Washington Square at Amberly (Cary, Asheville: rent, HOA fees, countertops)

[boocake]

Does anyone have any "inside" info on these townhomes? We live in Asheville currently and are putting our home on the market next week. Not sure how long it will take to sell (hopefully not forever, but we're prepared to wait a while..) Anyways, when we finally are ready to move, we are considering Cary or Apex and have been researching the Amberly community, specifically the townhomes at Washington Square.

I have a few questions if anyone knows -- 1 - are they incredibly popular? Would we have to get on a waiting list and wait for one to be built? Or have they had any inventory available?

Also, we're most interested in the Key West plan which says it starts at 193k. Our max price is around 210k - once we add options, would we be way above that?

Also, any other information about Amberly in general would be VERY helpful. Is the pool really as great as it looks? The walking trails? We have a 9 month old son if that helps. I've actually lived in the triangle before, so I'm pretty familiar with the area in general, but not the development in that specific area that has taken place over the past 3 years or so.

[Jelli33]

I currently live in Washington Square at Amberly. It is pretty nice, most people seem to be pretty friendly. They have been selling pretty fast, I am not too sure if they have any spec homes ready now. There are a few resales in the community right now. I would guess that once you add any options more than likely you would be pretty high above you max price of 210K. The HOA fees keep going up, I think it was around $120 a month, but is now around $170. I currently rent now and considered buying in Washington Square, but I found that I get a lot more for my money else where. (currently building in Holly Springs)

Amberly is a nice community, the pool is nice, tons of places to walk.

Overall look at all the options in the area (Apex, Cary, Holly Springs etc)

If you have anymore questions I would be happy to try to help!

[STIMPYB27]

Originally Posted by boocake

Does anyone have any "inside" info on these townhomes? We live in Asheville currently and are putting our home on the market next week. Not sure how long it will take to sell (hopefully not forever, but we're prepared to wait a while..) Anyways, when we finally are ready to move, we are considering Cary or Apex and have been researching the Amberly community, specifically the townhomes at Washington Square.

I have a few questions if anyone knows -- 1 - are they incredibly popular? Would we have to get on a waiting list and wait for one to be built? Or have they had any inventory available?

Also, we're most interested in the Key West plan which says it starts at 193k. Our max price is around 210k - once we add options, would we be way above that?

Also, any other information about Amberly in general would be VERY helpful. Is the pool really as great as it looks? The walking trails? We have a 9 month old son if that helps. I've actually lived in the triangle before, so I'm pretty familiar with the area in general, but not the development in that specific area that has taken place over the past 3 years or so.

I to have been eyeing the townhomes at Washington Square. I've spent the past 3 days talking to the contractors and KB reps along with the Loan rep they have on site. I've been in each availavble home about 10x walking back and forth trying to decide if i want to buy the almost ready or do a custom build. they had about 5 homes available for a mid july move in with what looked to be 3 san franscico 3BR design and 1 new york 2BR and 1 key west 2BR+loft. the key west was priced at 238k+change. the 3 SF were 208k, 211k, and 225k. each one had different "extras" like granite tile on the 1st floor and so on. I could list them all if you really wanted. for your info the Key west looked to have a Bathroom upgrade on granite tiling, glass shower/seperate tub. it had upgraded cabinets with standard countertop in the kitchen. it also had a balcony on the MBR.

to answer your other question about custom builds. they have what looks like 9 available sites left meaning townhomes. that can be done from the ground up. I think there is only 1 or 2 end units available or left. the reason i say this is because I was told that only the New York and Key west are end unit models. the SF and LV models are squished in between. so if you really want a key west then you have to buy an end unit. and once the end units are gone then you'd have to go for a resale. Actually I take that back. I think there are more buildings that will go up in the future. but I'll have to ask the KB rep to be sure.

and for the last question you will probably looking at 240k for a key west if not more. I can send you copies of what I've recieved in the mail. plus the prices for these homes keep going up so idk what they will quote you when you actually decide to visit which i must say you need to do.

I stopped by the community pool and it's large. the facility is 10000sf. with a nice rec area. the place is run by unc healthcare right now for the wellness programs. and they are all free with HOA's

send me a PM if you want me to send you some info about WS. I've got papers galore about the place from the KB reps.

