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My family and I are looking into Raleigh as a possible relocation place. We are from New York City, and we are deciding between Charlotte and Raleigh (surrounding locations included). It's a tough decision.
We are looking for a four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, at east 2200 square footage, and a top budget of 165k. It's our first home, and we do not want to spend beyond that amount. We've have seen many possibilities; however, we are now ready to zoom in into specific neighborhoods and we are looking for some suggestions for a safe, family friendly, and community focused type of neighborhoods with nearby parks. I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to work.
Those numbers are going to push you to the way outer limits of either area and nowhere near the major job centers. And generally speaking all three of those neighborhoods have their share of issues so I'd assume that lower house prices equates to less than desirable sub-divisions. When we were scoping things out in 2006/2007 we'd fall in love remotely with houses that were so affordable as to allow me to dream of either no mortgage or a minimum wage mortgage (where I could make enough that way to cover the payment). When we made it down here to actually inspect those same houses we knew within seconds why the price was so low and they were immediately cut from the list.
You need to visit both cities and drive around before zeroing in.s
Those numbers are going to push you to the way outer limits of either area and nowhere near the major job centers. And generally speaking all three of those neighborhoods have their share of issues so I'd assume that lower house prices equates to less than desirable sub-divisions. When we were scoping things out in 2006/2007 we'd fall in love remotely with houses that were so affordable as to allow me to dream of either no mortgage or a minimum wage mortgage (where I could make enough that way to cover the payment). When we made it down here to actually inspect those same houses we knew within seconds why the price was so low and they were immediately cut from the list.
You need to visit both cities and drive around before zeroing in.s
Thanks for the response.
We have already visited both cities, and we have spent some time driving around and visiting a few houses in Garner and Knightdale. That was in the summer time, and we liked both places. The only thing is we were just viewing houses. We have not visited Clayton yet. However, it seems to have potential.
Now, we want to look at neighborhoods first and then houses.
First off, depending on what you do for a living, I think you could be equally happy in both the Raleigh and Charlotte metro. It really just comes down to employment opportunities and personal preference.
Regarding specific subdivisions meeting your criteria, it is tough to meet commute requirements if you don't know where you will be working. Clayton is a lovely place to live if you are a family looking for a rural/suburban setting, but I wouldn't want to love there if you had to drive to Chapel Hill each day for work.
I live in a house in your price range. $160-170k. While it is not impossible to find what you are looking for in terms of # of bedrooms and square footage it will certainly test the limits of your price range. I just did a quick search using your criteria and only found 7 homes matching it in Clayton, Knightdale, and Garner - Combined. Again, not impossible to find what you are looking for but at that price range the majority of your choices will be 3 bedrooms, 2-2.5 baths with 1,500-1,700 sq/ft.
FWIW, I would take a close look at Riverwood in Claytonmas a starting point in that town. good Luck!
I work as a Business or Data Analyst. I will look into the distance between Clayton and Chapel Hill. I love driving, but I wouldn't want to drive more than 60 minutes to work.
Another area I saw that had potential was the Dutchman Creek area by I-40. It's good that it's close to the highway. I have not visited that area yet, so I don't really know the actual state of the neighborhoods.
I work as a Business or Data Analyst. I will look into the distance between Clayton and Chapel Hill. I love driving, but I wouldn't want to drive more than 60 minutes to work.
Another area I saw that had potential was the Dutchman Creek area by I-40. It's good that it's close to the highway. I have not visited that area yet, so I don't really know the actual state of the neighborhoods.
Clayton is the wrong direction for someone working in Chapel Hill. Yeesh. The traffic!
Try Hillsborough, Durham, Pittsboro, Mebane.
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Clayton is the wrong direction for someone working in Chapel Hill. Yeesh. The traffic!
Try Hillsborough, Durham, Pittsboro, Mebane.
Okay, traffic is something I definitely hate. That's something I need to consider.
I visited Durham and didn't like it. Most of Durham seems to be under construction and underdeveloped (disclaimer: this is just my opinion). I'll check out Hillsborough, Pittsboro, and Mebane. I suppose they are cities and not communities/neighborhood?
Pittsboro, Mebane, and Hillsborough are all small towns, they will feel like 10,000 people.
Who comprises your family (ie, wqhat are the general demands on the space & location)?
Why 4 bedrooms?
Why 2200 sqft?
Why $165K as a limit?
You are indeed correct that you buy a neighborhood, then a home in that neighborhood. But the catch 22 is that not every neighborhood has a wide range of homes. Most will be within 20-25% from highest to lowest.
I am looking into Pittsboro, Mebane, and Hillsborough. A 10k population might be just want we're looking for.
Looking at the data for Mebane, I think that is within the kind of specs that I want. The median home value is close to 150k and approximately 10.5% of the homes are 4 bedrooms. The downside, as expected, is most of its population consists of High School graduates where College graduates consists only about 32% of the population. That is roughly 3,731 of 11,562 people. I would have to factor that in.
Pittsboro is similar to Mebane but with a smaller population. Hillsboro is slightly better, but it has a higher Median Home value.
Last edited by RedZin; 12-02-2013 at 05:55 AM..
Reason: No real estate links
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