Anyone that was leaning towards Wake County and went with Johnston County (Clayton) instead? (Welcome: hotel, home search)

[ferrickhead28]

Originally Posted by JimnSue

What a great surprise to sign onto.....thank you all for the info.....yes you are all correct.....I do have one or two homes with the Cleveland schools but I was so tired last night that is what was sticking in my head.....most of the schools are E. Clayton/Riverwood/Clayton....E Clayton/Archer Rd etc......I dont know why Cleveland was on my brain.

Heather I will add that to the list I appreciate it.....Its great getting first hand info.....
I'm soo glad to hear about the Christimas/holiday decorations......we are CRAZy holiday decorators......all the kids in the neighborood stop and take pics here in their costumes on Halloween and we always have people asking when are we going to start decorating....Christmas is even bigger.....compared to some here on the Island who spend upto $20k on decorating we're not that crazy but we do have a following who enjoy the decorations and we absolutely love doing it......not just for the kids but for us too....We're big kids ourselves........

The family oriented comminity is what I really want......I'm used to having a pvt yard and all but I thought it would be good for they boys to have this type of home/community since we are going to be starting all over.

I'm going to print out the info so I have it with me .......thanks again I appreciate all your help.....

If I can get my brain working I'm sure I'll have more ?'s.....

Suzanne

You would love Cobblestone! I swear, we are all in competion on who can have the best decked out yard! Last year, we had over 250+ kids at our door for Halloween. It was like an old-fashioned Halloween, it was GREAT! (and just an FYI to my neighbors, we loaded up after Halloween & Christmas for next years decorations..game is on people..game is on!

Cobblestone has two builders: KB Homes & Anderson homes. I suggest stopping by KB Homes first. They have three models, all are really nice BUT..what you are buying is a "box" and you have to pay extra to every little detail in it. On the way back, stop at Anderson. Its on the left hand side, you cant miss it. Beautiful model home. They will tell you, everything that is an "upgrade" at most builders comes standard with an Anderson home. Plus its energy efficient which is a big plus!

When you head out of Cobblestone, go straight (directly across hwy 70) and into downtown Clayton. There are some nice shops & restaurants there. Talk to the locals (seriously, everyone is extremely NICE in Clayton) and just get a general idea of the community. If you want shopping, take a left out of Cobblestone and take Hwy 70 (west) all the way down into Garner (it borders Clayton). You'll pass Walmart. On the left hand side is White Oak, its a really nice shopping center. Pretty much everything you could possibly need is there.

If you are willing to try some NC bar-b-q, check out Smithfields! They are on hwy 70 right when you come out of cobblestone! If you order sweet tea, you might want to do half sweet/half unsweet..youre in the south now and we like our tea SWEET!!!

Not sure how long you are staying but in Smithfield (other side of Clayton), we have an excellent outlet mall!
Chelsea Premium Outlets

Let us know if you have any questions!

[JimnSue]

Heather thats great.....sounds exactly what i'd like. Since I'm not familiar with the rules of hoas and I want to make sure I have all the info and make the right choice and agree with the terms....the idea of having the community pool,tennis, trails and stuff seems really nice and I really am excited to come down this weekend...

Are there any areas subdivisions that seem to have more kids/or are more family oriented? My boys are 4, 10, 12.5 right now so when we finally get there we're looking at at least k/1st , 5/6th, 8/9th grades.....I guess I'll probably have one in each school........

From the few s/d's like Summerlyn to Cobblestone, glen laurel and others how far are they apart from each other?

How many homes are in these divisions? I know I just keep asking....sorry....but I Wanna Know.....lol....and you're all so helpful

thanks
Suzanne

[JimnSue]

Called over to Anderson........going to take a drive over and check out your subdivision on Tues....thanks for the help......

