Is Cary the best subdivision for us based on what we are looking for? (Raleigh: real estate, apartments)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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We are coming back down to Raleigh in 2 weeks for a third time as a research project. We are hoping and planning on moving anytime from now until 2020 (so roughly in the next 3 years).
My husband is already applying for a law license in NC and when we go down there in two weeks, I will be stopping by a pharmacy or two to get some info on the job market.
We did a ton of research on the schools and subdivisions, however, I could use some more help on which subdivision we should be concentrating on.
Our decision is getting closer, however the last time we were there, we spent alot of time in Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. I love wake forest, but have come to the realization that it is just too far away from everything. When we ultimately move, we want to be closer to the center of the action - basically close to the city of Raleigh and to RTP. Chapel Hill is a pretty good spot, but it is more of a "college town", so we are not so sure that is where we would like to reside. We woudn't mind being right on the outskirts of the city of Raleigh, but are there communities there or just houses?
We drove thru Cary, but didn't see much of it. By looking at the map, I can now see why Cary is a big favorite for New yorkers, like ourselves.
Morrisville is where the airport is - so I would not want to be there. Could anyone else make any other suggestions, or is this where we should be looking? And if we do look at Cary more closely, where abouts in Cary should we consider? It is rather big, and I don't know much about it. Are there sub-communities of cary too? we definitely want access to a pool!
We are still undecided as far as what exacty we are looking for. We would love to have a house with more land rather than be right next to a bunch of houses on the same block and across (we called those cookie cutter neighborhoods). A bit too close for comfort, but we will settle for that if that ends up being the case. And we would love to be within a 15 min drive to the "city". Coming from NY we don't want to be too far away from the action!!! We know in our hearts there is no place like NYC, but we just don't have a future here, and although we will be giving up a lot of things within our reach, we will be gaining a better quality of life and a better future for our kids.
Uhhhh....confusing post....Cary is a town, not a subdivision....and a large town at that. There are no "sub communitites". There are subdivisions, which are housing developments with common bylaws and usually a neighborhood pool and sometimes tennis and a playground (this is generally speaking, not all housing in Cary is like that but it sounds like what you are looking for).
There is no "city" here in the sense of NYC being the central point of all NY suburbs. There are things to do in all the cities here (Raleigh, Durham and I guess I'll include Chapel Hill even though it's mostly the college). You could take in a show in either Raleigh or Durham, for instance. Museums in both,nightlife in both. You can drive and actually find a place to park without losing your marbles, which will be a nice change from going into NYC.
Want a house where you can't reach out and touch your neighbors? Unless you have an unlimited budget you're likely looking at "older" (won't be old to you, but say 25+ years) houses.
Recommendations on where to live?? Need a budget, and where you'll working will really be key.
ok - looks like I am mixed up LOL. So is wake forest a town too? I thought they were all subdivisions, but now you have clarified it - so cary and wake forest are towns and the little communities within them are subdivisions? may sound like a silly question, but i am still learning!!
I know there is no city, but raleigh and durham are the only "city" like places in that area, correct? Right on the traffic - brooklyn is only 15-18 miles away. when we go to the farmer's market there it can take up to 1.5 hrs. and another 1/2 hr to find a parking spot!! Its just not worth it anymore. we can't take the train when we go to the market bc there is too much stuff to carry!!
so I guess the homes that have more land are way more expensive? We are trying to keep our budget in the 300s - I know the market has probably gone up since we were there last. And we don't have jobs yet, but we are assuming we will be working near RTP. We know for a fact we will be going back and forth to NY for a good while, and maybe indefinitely depending on things, so we definitely don't want to live too far from the airport.
Honestly, we know we can't decide right here and now where we want to settle, but I want to do as much detailed research as I can in the areas I am thinking we will settle.
It sounds like you have a couple years before you will move. It would definitely be worth it for you to take a longer trip down here and drive through the neighborhoods to get a better sense of what you're looking for. The triangle is rapidly growing and it's very possible that things will be very different by the time you move here.
My husband and I moved from NYC a year ago and opted to rent an apt for a year before buying something. After years of cramped, old NYC apartments, we were thrilled to live in a spacious brand new building with lots of amenities like a pool, gym, business center, although I think we were more thrilled with normal extras like a washing machine, garbage disposal, balcony, and extra bathroom.
Like the previous poster said, Cary is big and really varies. They have lots of cookie cutter neighborhoods on small lots with new houses, but also have some older houses with large lots. We opted to buy something in North Hills and are pleased with its proximity to things, good schools, and large lot sizes.
Last edited by farebluenc; 03-11-2017 at 06:06 PM..
Check out some of the local real estate websites to get a feel for prices. I don't know what you mean by "a lot of land". I always say that when people move down here from the NYC it goes like this:
"I'm going to buy acres of land and learn to live off it - have a garden, maybe some chickens, get away from suburbia!"
then
"OK, maybe that's too ambitious, but I still want a huge plot of land and I don't want to live near anyone!"
then
"It's NC. I can probably get a huge house on an acre for $100,000".
then
"those subdivisions with the pools look pretty nice. Might have to stretch the budget".
Now in all seriousness, you can get a house around here with some land (not an acre) in your price range but it will not be brand new.
And honestly if you didn't know that Cary and Wake Forest are towns, you are woefully far behind in your research of the area. The FIRST thing you'd want to know is the name of the towns in the area you want to move to. Get a map - seriously. AAA used to have a map of the Triangle that was drilled down to all the local streets. They probably can't keep up with all the building but look for something similar. Hagstrom, or something similar if AAA doesn't have it.
I know all of them - apex, holly springs, rolesville, etc, i just got the terminology wrong that's all. no biggie!!
we already mapped everything out. my husband even did a "time" map of how long it takes to get from wake forest to lets say, UNC....
the house we have now is only on a 0.19 acre lot. so to be more specific, alot of land to me would be like 0.3-0.4 acres or so. all i need is to double my plot and i will be Super happy!!
i appreciate your responses so far, twingles, you always take the time to answer my questions and it means alot that you are a ny native!!
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