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I'm not looking to by a house right now, but my husband and I are getting a list of our top neighborhoods together when we do sale. We drove out to Fuquay Varina to look at South Lakes, since it will be similiar to Scotts Mill in Apex. The lots were like postage stamps.....hope you like your neighbor. I would totally buy a postage sized lot in Raleigh, Cary, and maybe even Apex due to proximity to shopping, things to do, and raleigh. Fuquay is "farther out" so I thought the new developments would not have houses right on top of each other. Bedford is great...again because it's in Raleigh so this justifies the close houses. I will say it looked like Some houses in South Lakes were on a .20 acre, but that Most were on a .12 to .10. acre. Oh, and we drove through Lakestone in Fuquay as well....you could probably extend your arms between two houses there and touch both. Lots seemed even smaller than .10 and were selling in the upper 200's to 300's. Is it just me, or are these close to be in Fuquay. I'm just curious if these two neighborhoods are going to have a hard time selling because of this. I thought that if you were willing to have a longer commute, you may get more house for the money and a bigger lot. The houses in South Lakes are gorgeous.....and would be even more gorgeous if you couldn't ask your neighbor for eggs through your kitchen window. Again, justified in Raleigh/Cary....but Fuquay? I do like Scotts Mill in Apex...that's why we looked at South Lakes....but most of the houses in Scotts Mill are on .20 to .30 acre except for the Magnolia portion. Anyway, just an observation.
You have to keep in mind that the plans for South Lakes were drawn up when the market was ROARING and people were getting priced out of Cary/Apex/Holly Springs. At that time Fuquay looked like the next big thing-decent shopping was coming, 540 might make it down that far, and there was no end in sight as far as relocators coming to our area.
Fast forward to today-different market, very different circumstances. For what those houses in South Lakes were ORIGINALLY priced at you can buy a resale in West Cary that's WAY closer to the park-no need to go all the way to Fuquay anymore.
If South Lakes offered .25 acre lots for the bungalow style 1800 square ft houses, I think it would be really desirable. In fact it would be at the top of our list instead of no where on our list. Our current lot is .25 acre and is a really great size. We don't feel like we are right on top of our neighbor and we have a nice sized back yard. It feels like the perfect size. If South Lakes offers lots of .25 instead of .10 for those small bungalows....it would go right back on the list. Hopefully they will do that. I really like fuquay, but there are plenty of other options with .25 lots in Fuquay up to an acre even for the same price of the postage lots in South Lakes.
I don't think you are looking at enough neighborhoods. I purchased a home in Elliott Landing (Fuquay) about a year ago. All the lots in EL are .4 acres or larger (most are .6 to 1 acre). There's only 1 home for sale right now, but there are still several (wooded) lots for sale.
I've noticed other neighborhoods in the area that also have similar sized lots. So, I think you just need to expand your search. Maybe, get with a realtor who can help you.
The reason I bought in Fuquay was because of the large lot (.61 acres) and the loaded house that was considerably less money than the equivalent in Cary or Apex.
Thanks, We really liked Elliot Landing as well. Honeycutt Landing in willow springs will be by the same builders as Elliot Landing and they are both on our list. Elliott Landing is the same price point as South Lakes and 10 times the lot and same quality of housing. How do you like Elliot Landing? I was originally looking at South Lakes mainly for walking trails.
We love it here. It's a relatively small development. I think there will be something like 86 homes when all the lots are finally built out. If you have children, there seems to be a lot of kids in the neighborhood.
My house was built by David Carroll Homes and he is building some of the homes in Honeycutt Landing as well. He does great work and is a really nice guy, so, I highly reccomend him to anyone.
Good luck with your search. No matter where you end up (Cary, Apex, HS, FV), most of the area seems to be pretty nice.
First, let me be clear that I live in the community. Call it bias or what have you, but I consider it more of an informed opinion. There are some lots that are smaller, particularly the Preservation bungalow lots which are in the .13 to .18 range. But those are smaller homes and priced in the low-mid 200s. There are numerous lots with more acreage, even wooded and/or lakeside, and I would disagree that you can "shake hands with your neighbors" out of your windows. I have a .45 acre wooded lot myself, so don't let the few lots that are smaller scare you away from possibilities.
The neighborhood is really beautiful and unique...not your typical cookie-cutter homes. The pool will be done on May 31. Several lots have been purchased on the big lake at the far end of the neighborhood. The neighbors are all very friendly and there are frequent social gatherings.
Both asthetically and logistically, I would not compare Lakestone with South Lakes. Lakestone homes are similar to Cary homes in that there is basically no yard space on most of the lots.
As for FV, the area is still growing and the drive is not bad. Given the way that both FV and HS are growing commercially, there really is less and less of a need to go to Cary/Raleigh. I drive to North Hills for work every day and it takes me 35 minutes. I know people that drive a shorter distance than I do and live in Cary/Raleigh that drive just as long due to traffic.
Bottom line, if you don't like the bungalows, I suggest looking into the Biltmore homes or some of the bigger lots.
My issue is that I really like the bungalows, but on a larger lot such as biltmore homes offers. We want a small 1400 to 1800 square foot house on at least .20 to .25 for up to 250,000. I noticed that they do have several of the biltmore homes on a .25 acre and higher, but they are above 250,000. When we are ready to buy, we may consider South Lakes if we can get a preservation home bungalow on a .20 to .25 acre lot. My husband works in South Raleigh. We will keep it in mind because I'm sure preservation homes has premium lots for sale. We don't mind a smaller house, just can't comprimise on the lot size and our price limit. Thanks.
My issue is that I really like the bungalows, but on a larger lot such as biltmore homes offers. We want a small 1400 to 1800 square foot house on at least .20 to .25 for up to 250,000. I noticed that they do have several of the biltmore homes on a .25 acre and higher, but they are above 250,000. When we are ready to buy, we may consider South Lakes if we can get a preservation home bungalow on a .20 to .25 acre lot. My husband works in South Raleigh. We will keep it in mind because I'm sure preservation homes has premium lots for sale. We don't mind a smaller house, just can't comprimise on the lot size and our price limit. Thanks.
If you want a small house on a big lot (eg .25 to .5 acres), there are a lot of 1960s brick ranch neighborhoods that offer that.
Farrior Hills in North Raleigh is one of my favorites....nothing but 1300 to 1600 sq ft brick ranches on half acre lots. But its proximity to North Hills has driven the prices up past $250K recently. On the other hand, you never know what kind of awesome deal you can get on a house in a choice location in these uncertain times...
Notice how much larger are the lots on Ortega (near the top of the map) which back up to the much smaller lots on Latimer, which is in a different neighborhood.
By the way...I've always wanted to know....Who was this Farrior guy anyway? He also has a street named after him inside the beltline. Anyone know the answer?
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Is it just me, or are these close to be in Fuquay. I'm just curious if these two neighborhoods are going to have a hard time selling because of this. I thought that if you were willing to have a longer commute, you may get more house for the money and a bigger lot. The houses in South Lakes are gorgeous.....and would be even more gorgeous if you couldn't ask your neighbor for eggs through your kitchen window. Again, justified in Raleigh/Cary....but Fuquay? I do like Scotts Mill in Apex...that's why we looked at South Lakes....but most of the houses in Scotts Mill are on .20 to .30 acre except for the Magnolia portion. Anyway, just an observation.
I disagree with your assertion on South Lakes
