Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
what's the issue with school's Cary west of NC55? Where is the thread? I wouldn't mind looking at Apex or Holly springs. I also noticed a morrisville close by the area, what's the story there as not many homes come up in a search on zillow. I have a co-worker who moved down from LI and moved to fuquay (sp) and said he loves it there however it looks a little rural for me. I want a development with big box stores close by but with more land than .23 acre!!
you're not likely to get a pool of your own.
you're not likely to get > 0.23 acres under 10 years old, unless it's a less-desirable lot.
you're not likely to get a first floor office plus 4 bedrooms plus 3 baths plus a bonus room.
HOA's up to ~$150 could be monthly. $500 and above, fairly uniformly that's an annual.
I've lived in Cary (grew up in Preston and now rent in Carpenter Village) for 18 years, have 2 kids under 4 as well. I love Cary but it isn't where I want to raise my kids, for various reasons. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place to raise kids but everyone has their own ideas of what is right for them and Cary wasn't right for us.
Feel free to message me if you'd like to discuss. We are buying a home in Woodcreek in Holly Springs. What drew us to the neighborhood:
- We were also looking for 3000-3500 sq ft and $450k range (ended up at $470 with 3700 sq feet, 6 bedrooms--one of which is downstairs and will be used as an office, 5 full baths). We went a bit over budget and square footage because we finished the 3rd floor, which added a bedroom and bath.
- Proximity to RTP/Raleigh (we looked at Wake Forest but the commute didn't make sense for us and most of our family is in Cary/Apex area--we also liked Bella Casa in Apex but the lots available at the time were not good and the homes we looked at started at $400 with few upgrades and the sales person said most pay 20%+ in upgrades)
- We wanted new construction, subdivision with big pool, sidewalks, playground (also love the basketball and tennis courts), this really narrowed things down
- Lots are much bigger than what we could find in Cary (our lot is .5 acre on a cul de sac)
- John Wieland is our builder and they have a really good reputation. I've heard so many horror stories about dealing with other builders and I'm sure JW isn't perfect but they've been really good so far.
- Hardwood on first floor, screened porch, granite in kitchen are all standard
- Our floorplan has a HUGE bonus room - the master isn't that big but I wanted a big bonus room more than a big master
- There are SO many families with young kids. The schools in HS are all very good.
Cons that we talked about while deciding whether to buy in Woodcreek - 540 running along one side of the neighborhood, townhomes being built near us, construction all over the neighborhood, commute and paying tolls to get to work in RTP...
Although the 540 thing was initially a big concern there is supposed to be a big buffer and the townhomes are between us and 540. It almost became a plus because we realized we really liked Holly Springs and past Woodcreek 540 is still a big unknown (so many different proposed routes with no decision that I know of, although maybe that has changed).
Looking for 4-5 bedrooms with 3+ bath. Side entry garage would be ideal with first floor office and perhaps a bonus room for the kids upstairs or a finished basement. New modern kitchen with granite, hard wood floors, tile in some parts of home, trim work/moldings, formals,two story large family room, mudroom,patio, fenced in yard and pool would be great. I am leaving behind a very beautiful home so I want something better than what I have here if I am going to uproot my family to make a move so far away from family.
I see many homes with HOA's listed that range from $125-$500.. Is that an annual fee or monthly??
Is the home you're leaving behind about twice that price with taxes about 4 times as high or are you coming from a place with a lower COL?
I'm asking you because the last home I personally saw in my neighborhood that met your requirements sold for nearly 800k.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
Not Necessarily, Our home is around 3500 SQ FT, New construction, full of beautiful finishes and upgrades, .5 acre in a beautiful subdivision in Apex, We paid around 430k for it.
Tract?
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
With a side entry garage, dedicated first floor office, mudroom, and a finished basement and pool? Probably not close enough to RTP for the OP's liking.
I am kind of with Funky Chicken on this, unless the OP does indeed want to expand her search to Apex and Holly Springs. In fact, I put the OP's age, size and BR parameters into a popular website and included "pool" (not even basement) and I came up with exactly 9 houses in Cary, all of them west of NC55, which lands the OP in the schooling debacle that another thread is dedicated to. But hey, there are 9 houses....better than nothing!
PS - I'm not sure any of them actually have a pool in the yard - if the listing mentions "community pool" it pops up in the search.
Your search was the same as mine. If you leave out "pool" you get 26 houses, but some of them are contingent.
And I know which neighborhoods in Cary have a pool, so some just don't show up on MLS. This was for all of Cary, though, not just West Cary.
The OP just described my house, except we haven't fenced the yard yet and our pool won't go in until next year, probably.
Custom-built, less than 10 years old and most assuredly not in the OP's price range.
Oh... and we don't have a 2-story great room, but our ceilings are very high on the first floor and I prefer that to wasting square footage on a 2-story because everyone I know who has those complains about heating.
We did have a couple houses near here that already had pools in back (and one was fenced) go for close to 800k recently, so there ya go. Both had 2-story great rooms, and those houses (and mine) are in the 4500 and up bracket for square footage.
We looked in Apex and HS and quite frankly, for fairly new homes with custom finishes, the prices are not inexpensive enough in custom neighborhoods to get a house for 450k with all of the OP's requirements.
The OP must be living in a VERY expensive home in LI if they have all their requirements in their current home.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
I bought a custom built brand new home last year in Holly Springs. I have 3800 sq. feet, first floor office and "tech" room, mudroom, screened porch, patio, 4 bedrooms plus bonus room, 4-1/2 baths, finished 3rd floor (with bathroom), wooded backyard, upgraded kitchen with granite, etc. and access to community pool for $435,000. Our annual HOA dues are $199 (you have the option to add the pool for additional fee). Other homes in the area also have option for side car garage and a few put in a pool. Lots maybe smaller but we didn't care since we backed to the woods and love our neighbors . Distance to RTP = 30-45 mins. So, yes you can get what you are looking for - probably just not in Cary.
I bought a custom built brand new home last year in Holly Springs. I have 3800 sq. feet, first floor office and "tech" room, mudroom, screened porch, patio, 4 bedrooms plus bonus room, 4-1/2 baths, finished 3rd floor (with bathroom), wooded backyard, upgraded kitchen with granite, etc. and access to community pool for $435,000. Our annual HOA dues are $199 (you have the option to add the pool for additional fee). Other homes in the area also have option for side car garage and a few put in a pool. Lots maybe smaller but we didn't care since we backed to the woods and love our neighbors . Distance to RTP = 30-45 mins. So, yes you can get what you are looking for - probably just not in Cary.
Wow... sounds nice. Which builder?
Also... 2-story great room? I assume you don't have a backyard pool, either?
Either way, sounds like a good deal. Are you convenient to 540?
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
You wont get a pool of your own around here anywhere really. Our home has 4 bedrooms with a first floor master. We have a first floor Office, upstairs theater room, screened in back porch, front porch, side load garage. The homes are out there, you just have to expand your search.
To answer someones question from earlier, I wouldn't say tract persay, but not fully custom. We got to pick where on the lot our home was put, the trees we kept on the lot, every single thing in our home we got to pick (from the window style to the layout of the master bathroom).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Distance to RTP = 30-45 mins. So, yes you can get what you are looking for - probably just not in Cary.
