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We are planning to move from the MD suburbs of DC to the Raleigh area in the next few months but as we are home shopping we have been shocked (appalled? discouraged?) by the teeny tiny lots offered in Cary. We are coming from a 5500 sq ft home with 2 acres of land. I don't expect to find that - I just want a 4br, 3000 sq ft+ home with enough room to put a trampoline in the back for the kids and not worry about them running into a main road. The new home developers seem to be unrestricted in their zoning and just try to cram as many homes into their plan as possible. We find ourselves begging for lots that barely hit 0.4 acres, and what we find are lots with a steep grade (no flat back yard to play in), they are next to a major road, there is a house immediately behind it and all the yard is in front of the house, or it is next to a drainage pond.
Can anyone recommend Cary or Morrisville communities with bigger yards? We are hoping to keep our home price under $600k. We would like a community pool and other amenities like a tot lot. I definitely prefer communities that have preserved some of the original trees throughout the community - but beggars can't be choosers at this point!
My husband will be commuting to Durham sometimes/working from home sometimes, which is why we are thinking Cary is the best bet. We started our home search in North Raleigh, but above the 540 was too far from amenities, and below the 540 seemed to have similar lot-size issues. Holly Springs and Apex just seem too far out.
At the moment our plan is to stalk the Preston CC/ Preston Village / Highland Oaks neighborhood and hope that something comes on the market that has been updated and fits our home and lot size requirements. We are also considering a new construction in the Amberly Penninsula or Ashton Woods Braemore communities, but we don't love the lot options out there.
We live above 540 in N. Raleigh, have a 3000+ sq. ft. house, and have almost 2 acres of land. I also commute to RTP every morning (20 minutes on 540) and love our neighborhood. In my opinion, every amenity you can find in Cary, N. Raleigh has. Some people like the allure of living in Cary, but I love living in N. Raleigh personally.
We are planning to move from the MD suburbs of DC to the Raleigh area in the next few months but as we are home shopping we have been shocked (appalled? discouraged?) by the teeny tiny lots offered in Cary. We are coming from a 5500 sq ft home with 2 acres of land. I don't expect to find that - I just want a 4br, 3000 sq ft+ home with enough room to put a trampoline in the back for the kids and not worry about them running into a main road. The new home developers seem to be unrestricted in their zoning and just try to cram as many homes into their plan as possible. We find ourselves begging for lots that barely hit 0.4 acres, and what we find are lots with a steep grade (no flat back yard to play in), they are next to a major road, there is a house immediately behind it and all the yard is in front of the house, or it is next to a drainage pond.
Can anyone recommend Cary or Morrisville communities with bigger yards? We are hoping to keep our home price under $600k. We would like a community pool and other amenities like a tot lot. I definitely prefer communities that have preserved some of the original trees throughout the community - but beggars can't be choosers at this point!
My husband will be commuting to Durham sometimes/working from home sometimes, which is why we are thinking Cary is the best bet. We started our home search in North Raleigh, but above the 540 was too far from amenities, and below the 540 seemed to have similar lot-size issues. Holly Springs and Apex just seem too far out.
At the moment our plan is to stalk the Preston CC/ Preston Village / Highland Oaks neighborhood and hope that something comes on the market that has been updated and fits our home and lot size requirements. We are also considering a new construction in the Amberly Penninsula or Ashton Woods Braemore communities, but we don't love the lot options out there.
I welcome any thoughts! Thanks in advance!
Where in Durham will he have to drive to? Churton Grove in Hillsborough might be an option depending on the drive. They have homes well under your price range, about .50 acres, 2800-3200 square feet, community pool and good access to the highway.
... 4br, 3000 sq ft+ home with enough room to put a trampoline in the back for the kids
You may use on-line MLS searches to find suitable properties. I tried that, and this one popped up: 1724 Bowling Green Trail, Raleigh NC 27613. 0.71 acres, 3251 sqft, 4br, 3.5b, 3cg, $500K. This listing caught my eye because I have a relative on that street and know it to be a lovely neighborhood.
Note: I am not a real estate agent and am not trying to steer you to any particular neighborhood or property.
Where in Durham will he have to drive to? Churton Grove in Hillsborough might be an option depending on the drive. They have homes well under your price range, about .50 acres, 2800-3200 square feet, community pool and good access to the highway.
My thoughts exactly -- you could also look at northern Durham County (beautiful rural area) or west Durham, to the west of 15/501 in Duke Forest.
Currently, there are 15 homes in Cary that are 500k or under, with at least .5 acre of land and at least 3k sq ft.
Only 2 of them were built in the last 20 years.
I would assume Morrisville is similar in that regard (just less houses because it's far smaller. In fact, there may not be any, I didn't check.)
There are lots that are over .5 acres to build on new in Cary, but they'll cost you more than 500k with a house on them.
Your best bet, if you want Cary (and I do suggest investigating the other areas that have been mentioned here, as they are all good choices) is to find a place that's older and renovate it yourself. Even in the places you have mentioned, you are not likely to find a .5 or larger lot with an updated home for 500k or less.
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I would try The Reserve in Cary. We looked at a couple houses there that had big yards. It's right off NC55.
Really don't need that big of a property for a trampoline and yes you are right about new construction. We had a hard time finding even .3 in Cary especially if you want a flat usable plot. We actually saw the yard here before we saw the house and were pretty much sold on it. We ended up with .38 but still needed to do a bit of work on it.
If u r in a subdivision you don't need to worry too much about kids running into busy main roads
I wouldn't completely discount North Raleigh above I-540. You can find homes under $600K with 1/2 to 1+ acre lots, although it is much easier to find that with resales than new construction. Depending on where in Durham your husband is working the commute can be quite manageable. As to amenities, it depends on what you are looking for. There is the new shopping center at Hwy 98 / Creedmoor Road with a Harris Teeter, dry cleaner, hair cut place, etc. And there are plenty of gas stations, a CVS pharmacy. And there is the proximity to Falls Lake which is always a plus.
If you aren't adverse to older homes, there are several nice neighborhoods in western part of North Raleigh below I-540 that will have .5 acres, +/-, and will be well within your budget (Stonehenge, West Lake, Springmoor, Wood Valley, Hawthorne, Sussex Acres, etc.). But if you have your heart set on new or near-new construction then that may not be the ideal spot.
With a quick real estate search of North Raleigh on a particular website, I found 45 homes bigger than 3000 SF between $500K and $600K. Many of the lots were over an acre and several of the homes were new. I don't see the problem.
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