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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
You CAN do Chapel Hill and Carrboro for your budget, but it will be tricky. You could also do Cary for your budget, but again it's on the low side.
You can get much more house somewhere else. It just depends on your priorities and what you want in a house and community. Some people want a big house, new construction, neighborhood pool, clubhouse, all the amenities. For your budget you'd have to go further out for all that and schools may or may not be what you want them to be. A lot of the schools further out are fine, but it just depends on what you want.
A lot of people who want to be in Chapel Hill, either because of the schools or because of the overall community, sacrifice the big house for the community and spend more money for less house because it's worth it to them. If it's worth it to you to be in Chapel Hill/Carrboro you can make it happen but you certainly won't get new construction in a new neighborhood unless you go for a townhome.
In addition to that house on James St there's a nice older brick ranch (3/2) on Ephesus Church Rd, too for $222k. Also a nice 3/2 on Fan Branch Lane and several others, but it's definitely slim pickings at that budget.
The one on Fan Branch is under contract. Even stretching his budget to $225K, there are very few SFH to choose from in CH-Carr (about 8 or 9), and all of those are old, and will likely need work. Since he doesn't even mention having a great desire to live in either place and seems open to most towns, I'd direct him somewhere else that gives him more housing choices and not having to stretch his budget.
I'm not directing him anywhere. He said he liked college towns. I said it could be done, but would be slim pickings at that budget. If it's a priority for them they can make it work, but they can get a lot more house for the money elsewhere. I know plenty of folks who choose to live in Chapel Hill and Carrboro because they like the vibe and are in older homes, condos, or townhomes because they work for their budget. I don't know what his priorities are so just laying it all out there and not directing anyone anywhere.
I agree with all of this. You can live pretty much anywhere in the Triangle on your budget, and it doesn't like you have to be in a McMansion so think about what you want in your community and take it from there. The nice thing about this area is that no matter what appeals to you, you can almost always find a place that fits you within your budget. Chapel Hill and Cary are totally different, but they are both great places to live - what more could you wish for as far as options? You could make the same comparison with so many towns here - come and see.
Strongly agree with this, with a major caveat about what you "must have" in a house. The entire area has plenty of older neighborhoods in your price range if things like large master bathrooms and 2 car garages are not important to you.
Exactly. I think you could find a house in Cary with that budget, too. It just might not be in a new neighborhood with the pool, clubhouse, amenities, etc. Coming from the midwest this area can be more expensive.
The more I read, the more Holly Springs, Apex and Cary make the most sense.....with Holly Springs making the most sense because it is cheaper and I work from home.
I will still check out Chapel Hill and Carrboro if for no other reason then I want to see the UNC campus. However, it does look like on my budget and with 2 young kids that I might be better off in Holly Springs.
Any specific parts of Holly Springs that are better than others? Any Holly Springs specific pointers?
What makes Cary & Apex more expensive than Holly Springs...is it mainly because they are closer to downtown?
Anyone have anything negative to say about Holly Springs? Why not to move there.
The more I read, the more Holly Springs, Apex and Cary make the most sense.....with Holly Springs making the most sense because it is cheaper and I work from home.
I will still check out Chapel Hill and Carrboro if for no other reason then I want to see the UNC campus. However, it does look like on my budget and with 2 young kids that I might be better off in Holly Springs.
Any specific parts of Holly Springs that are better than others? Any Holly Springs specific pointers?
What makes Cary & Apex more expensive than Holly Springs...is it mainly because they are closer to downtown?
Anyone have anything negative to say about Holly Springs? Why not to move there.
I technically live in Cary, but I am actually closer to the old downtown of Apex and about equidistant from the old down town of Holly Springs and Cary. The town boundaries are determined more because Cary got greedy first, Apex second and Holly Springs last. The numbers don't tell the whole story about expense. Cary has a few really high end neighborhoods (houses in the 800+ range around Regency, for example) that bring the average up but oddly enough, because Cary has been more of a true suburb longer, it actually has more of the "middle aged" neighborhoods. If you would state your preference about new construction and "wow" features like huge master baths and high end counter tops, amenities like pools, etc, then it would be easier to give you more info. Just as an example, along Harrison Road in Cary just north of the old downtown area there are some "middle aged" neighborhoods where ~$200k might buy a nice house. Go west a couple of miles into Preston and the same square footage would cost at least double that, but it would be newer with nice amenities.
In Holly Springs, the newer developments along the 55 bypass are nice. My college student son has a job holding up a sign for one of them on the weekends.
Thanks everyone, some good information. We are from the midwest originally, but have lived overseas for the past 8 years. We could probably stretch our budget up into 225K if needed.
I am intrigued by the recently mentioned Hillsborough option. I went to UW- Madison (undergrad and grad) and love college towns, but the most important thing is good schools for the kids and living in a nice family friendly area. We don't need a big, fancy house and aren't into keeping up with the jones so to speak.
Proximity to downtown Raleigh means little to us.
I will check out Knightdale and garner as advised too.
If you are still intrigued by Hillsborough, I am also recommending it! It's definitely more liberal than Apex, holly springs, Cary, etc. It has a nice downtown with things to do, the topography of that area is quite nice and is hillier than the rest of the Triangle. It's close to the more liberal Chapel Hill and Durham. I saw lots of nice 3br+ homes for sale ranging 130k-200k. You'd probably like it! I hear a lot about Orange county taxes though, property so I'd look I to that too.
Location: Sodo Sopa at The Villas above Kenny' s House.
2,492 posts, read 3,028,419 times
Reputation: 3911
Quote:
Originally Posted by hkchase
The more I read, the more Holly Springs, Apex and Cary make the most sense.....with Holly Springs making the most sense because it is cheaper and I work from home.
I will still check out Chapel Hill and Carrboro if for no other reason then I want to see the UNC campus. However, it does look like on my budget and with 2 young kids that I might be better off in Holly Springs.
Any specific parts of Holly Springs that are better than others? Any Holly Springs specific pointers?
What makes Cary & Apex more expensive than Holly Springs...is it mainly because they are closer to downtown?
Anyone have anything negative to say about Holly Springs? Why not to move there.
Cary and Apex are more expensive because they are closer to RTP. Holly Springs is smaller and more recently developed. In 10 years all those towns will be neck to neck price wise. All 3 towns are safe family friendly areas.
Oddly enough since downtown Raleigh isn't the epicenter of business it doesn't raise the $$ of towns bordering it. Downtown Raleigh itself is pretty expensive but the closest suburb is Garner which ironically is one of the cheaper towns to live in.
Hi! I was wondering if you have made your move yet? I just posted a new thread asking pretty much what you did! We are moving early July and are looking for the safest, family friendly, great schools town outside of Raleigh...and we do not need to be too close to the city as we both will be working from home!
Anyway...what towns would you say would be the best for us? We are looking for low 300s max.
Thanks so much!
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