Moving from Asheville and have some questions on neighborhoods (Raleigh: real estate market, apartment)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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My wife and I are in our mid-30's and have been thinking about making the move from Asheville to the Triangle. The housing in Asheville is just out of a control ($300k+ for small dumpy ranches that need work) and the job market for anything outside of the service industry is non-existent. We're looking for a change! We have been to the Triangle several times and have liked it. We're growing out of the appeal of "hip" places with high rents and just want a place to settle down.
We have a few questions on a few neighborhoods in the area and what their general vibes are (crime/things to do/walkability).
Durham: South neighborhoods (Woodcroft, Hope Valley)
Chapel Hill: Eastern neighborhoods on the border to Durham (I think Downing Creek?)
Raleigh: Northern neighborhoods (Five Points, North Glen)
We live in North Raleigh and, in 5-10 mins, I can walk to dozens of stores and restaurants, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, doctor offices, etc. We are paying $1400 for a brand new 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, so I don't know how that cost compares to buying a home. Are you definitely trying to buy a home right away and have no interest in renting an apartment for awhile?
We live in North Raleigh and, in 5-10 mins, I can walk to dozens of stores and restaurants, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, doctor offices, etc. We are paying $1400 for a brand new 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, so I don't know how that cost compares to buying a home. Are you definitely trying to buy a home right away and have no interest in renting an apartment for awhile?
I think we would like to buy right away. I've been renting for 15 years or so and I'm tired of sharing walls and floors to be honest. We are paying $1600 right now for a 3 bedroom but it really has the square footage of a 2 bedroom and we have no amenities (no pool, gym, or anything else).
Also to the other responses so far, the $400k+ houses in Raleigh give you far more house for the price. In Asheville things can go for $300+ per square foot just a few blocks away from a housing project (it has been named most expensive city in the state). Doing the math I seldom see anything break $200 a square foot in the Triangle.
Also to the other responses so far, the $400k+ houses in Raleigh give you far more house for the price. In Asheville things can go for $300+ per square foot just a few blocks away from a housing project (it has been named most expensive city in the state). Doing the math I seldom see anything break $200 a square foot in the Triangle.
I bought my townhouse for $230/sq ft. It depends if you want something new or not. If you are fine with something older in the neighborhoods you listed, you can definitely find something under $200/sq ft (but still a pretty high overall cost). If you want something new, you'll definitely be over $200 if not $300.
I bought my townhouse for $230/sq ft. It depends if you want something new or not. If you are fine with something older in the neighborhoods you listed, you can definitely find something under $200/sq ft (but still a pretty high overall cost). If you want something new, you'll definitely be over $200 if not $300.
Definitely doesn't have to be new. I'm very accustomed to living in old properties haha.
Over $200 a square foot is doable for us. We're definitely not looking for a huge house and we don't plan on having children which helps us be flexible too. Not to mention our salaries would be higher in the area vs. Asheville too.
Definitely doesn't have to be new. I'm very accustomed to living in old properties haha.
Over $200 a square foot is doable for us. We're definitely not looking for a huge house and we don't plan on having children which helps us be flexible too. Not to mention our salaries would be higher in the area vs. Asheville too.
What are your fields of work?
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I think we would like to buy right away. I've been renting for 15 years or so and I'm tired of sharing walls and floors to be honest. We are paying $1600 right now for a 3 bedroom but it really has the square footage of a 2 bedroom and we have no amenities (no pool, gym, or anything else).
Also to the other responses so far, the $400k+ houses in Raleigh give you far more house for the price. In Asheville things can go for $300+ per square foot just a few blocks away from a housing project (it has been named most expensive city in the state). Doing the math I seldom see anything break $200 a square foot in the Triangle.
I think some of the folks that responded to your original post aren't familiar enough with the Asheville market to realize how out of control the real estate market has gotten there. It's not even evident from looking on realtor.com or zillow, because unless you know the area well there is no point of reference to compare one neighborhood vs. another. I was once on a crusade to buy a second home in the WNC area, but decided against it, simply because what I was looking for wasn't available. You can get a nice price on a home in the mountains if you're willing to go a bit rural, but that's not for everybody and if you're still in your prime working years the commute could be an issue. Or of course there are pockets of affordable homes in the city but once you spend some time there you start to realize why they are affordable.
In Asheville you are paying for a certain "vibe" in a tourist town, so certain locations just command a massive premium. I've seen homes in the $600k+ range there which were maintained but had either completely or partially outdated interiors which, in the Triangle by all rights would fetch $350k in a comparable neighborhood. But the comps aren't really comps. There you have the mountains, a lot of interesting old architecture and history, IMO more desirable weather (slightly harsher winters but less brutally humid winters) and plenty to do.
The market is just different there, from the perspective of buyers and sellers. Most of the homes I saw that had been remodeled were done so with a very subjective design that wasn't really to my liking. A lot of people in WNC prefer to keep things "old" and "original" to preserve the character and history of the home -- that's just part of the charm of the area I guess.
Overall, you're initial research is right. You will get WAY more house for your money in the Triangle depending on what your definition of more is. Some of the older homes I saw in Asheville needed a lot of interior work to be competitive with Triangle homes, but at the same time the quality of construction of some of those homes was something you wouldn't even be able to approach in homes built in the last 15 years in the Triangle.
About crime, there are heat maps to show you which neighborhoods have more or are close to areas with more. To be honest I think you'd feel a big per capita reduction in crime anywhere in the Triangle compared to the city of Asheville. The Asheville area has been too liberal and tolerant of drug users for too long and it's starting to catch up with them. It's not that I would feel unsafe in Asheville, the violent crime typically only involves those involved in the lifestyle, but there are way too many break-ins/burglaries for my liking, and just too many tweaked out weirdos and vagrants, so just watching the Asheville news it can get a bit tiring of hearing about so many weird crimes within the city in an area with a much lower population than the Triangle.
As was pointed out, however, the line of work you're in will make a bigger difference to your satisfaction here vs. there than the actual cost of housing. In general the job market is better across the board, but some fields are more beneficial than others.
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