Pinehurst /Southern Pines (Raleigh, Durham, Washington: real estate, homeowners insurance, gated)

[wynettam]

Can someone tell me which one is like a golf resort area ,is it Pinehurst ,and how is living out there is it okay for families ,and what about crime,and can someone tell me about whispering pines is that a city in North Carolina

[havin fun]

Pinehurst (the hotel and resort) is a huge old hotel with 8 golf courses, tennis courts, lawn bowling, pools, beauty spa, etc.
Pinehurst the village, surrounds the hotel. Maybe, 10,000 people live in the village. Low, Low, Low crime. Used to be for retirees, but now is becoming more "family friendly". Taxes are .31 per $100 assessed value. The actual village is full of upscale restaurants, upscale boutiques, banks, and real estate offices. At Christmas, large "dummy" presents are wrapped and left under a tree-and NEVER vandalized. Village resembles a miniature Provincetown, MA.
Southern Pines is a town. It borders Pinehurst. Resembles Pinehurst in many ways and in many ways is different. Upscale shops, restaurants, banks and real estate offices, but less "resorty". Main street of Southern Pines has railroad tracks bisecting it. Large Magnolia trees screen the tracks from view except at crossings. Slightly more crime in SP. More "family friendly". Larger recreation program.
Both towns abut Aberdeen. Aberdeen has the Chili's, Outback, Best Buy, Starbucks, Micky D's, BK, Appleby's, etc.
Southern Pines has a 10 theatre multiplex. Aberdeen has the bowling alley.
Reservoirs for fishing/hiking. Go Carts, batting cages, and miniature golf too.

[wynettam]

THANKS FOR INFORMATION i really appreciate that alot

[irvm]

Originally Posted by wynettam

Can someone tell me which one is like a golf resort area ,is it Pinehurst ,and how is living out there is it okay for families ,and what about crime,

I was in Southern Pines, waiting for a train at 2 a.m., and was surprised to see the number of people out - including lone females walking their dogs - in the downtown area. Something no one would even think of doing in larger cities.

[intrnst]

Hello to any/all on the Southern Pines/Pinehurst forum. I am new to this process - this is my first posting - so please bear with me. I am a single woman currently living/working in the Washington DC metro area, with plans to retire in April 2009. One of my close friends and her fiance will be moving to the Pinehurst area within the next year, and have encouraged me to consider doing the same when i retire. I am originally from FL but due to the high cost of living in the Sunshine State, will not be returning there to live after retirement as i had originally planned. I have been looking at locales in TN, NC, and SC and had never considered the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area as i had assumed that it was too expensive for a single retiree. My friends seem to think otherwise, but i would really like to hear from folks who are actually living there. I would be looking for a home under $250k, and want to have access to a good fitness center, walking trails, and reasonably priced golf. I am also very interested in the property tax and homeowners insurance situation in that area. Any info that anyone can share will be appreciated, to include thoughts on living in Southern Pines vs living in Pinehurst. Many thanks in advance.

[havin fun]

I have a West End address, pay my taxes to Taylortown (.40 per $100 assessed value),and I'm less than a mile from Pinehurst. Less than 3 miles from Southern Pines.
Fitness Center @ Moore Hospital is 4 miles away and @ $45 per month (single). Olympic sized pool, indoor track, and every exercise machine imagineable.
I live in a developement (130K to 300K) with all homes on 3/4 acre. 2 ponds, no crime, friendly neighbors. Water bill @ $23.50. Trash pickup $20. All homes at least 3br/2ba., + 2 car garage. All "stick built" -no pre-fabs! Homeowners insurance is cheap. 2 1/2 hours from the beach and over 100 ft. above sea level. Walking trails are all over the place, though I prefer walking my own developement.
Reasonably priced golf? With 42 courses in the immediate area, someone is always having cheap prices. How about $35/50 if you play after 1PM, including cart?
My suggestion (unasked for of course). Visit your friends after they move. Often! Get a "feel" for the area. Check out different areas, besides Pinehurst and SP. Go on-line to The Pilot (local newspaper). Go on-line to Moore County, NC. Check out Real Estate (on-line). They don't put taxes in Real Estate ads. At @ .45 per 100, it's not really a huge factor in considering a purchase.
If I can help further, let me know. Happy to help.

