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This was my third time down from NY(LI) in the past 4 years checking out the "best place to live". I visited at least 20+ developments ranging in price from 350,000-750,000+ . This time I was so disappointed I don't even no where to begin. Building is out of control what a difference from just a few years ago. Prices are so inflated its to the point is comical. They expect you to buy 550,000 to 700,000 homes with no land, trailers with burnt out sheds across the street or behind your home. They are building developments on top of developments with your plot getting smaller and smaller. Not a good sight.
The builders are throwing every kind of incentive to move it was crazy. "Deal of a lifetime" "President sales" The deals on the "spec homes" "inventory homes" "market homes" were insane. I walk out of one and the sales rep grabbed the door and was taking 85,000 of the already reduced price This could not be good, and I know the market is soft all over but come on. Another sales rep offered 70,000 in upgrades and when this rep called his "boss" he said "yes thats it, thats all they are want" it was done in 5 seconds. How would you like if you paid 575,000 for your home last summer and now I could buy the same down the street for 80,000 less?
Now it seems you have the exact same strip mall every mile or so with a Walgreens and a Rite Aid on the opposite sides of the street. I swear I thought I was driving in circles seeing the same stores that often, crazy.
Schooling geez I don't even believe what they are doing with this issue. I have 3 children(9,9,6) and it is now possible that they could end up in three different schools on three different tracks, one might be in a all round school and the others not. It is possible with this kind of system I could have a child in school all year round without a break ( how could I go on vacation). And who is going to pay for all these new schools,roads and students(taxes in the next few years are going to be out of control) I bet tolls and taxes!
Zoning boy oh boy! All these new developments are now using CARY) as a selling point. One builder swore up and down it was Cary, I stop and had a friendly chat with a local resident and said it was an Apex address and Cary mail handler wasn't allowed to deliver but in sometime in 2018 or there around it will be annexed into Cary. Wake County won't be happy until every piece of land is built or developed and how could this be good for the quality of life?? More people more problems including more traffic,crime etc,,,.
Drought, sewer problems , trash all over the highways, outdated septic tanks and that south Cary reclaimed water treatment plant. Like I said I visited almost every part of the area and the close to the water plant were trying to convince to buy because I could water my lawn even in a level 4 restriction were in place I personally didn't like it or for that part of the area for that matter.
To sum it up, yes you have better weather but as far as I'm concern thats about it. This area got and is getting bigger to fast. I would hate to see it 5 years down the road after seeing it from 4 years behind. Greed is the road to hell..............Good things take time and are carefully planned, nothing good is rushed. I know no place is paradise but you are ruining a pretty good thing there and I feel bad for those brought in to the hype. THERE IS A REASON GOOD THINGS ARE KEPT A SECRET remember that. I honestly think the 100+ builders keep making this Money magizine "the best place to live" by paying off so they can continue to make there millions, greedy sonsabitchs.
P.S. My flight back to NY got canceled FRI so I decided to drive back and ended up at A Toll brothers community at fox creek,VA and some other development in that surrounding area. Very nice lots with size, slow quality building ahhhhhhhhhhh shoooooooo remember keep it a secret LOL
WOW! I found the write up to be a throw down. It is always good to hear the other side but sometimes its neither side that fits. IMO Cary is a mature town that has been for the most part built out with many amenities. Other areas one may travel from point to point in the Triangle they will find McMansion size homes with an acre or more land for $500K to $750K and still have at least acess to Cary on one of our many triangular road paths!
I'm sorry to read that your trip three was not productive. As another poster wrote its always better to find that out while looking than after buying. Also, some people will always be destined to be New Yawkers or Virginians or Pennsylvanians for that matter! That's not a bad thing at all.
I hope you get the opportunity to come visit other areas within the triangle so you can at least say you gone full circle before you go totally trapezoidal on the area as a whole!
We've had so many Northeasterners move down here in recent years trying to escape their high taxes and bad traffic. That's one reason why its gotten so overhyped.
We've been happy with everything here except WCPSS and wouldn't want to go back to IL for a million dollars. I think it depends on why you're looking to move here and what you're expecting to find.
We've had so many Northeasterners move down here in recent years trying to escape their high taxes and bad traffic. That's one reason why its gotten so overhyped.
I think it depends on why you're looking to move here and what you're expecting to find.
Good luck in VA.
Great reply! Too bad the OP did not come see my house since it seems to be just what he is looking for and in a neighborhood that has seen many a NY'er (even LI'ers) move in recently.
VA is bound to grow at some point too (but I suppose that is still a secret)!
I think the original post made is ridiculous, to put it bluntly.
