Is Cary worth all of the hype? (Raleigh, Apex: HOA, houses)

[tduane2003]

Just wondering if Cary, NC is worth all of the hype these magazines portray. List after list Cary is mentioned as an outstanding place to live. I want to know if it is really that great because towns near me are on that list too and I just shake my head because they are dumpy. What makes Cary so great? Is the economy good, jobs plentiful and what about home prices? Are they through the roof or on their way down like the rest of the country? Just curious.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by tduane2003

What makes Cary so great? Is the economy good, jobs plentiful and what about home prices? Are they through the roof or on their way down like the rest of the country? Just curious.

Different people have different ideas about what constitutes "great". To some people, Cary is their ultimate town. To others, it is a suburban hell. Jobs are no more plentiful here than they are in other parts of the country. . . better than some . . . worse than some. Home prices are some of the highest in this area, but much less than other areas in the rest of the USA. Home prices are certainly not going down much, if at all, due to prices in this area never really being over-inflated.

My personal perspective? I like Cary because it is close to where I work (RTP), has a great Parks & Recreation department, plenty of shopping/dining choices, and schools that some consider to be slightly better than the average Wake county school. However, we ended up not living in Cary because we could not afford the house we wanted in Cary.

[lottamoxie]

Cary is just a place to live. It's not a magical land full of fairies and magic carpet rides. I purchased my house here because I was able to get 1/3 acre of land and a nice smallish house for less than I was able to find in west Raleigh (2006). My house is older (now 22 yrs old).

[Beermat]

Exactly - it's up to everyone to decide for themselve's what they like about Cary and what aspects they don't. It's not perfect but for people looking for a good quality of life in relative safety and access to jobs in RTP then it has much to offer. Other people hate it and that's understandable too. As lottamoxie states 'Cary is just a place to live'

Originally Posted by lottamoxie

Cary is just a place to live. It's not a magical land full of fairies and magic carpet rides. .

[RickAbdella]

Ditto what everyone else has said. Some people wouldn't live anywhere else and some people wouldn't live there if you forced them. It depends on what you like.

[tduane2003]

I like the different answers and I am thinking of taking a trip to see the area. I realize that many people do not like suburban sprawls with HOA dues and so on. Personally, I like them for one reason and one reason only, areas with HOAs enforce rules and regulations. For example, I live in the northern part of Kansas City and there are some fabulous homes $300k and ^and these neighborhoods have HOAs. They are clean, neat and uniformed. I know most subdivisions are boring and monotone, but it is nice to live in a clean area without having a sloppy neighbor living next to you with broken down cars on their property. It decreases home values and makes the block look like crap. Here in Kansas City, we have a lot of older areas, outside of a subdivision, where one home is beautiful and the one next to it is a dump. One doesn't have to have a mansion or a lot of money for the home to be attractive. It simply requires doing out there and cleaning up the faded and broken toys and getting rid of the broken down cars. I take pride in what I have and I expect others to as well. This applies to double wides and McMansions. I have seen some double wides that are more attractive and better kept then a $250k front to back California split home and vice versa.

[lottamoxie]

Not all communities in Cary have HOAs. Mine, in fact, does not. Several older communities do not have HOAs. I suspect most, if not all, of the new ones do.

[NewUser]

Now remember. . .. you can find subdivisions with HOAs anywhere here in the Triangle, be it Cary, Raleigh, Apex, or anywhere in between. You don't have to live in Cary to be in a subdivision with an HOA. And HOAs can be relaxed or strict.

For example. . . . I live in a subdivision outside the city limits. Lot sizes range from 3/4 acre to 3+ acres. We have 18 houses and an HOA. . . . but no HOA dues. We have a few people that keep their properties up better than average and everyone else is about average. However, we do allow some things that you may not approve of. For example. . . . there are a few people that park their vehicle on the grass There are a few ski boats visible from the street and at least 2 of the families keep chickens in their back yard

[VickiR]

I lived in Cary about 25 years ago. Really liked the small town feel except that when it was time to go out to dinner, there was NOTHING there. It was just a bedroom community to Raleigh. NOW, Cary is a small town and has plenty of restaurants, a mall, and no reason why you'd have to leave for shopping or dinner.

Apex, which is next door to Cary, started out as a small bedroom community, as well. It has now grown into a small town. Holly Springs may be next!

On the other side of town, North Raleigh is quite pricey so more and more people are heading to Wake Forest.

I have so many clients that THINK they want one or the other, based on what they read and hear. Once here, they usually end up somewhere other than where they thought they would!

There are pros and cons to each area but more than likely, you'll KNOW which area suits you best, once you visit. that is just the way it happens!

Vicki

[lamishra]

Originally Posted by lottamoxie

Not all communities in Cary have HOAs. Mine, in fact, does not. Several older communities do not have HOAs. I suspect most, if not all, of the new ones do.

Mine doesn't either.