far as making your decision.

    Greensboro has some very nice residential areas. It's 60 miles west from Durham and 90 miles from Durham, via I-40. Alamance County, the Burlington/Elon area, is growing by leaps and bounds and is 30ish miles west of Durham.

    Happy house hunting!
    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
    9F 9F 9F
    https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com

  15. #15
    I'd check out Hillsborough. Seems like a nice little town & getting better.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Dur'm
    Nobody has mentioned Durham, so I will. I like living here. It's close to most things that matter (including work), but not crowded. It's less expensive than the neighbors. There are plenty of good areas with very good public schools (as in, win national awards good), and at least one excellent private school, if that's your thing. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it's a good bang for the buck and an excellent community.

  17. #17
    Thanks for this thread. My sister has a final interview in Raleigh next week and is interested in these same issues. She lived in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh, but it was over twenty years ago. The job is located between Raleigh and Durham and she keeps hearing positive things about Durham. She and her partner lived in Seattle for fifteen years and Norfolk more recently, and a comfortable place for her family and good schools for her son are definitely priorities over other considerations.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    Thanks for this thread. My sister has a final interview in Raleigh next week and is interested in these same issues. She lived in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh, but it was over twenty years ago. The job is located between Raleigh and Durham and she keeps hearing positive things about Durham. She and her partner lived in Seattle for fifteen years and Norfolk more recently, and a comfortable place for her family and good schools for her son are definitely priorities over other considerations.
    Has she looked into Morrisville?

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    Has she looked into Morrisville?
    I'm unfamiliar. I will check it out. She's not really researching too much until the job is a reality.

  20. #20
    What is so interesting to me about the Triangle is how different each area is. Durham to me is the UNC-CH of cities in the Triangle. I don't understand why people like it and I would never want to go there. However, the people that like Durham really like Durham.

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