Older housing developments/areas that are not "suburbia hell"??? (Raleigh: high crime, chapel)

[jrollman]

Hello,
My wife and I are moving to the area soon and we are looking for areas to check out for housing. We are early 30's professionals, enjoy dining, nice bars & live music (no this isn't a personal ad LOL)...to give you a rough background. Our search in the Raleigh-Durham area constantly results in finding communities that consist of new(er) cookie cutter homes with very little property and almost no parking. Basically, our definition of suburbia hell.

Essentially, we are looking for older developments that have houses with some originality, a decent amount of property (+/- .25 to .50 acres), are not cookie cutters and have that local community feel to them. Ideally, it would be something close to commercial areas too i.e. being able to walk/bike ride to the local corner market or your favorite breakfast house.

We know that there are areas like this, but we just do not know where they are.

We will certainly appreciate any suggestions/comments of areas. It can be everywhere from Chapel Hill to Apex to North Raleigh to Durham.

Thanks in advance.

[rnc2mbfl]

Check out these neighborhoods in North Raleigh: North Hills, Quail Hollow, Eastgate and the neighborhoods in between and around them. They are all in the "older section" of North Raleigh and are not cookie cutter. Lot sizes are typically .25-.50 acres and are close enough to bike/walk to various daytime and night time activities. North Hills is the most convenient and walkable but probably more expensive per s.f. than Quail Hollow and Eastgate. However, as North Hills East is completed North Hills East (http://www.northhillsraleigh.com/east/ - broken link) the areas in and around Quail Hollow/Eastgate become even more convenient.

[Dire Wolf]

There are areas like this all over the Triangle. Many of them are highly desirable and expensive. Look in the area of Ridge Rd, Wade Ave, and Glenwood in Raleigh. I was too cheap for ITB Raleigh, so lived in a historic home in downtown Apex for years and could walk to stuff there. Every now and then a desirable property will hit the market there.
Durham has lots of older neighborhoods and is cheaper than Raleigh.

[lamishra]

What type of price range are you looking at?

[jrollman]

Thanks for the information.

Dire Wolf,
you mentioned that Durham had older neighborhoods and is cheaper, but I have heard it that has higher crime, poor schools (meaning education standards) and is generally more "down market" (lack of a better term) than areas, such as Raleigh, Apex, Chapel Hill. Is this really the case or is Durham not so bad?

Iamishra,
We are aiming for a price range of $250-$300k. Have any suggestions?

[VickiR]

I'd also suggest Quail Corners and Quail Meadows, although some of these homes will need some updating. With North Hills pushing property values up, you may see some of these neighborhoods going up in price a bit faster than usual. I'm already seeing that in Lakemont, which is off Millbrook Road.

I'd also check out Durant Trails and Windsor Forest, off Durant Road. Oak Park off Glenwood is an older neighborhood.

It sounds like you want a neighborhood built by custom builders instead of a neighborhood like Harrington Grove that was built mostly by Centex, where you pick out a house from about 6 choices.

Thats all I can think of without some caffeine!

Vicki

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

You might want to do a quick online search of Stonehenge in N. Raleigh. That is an older neighborhood with mature trees and larger lots. There is a neat lookign house listed right now with a .50+ acre lot for around $250K. Looks pretty nice and I like that location.

[steinp]

When you mentioned an "older" development, are you referring to home styles, or the age of the homes?

Generally, homes in the Triangle built after 1975 but before the 2000's are split level homes with hardboard siding, sold by the brand name of "masonite." Hardboard siding is fine as long as water has not penetrated the seal. Once water is absorbed, the siding swells and allows water to reach the interior wall. Not a great thing. Not all hardboard has problems, but there was a class action lawsuit settled a number of years ago. Masonite Hardboard

Next, if you are looking for a unique feel to the homes and a community feel, but are not really looking for a home that doesn't offer modern conveinces, there a number of newer communities with distinctive archutecure that I would suggest.

Apex
Scott's Mill
Whitehall
Cameron Park

Cary
Cary Park www.carypark.net
Carpenter Village
Addison Park
Savannah

Fuquay
Lakeside
South Lakes

Raleigh
Bedford at Falls River

Wake Forest
Heritage Wake Forest

Other posters mentioned an Inside the Beltline location. Yep, that is the place to be. However, the homes in desirable locations (Mordecai, Five Points, Glenwood South, there are more) prices average $225/sq foot. If you don't need more than 1500 square feet it is doable.

As far as Durham, yes, it has a reputation for high crime, bad schools, etc. I have no opinion, but SW Durham is getting a good name. Look at schools at SchoolDataDirect - State Education Data, School District Data, School Data, Standard's and Poor website. Durham Police has a website that pinpoints where certain types of crime happen: Durham Police Department

I have lived in Wake County (where Raleigh, Cary, Apex, etc) are located for 20+ years and have lived in numerous towns locally.

[MrsSteel]

Originally Posted by jrollman

Thanks for the information.

Dire Wolf,
you mentioned that Durham had older neighborhoods and is cheaper, but I have heard it that has higher crime, poor schools (meaning education standards) and is generally more "down market" (lack of a better term) than areas, such as Raleigh, Apex, Chapel Hill. Is this really the case or is Durham not so bad?

Iamishra,
We are aiming for a price range of $250-$300k. Have any suggestions?

Durham really is not so bad. There is a section of town where you'll find more crime, just like in any city, but the majority of the town is actually quite safe. I can understand how you got that negative impression, though. That's what I thought Durham was like until I actually started to spend time in the city. Before long I realized that it is a great town & decided to move here.

I still think you may have some trouble finding what you want in your price range. The kind of neighborhood you're looking for is highly desireable and $300K may not go far. What are your requirments size-wise? Are you willing to take on some renovations?

[Dire Wolf]

There is no sugar coating that Durham has more crime than some of the other towns. There are reasons you'll find stuff to be cheaper in Durham. But it has definitely has some nice neighborhoods. If you find something that works for you, it can be a great bargain.