What's the word on West Clay? (Carmel, Washington: condo, townhomes, neighborhood)

[1914BU]

Originally Posted by vankerck

I'm moving from the DC area as well and visited West Clay last week. If you've never been to Carmel, I would compare it to the Northern Virginia suburbs (I'm not familiar enough with the Maryland side), just newer and cleaner. Traffic, to be honest, was a joke. I had more traffic on I-66 tonight at 11PM than I did at rush hour in Indy. I'm sure it varies based on where you are, but we drove to downtown from Carmel at 8AM on a Friday morning and there was no traffic whatsoever. It took us 25 minutes, if I remember correctly (we didn't take Meridian, we took 465 to 65).

I personally did not like West Clay that much, but that's just a personal opinion. My husband liked it though. I loved Carmel in general and yes, I like the cookie-cutter developments. I did like the Ryland homes we saw in West Clay (loved the floor plans), I just didn't think the neighborhood was for me. It felt a bit too artificial for me and the variety of houses actually bothered me. But everyone has their own preferences, and what some like, others don't as much. Go and visit it if you have the chance. You might want to check out the builders before you go there, though, there are many of them!

Traffic is a joke here - not bad at all when compared to the east coast, the west coast and most major cities in between. There are a few areas that get kind of bad. Mainly Northeast along 69 between 465 and 116th exit. But even that is probably normal to most major metro areas.

[bookworm2768]

West Clay is an exremely overpriced and very artificial looking neighborhood. It aims to be self contained with stores and shops all within the 'subdivision' (for lack of a better word) Its a bit odd since the houses are like little doll houses with some odd colors but plenty of gorgeous detail and work put into them. A short drive through may make up your mind very quickly about whether you find it attractive or not. It is well out of the way of supermarkets and the traffic over on that side of carmel is quite congested. For the price ranges in West Clay you can probably get a larger home that is closer to things toward the central or east side of carmel.

[zenderna]

As a 3 year resident of the Village, I have to say it is fantastic

It is similar to Disney's Celebration neighborhood in Orlando, from what I understand. Like Celebration, the VOWC is unique to it's region, if not the country.

Ironically, there is a simlar TND (Traditional Neighborhood Concept) neighborhood in nearby Zionsville (Stonegate) that is worth checking out. Although Stonegate is further removed from amenities and does not have nearly the greenspace or overall appeal that the VOWC has. It is still a very nice neighborhood, unfortunately people will always compare it to the VOWC.

Back to the VOWC---it is difficult to imagine living anywhere else after living here. The architecture speaks for itself. The greenspace is a staggering 30% of the neighborhood, I believe. There are parks with play areas for children, gardens, ponds/lakes with fountains, trails, roundabouts with beautiful fountains, flowers, 3 pool and fitness centers (1 pool is by far the largest I have seen in any neighborhood with a pool). There is also a large Village Green (park) with a gazebo where the neighborhood sponsors summer concerts. It's great to be able to pack a cooler and walk or ride your bike to a park and see bands that play 60s-90s music and then walk home. Kids and adults love these concerts

We know several people who are on their 2nd house in the neighborhood---meaning they built once and decided to build again because 1) they made enough on their first Village home in a few years (this is extremely rare n Indiana where there was not a real estate boom) 2) they can not imagine wanting to live anywhere else. We are among those considereing building again---actually downsizing to one of the smaller Village homes.

The houses are closer together in the Village section, where most homes have courtyards, as opposed to traditional yards. At first, we did not like this concept because we could not imagine not having a yard or being so close to adjacent homes. But we've learned that there are so many parks/trails that children don't miss the larger yards, from what I understand. There are also many estate lots available that have traditional size yards (however these lots are now in the $200,000+ range for a 1/2 acre lot)

The only true drawback of the neighborhood is cost, in my opinion. The smaller village lots are around $90K plus. That is for a .15 to .25 acre lot in most cases. basically large enough for your house and a courtyard. The estate lots are $200K plus, a few are well over $300K. This drives cost per square foot of home up to roughly 30% more than the rest of Carmel, which is already the premium area to live in Indianaopolis. So if you want space at a reasonable cost, this is not for you.

On the filip side of that, we've seen our home in the Village appreciate 25-30% in 3 years---this is unheard of in Indiana.

When we first lived here, I couldnt have imagined living in a Village home on the smaller lots---even as quaint as the homes were. But now we are looking at selling our home on an estate lot and building or buying a Village home. They are less to maintain, more efficient use of space, lower property taxes and lower homeowners assocaition dues (in our current estate lot, we pay about $1700/yr in homeowners dues). And I would rather spend our money on travel and entertainment--- we're hardly home as it is, so why pay for a lot of unused space. Plus when the children are grown, it would be nice to stay in the smae house vs downsizing then.

And we have learned that you meet a lot more people in this neighborhood with the proximity of homes to each other, and to the sidewalks and trails, the adundance of front porches and "balcony" porches, etc

The business area is not yet fully devloped, but there are many amenities nearby, like any other neighborhood,

Bottom line, it is the most unique and in my opinion, best neighborhood in state.

[mlanaya]

Originally Posted by bookworm2768

West Clay is an exremely overpriced and very artificial looking neighborhood. It aims to be self contained with stores and shops all within the 'subdivision' (for lack of a better word) Its a bit odd since the houses are like little doll houses with some odd colors but plenty of gorgeous detail and work put into them. A short drive through may make up your mind very quickly about whether you find it attractive or not. It is well out of the way of supermarkets and the traffic over on that side of carmel is quite congested. For the price ranges in West Clay you can probably get a larger home that is closer to things toward the central or east side of carmel.

