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I joined this board many years when my family and I were originally considering relocating. We did a lot of research back then (about 6-7 years ago) and visited the area. At that time, we had our hearts and minds set on Cary. I realize a lot has changed since then, so I want a fresh perspective.
The specific area is not as important to us as are the general appeals of the neighborhoods. I search Zillow and find that home prices are ALL over the map, and I am not knowledgeable enough to specific areas of each town down there.
Jobs are of course of the most importance, but my current job will allow me to work remotely for at least a while, and my wife has begun to send out resumes and applications. She's currently a HS teacher here in NJ - and we both realize the teachers up here are generally paid much better.
Here is the criteria:
- 3/4 BR
- 300-450K
- Doesn't have to be new construction - our current house was built in 1828 and personally I like the charm oof something older
- Some yard
- Close enough to shopping, restaurants etc. A HUGE plus would be walking distance
- Close access to parks, trails, etc. for outdoor activities
- Friendly neighborhoods - we have 3 kids (one is heading off to college this year so thats why we can get away with 3 BRs)
- Decent public school system
- Active rec sports leagues - I am on our local Little League Board, and if this pandemic year has proven anything to our family, it's that our younger kids need an outlet like this
I know that you folks on here get asked this a million times, but I've read through MANY of these threads and it can be overwhelming trying to find a match to our needs, so I thank you in advance!
I apologize for the trolls, they really enjoy derailing conversations between people seeking/sharing information and those who have something relevant to contribute to the thread.
My advice to anyone within the general parameters you laid out is to completely avoid the hot spots (e.g., West Cary, Apex, Holly Springs). Those are the bright lights of new construction and luxury living to the people relocating here looking for that showcase home they could never have afforded or justified buying from back whence they came. I am partial to North Raleigh where there are an abundance of older neighborhoods with prices the fall within your range in both price and details. You would do well to spend time exploring the Leesville Road school nodes (generally between Leesville Road and Creedmoor Road and south of Highway 98 and north of Glenwood (70). My boys came through those schools and we were really happy with their education (and we relocated from a top rated school district on Long Island).
The hiking trails and outdoor activities are quite literally all around the Triangle, very few areas offer more than others. And as far as youth sports, City of Raleigh has a great Little League setup (and always happy for coaching volunteers), a fantastic youth soccer organization (a top-rated national program - NCFC Youth) and plenty of similar offerings. The walking distance thing is a bit of a challenge as that would require either a planned community or a more urban setting, both of which will require you to sacrifice on some of what you're looking for (e.g., property size or higher price).
I get why you're looking to move, we were there in 2006 which lead us to make the move the following year. It's an adjustment, but mostly the sort you can plan for and anticipate. The upside we hoped for panned out and I only regret not having made the move sooner.
Good luck with everything and keep leaning on this forum, most of us are happy to help and will avoid psychoanalyzing or criticizing your decision.
Didn't notice it was the NC forum. It just popped up in new posts under the poster's name SouthJerseyDad looking to relocate. I've worked with people who retired to NC and are happy there. I've never known anyone who moved a family there. Hope it works out for them.
Tens of thousands of people have done so, and most of them are quire happy with their decision.
Your budget for Cary will need to be increased unless you are OK with a smaller home or ones that...well, look outdated and/or need work. It seems many homes in that price ranger that are 20-30 years old don't have garages, which is a huge consideration since they also don't have basements (ie, storage issues). If it is a great home, prepare for multiple bids.
This seems like a representative house (on the prettier end) for that price range. It was under contract in 2 days. I have no idea if there was a bidding war. As you can see, it is fairly aged in appearance and no real upgrades, although condition is unknown. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...8_M67455-30882
People here are friendly - not in your face friendly but friendly. Just don't throw around the whole, "In NJ we have..." and you will make friends
Good luck with your move. Real estate is NUTS here right now, even in a pandemic. Prepare to be outbid.
OP, welcome. I'm sure you can find your happy place here. How old are your kids (aside from college age)? Your budget is "act fast regret later" so are you interested in new construction or are you ok with an older home? How old is "OLD" to you? How upgraded does it need to be?
