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I think you should come down and visit in the heat of the summer to see if this is place really offers what you're looking for, at the price you're looking at. Your requirements seem a bit fuzzy and conflicted at the moment. Yes, there are lakes in NC. But they are not going to be the same as lakes up north. And Falls lake and Jordan Lake are most likely going to be more crowded than you're used to, because there are more people here. At times, some of the beach areas close due to bacteria levels. .
UGH, agree, i wouldn't swim in a lake here in the dead of summer. It's nothing like upstate NY.
As far as pools, if you buy on an acre you could put one in, and may want to if you avoid a subdivision for HOA issues. Many neighborhoods have a pool so people don't bother putting one in their yard (and again, HOAs may limit your ability to put one in anyway).
Definitely come down and look at look at Greensboro area as well. See what fits best.
The big question is what drove you from Florida back to NY? Generally people who move just to get away from where they are end up unhappy, did you not like FL, or did you get a better job back in NY? I'd examine what didn't work last time and be very careful with your next move.
Florida was amazing. We lived in the tropical part. Coconut trees out our dining room window for a backdrop. Had friends We still miss (6 years gone, nearly). Loved my job. She considers that the best job she ever had. I mean, she would stay late if I got stuck at work just to help out. We made a lot of money for kids, probably $110,000 combined. Back then that wasn’t bad in that area. I don’t make near just now. Money is closer to nothing than it is to everything (but you need enough). We both came from below the poverty line. Proud moms; worked thier butts off and did it themselves, no handouts (not judging, just setting the scene)
I’m an open book, so here is the answer. We came back here in June of ‘12 for a massive celebration. Fell in love with the summer. Summers here are incredible minus the fact that you blink and they are over. It was nice to be around everyone and we started to think “we spend all our vacation budget and time coming to Rochester. Why not do it the other way around and live in Rochester, and vacation everywhere else” We went back and promised to think about it for a week before talking about it. That week, given the chance to process it again, may not have lead to the same decision. Most likely it would have, but we were young. I had a pillar of a family member fall extremely ill, and she got robbed at a gas station. She gave her 3 week notice, I talked my company into a transfer (but to buffalo for an hour commute) and we were back here exactly 3 weeks after the decision. I got a $2000 bonus for referring 2 rockstar employees which covered breaking our lease on the condo, so that didn’t “hurt” as bad. Never looked back until a little bit of thinking of relocation in 2014, but a lot now.
We came back here, bought this https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...31032031_zpid/ like the first day back as I found it on line while still down there. Walked past it with my fishing pole as a boy probably 1,000 times. That “thing” everyone runs from for part of (or sadly, for some, all of) their lives was faced that same year. So even with all that, rochester on paper just doesn’t add up like it used to. Jobs are less plentiful than other similar sized cities. Weather isn’t even close to being everything but here is an extreme winter. But then there is family. Friends. This isn’t as simple as finding a place that works and going for it.
Fun side note about Florida. Was 23 years old, she was 22, about to buy a house here. Went to the bottom tip of the state of FL for vacation. The realtor called and said we got bumped. Hung up the phone and said “let’s move here.” She thought I was crazy. Later that day we drove by the BEST company in my field. I had a plan. Got a resume to them, and literally said “I going to Naples, and am doing this. I don’t want to work against you; you guys are the best, and this is what I can do, it’s better we work together.” They “made room for me” but in SoFLA (West palm). 6 weeks later, drove down, stuff was shipped. We got to Boca Raton, having heard it was nice. Leased the second condo we looked at, closed the door behind the realtor at about 4pm, looked at each other like “seriously?! We had NO plan and here we are.” We walked right back out the door and went and enjoyed the last hour or so of sun in neck deep ocean, 2-3 miles from our new home. Never thought twice about anything and still don’t regret it. Would have done it differently now, but don’t regret it. That girl is my best friend. I’m blessed to call her my wife. Florida laid some solid blocks in our foundation.
We are way in the weeds but maybe you enjoyed the story.
There are certainly houses with private pools here in the Raleigh area. I know of no subdivision that contains lots big enough for a pool that forbid in-ground pools. There may be, but certainly none that I looked at. No AHJ forbids the installation of pools. The AHJ (or AHJs) have guidelines for things like impervious surface, set-backs, fencing, etc.
I would say of the 45ish houses in my neighborhood, there are 6 or 7 houses with pools, we have no community pool. But that is certainly much above average percentage for this area. However, it's certainly not like Florida where every house we looked at before buying in Central Florida had one. I don't think we saw any with-out one at our price point. The concept of it being too hot / humid for a pool I don't understand. We will probably open ours in a couple of weeks (by turning the heater on), and won't shut it down until end of October.
FYI- We owned a wonder craftsmen cottage in Webster village at one point as well, which I suspect you are familiar with on one of our corporate moves. Lovely area for 6 months a year. Can't imagine dealing with those winters again.
Now, if by pool, you mean an inflatable pool, or an above ground pool, than yes, most HOAs in newer communities are not going to allow that. It get's back to the primary purpose of an HOA which is to maintain property values. Now whether an above ground pool hurts property values or not is certainly up for debate, but I suspect that is the reasoning behind them being mentioned in the CCR documents.
I did enjoy your story! You're a good writer. I hope you find a place you like if you do move here. But you should definitely come and "live like you live here" when you visit, which means looking for the warts of daily living.
That is quite a compliment, thank you. We will be in the Outer Banks soon, large family vacation, and might spend a day and a half in either Raleigh or Greensboro on the way back. I’ll be nice to drive by some of the houses I’ve fallen in love with over the Internet, and see with the neighborhoods are like. Probably doesn’t make sense to spend some time there mid summer; I can’t imagine it’s much worse than the “dog days“ here, although here there’s like six or eight of them, there is probably three months straight. I wonder if that’s worse than 5° below zero With a -25 wind chill? Sounds like “is chocolate better than vanilla”
^^^ No, you need to spend time here in the summer. It is NOT like what you're used to, especially the unrelenting humidity. Come for at least a week in late July and see.
Like I said we get about 8 days of 95f with 95% humidity. WAY more uncomfortable than any day I ever spent in south Florida (cause of the jet stream thing from WPB to Miami). I don’t know how I would feel about 3 months of it. Pool and ac would be important
^^^ No, you need to spend time here in the summer. It is NOT like what you're used to, especially the unrelenting humidity. Come for at least a week in late July and see.
Agree. It's the nights more than anything. And I think evenings at the beach are generally a bit cooler than they are in Raleigh. It's the inability to open windows for at least a couple of months, and walking the dog after dark (which means at least after 9 p.m.) and still having your clothes stick to you, the hair stuck to the back of your neck. Some people handle it better than others.
That being said, there was a long period time when I enjoyed going out in the heat, and at night hearing cicadas and seeing all the bats -- just generally experiencing nature even during the oppressive summer days and nights. That admittedly changed once I had kids. It's harder to drag them out in the heat, especially when they're little... and the days with poor air quality really got to my son who has asthma.
It's all relative to personal circumstances and preferences.
90s are typical summer temps here. Expect it to be above 90 every day in the summer. It won't be, but if you expect it you'll be happy when it's only 88. It usually gets over 100 a few times each summer, too. It would be a super rare event to see a summer day of 75.
Winters will definitely be better, but we can get some cold days (singles digits occasionally), too.
You will fail inspection on your cars for window tint here, too. Don't know about exhaust parts — I drive an all electric Chevy Bolt and don't have exhaust.
Agreed. And, as an aside... do you like the Bolt? I have driven Volts since 2011 and am considering a Bolt.
I'll send you a DM.
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