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Ok, here goes another relocation/family neighborhood thread. But Im hoping this one might be just a little different than the others - so here goes...
I will start with our current position. We own a home in Wilmington. My husband has a great job, permanent position at Progress Energy in Raleigh (he got the job AFTER we bought the house here in Wilmington). He couldnt do the daily commute, so we bought a townhome in Preston for him. We have been running 2 households for 3 years now. Its very expensive and I am ready to move to Raleigh so we can be a traditional family again (We have 3 children, I stayed so our oldest could finish HS - he's done and we have a 9 & 7 year old left) We have a good idea of the area, the way the county schools run and the traffic/hwy issues that have all been beaten to death in previous threads (I know, because most of what Ive learned, I learned from scouring these posts!) We have had a realtor assess the Wilmington home, and the value has depreciated $100k. So, I think we will opt to rent our home out until the market turns around. We have worked with a Raleigh realtor, and to be honest, he was not showing what we asked to see but rather homes his office represented. Plus, he didnt seem to have much information when it came to various neighborhoods, in fact I gave HIM a lesson I learned on here from another post about the Pulte Homes in Highcroft!! So, finally, here is my dilemma...I want a neighborhood my children can grow with (this Wilmington home is in a much older community, not one child other than my own!) I saw Highcroft and loved the fact that kids were spilling out of every home we passed! My husband loves Preston and some higher end neighborhoods, but I worry it will be more of the older age executive bracket. Every neighborhood & home we looked in was beautiful for different reasons. I was hoping someone here could help guide us - my husband is looking at the home as an investment (as he did with the townhome), something that will hold or increase in value. I want to be with kids, but I also dont want it to look like a playground at the school. We are looking to spend around $375-500K for a home. I know thats a huge variance in home selection but we are trying to make a smart choice both financially & socially (is that the right word Im looking for?) Older or newer home isnt an issue, of course newer is desirable but I fear it because its not established so I dont know what we're really getting (which was our problem here in Wilmington!) I guess what im asking for is for advice from anyone experienced in the area, that can give me perspective on a neighborhood that will fit what I just described. My husband is hearing alot from guys at work about Holly Springs being the next "big thing", I worry it is a little far out and crave more hustle bustle. We are not worried about having a large lot, but I could never live in Amberley (I think thats the one, the homes were tall & narrow and about a foot apart?) Highcroft is even tight in my opinion, but the backyards were roomy and thats really where we'd be (not a fan of grilling in the driveway ) I know this was long and probably redundant with the whole relocation issue, and I apologize. I just wanted to give you the whole picture and get your experienced perspective. I value any and all help you can give, and plan on using my new found information as leverage that can help settle the tug of war between my husband and I! I would also love any recommendations you might have on a realtor that could help navigate this for us and help get us where we're looking to be (am I allowed to ask for that here? I dont know). Thank you for your attention, and any advice you might be able to give!
Ok, here goes another relocation/family neighborhood thread. But Im hoping this one might be just a little different than the others - so here goes...
I will start with our current position. We own a home in Wilmington. My husband has a great job, permanent position at Progress Energy in Raleigh (he got the job AFTER we bought the house here in Wilmington). He couldnt do the daily commute, so we bought a townhome in Preston for him. We have been running 2 households for 3 years now.
Its very expensive and I am ready to move to Raleigh so we can be a traditional family again (We have 3 children, I stayed so our oldest could finish HS - he's done and we have a 9 & 7 year old left) We have a good idea of the area, the way the county schools run and the traffic/hwy issues that have all been beaten to death in previous threads (I know, because most of what Ive learned, I learned from scouring these posts!) We have had a realtor assess the Wilmington home, and the value has depreciated $100k.
So, I think we will opt to rent our home out until the market turns around. We have worked with a Raleigh realtor, and to be honest, he was not showing what we asked to see but rather homes his office represented. Plus, he didnt seem to have much information when it came to various neighborhoods, in fact I gave HIM a lesson I learned on here from another post about the Pulte Homes in Highcroft!!
