I don't understand the backyards in North Carolina - help please! (Durham: real estate, how much)

[LuvsTexas]

My husband and I are moving from the Texas Panhandle to the southwest Durham area in the future. While perusing the real estate web sites I have noticed that the backyards on most homes have no fences, or at least not what we consider to be fences. Our backyard right now consists of some nice grass and one small tree surrounded by a 6-ft wood plank privacy fence. That's how most backyards in Texas are. We have two 90lb Boxers who need to be contained to that yard when they're out. I just don't understand how you keep a dog inside most of the backyards I'm seeing on the real estate web sites. Can someone help me understand how the fences work? Also, does it hail very often in the Durham area? I appreciate your help!

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by LuvsTexas

My husband and I are moving from the Texas Panhandle to the southwest Durham area in the future. While perusing the real estate web sites I have noticed that the backyards on most homes have no fences, or at least not what we consider to be fences. Our backyard right now consists of some nice grass and one small tree surrounded by a 6-ft wood plank privacy fence. That's how most backyards in Texas are. We have two 90lb Boxers who need to be contained to that yard when they're out. I just don't understand how you keep a dog inside most of the backyards I'm seeing on the real estate web sites. Can someone help me understand how the fences work? Also, does it hail very often in the Durham area? I appreciate your help!

There are plenty of fences around...just put one in if you want one. Most new construction doesn't come fenced in to begin with.

Never had a home with a fence...and have always owned dogs...we just don't toss them out into the yard without us. I dont like the ideas of a fenced yard personally...but to each their own.

It hails...but not all that often....once, maybe twice a year at best...if that some years.

[LuvsTexas]

Don't get me wrong - I never said that I like the fences. It's just something you don't have a choice about here since all homes in the city limits must be fenced. I just didn't understand how someone with dogs could live somewhere where fences were either non-existent or very small. Our two dogs wouldn't know what to think about no fences! I love the idea of being able to see the beautiful scenery unobstructed by an ugly fence - after all, that's why we're moving there. Maybe I need to find some fellow Boxer owners in the area and see how they keep their dogs from escaping!

[KellyCrash]

You might want to check into fencing before you make any offers on a house. All the fences in our neighborhood have to match and they cannot be privacy fences.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by LuvsTexas

Don't get me wrong - I never said that I like the fences. It's just something you don't have a choice about here since all homes in the city limits must be fenced. I just didn't understand how someone with dogs could live somewhere where fences were either non-existent or very small. Our two dogs wouldn't know what to think about no fences! I love the idea of being able to see the beautiful scenery unobstructed by an ugly fence - after all, that's why we're moving there. Maybe I need to find some fellow Boxer owners in the area and see how they keep their dogs from escaping!

Many folks take their dogs for walks (except when it's 102!) and/or take them to the dog parks. I see lots of boxers there.

[J_Lurk]

My brother has two boxers and they built a fence at their first house, and had an invisible fence installed at their current house. We had a fence built for our Australian Shepherd; she'd be very very unhappy if she had to wait for us to go outside. However, we were subject to our HOA's architectural review board's approval to build the fence. Our architectural review board mainly looks for your neighbors approval, and one of our neighbors insisted that we have a shorter fence as a taller fence isn't "neighborly" so we have a 4-foot-fence that is partially see-through. As the previous poster suggested, I would check on the restrictive covenants before buying.

[sunnie79]

Hi there,
I have two boxers as well. Most of the fences that we've seen have been tall, privacy fences. Not all houses have them, but a large portion do. We've been looking in the Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Apex area. I know a lot of the places where I'm staying in Morrisville have them as well. We've been mentally adding about $5K to the price of any houses that we see without fences.

[ADVentive]

We have a fence at our current house and our dogs love to be able to go in and out freely. We also love not having to go out with them every time. A fence is a must in our new house. We factored in the cost of building a fence when considering how much we could afford in different cities - it varied due to the tax rate between cities, and then we had two figures, one if the house already had a fence and one if we had to build a fence. We ended up deciding on new construction, so we will be building a fence. They are very particular about what kind of fence you can build in some neighborhoods, so this was also something that we were sure to check in the covenants.

[steve54]

Originally Posted by LuvsTexas

Don't get me wrong - I never said that I like the fences. It's just something you don't have a choice about here since all homes in the city limits must be fenced. I just didn't understand how someone with dogs could live somewhere where fences were either non-existent or very small. Our two dogs wouldn't know what to think about no fences! I love the idea of being able to see the beautiful scenery unobstructed by an ugly fence - after all, that's why we're moving there. Maybe I need to find some fellow Boxer owners in the area and see how they keep their dogs from escaping!

I have a 100 lb dog and he doesn't leave the yard . WE have an invisible fence that he will not go beyond. Some people don't like the invisible fences but I love my dog and spent time training him . Yes he has had a couple of shocks and it has had the desired effect

[ChipL]

I agree, most of the houses with doggies int he yard have the invisible fence in our neighborhood.
When the power goes out there's doggie parties int he streets.
I'd check into that, and of course, the rules for your particular neighborhood.
Our dog just seems to hang out in our yard. (without a fence) she plays with her buddies and then comes home. She's learned not to hang out in other people's yards where they don't have dogs of their own. but, our neighborhood's a little unique that way.
invisible fencing seems to do the trick if you don't want to block your views.