Where should I look for houses in Durham?

[solarity]

Tampa Red check out homes in 27703 Moderator cut: removed, depending on your budget Ravenstone or Brightleaf, and many others in that general area. Also check out this thread for one of the communities in this area:
KB Communities: Ravenstone and Stone Hill in Durham

[danadana]

Did you get to check out 27704? That's my zip code. I live 10 minutes away from 9th street off of Stadium and Carver Street. I went with a local builder, Cimarron Homes. I also looked at homes in Eno Trace. They seem to fit your criteria and have a mix of grad families in the community.

[jerseygirlonthemove]

We've actually been looking in Durham too. Mostly 27713 and 27707. Depending on what your needs are (as far as home layout, lot size, etc), you can find some nice homes in your range.

As for schools, you probably do want to take this into consideration especially since you are not looking at this as a long term residence. When the time comes, you'll want to have an easier selling experience. Selling a home with good schools is a better option than selling a home with not so good schools. Keep in mind the areas being recommended are in a "growth" area and have the potential for increased value over time too. Which is always a positive.

I can't vouch for the school systems other than my reserach and what other people have advised, but the list of schools provided in one of the earlier posts are considered some of the best schools in Durham.

Good luck!

[Indigoblue]

Wow I wrote the above post a really long time ago. I've since learned so much more about the Durham school system. The schools that appear to be the best schools are of course the ones with higher average scores, but that is often just reflecting the socioeconomic makeup of the neighborhoods they pull from. There are also several elementary schools with great reputations in the North, West, and Northwest of the city, and Durham has a liberaly transfer policy where your child can move to any school on a first come first served basis. There are many public magnets as well - two Montesssoris, one specializing in the humanities, another on international affairs with daily classes in Spanish, English, or Mandarin Chinese, year round options... Southwest is a neighborhood school but has a really neat Spanish immersion program. They do half the instruction in each language.

[aidiloc]

check out 27703 and 27701 zip codes for housing close to Duke

[Tampa Red]

So, single no kids looking for small, funky or needs work home rather than new.

Is that attainable in Oak Grove? I seem to have a rough neighborhood between where I want to be (near Duke, 9th and east neighborhoods if possible) and where I might find work (Oak Grove).

EDIT It looks like some great values on houses, but kind of suburban. It's fun to poke around, though. I enjoyed my short trip recently and am gung ho for Durham.

Hopefully I can land a job soon after I graduate in July.

[aidiloc]

Originally Posted by Tampa Red

Bump for more suggestions please. Just visited Durham for the first time and I love it.

I'd love to live near 9th, but job wise it looks like Downtown (Main Library) or Oak grove (east).

Also curious about affordable near falls lake. Thanks.

Check out the list of neighborhood associations (http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departmen...od_contact.pdf). The 9th St. area falls into the Old West Neighborhood Association. John Schelp is the president.

He might have some direction for available housing in that vicinity. Great neighborhood. Great restaurants and coffee in the area too.

[jshorey]

I recommend looking at houses in neighborhoods off of moreene rd, just west of duke or in American village back behind there. We have a house around there about 1 mile from duke that we lived in and are now renting to grad students. Nice, quiet, safe and cheap would qualify, plus you can walk on the miles duke forest trails for free! It's easy to get on 147 or 85 right there and get to anywhere in the triangle.