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Good point about the lot size. I think maybe...I could get into yard work. Time will tell. I am noticing some HOA as much as $60 a month but I dont think that will deter too many people from a resale perspective.
One interesting thing Im noticing is that many houses have the typical 3 or 4BR plus a bonus room, while there are some that do not and instead of 4 full bedrooms without a bonus. How does this play into resale in Cary? 9/10 houses Ive seen have similar floorplans with that bonus room...would not having a bonus room play against the avg Cary buyer or for, since its unique?
I would like to have purchased a home in a HOA that would allow a mother-in-law detached apartment, or half detached garage apartment type guest house to be built in the backyard. With restrictions of course, like matching the home, not to be used as a rental, etc.. But being able to have a nice guest house, for relatives, elderly relatives, an office, or whatever would have been nice. None of that here in Turner Creek.
Good point about the lot size. I think maybe...I could get into yard work. Time will tell. I am noticing some HOA as much as $60 a month but I dont think that will deter too many people from a resale perspective.
One interesting thing Im noticing is that many houses have the typical 3 or 4BR plus a bonus room, while there are some that do not and instead of 4 full bedrooms without a bonus. How does this play into resale in Cary? 9/10 houses Ive seen have similar floorplans with that bonus room...would not having a bonus room play against the avg Cary buyer or for, since its unique?
People object to the rules that come with HOA's more than the monthly fee. I pay $41/month here in Oxxford Hunt which covers the swimming pool, community center, tennis courts and walking trail maintenance. I think it's reasonable. I did have to get permission from the HOA before I had my backyard fenced in - it was quick and easy. You should definitely read over the HOA rules before buying a house in a particular neighborhood otherwise you might be unpleasantly surprised. For example, some neighborhoods only allow 4' fences, and I need a taller one because of my dogs. Some neighborhoods don't allow fences at all. I don't think it affects resale that much either way because HOA neighborhoods usually have amenities that non-HOA ones don't have.
With regard to bedroom vs. bonus room - I think there is more "value" in a bedroom. A bonus room is just space that could have been a bedroom except that doesn't have a closet. My current house has 3 bedrooms and a 1st floor office (or is it a bonus room? ). I'd look at use of space - some 4BR homes have really small secondary bedrooms. That can be a problem if you want an exercise room.
I wouldn't worry about resale too much - just make sure the house is in line with others in the neighborhood (much larger can be a problem, or only having a 1-car garage when everyone else has 2, etc.). That doesn't really work in a neighborhood like Oxxford Hunt since there is quite a variety of sizes - I have 1800sf but other houses have as much as 3400sf. It makes finding comps interesting at least!
My Cary community has no HOA and there are no fees. I considered that a huge plus when I was looking to buy, since I had previously rented in a Raleigh townhouse community that had an overbearing HOA (I guess that's a redundant statement, isn't it?). One more plus for an older/established 'hood.
We are hopefully moving out of our starter home, though not in Cary. We moved in as a young couple, and now are expecting our second child. What we wish we could have had:
1. Room to add on.
2. STORAGE ROOM, much more important once you add kids into the mix. A basement and larger closets would have made a huge difference.
3. More than two bedrooms. Even if you don't have kids, you may need room for more than one guest, or to make one of the bedrooms into a study, library, or craft room.
4. Invest in a better central air system, longer lasting carpets and other flooring, and longer lasting shingles.
5. Splurge on a privacy fence for the backyard and a storage shed in addition to a small garden shed for gardening tools.
6. Plant fruit trees and flowers as soon as we moved in instead of waiting a few years.
I would make SURE I do ALL my research about what may happen on land adjacent to the home/neighborhood I am considering. I would also really step back and look at the home I want to buy and make sure I am not overlooking a flaw of some sort that might impede resale value.
Moved to NW Cary in 2003, and after 4 years packed up and moved to SE Cary. Things changed very fast after we moved into our first home, and while the NW area is a wonderful and convenient place to live the growth kind of overwhelmed us. The SE side of town is a bit more removed from things but we like having a bigger lot and more trees.
I can not think of anything I would do over after moving to Cary. The suggestion someone made about really thinking about your criteria and sticking to it I would say is the best advice. We have bought and sold so many homes in the last 10 years that we had it down to a science and only had to look at a few homes. We could narrow our search within a few days to 2 neighborhoods and it was just a matter of finding the right home.
I have 2 kids and that played a huge part in our criteria for example I only wanted a cul-de-sac, a school in the neighborhood, a town of cary park within walking distance, a pool, sidewalks on both sides of the street, and a easy commute for my husband to RTP.
I made this criteria very clear to my agent and asked him to not show me any houses that did not meet this criteria.These are all factors that were important to us mainly because we have children. They may not seem as important now but you will find as soon as you have kids, having friends for them to play with becomes very important and having your husband home at the witching hour of 6pm is also crucial to your happiness.
Good luck on your decision and by the way we choose West Cary.
Janine
Do you mean like a screened in porch, or like a theatre room? Is a screened in porch a big deal around here?
Screened porch. The nights are so beautiful here that we have really enjoyed having a screen room (porch). It feels like it adds extra square footage to our home. This is the first time we have had one and now we now what we were missing.
Schools here are county schools, not school districts by town like say in the northeast.
If you move to Cary, you are in the same school "district" as every other person in Wake County.
I'm pretty sure he means a screen porch...and no, it's not a big deal around here. Charlton Dude just likes to toot his own horn (which you may have noticed by his post).
Screen porches are certainly nice to have, and many love them, but not having one doesn't make your house undesirable, and that's something that is relatively easy to add after the fact. Adding a bonus room or a 3rd full bath...that's a bit tougher.
Personally for me, 3 full baths is a HUGE difference from 2.5. 2 would be an absolute non-starter for me in any house over 2000 square feet.
I am SO SO SO SO happy I got a screened in porch. You can sit outside and not get eaten alive. My back deck is 2/3 screen porch and 1/3 open deck for the grill and smoker. I would happily sacrifice something else for that now that I have it.
Only think I regret is only getting a 2 car garage. I was looking at one house with a 2 car and 6 car garage work shop.
I don't live in Cary btw, I looked in Cary but wasn't impressed with anything there, unless it was over 400k.
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). I'd look at use of space - some 4BR homes have really small secondary bedrooms. That can be a problem if you want an exercise room. 
Do Over
