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Thanks to all of you who contribute SO much information here - you're saving people years of research & practically eliminating the theory of "live & learn" as it applies to making mistakes when re-locating!!!
We're considering a move to NC from Long Island, NY. We're used to things like:
land (more than 1 acre)
conveniences like high speed internet
access to over night delivery (home based businesses)
garbage pick up at the curb
ridiculous county & state taxes
treed & fenced property
houses made of lumber
shingle roofs (what is it with tin roofs?!?)
basements!
In searching homes on the internet, I'm looking for most of these things - with the exception of the taxes! I'm also pretty sure that unless we build, we will be buying ground floor living space in exchange for the finished basement!
There are SO many Counties in NC... can anyone help me by suggesting a County to search in?
Are there many restrictions on home-based businesses? For example: are you allowed to have your customers come to pick up merchandise (not like Avon)?
Are business networking groups popular in the 'cities'?
If I'm viewing a house on the internet and a TV in the picture has its antenna up and pointing all over, is it safe to assume there is no cable in the area?
If you own a DW can you make alterations to it such as adding rooms?
What is the advantage of living in a sub-division?
How has the drought affected people who rely on well water?
Is most of the well water acceptable for drinking, cooking, laundry, etc or do you need additional equipment such as a conditioner?
Are there great differences between Counties for allowances such as:
home renovation & reconstruction
type of animals you're allowed to have (dogs, birds, reptiles, etc)
fencing your property
installing a swimming pool
Thanks SO much for your time, and please feel free to share any helpful information!
Are you interested in the entire state or a specific area? I ask because you posted this in the Triangle forum which covers just one metropolitan area.
Well, I thought I was looking in the Triangle Area
I have map of NC Counties and real estate searches list the Counties such as Wake, Durham, Warren, etc. Does this include the Triangle Metropolitan area? Sorry for sounding like such a Yankee but, alas, I am!
We'd like to be close to a Metropolitan-ish area but really like the sprawl of acreage. Am I looking in the wrong places?!?
Patsyish, you originally posted this in the right area, but it looks like a moderator moved it because your original post made it sounds like you were considering the entire state. A moderator will probably move it back to the Triangle forum shortly.
The 3 core counties of the Triangle are Wake, Durham, and Orange. The are is growing and now parts of northwestern Johnston, southern Franklin, and northeastern Chatham counties are often considered part of the Triangle, too.
Beware of the restrictive covenants common here. They are even worse than zoning in restricting your property rights. Cary is famous for HOA's that intrude on every aspect of your life.
We live in Wake County, North Raleigh. Some older homes have the land you want, but many newer communities have tiny lots.
Some construction here is good. Some is awful. Weak building and fire codes.
Many areas have DSL and Roadrunner. In our area, Time-Warner has very good fiberoptic service.
Beware of the restrictive covenants common here. They are even worse than zoning in restricting your property rights. Cary is famous for HOA's that intrude on every aspect of your life.
We live in Wake County, North Raleigh. Some older homes have the land you want, but many newer communities have tiny lots.
Some construction here is good. Some is awful. Weak building and fire codes.
Many areas have DSL and Roadrunner. In our area, Time-Warner has very good fiberoptic service.
Raleigh picks up trash curbside.
Most roofs are shingles.
I second the comments about Cary. I was driving through some of the newer subdivisions in Cary yesterday, and honestly, they felt like well-manicured prison grounds. The uniformity of everything was seriously disquieting.
I was very happy to return to Carrboro where I can see nice neat historic houses sitting beside shacks with furniture and cars in the lawn - with neither side bothering the other or even appearing to care.
I haven't been here long enough to comment that thoroughly on your needs/desires, but Orange County would probably have what you want, if you can afford the land/houses, which do tend to cost a bit more than in Durham and Wake counties.
You should have no problem finding what you a looking for in the Triangle (Wake, Durham, Orange County). You might also consider Johsnton County which boarders the area as well.
Honestly most of the answers to your questions will depend on the specific neighborhood you live in. What type of additions you can do, and whether you can operate a home based business with customers coming and going from your house will totally vary by neighborhood.
Your questions about cable, overnight delivery, networking goups and lumber houses made me chuckle a bit. This area isn't all that different from where you are right now.
What you want and what you can get will depend largely on your price range.
What type of living are you looking for. Rural, suburban, ect...? Is there a reason you picked the Triangle area? Do you like to be closer to a city like Raleigh or Druham?
You should probably come for a visit this spring. It will help you put things into perspective.
I am not sure I can answer all of your questions..............but I will give it a shot
Raleigh is the "big city" of the triangle, although durham runs a close second, chapel hill is the other city in the "triangle". There are lots of other towns in between, but traditionally the triangle has consisted of raleigh durham and chapel hill (all three cities have universities, NC State, Duke and UNC respectively). Anyhow, land is probably one of those things that is harder to come by as the years go by........an acre or more can definitely be found, it all depends on where you want to be. I live in the northern part of wake county, in wake forest, and we are on an acre. But we are also in a subdivision, with restrictions, although a neighbor runs some sort of business from his house.
You save money on taxes if you live outside an incorporated town or city, we have a wake forest address, but live outside of the city limits and pay about 1/2 in taxes..........in exchange for that though, we have a community well and septic system. We do have recycling and trash pick up though.
Some areas you may want to look in that will give you some land are granville county (parts of it are close to wake forest), franklin county is north of wake forest (includes youngsville).
Many people chose a place to live based on their visits here, and what type of commute they want to work, schools, etc. I would invest in a map of raleigh (and surrounding areas) just so you can get a look at the area and how towns relate to each other.
Franklin and Granville counties (just north of Wake County_ will give you more freedom away from HOA's. IF you are not in town limits, you can pay a service to pick up your trash (we pay $17 a month and they come twice a week).
In both of these counties, you should be able to purchase land and have a doublewide set up on it. You would just have to make sure the land can be hooked up to electrical and water/sewer lines, or be ready to have a well and septic installed.
We have a well and have not have any problems- but we are conscious of the drought and try not use too much water- no washing cars, no grass or plant watering, etc...
I'd like to offer up a slightly different take on living in Cary if I may.
Cary is clean, safe, and well run. It is a forward thinking community with intelligent, active and participating residents. It offers outstanding recreational amenities, contains some of the most highly regarded schools in the Wake County Public School System, and is centrally located within the Triangle region.
Some of us don't mind HOAs-while I am the first to admit that there are some heavy-handed HOAs in the area, plenty of us prefer to have some guidelines to keep our neighborhoods looking nice and clean.
You may not find Cary to be your cup of tea, or find what you are seeking within Cary's town limits, but some of the above posts give the impression that Cary is the 'Evil Empire'. I like living here, as do over 100,000 others.
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