New(er) construction in Durham for less than $250k? (Trinity: sales, chapel)

[sbanawan]

My wife and I are looking to move within Durham. We currently live off of Guess Rd. in north Durham. It's a good area, but our house is too small for us. It's also from 1985 and we'd like something newer (or way older like a house in Watts-Hillandale or Trinity Park but we just don't want to pay those overheated prices).

Considering the market, I feel like we should be able to get a lot of house for a good price, especially a new construction.

We've been trying to avoid the sprawl of 27713 (we lived down across from Southpoint just before the Target and Best Buy opened and that was enough congestion for us!), but, again, we want a new house's amenities.

Where should we look? Anyone have any leads on homes in this price range? I've seen a few for 275'ish. Do you think there's enough pressure on sellers these days to get them down below 250?

What we want:
- ~ 2000 sq. ft +
- 3 or more beds
- 2.5 baths
- nice yard, but not necessarily large
- not on a major road
- good neighborhood with people our age (we're both 32 with a 14 month old)
- I want people with Obama signs in their yards. Ok, I'll take a Hillary sign or 2.

Thoughts?

[#1NascarFan]

Originally Posted by sbanawan

My wife and I are looking to move within Durham. We currently live off of Guess Rd. in north Durham. It's a good area, but our house is too small for us. It's also from 1985 and we'd like something newer (or way older like a house in Watts-Hillandale or Trinity Park but we just don't want to pay those overheated prices).

Considering the market, I feel like we should be able to get a lot of house for a good price, especially a new construction.

We've been trying to avoid the sprawl of 27713 (we lived down across from Southpoint just before the Target and Best Buy opened and that was enough congestion for us!), but, again, we want a new house's amenities.

Where should we look? Anyone have any leads on homes in this price range? I've seen a few for 275'ish. Do you think there's enough pressure on sellers these days to get them down below 250?

What we want:
- ~ 2000 sq. ft +
- 3 or more beds
- 2.5 baths
- nice yard, but not necessarily large
- not on a major road
- good neighborhood with people our age (we're both 32 with a 14 month old)
- I want people with Obama signs in their yards. Ok, I'll take a Hillary sign or 2.

Thoughts?

I am not sure 27713 would be considered sprawl. That is an area that has a lot of housing and is pretty self sufficient with shopping, dining and medical. That area would give you an opportunity for what you are asking for in your price range. It would have to be on the northern end of it and you should be able to find some that are in less trafficy areas. There are many different roads you can take to get around.

I will agree with you on the Obama sign, but "HILLARY" ?

[sbanawan]

Originally Posted by #1NascarFan

I am not sure 27713 would be considered sprawl. That is an area that has a lot of housing and is pretty self sufficient with shopping, dining and medical. That area would give you an opportunity for what you are asking for in your price range. It would have to be on the northern end of it and you should be able to find some that are in less trafficy areas. There are many different roads you can take to get around.

I will agree with you on the Obama sign, but "HILLARY" ?

Maybe sprawl isn't the right word for 27713. We just don't want to be in the middle of big box hell around southpoint or in cookie cutter neighborhoods like Hope Valley Farms, if you know what I mean. It seems like the houses from the mid-90's tended to be very generic and the ones built more recently have more individuality. I've not had much luck finding developments but I'm just starting my search. Have you got any specific recs for that area? 27707 seems nice.

[sneezecake]

In that range for new construction, the only things I can think of that come to mind in the South/Southwest Durham area are in 27703 - places like Ravenstone and Wood Chapel - Brightwood Trails maybe, and Ganyard Farm.

Sorry to say but for 250k or less and new in that size range, you're going to be looking at cookie cutter whether you like it or not - if you relax the new requirement, you can get into areas like Woodcroft, but those homes are in the 20-ish year old range.

Likewise, if you jump your budget to 300-325k, you might be able to sneak in to the bottom end of one of the 27713 neighborhoods that isnt quite as cookie cutter - Grandale just reduced a new home to around 325k and probably could get it for less than that.

[sbanawan]

Price is definitely flexible, much more than any of our other requirements. But one of the reasons we're in the market now is to get a good deal on a house. So you think 325 is the minimum for what we're looking for?

I'll check Grandale. What do you know about the Brightleaf developments? We both work up near Duke, so northern Durham is actually more convenient for us (but we don't want to be stuck with a property that won't sell because of location down the road).

[sbanawan]

Ok. I just did a search for grandale and it looks like the homes start at 265k. I've never "ordered" a new home, so I don't know how that works. I imagine that once we got done customizing, it would quite a bit more, eh?

[sbanawan]

Also, what about Ashfield Place? So many options! BTW, I did a search on Fonville Morrissey's site and was able to come up with quite a few very new homes in our price range. But please keep the tips/suggestions coming!

[sneezecake]

I know a ton about Brightleaf - we just bought a house there...well, signed a contract there. As far as current inventory new homes, I think there is nothing below 385...however, you can build with Standard Pacific in the low 3s. For the mid 3s you can get a very nice home with one of the other builders.

Personally, if your goal is to get away from 100% cookie cutter, I'd definitely take a look at Brightleaf - we looked all around and found that the one thing that separated our likes from dislikes was whether the community was 100% siding or whether the homes were at least brick fronts.

If you want to avoid 27713 (which Grandale is in...) and price is upwardly mobile, Brightleaf is a very viable option - DM me if you have specific questions on Brightleaf.

The homes starting at 265 in Grandale are in "Grandale Place", an older (couple years) Centex development that will eventually connect with the newer Grandale. In my opinion, Grandale Place is a step below Grandale aesthetically - Grandale is very nicely done with colors and more trees around. Grandale Place is more like Lakehurst to me.

But again, we find ourselves talking about the 27713 zip you're looking to avoid..Check out Shea, St. Lawrence, and Drees in Brightleaf - base prices for all three of them start right around 300k, and Standard Pacific slightly lower. You should be able to build a nice (not talking WOW upgrades, but enough) in the 2500 square foot range for right around 315-320.

[MrsSteel]

Sneezecake makes some really great suggestions.

As you've probably realized by now, the builders in this area have not been too focused on the sub-$250K market in the last few years. There are some new homes out there in that range, but they don't sound like what you're looking for. When you start to look at the $300K+ range, your options open up quite a bit.

I am optimistic about Brightleaf. I know that they've altered some plans for the neighborhood since I last looked at it closely (some parts of the neighborhood that used to require all-brick now allow brick fronts only). That gives me the impression that the builders may be willing to negotiate, but it also makes me wonder what other details might get altered and if they may decide to build more lower-priced homes. If the developers can maintain the trees and their other plans, it could be a fabulous place to live. Just be aware that nothing seems to be set in stone. Some things may change. That's the risk you take when you buy in a community that is still under construction. But even with all of that, I still have high hopes for Brightleaf. It's shaping up to be a beautiful community.

Best of luck!

[amcjap]

Grandale has a sign on the road right now that says homes from the 270's and according to the sales office, they can give you some very nice upgrades for another 50k. That would probably be the heritage collection of homes which I think goes up to 3000 sq ft. We bought an inventory home in December and we love the house, the development and the area.