Choosing the Right Durham Neighborhood - Please Help! (for sale, real estate market)

[taylorgal34]

[SIZE=2]

My husband and I need your help. We’re relocating from Virginia, and after three weekends of searching for homes, we’ve narrowed our options down to three finalists. They’re very different choices, each with pros and cons. Could those of you in the area provide some on-the-ground advice that might help us as we choose our home?


Option #1 – Woodcroft

Pros:
Lowest end of price range
Love the neighborhood for the community pool, trails, and central location in Durham
Love the house (has lots of charm and many of the elements we’re seeking)

Cons:
Masonite siding
Poly plumbing (at this point, we’re unsure of the type of fittings used)
Smaller size (might outgrow in 5 – 7 years)
Several small projects needed to make the house what we’d like


Option #2 – Buck Crossing

Pros:
Nice home in move-in condition
Comfortable size (could potentially stay there for foreseeable future)
Newer home without potential siding/plumbing issues

Cons:
Don’t know much about neighborhood (and not as crazy about it)
No community pool in neighborhood
Not as equidistant to both UNC and Duke
Within original price range, but considerably more expensive than #1


Option #3 – Grandale Place

Pros:
Immaculate home (move-in condition)
Large size that we wouldn’t really outgrow

Cons:
Don’t know much about neighborhood (and not as crazy about it)
Not as equidistant to both UNC and Duke
About 7% higher than original price range, and considerably more expensive than #1 or #2


Since we’re leaning toward #1, we’d especially like any feedback from people who live or formerly lived in Woodcroft that might have taken a chance on a house with the same cons. We’d also love to hear from anyone who lives in the other two neighborhoods (Buck Crossing and Grandale Place) about the reason to move there or avoid it.


Thanks in advance!

[/SIZE]

[sneezecake]

All three neighborhoods are nice, which you've no doubt seen from your visits.

I have to assume your price range is in the 250k-300k range given what you've said about the neighborhoods and my knowledge of what those neighborhoods prices are.

Woodcroft is a MUCH larger neighborhood, so that has some big pros to it - remember though, you have to pay additional membership if you want to use the Woodcroft Club.

Grandale Place - not sure if you knew this, but you are not permitted to use the Grandale pool.

Buck Crossing I know little about except that it's very close to Target and I-40. I doubt it would have a pool in such a small 'hood.

Of the three, I think Woodcroft is the nicest neighborhood feel-wise, and Grandale Place is definitely the most expensive of the three in terms of neighbors property values, though some sections of it feel very cookie-cutter.

There are dozens of homes for sale in Woodcroft - have you seen many of them? It seems to me that if you have 3 homes you'd really consider putting offers on, then you aren't TOO picky...and with such a wide range of prices and sizes in Woodcroft, you should be able to find a house that you don't worry about being too much on the bottom end of your range in price and size and you won't have to plan to move too soon.

[taylorgal34]

Thanks, sneezecake, for your reply. And for the record, your price range guess is correct. Our original range was $225 - $275K, and we recently expanded to $300K. However, we'd much prefer to stay in our original range.

I didn't realize that Grandale Place didn't have access to a pool. That's helpful info considering that we'll soon be starting a family.

We have looked at many homes in Woodcroft, but this one just seemed to strike the right chord with us vs. all of the others despite the size.

To be honest, there wouldn't be a question about which house we'd choose if it weren't for the hardboard masonite and the plumbing. We're just a bit hesitant to "pull the trigger" given the potential issues with those materials. Then again, there are hundreds of people who own homes made with those materials, so we're guessing it can't be too bad.

I guess our main two questions are:
1) whether the substantially decreased cost and the awesome neighborhood is worth the potential (but not guaranteed) problems with the siding and plumbing and the small amount of "sweat equity" we'll be facing, and
2) whether the siding and plumbing will become increasing resale issues in the next 5 to 10 years

I've scoured these boards for the last six months, so much of the information that everyone has provided has been uber helpful. I appreciate in advance any further advice that can be given specific to our situation.

[MrsSteel]

TaylorGal, I'd love to know which house you're considering in Woodcroft. I live there so I like to keep a close eye on our real estate market in the community. Don't post anything publicly, of course, but if you'd like to send me a Direct Message, I'd love to know!

Your pro & con list was very similar to ours, but we still ended up moving to Woodcroft because we loved the feel of the neighborhood. Most of your issues need to be taken on a house-by-house basis. In our situation with our particular house, the pros outweighed the cons. But that's just us.

As for masonite, I found that if it's well maintained, then you'll be fine. There are a few homes in Woodcroft where the masonite is not in good shape at all. There are other homes where it's in great shape. And there are actually a number of homes here in Woodcroft where much of the siding has been replaced with hardiplank (that is the case with our house). As for the poly piping, the biggest concern is with the connections. The homes I checked out in Woodcroft with poly piping had copper connectors which is a VERY good thing. Since the homes are about 20 years old, it's getting to the point where some items need to be replaced. Our house also has a few items for us to tackle over time (we'll need a new roof in the next 2 years), but in our opinion, the setting was worth it. We have a beautiful, wooded lot with gorgeous views, plenty of privacy, and close access to the walking trails. We couldn't find anything we liked as much in the newer neighborhoods in the area. But again, that's just us.

