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We are moving to the Triangle area in the next 6 weeks. I had pretty much decided on the NW Raleigh area to buy a home, 27613 or 27617. DH will work out of Raleigh (near NC State). I will likely be commuting to Durham/Duke (no job offer yet, but interviewing and getting good positive feedback). I am now really confused about where to buy and was told that NW Raleigh would be a terrible commute to Duke. We do not want to rent first as we have no interest in moving twice or running the risk of placing DS in one elementary school and having to move him again (after already moving him once this year).
PLEASE share your thoughts on this commute. I like the homes in NW Raleigh and have great things about the schools there. Thanks!
I've lived in NW Raleigh for 20+ years, and have driven to Duke Hospital on many occasions. I have not found the commute to be terrible - more in the neighborhood of 25 minutes each way during rush hour. You just have to plan your route to avoid as much of the RTP traffic as possible, as once you pass by RTP the traffic drops off substantially.
I wouldn't buy a house until I knew where I would be working, personally. I live in NW Raleigh and travel to Duke rarely, and avoid it at all costs. It's not a mandate for me, so I usually refuse.
My neighbor used to drive there every day and as soon as she could, she transferred to Raleigh. Driving more than 15 minutes around here has gotten to be troublesome and annoying if done on a regular basis.
As awful as it seems, I really believe people are wise to rent first when moving here, even if it means moving twice. Or else move close to where you'll be working.
This area is a sprawling mass of everything and anything, from Durham to Chapel Hill to Raleigh. It takes weeks if not months to figure out where you are and where everything else is.
jmo,
best,
toodie
I disagree with those that say you MUST rent first. It is difficult when you have children. You have to do what is right for them and for you. Moving them once is difficult enough.
I have many many people that come down to this area for 4 days and in that time frame, they can determine which part of town they want to live in. Finding a house in 4 days, with the inventory we have, is easy!
My daughter drove from North Raleigh to UNC Chapel Hill for quite some time. Her commute was about 25 to 30 minutes. The only time she had problems was if it was a Friday afternoon and rainy. Seems there would be an accident and that would hold everyone up.
I commute to Duke daily from Cary. I live in West Cary and the ride is fine. Minimal trafffic going in at 7-7:30am. Coming home is fine as long as you leave by 4:15-4:30. By 5pm, it backs up getting onto 40E with everyone heading back to Raleigh. I don't even have to use Rt 40. I take 55 to the Durham Freeway. Commute is 19.4 miles - 25 minutes tops.
I disagree with those that say you MUST rent first. It is difficult when you have children. You have to do what is right for them and for you. Moving them once is difficult enough.
I have many many people that come down to this area for 4 days and in that time frame, they can determine which part of town they want to live in. Finding a house in 4 days, with the inventory we have, is easy!
My daughter drove from North Raleigh to UNC Chapel Hill for quite some time. Her commute was about 25 to 30 minutes. The only time she had problems was if it was a Friday afternoon and rainy. Seems there would be an accident and that would hold everyone up.
Vicki
I agree with you Vicki, I had made 3 visits to the Triangle before we settled on a house and that gave us time to eliminate areas/houses we didn't want. If you do your homework, then you can be happy with the area you pick. I have changed jobs since I moved 2 years ago, so my commute is longer, but it's not big deal. Not many people get the luxury of driving no more than 15 minutes to work. In areas like the Triangle and bigger sprawling cities/suburbs driving 25-30 minutes to work would be a godsend for many folks.
I wouldn't buy a house until I knew where I would be working, personally.
Knowing the general area where you will likely work makes sense - and it seems the original poster knows that (husband at NC State, wife at Duke). But many people will change jobs during their lifetimes, and moving following each job change is not always possible or a good choice. As long as you keep in mind where those potential jobs may be, and select a home where the commute to those will be reasonable, then most people will be in great shape regardless of the specific job they get.
We moved here recently and I definitely felt we could absolutely buy within a few days of moving. I also felt that communting wouldn't be a problem considering we were used to the commute. However, we decided to give it a little time anyway and rent, even though it meant two moves. I believe what we did was the right thing. It doesn't make sense but like some PP's mentioned, travelling beyond 10-15 minutes here seems to be annoying. I think it is because of the narrower roads and the slower speed limits that go with that. A 10 mile drive here seems to be very long - incredibly beautiful, but very long.
The other thing we thought about that made us rent was the thought that if we didn't like the house/area/whatever we bought, we would find it very difficult to sell and move to another place given the market.
We also did not unpack everything. A lot of our stuff is still in boxes and we plan to keep it that way until we buy our home maybe in around 6 months.
One final thing - we moved here with NW Raleigh ( we work in RTP) in mind too - but after exploring a bit here, we are finding so many other wonderful areas as well, so while NW Raleigh is still close to the top, there are other contenders as well!
Sorry to be long winding - but we went through pretty much the same exact thing and I thought I'd share. Good luck with everything
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