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I like mature and established neighborhoods, newer,older or historic construction doesn't matter. Location, Location, Location
Cameron Park comes to mind immediately. My first choice, I think...
Hayes Barton neighborhoods.
Ridge Road areas.
Several other Inside the Beltline areas.
We have heard so many great things about the area. We are planning on taking a trip to check out a few areas/neighborhoods and would like some suggestions. I am self employed and will work from home so the commute is not an issue. We are able to sell our home here in South FL, for around 2mm and would like to spend a little less but if we found something we absoulutely loved we would just roll it right into another house. I have three children (6,4 and 2) so a great school system is our number one priority. Remember if you could live ANYWHERE within 30-40 min of downtown Raleigh where would it be!! Thanks in advance.
South Florida seems to be right at ground zero of the real estate bubble meltdown. Are you seeing that or is it a lot more hype than fact?
I can't think of a "favorite" neighborhood, but there are many nice ones in this price range from which to choose. The "best" will really depend on what *you* are looking for. I'm most familiar with North Raleigh, and here are a few that I really like in this part of the Triangle:
Olde Raleigh. Not real fond of gated communities (what a waste in Raleigh!), but it is hard to beat the location, and the homes are absolutely wonderful.
Stonemoor. Quite different from Olde Raleigh. 1+ acre lots with large homes in the Falls Lake watershed.
Carlyle. A little farther east, but still in the Falls Lake watershed. Really nice neighborhood with large homes on large lots.
Sheffield Manor. Nice, slightly older neighborhood (built in the early 1990s). I've always liked this one, with large wooded lots and nicely appointed homes.
Parker Falls. Also in the Falls Lake watershed area. Wonderful mature wooded lots with some really nice custom builders. This neighborhood is a little less expensive than the others - $850K - $900K will get you a nice home in the neighborhood.
There are plenty of others to choose from, but these should give you a good flavor of what is available.
If I that kind of money to spend, I would stay in the Northeast, Cape Cod or Connecticut. This area is okay, but not what people who have a million or more to spend would consider to be a prime location. There are so many other choices. Do not make a hasty decision.
Toodie
I'd probably build a home in Ethan's Glen, my favorite neighborhood. There is a new section called The Gates but I'd be picky about my lot...not backing up to any roads, etc.
I'd also consider Chatworth and Leesville Crest.
Hasentree, maybe.
Then I'd buy either a smaller house at the beach (not oceanfront unless you like paying tons for insurance and having the possiblity of your home being swept away) or one in the mountains of NC.
I prefer well-kept, older neighborhoods so if I had that kind of money and was set on Raleigh, I would look buy either in Cameron Park or Oakwood and buy something else in the mountains. I hate everything about subdivisions, so I'd personally stay away from those. These two neighborhoods are both safe, pretty quiet, walkable, etc. and provide a much higher quality of life IMO than living in a McMansion in a subdivision.
If I had that kind of money and wasn't set on Raleigh, I'd consider Burlington, VT or Missoula, MT.
Without question! The absolute sweetest neighborhood in all the triangle IMO.
Of course 1.5 mil only buys the cheapest house in the neighborhood lol.
There are several listed on their site (Hasentree: Home) for about a million. And their Golf villas and custom homes at The Groves start at well below a million.
Its expensive for sure for a quasi gated community that has public roads running through the community and/or has other access points to the community that are not gated.
There is nothing around. Nearest (run down) gas station is about 5 miles and the nearest large grocery store close to 10 miles.
But the golf course looks great and so is the setting.
Have you seen Maida Vale on the Chapel Hill/Durham border? It is gorgeous, all Mediterranean style homes, so different than the usual cookie cutter stuff you see EVERYWHERE IN THIS AREA. It's gated, landscaping looks like it will very Italian-we saw these during Parade of HOmes last month--they are beautiful unlike anything you'll usually find in this area. Check it out--it was only a 15 minutes drive on I-=40 when my husband picked me up from the airport to get to this place.
Googled and looked at their web-site. It is right where I grew up in the 60's riding horses out there.
Let me say, I would not fit into the scene at Maida Vale. Just a senior country boy, now living in the hills. It is way beyond my style. But looking at those ammenities and roughly $200 a sq/ft, I am impressed.
Need to ride out there and take a look. Will call ahead to see if they allow lookers. The area has sure changed.
Gurl makes a good point! My family has an old, old friend who lives in a beautiful house in Chapel Hill & has another house near the beach in Wilmington. Neither house is a mansion, but he's much happier having 2 homes than one big one.
I'm intrigued by these glowing reports of Hasentree. I haven't been there yet, but it sounds lovely!
I'm a fan of the old Hope Valley neighborhood in Durham. There are some beautiful homes there & the rolling landscape is drop dead gorgeous.
I would have said Hope Valley, except the OP wants to be close to downtown Raleigh
We have heard so many great things about the area. We are planning on taking a trip to check out a few areas/neighborhoods and would like some suggestions. I am self employed and will work from home so the commute is not an issue. We are able to sell our home here in South FL, for around 2mm and would like to spend a little less but if we found something we absoulutely loved we would just roll it right into another house. I have three children (6,4 and 2) so a great school system is our number one priority. Remember if you could live ANYWHERE within 30-40 min of downtown Raleigh where would it be!! Thanks in advance.
I'd buy an RV for 300K, pocket the remaining 1.7 mil, and retire early
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Maida Vale
