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Eh....it ain't what it used to be. I think we are on the same path that many people moved here to escape (i guess they brought it with them!). The "meat" of the market here is higher-educated, high-earning suburbanites with a taste for newer/bigger/higher end lifestyles. I think the Triangle is becoming very similar to suburban areas like Northern Virginia and southern New Jersey....two areas a lot of people move here from so that they can afford that upper-middle class lifestyle a little better.
Being a highly-sought after area with a relatively healthy economy is sort of a double-edged sword. For those who live here it continues to get more crowded and more expensive. But I guess it's better than being in a depressed area that doesn't have a good economy.
It seems that more and more people are starting to "aknowledge" the trend of well-off transplants coming here have really turned the corner on the culture and dynamic of the Triangle and that is nice. Maybe that means the train will slow down a little; I doubt it though.
Many of the COL issues raised on this thread are very real, but they are national issues - not limited to the Triangle.
I'd also like to add that I think easier to obtain credit has increased expectation among Americans. Should we all have new wardrobes every season, have a car less that 3 years old and brand new home with granite countertops amongst other things?
I live in a neighborhood built in the 1950's. I suspect most of these homes would be unappealling to families because they are mostly 3 bedrooms and 1 bath and roughly 1000 sqft. These homes catered to familes larger than the ones we have now for more than fifty years, but somehow won't work in 2016.
I've seen on these forums, where a potential new transplant mentioned she was trying to keep her/his budget around $250000. She and her husband were high earners based on their proffessions, so one of the first comments posted, was 'why is your budget so low?.'
Expectations have gone up faster or just as fast as COL, is my observation.
I'd also like to add that I think easier to obtain credit has increased expectation among Americans. Should we all have new wardrobes every season, have a car less that 3 years old and brand new home with granite countertops amongst other things?
I live in a neighborhood built in the 1950's. I suspect most of these homes would be unappealling to families because they are mostly 3 bedrooms and 1 bath and roughly 1000 sqft. These homes catered to familes larger than the ones we have now for more than fifty years, but somehow won't work in 2016.
I've seen on these forums, where a potential new transplant mentioned she was trying to keep her/his budget around $250000. She and her husband were high earners based on their proffessions, so one of the first comments posted, was 'why is your budget so low?.'
Expectations have gone up faster or just as fast as COL, is my observation.
I hope those small bungalows don't disappear too quickly before I upgrade from my townhouse - I honestly would rather have a smaller space: less maintenance and less stuff I need to buy to fill it up They also look much better than the huge houses on small lots built now a days. I grew up in a house with a non-existent backyard growing up in Boston and I survived.
I hear you, but how? Demand for commercial real estate downtown is up so values go up. So if you buy a building and are a landlord you charge more to lease the space to recoup the purchase cost and higher property taxes. The higher lease price only works for ventures making higher profits which lends itself to higher price point establishments
True. It's just a tough scenario.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pierretong1991
As a young person, I can see why the quality of life is decreasing for those with families and children. As a single young adult, stuff is expensive but since I just have to pay for myself, it's do-able to live close to downtown and eat at expensive/trendy restaurants but for families, that's just not the case. I apologize if it's our fault
I'm in Denver right now and as another city that is booming, their infrastructure is years ahead of us. They have many lanes on their highways - tolls and express lanes on some roads but that's just how stuff gets paid now a days. They have a great bus system and light rail system - they have 6 lines and recently opened up a commuter rail line to the airport and one of their northern suburbs. It's a sprawling city but at least they have good transportation options for those who don't want to drive or are fed up with traffic. The low humidity definitely helps as there are tons of people riding their bikes here everywhere. A difference though with Raleigh is that we have downtown Durham, RTP and downtown Raleigh (and Chapel Hill with the UNC hospitals) as potential destinations for commutes. A negative is that downtown Denver is a mess - they have nothing to keep people downtown after work and their "Fayetteville Street" (16th Street Mall) is just a street full of every national chain restaurant/store you can think of - not appealing for their signature downtown area.
1. Traffic and aggressive drivers coming to the area
2. Overpaid transplants ruining the housing/rental options for long timers
3. Too many overpriced boutiques aimed at high paid transplants
4. Overcrowding/reassignment in schools
Unless the "growth is good" mentality ends, NC will become a super south branch of NY/NJ
How exactly do you determine someone is overpaid? Do you really think companies just indiscriminately overpay their workers?
Jeez I considered it - 90 degrees and 10% humidity in the summer? And not completely freezing cold like Minneapolis in the winter? It was tough getting me to come back haha
Jeez I considered it - 90 degrees and 10% humidity in the summer? And not completely freezing cold like Minneapolis in the winter? It was tough getting me to come back haha
A friend of mine stayed in Denver for a few years and he loved it.
I think its a wash...good and bad. I actually like having more selection of stores, more competition for our money. Thats all good. And I don't mind my small town (Holly Springs) growing, adding jobs, tax base and variety. My kids attend a beautiful new school. Heck, if we had a Lowes or Home Depot, I would only see Cary maybe once a month! BUT...the growing pains are rough. The roads are bad right now, traffic and construction make the commute a nightmare at times. But I have hope that will improve.
I think its a wash...good and bad. I actually like having more selection of stores, more competition for our money. Thats all good. And I don't mind my small town (Holly Springs) growing, adding jobs, tax base and variety. My kids attend a beautiful new school. Heck, if we had a Lowes or Home Depot, I would only see Cary maybe once a month! BUT...the growing pains are rough. The roads are bad right now, traffic and construction make the commute a nightmare at times. But I have hope that will improve.
Everywhere has negatives - you're not going to find a place that is your personal utopia (and if so, that personal utopia is hell to someone else!).
No area in the US is perfect. Either the towns/cities don't grow which leads to no work for the population of "long timers" and their families, as one poster has put it. Or the area grows, develops, and creates new jobs, which in turn brings new people from outside the area and disrupts the good ole ways of years past. This isn't rocket science and the same simplified fork in the road scenario is true all over the world. Either you embrace change and development or watch the city/region slowly decay. People can't have it both ways.
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They also look much better than the huge houses on small lots built now a days. I grew up in a house with a non-existent backyard growing up in Boston and I survived.
