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My husband is interviewing next week in Durham for a possible transfer with his company.
I've been researching areas best I can, as I've we've never been to NC before.
My main concern is that my young kids 5 and 8 get enrolled in an excellent school system. My youngest entering kindergarten and my oldest entering third grade.
I had fallen on love with Apex, until I saw how close it was to the Harris Nuclear Plant.
I also loved Wake Forest, then read about the "fracking " and contaminated water there..
These environmental issues do concern me greatly. If you don't know about them, read up. It's scary. Or Maybe I'm just paranoid.
So, now my shift has moved to Chapel Hill. Any advice on this area?
Our budget is 400,000 or so for a house. And I'd really like a new, modern house. It looks like the commute to Durham would be a breeze (especially compared to a nyc commute).
Any other areas I should be looking at?
I appreciate all the help I can get, as we'll most likely need to make a quick decision.
Thank you!
Where do you now live? This area may be an unpleasant culture and weather shock.
Chapel Hill has good schools.
When I worked at Mobil HQ in NYC, at least 25% of employees offered a transfer to HQ declined because of the area they would need to live in. A promotion isn't always a step upward.
I wouldn't worry about the nuke plant or the fracking. Unless you frequent the theater all the time or have a pizza or bagel fetish you'll find just about anything you could want. As for the weather it is a bit hotter in the Summer. Will you miss the weather Jan-March? I kinda doubt it.
I don't think you are getting a new modern house in Chapel Hill for $400K.
You live in NYC? How concerned are you about the Indian Point nuclear plant? That's about how concerned about Shearon Harris you should be. What excellent NYC schools are your kids attending so we can have a basis for comparison? Do you actually live in River Edge, NJ?
We actually live in NJ, my husband works in NYC. We are quite far from the nuke plant here.
We would both welcome a slower pace of life, as we actually lived in Manhattan for several years. And we certainly wouldn't miss the winters here!
The address for my husband's potential job is on "Liberty Street" in Durham.
My son attends Roosevelt Elementary School in River Edge and my little guy would start kindergarten there if we don't move.
In addition to the school system, my husband would also be looking for a shorter commute. Keep in mind some days his commute is 1.5 hours each way (an hour on average) going across the GWB.
Thanks so much for your imput everyone!
With that budget, a new house in Chapel Hill would be difficult. West Cary close to RTP is another option, but the budget is probably closer to 500,000 (for a new house). There are many folks in the West Cary area that commute to Durham (10-30 minute commute depending where the Durham address is located).
What do you mean by "modern" house? As in a "modern" esthetic or just up-to-date appliances and new construction? You could do the latter in Chapel Hill for 400k and a brandnewhouse although you will find some that are more expensive, too, and plenty in Briar Chapel which is in Chatham County and not in the Chapel Hill Carrboro school district. People say Chapel Hill is expensive, but we have something at every price range. Your money will go farther in Durham, but Chapel Hill is pretty comparable to Cary and Apex price wise, it's just a very hot market with many fewer developments. Look in Claremont and Winmore for new homes.
I would say you're paranoid about the "environmental issues" that you mentioned. I don't remember any fracking issues in Wake Forest, but there is an area that a company was dumping chemicals into the ground.
You will VERY quickly find that while anything less than your current commute is welcomed, if you're commuting more than the average person it will suck (pardon my French).
also, let us know about the "new, modern" house questions. What age of home is it? How big is it? Does the size of the lot matter?
Thank you all so much. By modern, I guess I don't necessarily mean a brand new house in a new development, but really an updated kitchen with open concept floor plan. With 4 bedrooms. And since we have a dog, a fenced in yard. But the yard doesn't have to be very big. Just big enough for kids to run around and dog, too. Overall, my main concern is good schools, safe neighborhood.
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