Suzanne

[Lynn38]

Suzanne-

You may want to check out the Lee Forest Subdivsion in Clayton off of Guy Rd. Nice, good-sized wooded lots (ours is 1/2 acre), lots of trees, many nice features for the $ (hardwoods, crown-molding, wainscoting in Dining Rooms, finished garages, crawlspace foundations, etc...). Lots of kids of all ages here and nice neighbors, many of whom have moved here to Clayton from other states. There are about 6 or so homes left for sale. It's a small neighborhood, about 85 or so homes.

Oh, and you can have a fence here too :-)

It's on the northwest side of Clayton, right near the Wake county line. One of the nicest things for us is the neighborhood's proximity to Raleigh and the rest of the triangle. Not sure where you'll be commuting too, but I can get to Cary in about 20 - 25 minutes, RTP in about 35. Another nice thing is it is outside city limits which means lower property taxes. I've also heard that our utilities are lower than some other areas of Clayton because they do not go through city of Clayton. We've been here about 4 months and are happy with our choice.

Good luck!

[JimnSue]

Thank you Lynn,

I will definately add it to my list........I'm going to map everything out tomorrow and print out all my info.......we are going to meet w/an agent most likely Monday and do our own research Sun and Tues.....

The builder of your subdivision.....you didnt have any issues w/ the home? I only ask because I came upon a thread with some complaints (after purchase) and I guess buyers having difficulties reaching them? I dunno......

Its sooo hard to know where to look and not........ya know.......I know there are issues all over so I was just curious since I had just read it....

I am going to look into as many areas/subdivisions as possible while we are there and then break it down by what we see and how we feel about the areas.....

Thanks for sharing ....

Suzanne

[ferrickhead28]

Originally Posted by JimnSue

Heather thats great.....sounds exactly what i'd like. Since I'm not familiar with the rules of hoas and I want to make sure I have all the info and make the right choice and agree with the terms....the idea of having the community pool,tennis, trails and stuff seems really nice and I really am excited to come down this weekend...

Are there any areas subdivisions that seem to have more kids/or are more family oriented? My boys are 4, 10, 12.5 right now so when we finally get there we're looking at at least k/1st , 5/6th, 8/9th grades.....I guess I'll probably have one in each school........

From the few s/d's like Summerlyn to Cobblestone, glen laurel and others how far are they apart from each other?

How many homes are in these divisions? I know I just keep asking....sorry....but I Wanna Know.....lol....and you're all so helpful

thanks
Suzanne

There are alot of kids in Cobblestone. As a matter of fact, my 10 yr old daughter seems to be the only GIRL on this side! lol It is mostly boys ranging from age 2 to age 14. They are always outside playing around. Very well behaved and well mannered. They seem to have a great time playing together!

Per the other poster, Lee Forest is also really nice. We looked at those houses briefly, but we had rented a house at the corner of Guy Rd and 42. I took Guy Rd to work everyday and I dont know if it was just my luck or what, but I ALWAYS got stuck behind a slow moving car or tractor. Its a two lane road that feels like forever. There are a couple of old abandoned houses that look centuries old (its a good distance away from Lee Forest) that I wish they would knock down. Its a bit of an eyesore. However, the houses in Lee Forest are really nice, my friend has a couple of friends who live there with their son and they love it. The houses are really pretty too.

I think Glen Laurel is in a reasonable amount of distance between the neighborhoods. If i'm not mistaken, the majority of the neighborhoods branch off of hwy 70 so you should have no problem navigating around. Hwy 42 runs parellel (kind of) to 70 as well.

good luck on your trip!

[Priorityonecb]

). You'll pass Walmart. On the left hand side is White Oak, its a really nice shopping center. Pretty much everything you could possibly need is there.


Except a bookstore!! We moved to Clayton last summer and we *really miss having a close bookstore. A Borders or Barnes and Noble would be fabulous to have at White Oaks!

