ridgefield neighborhood in chapel hill (Welcome: low income, real estate, rental)

[mamaof2]

saw a house this morning in this neighborhood and i am wondering if anyone on the board lives there? i saw that they have a neighborhood pool, but it was really hard to tell if it's nice or not, as it's halfway filled with mucky water and debris. i was told that the elementary school (ephesus) is within walking distance? any opinions on this neighborhood are greatly appreciated! thanks!

[seattlenextyear]

I lived there for 5 years. I think the pool is part of a private club, so you'd have to join.

It depends on where in the neighborhood you live and how old your child is if Ephesus elementary would be within walking distance. I lived on Ridgefield, which wasn't a far walk from the elementary school, but I'm not sure I'd send a 6 year old there on his own/

All in all, I liked the neighborhood itself: you can walk to the mall, the Harris Teeter, the soccer fields, and even locopops. But there's definitely a gradient in how nice the homes are. If it were me, I wouldn't actually buy a house on Ridgefield Road. Ridgefield road itself has a lot of rental houses and thus are not particularly well maintained. The homes on Willow and in the neighborhood north of there are nicer homes. Also, Ridgefield is on a floodplain, which means that you might have to spend a lot of money getting your house raised or the foundation readjusted.

I guess the only other thing that could possibly be a potential problem that a real estate agent wouldn't tell you is that the neighborhood is near the Estes low income housing project. It wasn't a problem for us, but its just something to know because it does affect housing prices.

Oh, also, a lot of the houses near there were built in the 60s. Make sure if you buy a house there, that its been renovated. The insulation in the original homes was pretty terrible. Our heating bills were over $200 in the winter.

[mamaof2]

thanks for your response seattlenextyear, i appreciate it. the house we saw is in fact on willow drive, not on ridgefield.

[seattlenextyear]

Ah, there are some cute houses on that street. And from there, you'd be closer to the elementary school.
I'd still make sure your inspector checks over the house foundation thoroughly. Keep an eye out for any cracks in the wall that might have been painted over, that sort of thing. Willow road pass over a stream which can flood during hurricanes, and that Carolina clay doesn't always drain too well during normal rain storms. There's also this little swampy area on the corner of Willow and 15-501.

[Tootie the Brave]

Hi Mama,

I live in this neighborhood, and second most of what Seattlenextyear has already said.

It's a quick walk to Ephesus Elementary from Willow Drive. We love the school; it's intimate and most of the teachers know most of the kids. There's a really good vibe there, and some fantastic teachers. Mr. Holmes is a great principal.

The neighborhood pool is very popular. My brother lives in CH and has a pool, so we're not members, but I've visited and it's great for making friends in the neighborhood. Here's the website for the Ridgewood pool: Welcome to Ridgewood Club of Chapel Hill

Our house definitely needs a lot of updates; we have new furnace/AC, new roof, new windows on the long list (after we win the lottery, LOL). The upside is that many of the houses might have already had these replacements.

Are you looking at 1105 Willow Drive?