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Hello,
We are coming into town on a Friday evening in January and have all day Saturday and Sunday to check out the area to get a feel for whether RTP is a good fit for our family to relocate from NJ. I don't know if I actually have to meet with a realtor b/c we will just be renting for 1 year, I am really wanting to get a feel for the neighborhoods. My interest is Raleigh, Cary, ?Apex, and Chapel Hill/Carbboro.
I don't want to waste a lot of time and drive around blindly. Having said that I also want to grab some grub/drinks at places that have a Raleigh feel, if you will.
Can anyone suggest a website/resource that can guide me through neighborhoods just to get a feel of the layout, people, parks, home types... my ultimate price range to purchase will be 250000-300000. I want to rent in an area that I think I want to buy in. We are putting our home up for sale in March, priced to sell, I am hoping to be moving by July/August.
I am also in search of restaurant recommendations/fun places to check out to have a great time and experience RTP.
When I first visited the area I had a relocation specialist (realtor who works with many transplants) give me a "windshield tour" of most of the area. He was VERY helpful in giving me a general idea of the area before doing more exploring on my own.
I think NJ and NY are chasing good ppl away. We moved down from NY about 4 years ago and I don't regret it. You don't mention if you have kids in this move. My wife and I chose Chapel Hill simply for the schools. You may find it surprising how they move and bus kids around in Wake county. To us this was unacceptable. In NJ and where we lived (Long Island) where you bought was where your kids went to school. This is not true in Wake county. It seems like dice rolling with kids schedules and schools. RTP is about 20-30 mins from Chapel Hill.
In that case investigate the schools. The more we looked the more concerned we were with Wake schools. Very foreign and political model that seems to punish more than help the kids. CH you definitely get more for your money but it isn't the cheapest part of NC. However it is a beautiful part of NC. It is a college town and some see that as a good (like me) environment and some not so good. With Duke, UNC (hospitals and colleges) as well as the RTP your kids will get somes real academic stimulation with their classmates. The parents drive their kids a bit in this area. Also a foodie town and about as 'progressive' as the south gets. Get ready for 'hellos' and 'yes maam' and 'yes sir'... us Yankees not so used to the southern politeness.... I like it. Cary is known as the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees... I thought it was great and the homes were new and handsome, but taxes (new construction) were too high and I couldn't stomach the randomness of the schools and the schedules
In that case investigate the schools. The more we looked the more concerned we were with Wake schools. Very foreign and political model that seems to punish more than help the kids.
From what I've seen and heard, it seems to punish the parents more than the kids.
You may want to try //www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...des-photo.html at the top of this forum and the Search function to the right. There are hundreds, if not thousands of posts on restaurants, schools, neighborhoods, etc.
Nearly every week, someone signs up for C-D, says they are making a whirlwind trip to the area and what would people recommend. If everyone from NJ who is looking to move here actually did, there would soon be nobody left to vote for Christie.
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