[intrnst]

Havin Fun - thanks for the reply and the info. Your advice about visiting often and checking out other areas is appreciated.....i am finding that having unlimited options for where to retire is probably much harder than being obligated to a particular locale. Based on your numbers, it does at least sound doable from a financial perspective, but i know i have a lot of research to do. Thanks, again, for taking the time to respond.

[GouldCottage]

Originally Posted by intrnst

Hello to any/all on the Southern Pines/Pinehurst forum. I am new to this process - this is my first posting - so please bear with me. I am a single woman currently living/working in the Washington DC metro area, with plans to retire in April 2009. One of my close friends and her fiance will be moving to the Pinehurst area within the next year, and have encouraged me to consider doing the same when i retire. I am originally from FL but due to the high cost of living in the Sunshine State, will not be returning there to live after retirement as i had originally planned. I have been looking at locales in TN, NC, and SC and had never considered the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area as i had assumed that it was too expensive for a single retiree. My friends seem to think otherwise, but i would really like to hear from folks who are actually living there. I would be looking for a home under $250k, and want to have access to a good fitness center, walking trails, and reasonably priced golf. I am also very interested in the property tax and homeowners insurance situation in that area. Any info that anyone can share will be appreciated, to include thoughts on living in Southern Pines vs living in Pinehurst. Many thanks in advance.

Hi,

We just moved to Southern Pines from Rochester NY. We chose SP because we could walk to the town and it had a good selection of older craftsman style houses. I believe you can find quite a selection of homes for $250,000 and the property tax will be about .50 per $1,000 assesment. Our Homeowners ins is about $900 per yr. We found the rates to be low in general. There are also 2br/2ba condos that sell for around $150,000. We used Jill Greenleaf at Gouger, O Neal. 910-783-6139. She would e-mail us listings and photos.

The free tennis courts are 2 blocks away and hiking in Weymouth Forest is about a quarter mile. The golf is all around with public, semi public golf specials. There is always something to do with the arts or some festival. The hospital fitness center is 5 min away, others are closer.

We both work and like the idea that SP has a good mix of singles, families and retires. It is also less than an hr to Raleigh / Durham.

Good Luck

[intrnst]

GouldCottage - Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. I am also very interested in being within walking distance to a town, and based on my (virtual) research thus far, SP is looking as if it might be a better fit for me. An older craftsman style house is very appealing to me, and i appreciate the real estate and tax info. I am tentatively planning an initial trip down in October and if i like what i see, will go from there. I have been considering/visiting a few places in TN, but just haven't felt that "this is it" feeling about any of them. Never thought it would be so hard to decide where to live in retirement.

[LouieJB]

Originally Posted by havin fun

I have a West End address, pay my taxes to Taylortown (.40 per $100 assessed value),and I'm less than a mile from Pinehurst. Less than 3 miles from Southern Pines.
Fitness Center @ Moore Hospital is 4 miles away and @ $45 per month (single). Olympic sized pool, indoor track, and every exercise machine imagineable.
I live in a developement (130K to 300K) with all homes on 3/4 acre. 2 ponds, no crime, friendly neighbors. Water bill @ $23.50. Trash pickup $20. All homes at least 3br/2ba., + 2 car garage. All "stick built" -no pre-fabs! Homeowners insurance is cheap. 2 1/2 hours from the beach and over 100 ft. above sea level. Walking trails are all over the place, though I prefer walking my own developement.
Reasonably priced golf? With 42 courses in the immediate area, someone is always having cheap prices. How about $35/50 if you play after 1PM, including cart?
My suggestion (unasked for of course). Visit your friends after they move. Often! Get a "feel" for the area. Check out different areas, besides Pinehurst and SP. Go on-line to The Pilot (local newspaper). Go on-line to Moore County, NC. Check out Real Estate (on-line). They don't put taxes in Real Estate ads. At @ .45 per 100, it's not really a huge factor in considering a purchase.
If I can help further, let me know. Happy to help.

What development would this be? And are there similiar developments in the Moore County area that have prices under 150,000 and are still good neighborhoods to raise a daughter in?

thanks