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The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley Robert Burns
Long story short, we will be leaving Jacksonville FL early and be heading up to the Triangle to explore "Option 2" (Not that was "second best" we just went here first. ) and I have not had time to fully do my homework about Raleigh. Hoping you nice folks can help me adjust the sails.
We will have about a week to spend in the area.
A little about us.
I lived in Charlotte for 2 years and Florida for 5 in the past. My wife has been born and raised in CT where we currently live. (She is not your typical "Yankee female" and finds herself at odds with the culture more than not.)
I currently own a "home service business" in CT which is under contract to be sold in a couple weeks. I will be starting the same kind of business there.
I'm a sophisticated "country boy". What that means in this context is you're just as likely to find me in Claiborn and Kenneth Cole enjoying the symphony as you are finding me at the truck pulls in my boots and jeans with my big Ford diesel. I have a 4 year degree as does my wife. She is currently a center director for Bright Horizons Learning Center but will be a SAHM there. (Her long time desire.)
We have a 21 month old boy, and my wife is 3 months pregnant with number 2.
We both like "simple living" and have no real need for glitter and "hipster" lifestyle. However it would be nice to be within a half hour drive of the "city" when we get the "itch".
We are both conservative, family values type people. We are Christian but more "realistic" and if anything roll our eyes at the "dancing is evil" crowd, but we are staunch on black and white issues such as abortion etc.
Life in CT is simply not conducive to our family plans and desired "lifestyle" and by that I mean not having to both work 65 hours a week while strangers raise our kids. All just to survive and pay the government for their extortion. (Read: Taxes)
We are friendly people who believe a smile and wave and holding a door for someone and saying "thank you" and "good morning" to strangers is the norm. My favorite is to pay the toll for the person behind me on the highway.
Here is our "desire":
Housing - 160-200K 3/2/2 1500-1900sf preferably on .5-2 acres in a more "rural" setting where we can have a 4th of July party with a little "noise" without half the neighborhood calling the police and/or where they will join in and bring the fixings to compliment my fresh smoked Q.
I am a low tax, Libertarian kind of guy and willing to give up government service for it.
We would like to be in a neighborhood, just not one that has over the top HOA bylaws and the houses are 20 feet apart.
I'll have a nice chunk to put down and I make 6 figures so we can probably afford more, but we are trying to be more conservative in our housing budget.
Location: I have to be at least 30-45 minutes from North Raleigh and/or Cary as I will be servicing 3-5 homes per day. (Think Carpet Cleaner or HVAC tech type thing) I'm an ocean lover so the closer to the water the better for weekend jaunts. In other words, I'd prefer to be more toward SE or E of town if it works. Oh and easy access to highway or divided 4 lane state road with no lights vs two lane county road helps because time is money for me so if I can head "in" at 75mph vs 50mph it makes a difference.
We also like things like ATVs and "yard parties" with friends and neighbors.
Northern Wake Forest seems nice, but my concern is accessibility. I'm already guessing RT1 is getting clogged coming and going, and I'm sure it's only going to be worse.
We would like to have reasonable shopping roughly 15 minutes away. By that I mean major grocer, pharmacy, Walmart, Lowes type thing. "Day shopping" such as "lifestyle centers" Mall etc can be 30-40 minutes away.
Zebulon?
Thanks in advance folks, this trip was supposed to happen at a later date but we decided to cut bait and utilize the rest of this trip to help finalize "plans".
P.S. Any Realtors dealing with these type of "semi-rural" properties are more than welcome to contact me via DM with their info...in fact I would encourage it please.
The thing about the Triangle is that you don't need to move to a specific area to find what you're looking for. I live in North Raleigh and within a fifteen minute ride (or less) from anything and everything and still live in an area that back in Long Island would seem remote.
Distance to the shore is difficult to overcome and living in Zebulon would only have a nominal impact on that fact.
The one mistake I made when first scoping out the Triangle beginning in 2005 was to limit my target areas based on information available on the Internet. After visiting Raleigh several times over a two year period and exploring different parts of it we found more than we'd originally set out to and in an area that wasn't on any of my original lists.
I would recommend that if you're looking to avoid some of the social dynamics found in the North East you'd do well to steer clear of Cary and Chapel Hill. They are great, great areas but much more closely aligned with a value system not typically southern.
But if you're looking for rural but convenient you may want to consider areas near Creedmor Road heading up towards Creedmor itself. You should also factor Lake activities into the equation as that might take the edge off of the ocean thing. The lakes are plentiful and easily accessible and while they're not the Atlantic they're much closer and easier to enjoy.
The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley Robert Burns
Long story short, we will be leaving Jacksonville FL early and be heading up to the Triangle to explore "Option 2" (Not that was "second best" we just went here first. ) and I have not had time to fully do my homework about Raleigh. Hoping you nice folks can help me adjust the sails.
We will have about a week to spend in the area.
A little about us.
I lived in Charlotte for 2 years and Florida for 5 in the past. My wife has been born and raised in CT where we currently live. (She is not your typical "Yankee female" and finds herself at odds with the culture more than not.)
I currently own a "home service business" in CT which is under contract to be sold in a couple weeks. I will be starting the same kind of business there.
I'm a sophisticated "country boy". What that means in this context is you're just as likely to find me in Claiborn and Kenneth Cole enjoying the symphony as you are finding me at the truck pulls in my boots and jeans with my big Ford diesel. I have a 4 year degree as does my wife. She is currently a center director for Bright Horizons Learning Center but will be a SAHM there. (Her long time desire.)
We have a 21 month old boy, and my wife is 3 months pregnant with number 2.
We both like "simple living" and have no real need for glitter and "hipster" lifestyle. However it would be nice to be within a half hour drive of the "city" when we get the "itch".
We are both conservative, family values type people. We are Christian but more "realistic" and if anything roll our eyes at the "dancing is evil" crowd, but we are staunch on black and white issues such as abortion etc.
Life in CT is simply not conducive to our family plans and desired "lifestyle" and by that I mean not having to both work 65 hours a week while strangers raise our kids. All just to survive and pay the government for their extortion. (Read: Taxes)
We are friendly people who believe a smile and wave and holding a door for someone and saying "thank you" and "good morning" to strangers is the norm. My favorite is to pay the toll for the person behind me on the highway.
Here is our "desire":
Housing - 160-200K 3/2/2 1500-1900sf preferably on .5-2 acres in a more "rural" setting where we can have a 4th of July party with a little "noise" without half the neighborhood calling the police and/or where they will join in and bring the fixings to compliment my fresh smoked Q.
I am a low tax, Libertarian kind of guy and willing to give up government service for it.
We would like to be in a neighborhood, just not one that has over the top HOA bylaws and the houses are 20 feet apart.
I'll have a nice chunk to put down and I make 6 figures so we can probably afford more, but we are trying to be more conservative in our housing budget.
Location: I have to be at least 30-45 minutes from North Raleigh and/or Cary as I will be servicing 3-5 homes per day. (Think Carpet Cleaner or HVAC tech type thing) I'm an ocean lover so the closer to the water the better for weekend jaunts. In other words, I'd prefer to be more toward SE or E of town if it works. Oh and easy access to highway or divided 4 lane state road with no lights vs two lane county road helps because time is money for me so if I can head "in" at 75mph vs 50mph it makes a difference.
We also like things like ATVs and "yard parties" with friends and neighbors.
Northern Wake Forest seems nice, but my concern is accessibility. I'm already guessing RT1 is getting clogged coming and going, and I'm sure it's only going to be worse.
We would like to have reasonable shopping roughly 15 minutes away. By that I mean major grocer, pharmacy, Walmart, Lowes type thing. "Day shopping" such as "lifestyle centers" Mall etc can be 30-40 minutes away.
Zebulon?
Thanks in advance folks, this trip was supposed to happen at a later date but we decided to cut bait and utilize the rest of this trip to help finalize "plans".
P.S. Any Realtors dealing with these type of "semi-rural" properties are more than welcome to contact me via DM with their info...in fact I would encourage it please.
First and foremost, let me welcome you here. You sound like my kind of people. For the type of setting you want, you may want to consider Wake Forest, Very Northern Durham, Chatham County, Western Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Willow Springs and Clayton.
I really do hope you choose this area. You will be such a nice addition. Good luck.
I would recommend that if you're looking to avoid some of the social dynamics found in the North East you'd do well to steer clear of Cary and Chapel Hill. They are great, great areas but much more closely aligned with a value system not typically southern.
But if you're looking for rural but convenient you may want to consider areas near Creedmor Road heading up towards Creedmor itself. You should also factor Lake activities into the equation as that might take the edge off of the ocean thing. The lakes are plentiful and easily accessible and while they're not the Atlantic they're much closer and easier to enjoy.
Good luck.
Thank you for the advice, I'm reading between the lines...and believe me I appreciate you taking the time to "say it".
Oh and I almost forgot about the lakes...yes lakes are a good "salve" in between the ocean visits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kornfed
First and foremost, let me welcome you here. You sound like my kind of people. For the type of setting you want, you may want to consider Wake Forest, Very Northern Durham, Chatham County, Western Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Willow Springs and Clayton.
I really do hope you choose this area. You will be such a nice addition. Good luck.
Where might you live sir? I think you would make a good neighbor.
Thank you for the kind words. I hope we can "find our spot" and become a productive part of your area. I really just "hung it out" on this post as I'm sittin in a hotel room with a pregnant wife 1100 miles from home trying to figure it out. (Well, not totally but you understand my point I hope. )
First rack of home cooked Memphis style ribs are on me. Oh yes I did!
Quote:
Originally Posted by VickiR
Johnston County, particularly Clayton, sounds like what you are looking for.
Vicki
Vicki, after a quick search I think you may be correct! Thank you very much.
If you are free anytime in the next week or so to show a few properties in that area, I'll treat for lunch.
Johnson County is where lots of newcomers move to. A lot of ppl from the NE live there. There's a good mix of locals who tend to live in subdiv where the lots are bigger, more like country subdivisions.
For a different pace, there are conservative locals in Wendell, Zebulon. And, you can jump on 64 east and it's a straight shot to the outerbanks 2 hrs from Zebulon.
If you live in JoCo (johnstone Co), you can be in Wilmington in roughly 2 hrs. There is a place north of Raleigh, its out there in the sticks, a lake community, my family owns some land out there, Lake Royale. Prices are pretty reasonable. You'd be 20 mins to Wake Forest..look it up on the map.
I was going to say Garner (the "blue collar" part of Wake County) or Johnston County as has been mentioned. Both are definitely on the "beach" side of the Triangle. I'm not sure where you got Wake Forest as a possibility if you need to be going to Cary all the time, as Wake Forest is NE while Cary is South and West, of Raleigh. And as a resident of north Raleigh, I also call foul on the claim that "you can get anywhere in 15 minutes"--it takes me that long just to get past all the stoplights down Six Forks to North Hills But you say you don't want to be within Raleigh, anyway.
Try Johnston or, since you will be working from home, even Harnett county. In JoCo, you'd likely want to avoid the new subdivisions that are full of the very people you say you're moving to get away from, but "old" Clayton and environs are quote-unquote "old-fashioned".
rent. rent. rent. rent for a little while before deciding.
you will quickly learn the area as you are driving around, and one area might be more conducive to your business than another.
you might even be able to rent a house as sales appear to be a bit on the soft side still.
I was thinking Zebulon as I was reading your post, and laughed when I saw Zebulon? there...
North Raleigh has a lot of CT folks in and around us as there is a bit of terrain and lots of trees.
I'd also suggest Franklin county (north of wake forest) as well if you haven't considered that.
I also find Creedmoor to be a delightful small town with houses w/ land and not too far a drive from North Raleigh.
Hillsborough is also nice - but might be too far from the area you are targeting for business.
I also think you might be able to get more sq. feet than you think for that price depending on location...or more land.
Be aware of taxes - city vs. county - as you look at properties - that was something we didn't really think about when we were comparing houses, and I am SO GLAD we landed in a house with county taxes...same size house & value but less taxes b/c we are in wake county (vs. city taxes).
We moved down here for similar reasons - wanted to SAHM and pay less in taxes so we moved from Fairfield Cty to here. LOVE IT. LOVE THE WEATHER. Love how it is warm by easter through to Halloween... :-)
I was going to say Garner (the "blue collar" part of Wake County) or Johnston County as has been mentioned. Both are definitely on the "beach" side of the Triangle. I'm not sure where you got Wake Forest as a possibility if you need to be going to Cary all the time, as Wake Forest is NE while Cary is South and West, of Raleigh. And as a resident of north Raleigh, I also call foul on the claim that "you can get anywhere in 15 minutes"--it takes me that long just to get past all the stoplights down Six Forks to North Hills But you say you don't want to be within Raleigh, anyway.
Try Johnston or, since you will be working from home, even Harnett county. In JoCo, you'd likely want to avoid the new subdivisions that are full of the very people you say you're moving to get away from, but "old" Clayton and environs are quote-unquote "old-fashioned".
Great advice! I forgot about Garner, shame on me! There are some great deals there now. And yes, rather than Johnston Co, Harnett is growing in popularity and is reasonably prices and would certainly meet your country feeling needs.
You might want to DM twowheelman, he moved here in December and looked all over JoCo, Wendell and Raleigh. I was impressed with how quickly he figured out the area. He would be a great resource for you as he looked at it from a newcomers perspective like you will be doing.
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without half the neighborhood calling the police and/or where they will join in and bring the fixings to compliment my fresh smoked Q. 
(Well, not totally but you understand my point I hope. 
But you say you don't want to be within Raleigh, anyway.
