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We hope to relocate to the Durham-Raleigh area soon, and see many areas which are attractive. We hope to choose a town or location that is convenient in terms of availability of good food stores, shopping, etc.
Due to the constraints of obtaining funding from USDA, we cannot purchase in Durham (or Raleigh) itself. We are focusing on all towns/cities from Mebane to Youngsville and locations in between (Bahama, Rougemont,
Timberlake, Stem, Creedmore, Franklinton and Wake Forest.
Wake Forest itself looks very convenient for shopping, etc,. but the taxes are somewhat higher than Youngsville, etc.
I would greatly appreciate any commentary from those who have experience or are happy with their locations with respect to convenience.
Thank you very much for all the very useful input I receive from folks on this forum.
Last edited by Organator; 04-20-2011 at 09:05 AM..
Reason: spelling
Convenient shopping is the only factor? Not location of jobs? Schools? House price? Lot size?
What distance is too far to be considered "convenient"? This is a big area, and but for outlying rural areas, I would say just about everything is convenient to shopping in one way or another.
Many folks that have relocated here seem to like Wake Forest. It is really growing and lots to offer. An "extension" of Wake Forest is Rolesville. Small town but convenient to shopping, etc.
Creedmoor is small but has grown a little bit...nothing like Wake Forest has grown.
The other towns you mentioned are quite small...most will have grocery stores, etc., but are more like bedroom communities. I'm referring to Stem and Rouguemont, although I should say that I haven't been to either of those towns in a while.
As for USDA loans, their website has a very easy way of putting in an address and finding out if it is USDA qualified. You may be surprised at the areas that are qualified. Close to downtown Raleigh and the Cary area is Renassiance Park. It has a Raleigh address and it qualifies.
Certain parts of Heritage (one of my fav n'hoods in WF), qualify for USDA.
Keep in mind that it isn't the TOWN that qualifies but the address.
Your price will help us make suggestions of areas, as well.
Personally, I would NOT want to commute from WF to Duke Medical Center. I don't have exact drive times, but that wouldn't be an easy drive.
agreed.
OP - is duke the only place that you have to be near? more info like job location, if schools are required, types of housing & land, etc. would be very helpful in providing you with specific ideas that may work for you.
Our upper limit for the price of a single family home is about $175,000.
? ... how far is Wake Forest from Duke Medical Center ... and can you approximate the driving time?
Thank you for all replies.
With your price point and need for convenience I would strongly look into Efland and Mebane. In my neighborhood the homes are about 10-15 years in age and range from the $140's-$200K, 1-10 acre lots. There are several similar neighborhoods in Efland. In Mebane, there are numerous options, though many more newer homes have smaller lots. There are larger lots available with older homes though.
Personally, I would NOT want to commute from WF to Duke Medical Center. I don't have exact drive times, but that wouldn't be an easy drive.
And while on the map, it might look like a straight shot from WF to Duke on Highway 98, 98 goes through some bad parts of Durham that I don't think I'd want to drive home through at night.
If you're working at Duke, you'll find living north or west of there a much easier lifestyle. Maybe Roxboro?
Knightdale is USDA eligible. 5 minutes to 540 and about 15-20 minutes to downtown Raleigh.
Edit: Just saw your post about Duke Medical Center....I would guess you're looking at about a 45-50 minute commute. Depending on where you are re-loacting from don't know if this is something worth looking into or not.
Knightdale is USDA eligible. 5 minutes to 540 and about 15-20 minutes to downtown Raleigh.
Edit: Just saw your post about Duke Medical Center....I would guess you're looking at about a 45-50 minute commute. Depending on where you are re-loacting from don't know if this is something worth looking into or not.
You may also want to consider Hillsborough.
I also suggested Hillsborough until I saw the OP's price point. Although staying under $175,000 is definitely possible, there are limited options.
Organator, you can get to Duke from Efland and Mebane in about 20-25 minutes, and everything else in Durham and Chapel Hill in 20-30. Mebane and Hillsborough cover your basic shopping needs (Weaver St.-organic grocery store, farmers markets, Walmart, Food Lion, Lowes grocery, Lowes/Home Depot, outlet mall, restaurants, etc).
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Price range for our search
