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I am being related for work to the Raleigh, NC area March 1, 2014. We just got back from a 3 day house search in the area with no luck.
We focused on the Cary, Apex and Holly Springs area. We were overwelmed with the fact schools are assigned based on specific address and several of the top schools in the area are capped.
Some of the neighborhoods we seemed to like were Lochmere (Cary), Sunset Oaks (Holly Springs), 12 Oaks (Holly Springs), and Scotts Mill (Apex). Problem was we did not see any houses that met our needs (at least of the ones available). Most were at the top of our budget and still needed major work like a major kitchen update. Seems like home inventory is lower than normal per our realtor.
Our needs are a good school as we have one child in Kindergarten and one child in 2nd Grade. We would also like a house with ideally with at least a quarter acre (0.25). Trees in yard are also very important. A neighborhood pool is also a very high priority.
We love the Cary area as the parks and trail system seem to be the best in the area.
So a couple of questions...
What neighborhoods would you recommend for a family of 4 that wants a family friendly neighborhood and great outdoor activities in the area (parks, walking trails, etc).
Any elementary schools in the Apex, Cary or Holly Springs areas that you would steer clear of?
What's your budget
Where's the job, what kind of commute are you looking for
What are the needs that you reference in your post as far as a house besides .25 acre (and be aware that the newer the construction the smaller the acreage unless your budget is pretty high).
Pretty much no schools in the suburbs that you need to steer clear of
Based on what you are looking for I would recommend houses on the Cary/Apex border but it's hard to give you neighborhoods without knowing what you want to spend.
Budget would be $350k.
Will be commuting to Sanford, NC. So getting to Rt. 1 would be key for my commute
Looking for no more than a 30 min commute
The commute will be more than 30 minutes from Lochmere if you are going to the center of Sanford. Perhaps you should stick to Holly Springs or Apex if you are fixed on a 30 minute or less commute.
Although Lochmere is a lovely neighborhood, the feeder schools aren't all that great. They are the same schools I went to growing up there. And it's a 45+ minute commute to Sanford. Why put yourself through that? Holly Springs would be more convenient.
I'm not familiar with holly springs to recommend a place. In Apex I would also look at Pearson Farms and Dogwood Ridge. In your price range you may have to live with some outdated stuff.
Sounds like a new employee at Central Carolina Hospital. If so, I expect the 30 minutes is a fairly strict requirement for on call response.
30 minutes just stretches to Scotts Mill and Whitehall in Apex.
Bella Casa is possible, except for the .25 acre lot for the budget. And no current inventory that fits.
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