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HI I'm new to blogging and this is my first ever post. Moving to Raleigh area next yr. and need a home with 1st floor master, and flat lot. Ranches do not seem to be common and the ones I saw are small and older. Are there nicer ranches in the area?
I'm disabled and use walker to get around outside of home. Thinking about CARY and APEX. Would consider Raleigh but prefer newer home with no to minimal renovations necessary.
What is the deal with radon in the area? Is this why basements are uncommon?
Are there flood zones in area?
What about toxic dumping or landfills...Sorry- come from big metro area and these are issues here.
It seems like Raleigh area is one HUGE puzzle of hundreds of HUGE independent neighborhoods-developments, with one right after the other, each one having a different "flavor". How does anyone get some sense of all of them? no pun intended, but most of my legwork has to be done online. Want to have a better sense before talking to Realtor.
Are the public libraries in Cary and Apex equivalent. If I joined St Michael's Church, would it matter distance-wise if I lived in Apex?
Hubby and I are almost mid 50's and being relocated. Children out of college. Location X3 important to us, don't mind smaller lots but no way do I want to be that physically close to neighbors!! 300-400K range. Need lg kitchen, traditional LR and DR, 3 bdrm min. and that first floor master a MUST. Also, do most of these developments have on site fitness centers or pool?
Prefer mature trees. No "pressboard" construction.
Are the town construction officials helpful and willing to give advice about quality of construction in 10-15 yr old homes.
New RELOs: what local newspapers or websites helped you most?
Any suggestions would be so appreciated. Thank you.
Hubby and I mid 50's being relocated next yr. New to blogging. Just wrote a whole para that went on another thread as a reply
Some questions:
am disabled so need 1st floor master and flat lot. Is this achievable in 300-400K range for newer resales? 3 beds min, prefer 4.
Is radon/flooding a problem- is this why there are few basements?
Why are basements twilight? Is ground clay?
What does capping mean? It sound like schools are crowded and kids are redistricted?? My kids out of school but looking at school reports anyway for property valuation.
How are property taxes trending? My RE taxes have tripled in 20 yrs and I'm afraid the same thing is going to happen in Cary and Apex with all the young families moving in......
What is best way to find about construction codes? Not interested in razzle if poorly constructed.
lOOKING AT Cary and Apex. Looks like Cary has an incredible recreation program with what I think was an almost 100 pg community booklet. Apex seems much smaller with much less formal community recreation programs. Anyone care to comment on this?
Would it matter where I lived if I wanted to join/attend St Michael's Church? (meaning distance to and fro)
Any other disabled people who wear bilateral braces? I'm really worried about the heat and humidity! I need to use a walker outside the house.
Hoping to take some adult classes at NCSU. Is there traffic all day long or just at rush hr?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have been reading posts on this site but it's very confusing when you live so far away in a totally different geographic region!!!!
Can someone explain why only part of the beltway has tolls? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Are the town construction officials helpful and willing to give advice about quality of construction in 10-15 yr old homes.
I think you need a good buyer broker to help you find the house with the first-floor master bedroom. A few of the big builders (like Toll Brothers, Savvy and H&H) are making them available.
There are only a few incorporated towns in Wake County, and building code enforcement is done at the county level. Here's an overview of where the incorporated towns are: http://www.wakegov.com/inspect/Pages/jurisdiction.aspx
It is best to have the house inspected independently to assure you of quality. I don't think towns or counties have any responsibility for the quality of a 10-15 year old house.
Basements are not common because they are expensive to build and there is little demand for them (not because of radon).
Some of you other question are answered in the sticky thread second from the top of the page. Others can be answered with searches.
Last edited by goldenage1; 08-18-2014 at 05:12 PM..
Are the public libraries in Cary and Apex equivalent. If I joined St Michael's Church, would it matter distance-wise if I lived in Apex?
Too many question to answer them all.
Public libraries are run by the county, so if you need a book from the Apex library, you can get it in Cary and vice versa. However, Cary is a much larger, at about 100,000 people, than Apex, which is about 40,000 people.
St Michael's Catholic Church is in Cary, but it is only 6 miles from the center of Apex.
BTW, Fryar's Gate by Lennar in Wast Cary has the Tigerlily plan which is a large 4-BR house, mostly on one floor for $369,000.
Last edited by goldenage1; 08-18-2014 at 06:34 PM..
Flooding isn't a problem. Ground is clay. Capping means a school is past 100% of its capacity and kids moving into the neighborhood/ base area are assigned to an overflow/ alternate school. Try googling the town construction codes. Between Apex and Cary, I think Cary has more programs for seniors. Traffic is a rush hour thing and even that isn't too bad.
Are you speaking about your property in particular? I think the OP was asking about the area in general. I think sandy loam soil is probably more common in this area than clay. There are some areas around here where flooding is a massive problem. I know lots of people in the area and of those that have basements, about 7 out of 10 of the folks I know with basements,have swimming pools where they don't want them many years. Depends more on grading and many other factors around here than soil type.
"As indicated in Figure 2.2, clay, and to a lesser extent silt, can result in low infiltration rates and rapid runoff during intense rainfall. Sandy soils, in contrast, permit greater infiltration because of the wider spaces between particles. As a general rule, runoff from intense rainfall is likely to be more rapid and greater with clay soils than with sand."
What size lot do you need?
Is a small lot OK, as long as it is flat, driveway flat, few steps up into the house?
Is something like .12--.2 acre all right?
Ranches can be hard to find. You may need to settle to an older house.
Everything is pretty easy to get to around here. If you choose St. Mikes and come from Apex you shouldn't have a problem. St. Mikes also holds masses at Green Hope HS. Apex has it's own parish in case you weren't aware.
I wouldn't call the soil around here remotely sandy but I can't speak to flooding conditions. If you are used to sandy soil what we have here will be an adjustment.
If you buy in an area where the schools near you are all good then you don't need to worry that much.
Regarding the OP's tax question, I don't think that you'll find that the tax rates tripling anytime in the near future. Property values are assessed every several years and taxes are set based on that value until the next valuation. However, that doesn't mean that taxes will automatically increase when your property does. When values are re-assessed, the millage is also adjusted. This oftentimes results in property tax stability for most people. In the case of those who live in really "hot" areas for real estate where houses appreciate much much faster than the norm, you will see your property taxes increase once every 7 or 8 years. When there are bond referendums for schools, roads, parks, etc., there will be incremental increases if those bonds are passed but they are usually only in the tens of dollars annually, not hundreds or thousands for a typical home.
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Raleigh or Bust