The average price per square foot is $200, but this is for custom homes and quality craftsmanship. I don't understand why someone would say it looks artificial unless they feel uncomfortable in a more affluent neighborhood. I also don't believe the neighborhood is meant to be self-contained, since there is no school or other necessary businesses. What people are saying about traffic and out of the way of grocery stores is just not true. I don't think you can get closer without being in the parking lot. Central and East Carmel do not have any better stores and they are much older parts of Carmel.

[nebulous1]

Someone is making some money out there, the rest of us are being laid off, struggling, when we cant get back to our earnings levels. Good luck to you.

[PhillyIndy]

Originally Posted by mlanaya

The average price per square foot is $200, but this is for custom homes and quality craftsmanship. I don't understand why someone would say it looks artificial unless they feel uncomfortable in a more affluent neighborhood. I also don't believe the neighborhood is meant to be self-contained, since there is no school or other necessary businesses. What people are saying about traffic and out of the way of grocery stores is just not true. I don't think you can get closer without being in the parking lot. Central and East Carmel do not have any better stores and they are much older parts of Carmel.

OK, West Clay is around $200 sqft
Is that the going rate for MK, Stonegate, Butler?

Do you all count the basement as sqft in your price?

I am trying NOT to be the east coast sucker to over pay for a house

[zenderna]

If it is finshed, the basement is counted in overall sq footage, otherwise it should not be included

Others feel free to comment, but to my knowledge VOWC is more expensive on average than Stonegate and MK. Once you've seen the neighborhood, you'll understand why you are paying a premium.There are parks, playgrounds, ponds, fountains, gardens, and bike paths throughout, among other things. MK is a much older established neighborhood, so not really comparable to Stonegate or VOWC.

While VOWC is more expensive per sq/ft than the surrounding area of Carmel (which is generally the most expensive are in the state), it is still cheap compared to prices paid on either coast or Florida the last few years.

Not to contradict the other post that mentioned $200 sq/ft, but that seems rather high for VOWC. I'd say $122 - $150 sq ft is more like it on average. Keep in mind there are homes from 3500 sq ft to 8000+ sq ft in the neighborhood, so a broad range. Below is a link to a realtor's website I found to give you an idea of VOWC homes/prices

Village of West Clay Carmel Indiana

[bookworm2768]

Originally Posted by mlanaya

The average price per square foot is $200, but this is for custom homes and quality craftsmanship. I don't understand why someone would say it looks artificial unless they feel uncomfortable in a more affluent neighborhood. I also don't believe the neighborhood is meant to be self-contained, since there is no school or other necessary businesses. What people are saying about traffic and out of the way of grocery stores is just not true. I don't think you can get closer without being in the parking lot. Central and East Carmel do not have any better stores and they are much older parts of Carmel.

I agree with you on the quality craftsmanship but I don't feel that the neighborhood looks natural at all. I've lived in a fairly affluent neighborhood and don't find them uncomfortable at all. The place strikes me as artificial because many of the home designs are made to resemble vintage houses from the North East. Having lived in the north east it is odd, to say the least, to see an imitation new England home in the middle of cornfields. Besides the colors of the homes are 'striking' and of every hue of the rainbow. Very cute but in a kitschy sort of way. That is not to say that they are not well built. I'm sure they are.

Which grocery stores are close to West Clay? Meijer, Marsh and O'malia's are towards the central part of Carmel on US 31 and if you drive down to Michigan to the super target or Costco or to 86th st. its quite a haul as well. Perhaps there are other grocery stores in the area that I haven't heard of?

North Central Carmel has tons of shopping that I can think of - At least four major supermarkets, Clay terrace Mall with high end shopping, A target, wal-mart, Kohls and what not on the other side of 31. And you CAN bicycle from clay terrace over the highway to the other shopping areas. The bridge over 31 has a built in pedestrian / bicycle lane that is seperate from the traffic.
The developments on the East side of 31 are not what I would call 'older'. They are not currently under construction but they are by no means old. Foster Estates has gorgeous homes with beautifully landscaped lots. Comparing apples to apples, the homes cost a lot less than West Clay and you re getting established trees as well.
IF Foster Estates seems unappealing anywhere further east is gorgeous as well. There are large golfing communities with homes that range from Ranches to McMansions and that entire section of town in beautifully maintained and the schools are excellent.

[bookworm2768]

Originally Posted by PhillyIndy

OK, West Clay is around $200 sqft
Is that the going rate for MK, Stonegate, Butler?

Do you all count the basement as sqft in your price?

I am trying NOT to be the east coast sucker to over pay for a house

PhillyIndy, if you don't have a real estate agent you should probably get one just to get an idea of the housing situation here. An agent would also be able to explain more to you about basements and which builders have deals on them and which don't. Being tornado central you don't wan't to skip the basement thing
Its really a matter of personal opinion about West Clay but the majority of people I have spoken to feel that it is ostentatious and over priced. Again, something you need to actually see to decide. Another thing to consider will be your commute. From West Clay you will have to drive through quite a few congested streets at rush hour just to get to a highway. If you are looking for a good real estate agent you can PM me and I can email you the name of the gal we used when we bought our house. Carmel is a great place to live and really, you can't go wrong buying almost anywhere in it.

[seasection]

I just moved here to Fishers (where we are renting for now) from Long Island last year and am looking to buy in Carmel. I have some work colleagues who are very happy in Village of West Clay. I am probably going to buy in there, it is not too far from the interstate and traffic is a fraction of the density of Long Island. I hear that the kids find lots of other kids to play with in the neighborhood and it is social. I think the prices are coming down, many of the resales are being reduced, too. My 2 friends got deals on resales.
I would stay in Fishers but my husband drives to the West Side twice a day. I can commute on 69 or 465, its the same miles for me.
Good Luck!