Sneezecake makes a very good point about the Woodcroft Club. The annual HOA payment of $189 just covers the maintenance of the public areas (medians, greenways, and all of those miles of walking trails). If you want to join the Woodcroft Club it costs extra. The price varies depending on the type of membership you want, so you should check the website for more info.
Woodcroft Club, Durham, NC

I posted a lot more info about Woodcroft in this thread from last year.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...ft-durham.html

[sneezecake]

Have you gotten ballpark quotes on what it might cost to repair the issues? Not like a full on estimate, but just someone throwing out round numbers (5k? 50k?) to see where you'd be? You've said the house is the cheapest of the three - if the house cost Xk more but didn't have the issues you mentioned, would you buy it in a heartbeat?

[durhammom]

Hi!

If neighborhood pool is a biggie for you then you may also want to check out these neighborhoods -- Woodlake, Chancellor's Ridge, Auburn, Audobon Park, Wellington Forest, Windcross and Fairfield.

All are within a mile or two of at least one of the neighborhoods that you are already considering.

[David1105]

I recently moved to Woodcroft and here are my comments through the house buying process. If you want to live in Woodcroft it is wise to get a home with updates already done. Of course houses like those are rare and get snatched up fast but they are worth it. Our house had a one year old roof, water heater, washer, dryer, fridge, microwave, stove, corian countertops, new kitchen floor AND poly pipes all replaced. HVAC is only 5 years old. One of the bed rooms had new carpeting. The bathrooms were all redone with new sinks, mirrors and other fixtures.

The pipes being replaced was the clincher for us. If you look hard enough you will find houses in Woodcroft with the pipes replaced. Personally I would not buy a house with poly pipes. To replace poly pipes can range from $2500-$5000.

Now while we paid more than what we were willing to pay for the house, it was worth it for me because of all the upgrades. The house does have masonite siding but it is still in good shape even though it hasn't been fully painted since 2002. Before we bought the house the owners did replace all of the near end of life boards and caulked and painted. We will paint the house this fall most likely but again, if you take care of the siding and replace any damaged boards it should not be an issue. Paint every 5 to 8 years. I think to replace all the siding to vinyl is around $9000 and fiber cement is a little bit more if you choose to go that route. Btw, painted hardboard masonite looks far better than vinyl (which tends to fade over time).

In any case. If you buy in Woodcroft you will be getting an older house which will need work. Best to buy one that has been well maintained and most of the work/upgrades has already been done. We love the neighborhood, the neighbors and our house. The pool is a bit expensive but they by far have the most activities and a very active membership of all the pools in the area. There are tons of tennis courts and a great field. It is your choice to join if you desire...if you don't want to join then the HOA fees are very reasonable ($189). If there is any disadvantage I can think of it is that you will encounter more bugs than you are used to. But what would you expect living in such a wooded environment. Hire pest control or spray your house yourself every three months. Oh and we did see a black rat snake the first day we moved in. It was sunning on our porch but that has been the only snake since and those will show up anywhere you decide to buy! Hopefully no other unexpected creepy crawlers will show up in the future. Also, if you like grass then you may limit your house buying in Woodcroft. Many front yards have lawn but backyards with lawn are few and far between. My backyard has over 50 trees believe it or not and not one sliver of grass anywhere. Lots of pine needles and dirt, a few weeds here and there but no more poison ivy (that was a first week of owning the house project that HAD to get done).

The thing that I have realized is once you actually move into a house so many little things need to be done that you never expected. These things cost lots of money to fix/customize the way you like it. So best to get the big stuff taken care of in terms of upgrades so that you can tend to the small stuff and not feel strapped for cash at the end. One final note, in terms of the schools, every single family on my block of Woodcroft have sent their kids to Jordan high school. They said it was not difficult to get them into Jordan because of proximity and the open enrollment system of Durham. Schools should not be an issue when buying into Woodcroft.

[balboafest]

I don't know if you're looking for other neighborhood suggestions or not. But, my wife and I were strongly considering Woodcroft, and we ended up buying in the Oakbrook section of Hope Valley Farms. We love it, because it's got the mature trees of Woodcroft, but it's in the Jodan HS district and more houses have other kinds of siding (ours is vinyl).

Over the weekend I posted a thread with photos I took in Oakbrook: http://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...ley-farms.html

It can be somewhat difficult to determine if a house is in Oakbrook or another part of HVF via web searches. I can't post specific MLS numbers on the form. But, I can point you to some Oakbrook houses if you're so inclined. Just shoot me a private message.

[findingmesomeday]

The homes in Woodcroft are only about 20 years old and need that much work? Or am I reading too much into the posts? A home in my town here in MA that's 20 years old is considered on the newer side.

[David1105]

By the time a roof is 20 years old it is approaching end of life or at the very least needs some parts of it repaired. Original countertops/appliances from Woodcroft homes that were built in the 80s don't need to be upgraded but it certainly adds a nice touch and more modern feel coupled with the charm that is inherent in Woodcroft homes (not to mention it helps in the resale value of your home). HVACs and water heaters break eventually. I don't think Woodcroft homes are "old." They are just older than most of the homes around the neighborhood because southwest Durham exploded and building of new homes and stores never seems to cease. The city really needs to repair the piece of Garrett Rd. in front of Jordan High and all of Hope Valley Rd. from the Rite-Aid all the way down toward Sunningdale. The roads are atrocious because of all the construction taking place around that area.

Other advantages I found living in Woodcroft is that the shopping center has an eclectic mix of stores that are ultra convenient when you need something quickly and don't want to drive out of the neighborhood, the community is very active and everyone takes pride in living there. If you work at UNC, Duke or RTP the TTA bus stops all along the parkway thus I don't drive to work anymore. This by itself will save me tons of money this year.