I am moving down from Albany, which is still in NY, but not even in the same league for crowding, expense, and taxes, as Long Island. How you can generalize the whole area the way you have tells me you either don't know how to evaluate an area, or you decided not to move and are trying to justify it. If you don't want to move to the Triangle, then don't, but your assessment is totally inaccurate. However, I can predict a few regulars and so called "natives" will be jumping on your bandwagon.
If you can't find a house with a good sized lot in a nice area for the price range you mentioned covering, then you need to find a new realtor. We made 3 or 4 trips down and found a number of great houses in great neighborhoods. We also found some we didn't like... but obviously everyone has different likes and dislikes and everyone isn't you. We ended up buying a 3700 sq ft house on 0.92 acres for $465K that's about 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh. The taxes will be $2500/year compared to the $8000 we are paying in Albany, and I'm quite sure Albany is cheaper than Long Island. I am pretty sure you will find nothing anywhere near what I bought in Long Island. And we looked at many houses that fit the description of what I bought. Did you look at any existing homes, or only new? Maybe that's the problem.
I will agree with you that the public school situation in Raleigh is very different from NY. I think, in general, that the quality of education in update NY public schools is a lot better than down south (major generalization), but from those that have given the Wake County schools a chance (rather than litmus testing them against some arbitrary criteria), will say that they got a good education in any of them. I've yet to hear many bad reports on Wake County schools from the people that go there. I would not be happy with the long bus rides and constant rezoning, but there are some inconveniences that go with growth, and that is one of them. They will eventually catch up and settle down. If you don't like that, then you can certainly go with private schools. My kids have been in a private Christian school in NY for the last 8 years with two graduating, and my remaining two will be attending a private school in Raleigh. We found the choices available for private Christian education to be much more diverse and more affordable than what is available in NY.
If you don't like the area, its your choice not to move there. As many have said... more water for them. And speaking of water, this is not a Raleigh or Triangle problem. Most of the southeast is in a major drought and it has very little to do with growth. I watched the Bassmaster tournament in SC over the weekend and the lake in SC was down 15 feet so a good portion of the lake was dry. It was very telling to anyone that hasn't been to the southeastern US. But looking at the groundwater records, the last drought... only about 5 or 6 years ago, was immediately followed by record high levels of groundwater. I wouldn't be surprised to see people complaining about flooding within the next 18 months.
My first week I stayed in N Raleigh @ the Courtyard by Marriott and looked at new developments as well as resales. So I started north and worked my way down south. Listen I didn't post to bash the area or the people just wrote what I felt. I really do like what I guess you would call "the old Cary" seems beautiful, established,friendly,clean. Maybe thats why it seems like the whole area is now called Cary and their using the name as a selling point. Why not keep Cary, Cary and Apex,Apex,Morrisville,Morrisville etc,etc.... Let each town grow at the own pace, run their own schools,make their own decisions it would be better in long run. It seems like they are trying to get as many people down there as fast as possible and then(chips fall where they will) sort out the problems later. Yes the taxes are less but for how long? Big population means bigger problems all around. "The new Cary" just doesn't seem to have that old charm appeal that the "old Cary has". Poor planning,fast growth,greed,whatever just doesn't have a real feel to it. I also like that fact I know where my children are going to school next year and I already know who their teachers are going to be. And its still going to be a 5 minute walk as usual, nice to have piece of mind BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER
Last edited by BigMike50; 02-26-2008 at 07:09 AM..
Reason: grammar mistakes
I moved to Cary from LI 5 years ago. We love it here and love year round schools. Year round schools (9 weeks on ,3 weeks off all year). I have to assume you are not using a realtor or you would know the deal with year round schools. For me, I would never look at a new area without a realtor. Why would you even look at homes in a price range so wide? 350-750 is wide open. How could you compare a 350 home to a 750 home? If you are looking in the 500,000 price range it is much easier for a realtor to show you neighborhoods in that range and then you can easily compare. Good luck in VA.
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. Prices are so inflated its to the point is comical. They expect you to buy 550,000 to 700,000 homes with no land, trailers with burnt out sheds across the street or behind your home. They are building developments on top of developments with your plot getting smaller and smaller. Not a good sight.
This could not be good, and I know the market is soft all over but come on. Another sales rep offered 70,000 in upgrades and when this rep called his "boss" he said "yes thats it, thats all they are want" it was done in 5 seconds. How would you like if you paid 575,000 for your home last summer and now I could buy the same down the street for 80,000 less?
. I have 3 children(9,9,6) and it is now possible that they could end up in three different schools on three different tracks, one might be in a all round school and the others not. It is possible with this kind of system I could have a child in school all year round without a break ( how could I go on vacation). And who is going to pay for all these new schools,roads and students(taxes in the next few years are going to be out of control) I bet tolls and taxes!
I personally didn't like it or for that part of the area for that matter.
BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER
