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We are non golfers looking to move to the Pinehurst area. We will be visiting soon. We have a price point between 600 - 800,000. We may even learn how to golf but we like biking, walking/trails, swimming. Any input on the communities in the area would be great. Does anyone live in Pinewild? We saw many homes online that we liked. Negatives? Positives? Any information on any of the communities would be so helpful. We really hope to find an open, safe, and more friendly community. Thanks for any input.
I have always recommended Pinehurst as a place to retire, although I don't live there. Moore County has an excellent hospital, and it has an associated Fitness Center for exercise and indoor swimming: https://www.firsthealth.org/fitness
I also suggest searching Facebook for Pinewild communities. I have seen a couple of resident-run groups. I also suggest joining a country club with a social membership to give you access to the restaurants, social events and perhaps an outdool pool.
Last edited by goldenage1; 10-14-2021 at 06:03 AM..
I am curious about what you mean by "open, safe and more friendly". The community is gated, so it is supposed to be safe. I expect you will have to find things in common with golfing neighbors. There will be many from outside of North Carolina, so I don't think you will be an "outsider".
I also saw many single-level living homes that are already sold. I suggest getting a buyer broker, especially to help with "transferrable golf memberships". There could be a large transfer fee, which you don't need if you will not play golf.
I am happy to add any information I can as we have been researching and visiting the area for months. There are many communities and neighborhoods. It all depends on what you are looking for and the 'vibe' you want.
We too are not golfers so I can help you if you want.
I've been a Pinehurst resident for over a decade, so about your concerns/wishes:
Safety - it's hard to find a safer place anywhere. The property crime rate is very low, violent crime is almost non-existent, and what little occurs is almost always domestic. It's safe to walk the streets day or night (with a flashlight; it's DARK here) anywhere in town, and neighbors watch out for one another.
Health care - the hospital in Pinehurst (FirstHealth Moore Regional) is excellent, and you have plenty of choices of great doctors in every specialty. Even if you might have to leave town for a rare procedure like a heart transplant, I'm sure you could get that at Duke or UNC, about 90 minutes away.
Hiking/biking - Pinehurst has, for such a small town, an extensive greenway trail system (already 7+ miles, with more planned). Also available to all residents: several nice parks, and two ponds maintained by the Village where you can fish or kayak. (They apply weed & insect controls, so no swimming, and I'd release, not eat, any fish caught in them.)
Pickleball - the only courts of which I'm aware belong to Pinehurst Country Club (at Course #6) and the Country Club of NC, which is, like Pinewild CC, a private club in a gated community.
Taking up golf - of course you could do that at Pinehurst Country Club, but there are over a dozen daily-fee courses within 10 miles, several of which boast excellent teaching pros. I'd recommend just a social membership at PCC (or Pinewild, etc.) to start. After you've taken lessons, practiced, and played less expensive nearly courses, and IF you like the game and feel comfortably proficient, you can upgrade to a golf membership.
"Downtown" - at 4 - 6 square blocks (depending on what you count), it would be a stretch to call Pinehurst's Village Center a "downtown", but it is charming. Besides several decent to excellent restaurants, pubs, and cafes and quite a few stores, it has a nail spa, an optician, a library - and its own park, at which the Village hosts a farmers' market, concerts, plays, and other special (and mostly free) events regularly throughout the year. I'm not even counting Pinehurst Resort's restaurants, bars, or Spa, though those are all within 2 - 5 blocks of the center, or a less-attractive commercial area about half a dozen blocks away with more places to eat and drink.
Community - we do have a lot of retirees, most from elsewhere, but some here for many decades. Also a reasonable mix of younger families, including active and newly-retired military, and recruited transplants, many of whom are doctors and other healthcare specialists. In general, people are quite friendly, especially if you make the effort to introduce yourself. It's easy to meet people, just walk your local streets (especially with a dog), go to "the club" if you have a membership, volunteer for a charity, or join any one of a number of local clubs/associations. Or just do what you like to do, and say "hi" to people doing the same thing.
Traffic/congestion - it definitely exists on county and state roads and highways, and, as the area population has grown, has gotten progressively worse since I moved here. However, even that's mostly limited to "commute" hours and lunchtime, so a retiree can easily avoid the worst of it by shopping when working people can't, and taking back roads to appointments.
Other downsides: Thanks to restrictive zoning, there are no grocery, big box, or fast food locations within the village limits. However, many are just outside the limits or not much further, so within about a 10 minute drive of most neighborhoods. Those include a big, upscale Harris Teeter, 2 Lowe's Foods, 2 Food Lions,2 Walgreens, a Fresh Market, Walmart, Kohl's, Lowe's Home Improvement, and numerous other stores, plus local and chain restaurants and fast food places.
Big bonus to me: Golf carts are allowed on nearly all village streets, and the permit fee to register one is a mere $20, good as long as you own the cart. Carts are easy to park in the Village Center, and though you can't take a cart on county roads/those with a speed limit of 35 MPH or greater, you can cross them. There are also free electric car charging stations at the park in the Central Village. Bottom line, the town is quite friendly to pedestrians, bikers, and low speed or electric vehicles.
Neighborhoods I'd recommend based on your message (which does lack needs regarding bedrooms, baths, square footage, lot size, home age, etc.), and, bearing in mind my bias as a golf cart owner who ranks the ability to use it above some other priorities:
1) The Lake Pinehurst area. Lakefront properties absolutely sell at a premium and are generally worth it because they're limited in number and, in this market, rarely offered. But be aware that some "lakefront" properties would better be described as "unobstructed lake view". Lake Pinehurst was built to irrigate the golf courses, the club pumps out an awful lot of water for that purpose, and the result in many cases is that the boat docks of lakefront homes are unusable much of the year as the boats become mired in sludge until the water level rises. That said, it's a very nice neighborhood, though older (most homes built in the 1980's, though there are some much newer homes). Also, I wouldn't write off homes in that neighborhood, but across the street or on adjacent ones (i.e. not bordering the lake), particularly if you don't own or plan to buy a boat that you'd want to dock at home. It's a desirable area, and very convenient to the Pinehurst Marina (where you can store a pontoon boat or kayak for a monthly fee), the Village center, the PCC clubhouse, and a small shopping plaza with an ABC/liquor store, bank, post office, barber, florist, etc. All those are easily accessible by golf cart, bike, or on foot.
2) Other neighborhoods west of Hwy 5, and south or east of Linden Rd. These are all convenient to the Village Center, and a reasonable number of the homes front courses #3 and #5, with lovely views.
3) "Old Town", or near the Village Center. The majority of homes are even older (many built in the early 20th century), and very pricey because, as within an easy walk of "downtown", they can't be beat location-wise. What would be in your price range would be relatively smaller homes than in most neighborhoods, but fine for typical retirees who don't need a lot of bedrooms and can let go of excess belongings. Few of these homes are offered at any given time, and go fast when they are.
4) Pinehurst #6 area. This is a relatively newer area with construction started in the mid- late 1990's, and a reasonable number of golf-front or golf view homes. It seems more isolated, as east of highway 15-501, but actually - not so much. It's a quick hop on side streets to the village center, and super-close to one end of the greenway trail system. It may be just the place for bikers, hikers, and pickleballers.
5) Pinewild is nice, and again, the homes are relatively newer, with the first built in the late 1990's. It's a great place for members of Pinewild CC, even "social" members, as there are amenities besides golf. The main downside to me is that, while carts are permitted on all streets inside the gate, you can't legally access the rest of Pinehurst. You'd need to take a county road with a 35 MPH speed limit for about half a mile, which is not only prohibited but dangerous as cars tend to exceed that limit.
I could go on, but there really aren't any "bad" neighborhoods in Pinehurst, just ones more suitable for some and less so for others. But one thing you need to bear in mind is that the real estate market here is super-hot, with homes typically selling within days of listing, most for full asking price or more. If you may want to live here, I would absolutely suggest coming ASAP, taking a "winter rental" while you look for a permanent home, and jumping on any property even close to your "dream home".
Feel free to send me a private message with any specific questions.