[WaterGraff]

We are looking at Washington Square. We really like the neighborhood! They provide guest parking for the townhomes and there are sidewalks and plenty of places to walk. The pool and event center is amazing, it really is as great as it looks in the pictures. The downside is that the HOA dues are high because of that (170 a month right now).To get an idea of price...take the base amount that they list for the floorplan plus a lot fee (anywhere from 2000-7500 depending on where you will be in the neighborhood: most are 4000) plus any upgrades (average is around 25,000, but you can choose to do less than that). We wanted to keep our costs low, but even doing bare minimum, such as not upgrading countertops, etc...we would spend about 15K in upgrades. Keep in mind there is also a 1530.00 fee when you close that goes towards the HOA as well.We liked this townhouse community the best out of the MANY that we've seen due to the width of the streets, the extra parking, and the great floorplans. We are hesitating to move there simply because of the HOA dues...170 per month might put us over our budget! Good luck with your search.

[K.Sienna]

I live right down the street at Lexington Park in Amberly. I like the area, however... (yes there is a however, lol) when the Western Wake Freeway is going to be built it will be less than a mile away down Carpenter Fire Station, that may or may not devalue the property in the future. I don't know how you care for living near a highway.

Next to your question regarding options for your home.
We were in contract with a KB home before. We were drawn in by the low prices. We almost had to upgrade everything to make it feel like the one we are currently renting. The "standard" features are a joke with KB homes. Think hollywood light bulbs above the mirrors (that don't exist you have to purchase them) and those delta faucets with the white handles from the 80s? Remember those? Those were all standard for the home we were looking at. Just be careful with the price, it can go up real quick and possibly look at the standard options before you jump.

Clubhouse
I really like the pool, that is one thing that I will miss here (we are possibly moving to Fuquay) The only thing I don't like is I get a "snotty" vibe from one of the workers but that has nothing really to do with Amberly, I just think she is a biotch. The rest of the workers/lifeguards are great and really nice. You do only have a number of guest passes you can use per year (I am not sure if that is for everyone but it is for me and I am renting). That is another thing that I see as snotty but that is just me. We have gotten called on HOA a few times from our neighbor.

From what I see, the townhouses go up real quick. That scares me. They could be built good but who knows really. I mean, seriously they are almost done with the one that I can see outside my kitchen window and they just poured the foundation less than a month ago.

Ok sorry for the novel. Maybe you could rent for a while before you leap into buying a house over here? Do some research on the western wake highway, come over here and visit, walk around the area, etc. I am glad I rented here first as if I just lept and bought I don't think I would have been as happy. Good luck and if you need any more answers I can try to help. I have been living in this particular area for almost a year.

[gobirdz27]

Regarding the Western Wake Freeway.....we live in Village Square at Amberly, I highly doubt that the 540 extension will devalue anything in Amberly. As you said, we're at least a mile away. In fact, our location to the 540/55 interchange probably enhances the value. Now if I were living in Cameron Pond, for example, I'd be very worried about the 540 noise.

[Funky Chicken]

Here are a couple of observations on Washington Square, Amberly, and KB.

Expect to spend 10 to 15% over and above the "base" price to get what most people would consider the bare minimum in upgrades. Don't skimp on electrical (cable outlets, extra recessed lighting, and the like).

KB is a pretty efficient operation, and those townhomes are not particularly difficult to construct. They do go up very fast but I don't think that reflects on poor quality. KB is a decent midline tract builder.

Amberly will not see any devaluation from future 540. There will NOT be an interchange at Carpenter Fire Station Road and you are far enough west that noise will not have an impact.

[socalkitti]

I would also like more information on Washington Square at amberly. My boyfriend and I are looking to purchase a new home there and love the layouts of the townhouses and brick facades, quality seems better than most in the area. (I had a new house in brier creek that after a year was about ready to fall apart, termites and all, and that's with a very thorough home inspection the year before) Any insight? we are looking at a end unit... any word on HOA dues? i hear they have gone from $120 to $170/month, do you know if there is a cap? Thanks.

[socalkitti]

***additional info*** we have gone several times through the models and the showroom and are planning on buying a base model with very few upgrades (2 to be exact) and upgrading all else ourselves over the years we live there. Their base models aren't beautiful but are on par with other builders of similar quality. We figure as things break/get worn out we will replace with higher quality as we can afford it. Thanks.