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My husband and I have been considering the Triangle area for relocation potential for our family of four. We are thinking about planning our family's first trip down this year during our kids' spring recess (end of March to early April). Not sure how long we'll be there, probably between three to five days, maybe longer. We are thinking that we might like to visit again in the summer.
I'm excited for the opportunity, and yet the thought of it is kind of overwhelming. I don't really know where to begin. I guess I don't know where to go and what to do, to start the process of scoping out the area. What should this trip focus on..?
I am a stay at home mom for now. My husband is a software engineer, and I'm guessing that if and when he were to get a job in the Triangle area, that it would likely be located in Research Triangle Park, (although I don't really know how likely.. Maybe elsewhere...) I was thinking that we might use the RTP as a point of reference for 'nearby' towns and neighborhoods to explore. Hub has had a 1.25 hour one-way commute to work for years now, and definitely would want to cut that time down substantially.
Of course another factor is home price-range...
Also, we have never lived in a HOA community/subdivision here in CT, but we are definitely considering it. We understand that if we are interested in a newer home, it would likely be HOA.
I'm wondering how much community and house exploring we are ready to do. Should we be most focused on a more general exploration of the Triangle area (towns..)? How close towns/neighborhoods are to shopping, amenities, parks, etc? Schools? (Our kids are now in 3rd and 4th grades.)
The first thing I'd recommend you do is sit down and prioritize the top 5 or 10 specific things you want in a house and/or neighborhood. Then spend some time reading through the myriad of threads on this forum in order to get a sense from those discussions about the "personalities" and features of the various cities (and neighborhoods) that comprise the Triangle. Think about how your wish list matches up to each of those places. Then come back and ask specific questions. Then, when you come in the spring you can ride around, drive through some neighborhoods, get a feel for the distance between things, learn the lay of the land. By summer, you'll probably be ready to look at some houses, although much will depend on your husbands job location, imo. Good luck!
My husband and I have been considering the Triangle area for relocation potential for our family of four. We are thinking about planning our family's first trip down this year during our kids' spring recess (end of March to early April). Not sure how long we'll be there, probably between three to five days, maybe longer. We are thinking that we might like to visit again in the summer.
I'm excited for the opportunity, and yet the thought of it is kind of overwhelming. I don't really know where to begin. I guess I don't know where to go and what to do, to start the process of scoping out the area. What should this trip focus on..?
I am a stay at home mom for now. My husband is a software engineer, and I'm guessing that if and when he were to get a job in the Triangle area, that it would likely be located in Research Triangle Park, (although I don't really know how likely.. Maybe elsewhere...) I was thinking that we might use the RTP as a point of reference for 'nearby' towns and neighborhoods to explore. Hub has had a 1.25 hour one-way commute to work for years now, and definitely would want to cut that time down substantially.
Of course another factor is home price-range...
Also, we have never lived in a HOA community/subdivision here in CT, but we are definitely considering it. We understand that if we are interested in a newer home, it would likely be HOA.
I'm wondering how much community and house exploring we are ready to do. Should we be most focused on a more general exploration of the Triangle area (towns..)? How close towns/neighborhoods are to shopping, amenities, parks, etc? Schools? (Our kids are now in 3rd and 4th grades.)
Any advice, folks? Thanks!
Tell us what your price range is and that, along with your desire to be near RTP, will help narrow things down.
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I was down in April of last year for Easter and the weather was beautiful! Like a previous poster stated; each area of the Triangle seems to have a different personality. A one weekend trip probably won't do it. Several trips are needed to explore and to get a real feel for the area. We found that the areas in and around Wake Forest fits the bill for us. Good luck on your search, its a great area to relocate to.
Focus on visiting each part of town to get a feel for the place. I would suggest renting first then explore when you are here full time before buying right away. Good Luck on relocating!
Do I like the are in general enough that I would like to move my family there?
If I were to move, are there homes that we could buy which would meet our basic criteria of bedrooms, commute, etc.?
If I were to move, where would my kids get educated? If public schools, what would be the best FIVE to consider?
Are there really germane questions beyond that, for a first visit? And questions 2 and 3 don't even really need to be answered on the ground, they can actually be determined by some basic research on the internet.
Don't be sucked in by the usually beautiful weather we have in April. It is not the norm.
Really don't be sucked in by the awful weather in the Triangle. 2 weeks ago I was sitting on the porch in shorts and a t-shirt. Drove home later that day to NJ straight into a snow/sleet storm in freezing temps. Yeah the weather is the pits in NC.
RedZin, in all honesty, we are not yet really sure what our home-buying price range is. We will have to look more closely at things, for example- a likely salary cut for my husband. But I'm going to try to ballpark a figure and say for now around $300,000, for at least 4 bedrooms.
Tomitillo26, what was it about the Wake Forest area that worked best for you?
CardinalRed, I've definitely heard recommendations to rent before buying a home in order to be able to explore. I'm wondering how it would all work with regard to schools, though. We might have our kids (currently 3rd & 4th grade) start out in a school while we are renting, and then have to pull them out to switch them to another school once we have found our home to buy..
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