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Hello all, my family will be moving down this December and are trying to narrow down our search by school reputation, commute time for hubby and good quality home builder. I am leaning more towards new construction and have heard good things about M/I, Garman, Weekley, JVI.
We are also uncertain as to how true the google maps/directions is telling us about the commute time from Apex/Bella Casa area to Duke Medical Center. Via toll, it is 30 minutes for my husband but he is not convinced that that is the case.
Are there other areas that meet our 3 criteria for new construction? I liked Apex because you can get a bit more land and pretty homes and not as "bursting at the seams" like Cary. And Olive Chapel Elem seemed to be good at least on the nc report card.
Our agent is encouraging us to consider Chatham County portion in Amberly and it did look promising but it was almost too much home for me to upkeep. And I wasn't sure about the schools. Chatham County and DPS about the same? Or is Chatham COUnty better?
Our budget is 600K and would love to have a smaller home (3500 sq ft) on a larger lot ( greater than .25 acres). That combo seems to be harder to find though.
Have you considered going West of Durham instead of South, ie Orange County? I live in Mebane and commute to Duke, and it is about 20-25 mins and there is never traffic and no tolls. It's a straight shot on I-85. I want to move to Hillsborough, where the commute will be even less. The schools in Hillsborough/Orange County are fine, at least I have been happy with them so far. I'm not really up on which builders have communities there at the moment, but in that price range I'm sure you could do a custom build on your lot. Lots outside city limits will be at least 1 acre.
ADVentive, that sounds interesting. I hadn't thought of that. It seems like most people talk about Cary and Chapel Hill. Ill take a look at Orange County.
There is some new construction in North to North West Raleigh in the watershed that may meet your criteria. MacTavish and Mt Vernon Crossing have both opened up new construction sites. The commute to Duke Hospital will be cutting it close - 35 minutes would be safer, I think. Both neighborhoods will give you a lot in the .75 to 1 acre range. Both have a team of builders to choose from (the choice of lot often times ends up selecting the builder as well). Prices start in the $500Ks, although I suspect most homes will be going for a bit more than that.
Our budget is 600K and would love to have a smaller home (3500 sq ft) on a larger lot ( greater than .25 acres). That combo seems to be harder to find though.
LMAO, it's all relative, I suppose (I live in a 1200sf place, with .33 acres, and my budget was barely more than 1/4 of yours, in Cary)
But to answer your question, the commute to Duke from Apex is definitely under 30 minutes, due to the 540 expressway. Note that it's a toll road, and currently doesn't get much use (not enough to create traffic anyway). I suspect that in 10 years, Apex will be "busting at the seams" too, and the toll road will be much more crowded too.
But Olive Chapel area of Apex is right off of the 64/540 intersection, so very convenient.
Cary is also about 30 minutes, and that's going right down Davis Drive (no Toll) to the Durham Freeway. Sometimes traffic can be an issue in the heat of rush hour, but surprisingly, it has not been a problem for me. And Cary is full of new builds. It is far from "full". You might also check Morrisville, they are building there like crazy.
BTW, Chapel Hill is in Orange County. IMO, it's a great place, but 1) you will spend more to live there, and 2) traffic between Ch Hill and Durham (along 15/501) is among the worse, and I think you'll probably exceed your 30 minute commute. You'd be better off driving further from Apex, Cary, or Morrisville, along better roads. Just my opinion.
I know my requirements for a "smaller" home in a larger lot seems silly, even to me but since I started looking, it has all been 4-5000 sq feet on .3 acre lots. At that size of home, there really is no yard, at least that is what I have noticed. And I can't imagine cleaning that amount of space much less furnishing it! I am realizing that at least in the newer constructions in Cary/Apex and even in CH, the trend is for larger lots with tons of square footage and if I want a smaller home, the lot size will shrink accordingly.
I think the property tax factor is also an issue that we have to consider more. Durham and Orange counties are both higher than Wake and it is something that will be paid every year. My agent is trying to remind me of that. I will be coming down with my kids this weekend to visit schools and also just to drive around Cary, CH and Durham just to get a better feel for the neighborhoods.
Thanks again everyone and if there are any other areas that I should look into, please chime in!
Part is in Alamance, but part is in Orange. I live in Mebane on the Orange County side.
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I am realizing that at least in the newer constructions in Cary/Apex and even in CH, the trend is for larger lots with tons of square footage and if I want a smaller home, the lot size will shrink accordingly. 
