Long Island To Chapel Hill - Need Help (Durham, Carrboro: transplants, real estate)

[ChapelHillOrBust]

Hi Everyone,

We are considering moving to Chapel Hill from Long Island.

Essentially, we have had it with the cost of our home here amongst other expenses;

House - 7 figures (Could easily put another 200k for bathroom/kitchen work, etc.)
Taxes - 5 figures that starts with a 2
Home Insurance - $5,000 Year
Utilities - $6,000 year

These numbers represent a house that is very modest in size (less than 3,000 square feet).

In addition to the insane costs of our home here on Long Island we are tired of the general attitude of Long Island. I don't think it serves much to talk about what the style and personality is here but rather that we need a change to a much more "friendly" environment.

Without being too long winded we are looking at only Chapel Hill although we fully intend to send our only child to a private school.

We want to tone down our costs of living and would like help from anyone who knows the Chapel Hill communities.

Our preference is to spend $750,000 or less (we don't need or want a huge home) for a house but since we have a young daughter who will be going into 3rd grade next year we want a neighborhood where there are many other young children.

We are going down in a few weeks to look seriously at home locations and would appreciate anyone who could recommend communities that might fit our needs.

I also understand that taxes vary around Chapel Hill and since we are not going to public school it would be desirable to be in a lower tax location.

Lastly, we are going to look at Friends Academy and the Emerson Waldorf School but we are open to other private school choices as well. If anyone has any experience with any of the private schools including Friends or Emerson Waldorf please let us know.

I thoroughly thank you in advance for any information that you might be able to provide.

[frankpc]

So I'm confused a bit ... If you only want to live in Chapel Hill then you will pay Chapel Hill property taxes which I believe are the highest in the area (granted that is relatively less than you pay now). Many folks live in Chapel Hill to take advantage of the highly regarded schools but if you are sending your child to private school you might want to consider living "outside" the city in the county. In NC you typically pay county property taxes and then city property taxes if you live in a city. Otherwise only the county tax applies. Just realize that the cities typically provide additional services so its not a full free ride.
In any event, don't let a tax burden be front and center of your decision. Your comments about visiting the area and looking around are excellent ideas. Your target home price will certainly allow you lots of nice options.

Welcome,
Frank

[LONGISLAND2NC]

From my limited experience, Chapel Hill is not a whole lot cheaper than Long Island - but definitely a friendlier environment!

[ChapelHillOrBust]

In Chapel Hill, I can get a house 1/2 the price of my current home that is both substantially nicer, newer and larger.

After calculating my mortgage costs, insurance and utilities it is a huge savings.

Originally Posted by LONGISLAND2NC

From my limited experience, Chapel Hill is not a whole lot cheaper than Long Island - but definitely a friendlier environment!

[CHTransplant]

Originally Posted by ChapelHillOrBust

Without being too long winded we are looking at only Chapel Hill although we fully intend to send our only child to a private school.
. . .

I also understand that taxes vary around Chapel Hill and since we are not going to public school it would be desirable to be in a lower tax location.

Taxes "vary" around Chapel Hill only if you live in one of the small portions of the city that extend either into Chatham County or Durham County. (There may be some other small variations based on fire district also.) Those locations would not be within the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools system. As someone else commented, it would make no sense to live in Chapel Hill, pay the school taxes, and then send your kid to a private school.

That said, if you're looking to spend your money wisely, you can get much more house/land for the same amount of money in many areas around the Triangle than you would pay in Chapel Hill - especially given that public schools are not an issue for you.

As for the two private schools you mentioned, there's been some discussion of them in other threads from time to time - a search should turn them up.

[LONGISLAND2NC]

Originally Posted by ChapelHillOrBust

In Chapel Hill, I can get a house 1/2 the price of my current home that is both substantially nicer, newer and larger.

After calculating my mortgage costs, insurance and utilities it is a huge savings.

Of course you can, but if you currently live in a nice neighborhood on Long Island, I'm assuming you are going to want a high end neighborhood in Chapel Hill.

Average price per sq ft in Chapel Hill is $256 so your 3000 sqft house is going to run around 768K. So that is right in your ballpark if what you are looking for is "average".

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this but take a look at the listing for 520 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill NC 27514 to get an idea of what I am talking about - you could get the same thing in Dix Hills for less.

[ChapelHillOrBust]

I agree that if you want to live next to the university for some reason than the cost per square foot would be high. However, coming from my neighborhood which averages $450 a square foot $256 is still cheap. If you take a look on realtor.com through Chapel Hill communities not right in the town we know that per square foot prices can be substantially less than $256. As for Dix Hills, you couldn't pay me to live there and let's not go into the reasons behind that as they would be too many to list.

However, considering that we are sending our daughter to private school perhaps living just outside the city limits might prove a smarter decision. We just have to make sure we move into a neighborhood that would work well for the entire family and where we will meet people similar to ourselves.

Originally Posted by LONGISLAND2NC

Of course you can, but if you currently live in a nice neighborhood on Long Island, I'm assuming you are going to want a high end neighborhood in Chapel Hill.

Average price per sq ft in Chapel Hill is $256 so your 3000 sqft house is going to run around 768K. So that is right in your ballpark if what you are looking for is "average".

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this but take a look at the listing for 520 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill NC 27514 to get an idea of what I am talking about - you could get the same thing in Dix Hills for less.

[CHTransplant]

Around $200/sq ft (+/-) will get you very nice new to newish construction in Chapel Hill. For example, check out Claremont (which may technically be in Carrboro).

Moderator cut: No real estate links, please

[nu2durham]

You may actually also want to look at Durham. There are some houses in your price range there, particularly in Hope Valley (beautiful country club there too). If you are sending your child to private school, Durham Academy is excellent - people in Chapel Hill send their kids there too, even though the Chapel Hill schools are the best in the area. There is also a very good Montessori school in Durham (not sure if you are familiar with Montessori schools).

In Chapel Hill, you could look in Meadowmont also for house, a newer, but nice community - less woodsy and more like a development. I think that part of that area pays lower taxes because the schools are zoned for Durham, even though it is Chapel Hill. There are also lots of NE transplants in that development - my husband's boss is from NJ and lives there (although he has been here 20 yrs). You could also check out Southern Village, which I think will run you less $ than Meadowmont.

I have to mention though, the job market is not great down here right now. My husband's job is very secure, and I am staying hom with my baby, but if I were looking for a job, it could probably take me a while to find something.

You can feel free to send me a direct message, but let me warn you, I am from Dix Hills Not sure why you have that feeling about it - I went to a good high school in Commack. When I grew up there, it was mostly woods and farms and had very little traffic - sure that has changed now.

Also, the population and culture down here are very different from Long Island - you may feel like an outsider, at least at first, even though that is what you are trying to leave behind. The area is filled with transplants, intellectuals, and people who have an open and progressive attitude, but it is still the South and there is a more conservative attitude overall.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by nu2durham

Also, the population and culture down here are very different from Long Island - you may feel like an outsider, at least at first, even though that is what you are trying to leave behind. The area is filled with transplants, intellectuals, and people who have an open and progressive attitude, but it is still the South and there is a more conservative attitude overall.

There are plenty of native Southerners here who are "intellectual", "open", and "progressive", too...