[jamieshel88]

The subdivisions are all fairly close for driving. Cobblestone is near downtown area. SUmmerlyn and Glen Laurel are a couple miles apart on Glen Laurel Road off of 42 East. Then Plantation Pointe is about 5 miles away from the top of Glen Laurel Road. Summerlyn is not big yet but will be a rather large neighborhood when it is all finished. Glen Laurel is big- not sure how many houses exactly but they range in age from 10-12 years old to brand new in the back of the development. I am sure your head will be spinning from driving around Clayton all day.

[Lynn38]

Suzanne-

Like any new construction, we have had some minor issues with our house. But we've had no problem getting in touch with the builder and having them come out to address these issues. About two months ago we faxed them a list of items we thought should be addressed and the warranty person contacted us, came out to check things out, and has been sending various contractors to address most of the issues we've had. Our issues were things like a few crooked switch plates, painting that needed some touch ups, some of our shrubs had died (which they would not replace since they do not warranty shrubs), our drainage ditch needed some regrading, etc... I also know several people in the neighborhood who have had the same positive experience as us and who are very satisfied with their choice. I've read the other posts from a few individuals not happy with the builder and have been surprised that our experiences seem to differ so dramatically.

Another poster mentions Guy Rd., the road which Lee Forest is off of. I would suggest checking that out for yourself. Lee Forest is situated about midway on Guy Rd., so whether you are heading to Hwy 70 or to 42, you are only on that road for just a few minutes.

I personally have no problem with Guy Rd. and think is quite scenic. It is a two lane road with very little shoulder, so you do have to pay attention when you are driving on it. But as far as traffic, I really haven't experienced many problems. I drive on Guy Rd. anytime I leave my neighborhood (everyday) and it's usually a breeze. I've lived here for 5 months and have only been stuck behind a tractor or other farm vehicle one time. I don't drive out towards 70 in the am and I'm sure it does back up then, but I would bet it is no worse than the mess on HWY 70 in the morning (or on HWY 70 anytime of the day for that matter!).

Alot of people have mentioned White Oak shopping center (great shopping). From Lee Forest, you can get there in about 7 minutes. You can also get to downtown Clayton in under 10 minutes, to Walmart on 70 in 5-7 min., and to the 4042 area in under 15 minutes. Clayton Middle School (where my daughter goes) is also on Guy Rd., less than 5 minutes away. I LOVE our location!


Anyway, I would suggest checking neighborhoods and roads out for yourself (which I'm sure you'll do ). These boards are very helpful, (I actually found out about the Lee Forest Subdivision from this board!) but there is nothing like seeing things for yourself...

Good Luck!

[lauren4521]

Originally Posted by Lynn38

Anyway, I would suggest checking neighborhoods and roads out for yourself (which I'm sure you'll do ). These boards are very helpful, (I actually found out about the Lee Forest Subdivision from this board!) but there is nothing like seeing things for yourself...

I so agree!! We looked at Lee Forest and were impressed at the quality/upgrades considered standard. At the time however there was only one house for sale (and we didn't like the first little cul de sac on the left there...too close to Guy Road) and we were on a time restraint (wanted IN a house before our son started school). Someone else may have LOVED the location though. It's all relative.

We looked at Cobblestone as well and while we LOVED the homes, we didn't love the location, which again for others has been perfect. With our past of being in an area, very close to business, we didn't want to be right behind 70, a major highway.

We chose Tafton in Wendell/Clayton and couldn't be happier. Lots are all about 3/4 acre plus, new homes range in square footage from 2100 to 3300 and prices from the low $200k's to in the $230k's. There are tons of kids here of all ages.

Keep in mind that the best time to visit this area is in the Spring or Fall (SO beautiful....you will NOT believe the fall colors.....just breathtaking and gives Vermont a run for their money). And this area also is a joy to look at during the Holiday season with almost every house decorated in some way. We didn't have quite so many kids at Halloween as Heather did though. 250? Yowza! That's alot of candy..lol.

Anyhow, once you get here you will probably fall in love with one neighborhood or another. Have fun!
Lauren