first time home buyer - Breckenridge in morrisville
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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My husband and I just left one of the three-story townhomes you are speaking of. He bought the house approximately 6 years ago and we moved because we needed more space.
Overall the house was in good shape - no roof problems whatsoever, average construction. No structural issues except we had to replace the framing around the front door as it was rotting - they had not flashed it properly so it retained moisture. The decks were our greatest concern - still solid but never sealed so you can tell the decks that have not been maintained by their owners are going to have some SERIOUS issues in a few years. We replaced/secured our railings.
That said, these are standard mass-produced homes. They are adequate and we enjoyed our time there. We had a water view and loved that deck. The neighborhood is very kid and dog friendly - folks always out walking dogs, kids riding bikes. Tennis courts, pool, play areas, and shopping is 1 mile up the road. Location is, as you mentioned, unbeatable. Standard noise as you'd expect, but not unreasonable. Rooms and closets are quite a nice size for a townhome, I thought.
My advice though, would be to rent. The neighborhood (at least the townhomes - Lakes and Lakes II) is quickly being overtaken by rental properties. We had a hard time selling and ended up selling to folks who wanted the home as an investment/rental property (and we had performed some big upgrades - repainted entire interior, sealed deck, painted garage, granite and new stainless in the kitchen). The HOA is fairly unresponsive and lazy.
Best of luck - we enjoyed Breckenridge and if not for the large preponderance of rental properties and lack of resale value might have bought a single family home in the same neighborhood.
Having lived in apartments, townhomes, and single family homes, I would seriously recommend against purchasing an attached house unless you are in an area like DC, NYC, etc. and must due to cost considerations.
Having lived in apartments, townhomes, and single family homes, I would seriously recommend against purchasing an attached house unless you are in an area like DC, NYC, etc. and must due to cost considerations.
Many first time homebuyers do have a tighter budget and may need a townhome, which gives them more square footage in the area that they choose to live.
Easy to say what you might do but someone else's circumstances mandates what they buy, where they live and how much they can spend.
I've sold many of the 3 level townhomes built by Pulte. Some in Breckenridge and some in Long Lake and Pinecrest Townes. I have many clients that are happy with the neighborhood they chose and with the townhomes, themselves.
Many first time homebuyers do have a tighter budget and may need a townhome, which gives them more square footage in the area that they choose to live.
Easy to say what you might do but someone else's circumstances mandates what they buy, where they live and how much they can spend.
I've sold many of the 3 level townhomes built by Pulte. Some in Breckenridge and some in Long Lake and Pinecrest Townes. I have many clients that are happy with the neighborhood they chose and with the townhomes, themselves.
Vicki
An entry level SFH in DC proper is $400k+. A SFH in Raleigh is $150k for a starter home in a decent neighborhood nowadays...huge different IMO.
Wat about a NEW TH in the area? There are a couple developments in Morrisville area that are new--I suggest that only because at least you have a one year warranty and can have a good inspector make a punch list for the builder to fix on their dime and your structure and systems are all new-- no immediate worries about roofs, a/c, etc. plus you can take an inspector partway through the building process and have the builder correct issues.
Shiloh grove may still be building and they do TH in your range. There is also a development over on McCrimmon I think near the harris teeter shopping center that I think are in your range.
An entry level SFH in DC proper is $400k+. A SFH in Raleigh is $150k for a starter home in a decent neighborhood nowadays...huge different IMO.
There are no single family detached homes in the area that the OP is asking about for $150,000.
He specifically asked about the 3 level townhomes. You do get more square footage for the money in those and there is nothing wrong with them. At $165,000, you get lots of home in a great location.
If the OP said he HAD to live in that area and his budget was $150,000, there would be NO detached homes available for him.
Vicki
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