within 5-6 miles of Duke under $120k (Durham, Chapel Hill: rental, crime)

[ohbother]

Is it even possible? Without going to a townhome?

Forgive me for not searching through past posts, but that function doesn't work, apparently - I've read back a ways, however, and figure this would be a good place to ask this question.

I'm not looking for anything new or even particularly nice, though soild bones, at least a few kitchen appliances, and air conditioning are musts. I don't need or want an idyllic neighborhood - I honestly prefer a bit of grit, though the presence of crack houses (or a lot of completely abandoned buildings) will always be a turnoff.

I am a single female, however, so would really prefer a neighborhood where I'm not likely to be assaulted when walking or biking after dark. I do love my current neighborhood, however, and don't worry much here, despite the fact that there have been a couple of murders and assaults on my block in the past few years and my car has been broken into on multiple occasions (I live in DC, so the standards of safety are a little different here).

I'm working at Duke, so proximity is a big factor. I don't plan to drive, so it would need to be within 5 miles of west campus near the hospital - or very close to a reliable bus route. Also - being close to 9th St or the bars downtown would be a big plus.

My realtor doesn't seem to understand my desire not to live in Walden Pond or out in a subdivision somewhere, and I'm not sure whether that's because she's rather stuck in her ways or because there really isn't anything reasonable in my price range (and that anything that appears reasonable at first glance will ultimately turn out to be falling apart and a waste of the inspection fee).

So is it possible? What do you folks think? Any suggestions of neighborhoods I should be looking into? I liked Old North Durham very much and absolutely adored the Burch Ave area, though I worry anything in those areas in my price range may be deeply troubled. The NCSU area looks ok, but it's a little far from work - a good back up plan perhaps.

I'm also looking into East Durham, but my realtor won't say anything about it other than that she wouldn't live there (but I doubt she'd live a lot of places). I've looked at the crime reports, and it honestly doesn't seem much worse than the rest of the city, but it felt a little block-to-block for me driving through (and I got a few aggressive stares from current residents, for whom I probably represent gentrification).

Another concern is resale because I'm only planning on being in the area for 5-10 years. Is it likely or even possible that East Durham might get a little less threatening to home buyers over the next few years or am I going to have to find other crazy people who don't mind a little crime on their corners to take it off my hands?

Anyway - apologies for length, but thanks for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.

[ohbother]

...and by NCSU, I actually meant NCCU.

Not quite up on the local acronyms yet.

[scorp200]

Originally Posted by ohbother

I'm not looking for anything new or even particularly nice, though soild bones, at least a few kitchen appliances, and air conditioning are musts. I don't need or want an idyllic neighborhood - I honestly prefer a bit of grit, though the presence of crack houses (or a lot of completely abandoned buildings) will always be a turnoff.

Hi, are you me?

I'm looking for the exact same thing except I'll be driving to work. I think Old North Durham is 27701 and there are old homes there under 120K. I saw one on Realtor.com this morning that was 99,500 and is a 1901 home but some jerk put vinyl siding on it. I'm not buying it. (not buying for 9 mos or so anyway)

[Bull City Rising]

It's a tough search, but you *may* be able to find something. The key is being in an active area with a strong neighborhood associaton... these aren't HOAs, but non-profits that advocate for their areas with the City. These neighborhoods tend to have "good neighbors" and are the best places to live in the urban areas of Durham. A few places to consider looking:

1) Northgate Park -- $150s are typical, but you may see something sneak in in the low $100s.

2) The parts of Trinity Park and Duke Park that are directly bordering the Ellerbee Creek... the couple of blocks between about Glendale and Ruffin or so. Fair number of rental properties in these couple of blocks, but both DP and TP have "claimed" blocks up to the Creek (which has an awesome greenway trail) in the hopes of helping spur reinvestment and conversion to owner-occupied. Might find something in here.

3) Walltown, especially the portions closest to Green/Markham, which border Trinity Heights. Historically African-American neighborhood with strong, proud history (had their own 'mayor' when segregated Durham ignored black neighborhoods until the 1960s.) Some Duke grad students and urban pioneers have moved in here.

4) Old North Durham. OND is a "just okay" area in terms of how its borders look on first glance... but an awesome neighborhood association, very tight knit with lots of cool people. A bit further from 9th St. but close to downtown.

5) The West End - near downtown off of W Chapel Hill. I have a friend who just sold a house on Arnette; rapidly changing area, some sketchy but increasingly OK. Backs up to Morehead neighborhood, which is very upscale.

East Durham... I don't know how fast it's going to turn around, and I think you're impression of gentrification fears are accurate. I know of a few young professionals who've moved into East Durham or NECD (North East Central Durham), and are trying to change things from the ground level up. Ultimately, that's a call you have to make in terms of your comfort level.

Good luck!!

[ohbother]

Oh wow - thanks for all this information, BullCity, this is exactly what I was looking for. I feel a lot less disheartened - I'm up for a good scouring of houses...

Now I know I came to the right place!