Wakefield Plantation vs Falls River (Raleigh, Durham: leases, HOA, how much)

[golfgrl]

My husband and I came to Raleigh for the weekend to check out the area and had a spectacular time. The foliage was awesome. We have sort of honed in on these two areas and would love some input. Does anyone recommend renting before buying?

[dansdrive]

Both are very nice communities. Renting first gives you the option to learn the area better and the traffic around and in the areas you would like to buy/build a home at. Unless you are very familiar with the area you picked you maybe surprised what it is really like when you live there. Many nice places have 6 to 12 month leases in those areas. Good luck and welcome to the area!

[Dire Wolf]

I looked hard at Falls River several years ago and looked at Bedford after that. I really like a lot of the custom builders in those two neighborhoods. I have some relatives in Falls River and I get over there a fair bit. At least on their street most people seem friendly and they have a real sense of community.

As for negatives there are a few important ones to consider:

The commute is pretty bad if you are working in RTP or in Downtown Raleigh. It is a lot of miles everyday into RTP. But there are people commuting from Wake Forest or Clayton to RTP, so it is all relative I guess. A big negative for me though.

The HOA over there seems a bit out of control of late. I've heard a lot of recent horror stories about them getting on people about their yards in the middle of the drought.

The "sense of community" over there can also get a bit out of hand and make you feel like you have no privacy. It is a two way street.

Check into how much the pool will run you each year. I seem to remember it being way overpriced.

This may not be a big deal now as the neighborhood is finished and you know what you are getting, but when we looked they were promising shops in the middle that never happened. You just have the shopping at the entrance which may be a haul if you are in the back. (Speaking of, the road situation leaves a lot to me desired. Feels like it takes forever to wind your way through the neighborhood. At least the back exit near Bedford has a light now).

All that said, overall I still like the neighborhood overall.

As for Wakefield, I ruled it out early. Even further out. Didn't have the sidewalks, etc. that I liked about Falls River. Seemed like it was trying too hard to be the Preston of N. Raleigh, etc.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

The commute is pretty bad if you are working in RTP or in Downtown Raleigh.

Dire,

What is it about the Drive from Falls River to downtown that you don't like? I agree that Falls River to RTP can be a drag, but I live between Falls river and Bedford off of Dunn Road and drive to my job in downtown Raleigh every day and it typically takes me just 20-25 minutes. I take Falls River Avenue to Durant to Falls of Neuse (Where it is 4 lanes) and then Litchford/Atlantic Avenue all the way into downtown. Not a bad drive at all.

FWIW, while i like Wakefield I think driving down Falls of Neuse from Wakefield would be a nightmare in the morning rush hour traffic. A Congo line comes to mind!

[mdp_az]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

I looked hard at Falls River several years ago and looked at Bedford after that. I really like a lot of the custom builders in those two neighborhoods. I have some relatives in Falls River and I get over there a fair bit. At least on their street most people seem friendly and they have a real sense of community.

As for negatives there are a few important ones to consider:

The commute is pretty bad if you are working in RTP or in Downtown Raleigh. It is a lot of miles everyday into RTP. But there are people commuting from Wake Forest or Clayton to RTP, so it is all relative I guess. A big negative for me though.

The HOA over there seems a bit out of control of late. I've heard a lot of recent horror stories about them getting on people about their yards in the middle of the drought.

The "sense of community" over there can also get a bit out of hand and make you feel like you have no privacy. It is a two way street.

Check into how much the pool will run you each year. I seem to remember it being way overpriced.

This may not be a big deal now as the neighborhood is finished and you know what you are getting, but when we looked they were promising shops in the middle that never happened. You just have the shopping at the entrance which may be a haul if you are in the back. (Speaking of, the road situation leaves a lot to me desired. Feels like it takes forever to wind your way through the neighborhood. At least the back exit near Bedford has a light now).

All that said, overall I still like the neighborhood overall.

As for Wakefield, I ruled it out early. Even further out. Didn't have the sidewalks, etc. that I liked about Falls River. Seemed like it was trying too hard to be the Preston of N. Raleigh, etc.

I have lived in Falls River for 5 years and it is a great neighborhood. I do the FR to RTP commute, and it is awful. It is one of the primary factors that may have us moving to Durham in the near future, but every time we think about leaving Falls River it makes the decision tougher.

Its important to realize that Bedford at Falls River and Falls River (proper) are two different neighborhoods that border each other, and each neighborhood has its own HOA. I cannot speak to the Bedford HOA, but I can say that through the drought, my yard started to look sort of sad (as did most of my neighbors) yet I never heard a word from the HOA about it. All in all, I think the HOA at Falls River is fine.

The pool is another difference in the 2 neighborhoods. Bedford's pool is included in the HOA dues and is only open to residents of Bedford. Falls River's dues do not include the pool, but are lower than Bedford's. The pool fees are kinda steep and thus far we've opted not to join the pool...and it is nice to have that choice.

I have certainly never been overwhelmed by the sense of community to the point of not feeling I have privacy. My neighbors are awesome and we all have a great time together. However, my house backs to a wooded area, and feels so private (considering the fact its in a neighborhood on 1/3 ac.) that we don't even close the shades in the back of the house at night.

So, all that considered, I think Falls River is a great place to call home, especially if you don't have to commute to RTP daily and don't mind the WCPSS if you have children. As for Wakefield, I'm with the previous posters on that...can't imagine having to drive down Falls of Neuse from there every day. I've heard folks say it can take 15-20 minutes just to get from Wakefield to 540 on a weekday!

[Dire Wolf]

NRG, the time I tried the drive to downtown I stuck to Falls/Wake Forest, so maybe it is tolerable on Atlantic.

mdp, my relatives are in Falls River proper. They are in some of the smaller, closer together homes, so maybe that is the difference in the lack of privacy/boundaries. It is all going to depend on your closest neighbors anyway, too, I suppose. In regards to the yard, they were forced to take a "grass growing" class and submit a "yard plan" by the HOA. Apparently a lot of folks were being forced to do that.

Having a choice is normally good (re: pool). But it ends up being so expensive that most people I've talked to who live there don't join. Neighborhoods that include the pool as part of the HOA can spread the cost over everyone and keep the individual dues reasonable.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

NRG, the time I tried the drive to downtown I stuck to Falls/Wake Forest, so maybe it is tolerable on Atlantic.

I thought that may have been what you meant. Yes, I agree Falls of Neuse / Wake Forest to Downtown is not fun. Atlantic Avenue traffic can get heavy at high volume times but it is much much better than Wake Forest Road with a typical downtown trip taking 20-25 minutes and has never taken me more than 30 minutes even on a really bad day. I think Atlantic is the best route from that area becasue it has less traffic lights than Wake Forest Road and Atlantic does not connect to I-440 so many people can't use that route and have to stick with Wake Forest Road.

Thanks for the response!

~NRG

[mdp_az]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

mdp, my relatives are in Falls River proper. They are in some of the smaller, closer together homes, so maybe that is the difference in the lack of privacy/boundaries. It is all going to depend on your closest neighbors anyway, too, I suppose. In regards to the yard, they were forced to take a "grass growing" class and submit a "yard plan" by the HOA. Apparently a lot of folks were being forced to do that.

Oh, so your parents were the ones I called the HOA to complain about. Just kidding, and very interesting that they had to do that b/c of their yard. I honestly had not heard about that at all. Falls River just switched to a new HOA management company a few months ago, so hopefully that sort of stuff won't happen any more (or at least not in the midst of a drought when its darn-near impossible to grow anything but weeds).