No problem for members of Pinehurst CC. They have a pool complex, swimming at Lake Pinehurst, and members can use the pool at the Carolina Hotel Sun - Wed. Pinewild CC and CCNC also have pools. I think the Lawn & Tennis club has a summer swim membership.
I really don't pay much attention to outdoor pools because I can swim indoors year-round at the FirstHealth Fitness Center. Since I have a Medicare Advantage plan through FirstHealth (health +RX + other benefits for $zero premium), my fitness membership costs just $10/month. Obviously, the insurer recognizes that the fitter any participant stays, the less they'll have to pay for care of chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. It's a great gym, BTW - over 60,000 sq. ft., all kinds of classes (yoga, pilates, dance fitness, aqua aerobics, etc., etc.), weight machines, free weights, indoor running track, cardio machines, basketball court, pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, locker rooms - all included in the price of membership. Massage therapy and personal training are extra, but reasonable. There are also special programs for cardiology & pulmonary patients, and at least partially covered by insurance. I really can't think of anything you might want that it doesn't have. Check it out at https://www.firsthealth.org/fitness/locations/pinehurst.
While I'm at it, you should go to vopnc.org, the Pinehurst Village website. On it, you can find a map of the greenway trails, and parks & recreation info. Also a calendar of events, though that's a lot more full from April/May to October, when there's a farmers' market twice a week, a free live concert monthly, 4th of July fireworks, blah, blah, blah.
If I sound like I'm "selling" the town - I'm not. Not a realtor, not an employee of the Village, the resort, the country club - or anywhere. I have absolutely nothing to gain by encouraging anyone to move here; I'm just a happy (and fully retired!) resident.
........
If I sound like I'm "selling" the town - I'm not. Not a realtor, not an employee of the Village, the resort, the country club - or anywhere. I have absolutely nothing to gain by encouraging anyone to move here; I'm just a happy (and fully retired!) resident.
You have given a superb view of living in Pinehurst. I also think it would be an excellent choice for the original poster.
Thanks, "Goldenage". I was so wordy I really didn't expect anyone but the OP to read my posts.
I do realize I ignored some surrounding areas that might also suit the OP.
Southern Pines, for example, has a larger "downtown", lovely historic homes a short walk from it, and several other very safe, attractive, convenient neighborhoods, including those near Pine Needles, MidPines, and the Southern Pines Golf Club. It's also a bit more convenient shopping-wise as several of the stores to which I referred as "near" Pinehurst are within SP's town limits. Still, I wouldn't recommend it as highly to the OP because SP's hiking/biking trails are less extensive and accessible, its homes aren't as uniformly well-maintained, it's further from the hospital if you need emergency care, and again, showing my bias, it lacks an ordinance that allows golf carts on roads with speed limits up to 25 MPH. SP also has a higher crime rate, though part of the difference in property crimes exists because SP has big box stores, and Pinehurst doesn't. In Pinehurst's "mom & pop" stores, someone (probably the owner) offers to help you from the second you enter, and follows you around until you leave. Just try to find a sales clerk in a big box store these days. It's easier to shoplift as only more expensive items have anti-theft warning devices attached.
Seven Lakes is a quite nice community, with two golf courses (Seven Lakes and Beacon Ridge), several lakes available to residents for sailing, boating, fishing, and swimming, a swimming pool, tennis/pickleball courts, and a "nature trail", which I suppose is for hiking. (I believe that, other than docking a boat, these are all covered in the monthly HOA dues.) Golf carts are permitted on streets within the community for an annual permit fee, and I imagine those streets are also safe to bike and walk. However, Seven Lakes has no "downtown", just a small commercial district near the entrance with a supermarket, hardware store, and a few restaurants/bars/cafes, medical and dental offices. It's somewhat isolated; you'd have to go elsewhere for major shopping and, though it's only about 12 miles/20 minutes on a state highway from the hospital in Pinehurst, every minute counts in an emergency.
Bottom line, I think the OP should look at other areas near Pinehurst, but I suspect they'd be happier within its limits.
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Pinehurst - my take