So, finally, here is my dilemma...I want a neighborhood my children can grow with (this Wilmington home is in a much older community, not one child other than my own!) I saw Highcroft and loved the fact that kids were spilling out of every home we passed! My husband loves Preston and some higher end neighborhoods, but I worry it will be more of the older age executive bracket. Every neighborhood & home we looked in was beautiful for different reasons. I was hoping someone here could help guide us - my husband is looking at the home as an investment (as he did with the townhome), something that will hold or increase in value. I want to be with kids, but I also dont want it to look like a playground at the school.
We are looking to spend around $375-500K for a home. I know thats a huge variance in home selection but we are trying to make a smart choice both financially & socially (is that the right word Im looking for?) Older or newer home isnt an issue, of course newer is desirable but I fear it because its not established so I dont know what we're really getting (which was our problem here in Wilmington!) I guess what im asking for is for advice from anyone experienced in the area, that can give me perspective on a neighborhood that will fit what I just described. My husband is hearing alot from guys at work about Holly Springs being the next "big thing", I worry it is a little far out and crave more hustle bustle. We are not worried about having a large lot, but I could never live in Amberley (I think thats the one, the homes were tall & narrow and about a foot apart?) Highcroft is even tight in my opinion, but the backyards were roomy and thats really where we'd be (not a fan of grilling in the driveway )
I know this was long and probably redundant with the whole relocation issue, and I apologize. I just wanted to give you the whole picture and get your experienced perspective. I value any and all help you can give, and plan on using my new found information as leverage that can help settle the tug of war between my husband and I! I would also love any recommendations you might have on a realtor that could help navigate this for us and help get us where we're looking to be (am I allowed to ask for that here? I dont know). Thank you for your attention, and any advice you might be able to give!
I couldn't even read this without breaking up the paragraphs. I sent you a DM about the realtor I used, but perhaps other folks who know the market will be able to help you more. I think you will have to be more specific about your wants, square footage, garages, yard space, etc, or it will be difficult for a realtor to assist you.
Last edited by redandorangeskittles; 02-26-2013 at 07:56 AM..
Reason: wall of text.
Pretty much any subdivision in Cary, particularly western Cary, is going to have kids. Honestly, you can drive yourself crazy worrying about nitty gritty details. In my neighborhood, one side is more social than the other. One side has a ton of boys my sons' age, the other side not so much, and the ones that do live over there are not "their type". This side of the neighborhood has NO girls my DD's age - the other side does. All nice girls, but she's too young to walk over there herself. See what I mean? Even within a neighborhood, you know not what you will get.
Find a house you like, look at the elementary schools that are closest, look around at what's nearby for shopping, etc. Then go from there. In your price range, Highcroft is nice but for me the houses too close together. I know there are kids in Preston Village, and that's where the pool and playground are. Somerset, Wellsley, Brookstone, West Park and Weatherstone are other subdivisions in the area near Preston that will all have kids, pools (although West Park's is tiny and they don't have a swim team) and are close to a number of better schools.
Find your house and everything else will fall into place.
If you were to compare Preston with a n'hood like Amberly, it is like you are comparing opposites!
Preston is a well established n'hood with a decent size lot (at least .25) and Amberly is a brand new n'hood with alley ways between homes. Yes, I have actually had clients that wanted that! Not everyone wants lots of land. But, there is plenty of options for you.
Holly Springs is somewhat like Cary was about 25 years ago. It has started to grow, now that the economy seems to be picking up. Apex is equally nice, with more of what Cary looked like about 15 years ago.
The area around Morrisville, which is now called West Cary has become very expensive with very small lots. The advantage of being in that area is the higher rated schools and the closeness to RTP.
A bit off your OP, but may I suggest you check with a good mortgage broker before you go much further in this pricess? You already own two homes. If you are planning on keeping them both, you may have trouble qualifying for the mortgage you think you can get.
And, if you are planning on keeping the townhouse in Raleigh, your new home may be saddled with an investment home mortgage at a higher interest rate.
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) I know this was long and probably redundant with the whole relocation issue, and I apologize. I just wanted to give you the whole picture and get your experienced perspective. I value any and all help you can give, and plan on using my new found information as leverage that can help settle the tug of war between my husband and I! 
I would also love any recommendations you might have on a realtor that could help navigate this for us and help get us where we're looking to be (am I allowed to ask for that here? I dont know). Thank you for your attention, and any advice you might be able to give!
