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I agree with NRaleighGuy. You really have to come and visit and see what you like. Then the two main issues to me would be schools and commute/job. I recommend renting first too...if you can rent in a school district you want to stay in, all the better.
We moved to Clayton (Johnston county) which is further out than many towns in the triangle. For some, they'd rather cut off their pinkies than commute longer than 20 minutes. For us, we wanted get the house/lot we wanted and we'd deal with a commute (45 minutes for dh - which is half of what he had in NJ). For some the year round schools and bussing in Wake isn't an issue, for us, it was (especially after a grueling relocation).
There are so many things to consider and you really won't be able to start a real list of "deal breakers" until you get some trips here under your belt and really get a look around and see what makes the most sense for your family.
Do your research and go with your gut and don't rush into anything! That's my 5 cents based on our relocation from NJ. We've been here almost 3 years now and haven't regretted it for a second! The things we don't like about our area/neighborhood are minimal and come nowhere near being "deal breakers" for us.
Well, for me in my opinion,life is better in general, and my first impression was long island in the 1970's,.Whats wrong with that, oblivious to what? And irony,in nc building up, and housing developments,springing up like long island of past. NC will never be like long island,or what happened there,its not an island with limited land,this state is huge.
People were saying the same thing about Florida just 5-10 years ago when all of the Long Islanders were headed down there. And by george, look what happened there! Now everyone from Florida is coming to NC too!. Heck, 50 years ago people were talking about how much wide open space there was on Long Island compared to the city and flocking there in droves. I guess for some people, even hindsight isn't 20/20.
People were saying the same thing about Florida just 5-10 years ago when all of the Long Islanders were headed down there. And by george, look what happened there! Now everyone from Florida is coming to NC too!. Heck, 50 years ago people were talking about how much wide open space there was on Long Island compared to the city and flocking there in droves. I guess for some people, even hindsight isn't 20/20.
I grew up in Oceanside LI in the 50's and 60's. It was wide open.
My friends and I had open lots to explore, even a boat graveyard where we could pretend to be sailors on junked boats.
Later, the town filled in and yuppified. Even the city landfill was converted to building lots which subsided badly as the buried garbage decomposed.
So, all new yorkers should stay in new york, and watch all the cities and towns in other states turn into ghettos. Take a good look at most of NC small towns. I dont see any locals saving these towns.
So, all new yorkers should stay in new york, and watch all the cities and towns in other states turn into ghettos. Take a good look at most of NC small towns. I dont see any locals saving these towns.
save your ranting for some place else or make your own thread this has nothing to do with what the original poster was asking for.
Hijacking a thread is rude to the OP and against the terms of service
I'm from upstate NY. Lived here just over 4 years. For us renting was the way to go. Got us to learn the area, learn the traffic patterns, learn the places to shop, eat, and if you have kids, the schools.
We settled in Wake Forest work in RTP. Not a bad commute if you don't try to do it from 7AM-9AM or 5PM-7PM. If you can adjust your work schedule outside those times than no problem IMO.
Looked at other areas while we rented and Wake Forest for whatever reason looked and felt more like upstate NY. Homes were comparable around the triangle so Wake Forest did not have the market cornered on low prices homes. If you wanted to live outside the triangle you can get more home for the price from places like Clayton, Youngesville, Durham, Creedmore, Fuquay-Verina just to name a few!
In these slower economic times the area has held up well. From home prices to employment. That is no guarantee that the future will be so kind as unemployment to heading up and home prices are trending flat to lower.
If you like the NYC scene this is not the place. Slower paced friendly people, a lot of newbies all trying to start anew and meet new friends. Typically is easy to fit in. Subdivisions have a thing here called Home Owners Associations (HOA) that pay for the communities amenities, such as street lights, grass cutting, flower planting, roads, curbs, green areas, pools, tennis courts, golf courses, etc. When you find a subdivision make sure your agent provides you with the HOA RULES as sometimes one cannot live within this RULES. So buyer beware.
You can find a home in almost any price range from low $100s to $4M+. The choices are mind boggling and wallet emptying. Some good things to remember when looking, find a good Buyers Agent, there are many that frequent this Forum that are VERY GOOD. When you look at a subdivision make sure you go there at busy times to make sure you can get in and out of the subdivision during rush hours, you will be happy you did. Some beautiful subdivisions are near impossible to exit during rush hour. If there is new construction going on stop and walk through the homes being constructed, that will give you a sense of how the homes are being constructed. Talk to people walking the subdivisions, my experience has been that people want to talk and tell you about where they live, the good and the bad.
School well that is a subject in itself. There are many threads on that so I won't do into that. Just know that Wake County is the school district. You are use to town school districts, here in the south its by County so there are good and bad features with that.
For us renting for a year was the way to go. There are many places to rent so that should not be a problem if that is the route you will take.
So, all new yorkers should stay in new york, and watch all the cities and towns in other states turn into ghettos. Take a good look at most of NC small towns. I dont see any locals saving these towns.
So let me get this straight....towns outside of NY are only good places to live in New Yorkers flock to them? Otherwise they're ghettos? And apparently every town in NY is also ruined...so basically the only places good to live in the whole US are places where NYers go to escape NY? Lets see...the places that this described in the past would be New Jersey, Southern California, Florida, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Northern Virginia. You're right! All of those places are currently very affordable, with minimal traffic, low crime, and incredibly stable housing markets!
If you wanted to live outside the triangle you can get more home for the price from places like Clayton, Youngesville, Durham, Creedmore, Fuquay-Verina just to name a few
I just wanted to correct the statement for people not familiar with the area. Durham is part of the Triangle. But yes, it is more affordable than the rest of the Triangle.
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