Baseball is big here!
Thanks for the response.
My younger ones are going be 10 and 11 this year.
Im fine with an older home. Like I referenced in my post - my current home is nearly 200 years old, so I have a VERY wide range of acceptability.
The home would need to be upgraded to a point of functionality. Meaning, major appliances etc. Cosmetic upgrades are easy to handle on my own.
Your budget for Cary will need to be increased unless you are OK with a smaller home or ones that...well, look outdated and/or need work. It seems many homes in that price ranger that are 20-30 years old don't have garages, which is a huge consideration since they also don't have basements (ie, storage issues). If it is a great home, prepare for multiple bids.
This seems like a representative house (on the prettier end) for that price range. It was under contract in 2 days. I have no idea if there was a bidding war. As you can see, it is fairly aged in appearance and no real upgrades, although condition is unknown. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...8_M67455-30882
People here are friendly - not in your face friendly but friendly. Just don't throw around the whole, "In NJ we have..." and you will make friends
Good luck with your move. Real estate is NUTS here right now, even in a pandemic. Prepare to be outbid.
Thanks for the link. Something like that would be fine as the upgrades look mostly cosmetic. Storage would be important, as having three kids means a bunch of crap.
I would imagine the whole "In "insert state here" would get super annoying...so good tip.
I've never known anyone who moved a family there. Hope it works out for them.
This might be the funniest thing I've ever read on this forum.
Anyway, SouthJerseyDad, it's difficult to narrow things down since you can work from home and don't really have any other constraints. You have a pretty typical wish list too that could be met in a lot of areas. I'd suggest that you think about what attracted you to Cary last time you were looking. What was it about it you liked? That might help you figure out what other areas might work or not work.
While things might be a little different since last time you were here, Cary is still a great choice and has gotten even better in some ways. I'd also look at Apex. It's growing but is still smaller than Cary and has a lovely downtown. Also, Wake Forest has really grown over the past few years and definitely meets your criteria. All those areas will have a mix of older and newer construction although new construction dominates in some areas. In all of them, you'll probably be looking at the top end of your budget.
You've probably seen a lot about Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina too and even Clayton if you've been reading a lot here, but since you're not dead set on new construction, I don't see any reason to recommend them. I'm not knocking them, but they are a little remote.
Good luck! There's lots to choose from, and I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works.
I joined this board many years when my family and I were originally considering relocating. We did a lot of research back then (about 6-7 years ago) and visited the area. At that time, we had our hearts and minds set on Cary. I realize a lot has changed since then, so I want a fresh perspective.
The specific area is not as important to us as are the general appeals of the neighborhoods. I search Zillow and find that home prices are ALL over the map, and I am not knowledgeable enough to specific areas of each town down there.
Jobs are of course of the most importance, but my current job will allow me to work remotely for at least a while, and my wife has begun to send out resumes and applications. She's currently a HS teacher here in NJ - and we both realize the teachers up here are generally paid much better.
Here is the criteria:
- 3/4 BR
- 300-450K
- Doesn't have to be new construction - our current house was built in 1828 and personally I like the charm oof something older
- Some yard
- Close enough to shopping, restaurants etc. A HUGE plus would be walking distance
- Close access to parks, trails, etc. for outdoor activities
- Friendly neighborhoods - we have 3 kids (one is heading off to college this year so thats why we can get away with 3 BRs)
- Decent public school system
- Active rec sports leagues - I am on our local Little League Board, and if this pandemic year has proven anything to our family, it's that our younger kids need an outlet like this
I know that you folks on here get asked this a million times, but I've read through MANY of these threads and it can be overwhelming trying to find a match to our needs, so I thank you in advance!
If you don't want to contact a Realtor right away (you really should, just to ask for help), here are my suggestions, after working with Relocating folks for years...You aren't going to find much anymore for $300,000.
There is a huge gap between $300K and $450K. Narrow your price. No reason to look at $450K if you really are looking for $300K. And, no reason to try to find $300K if you can afford $400K.
Next, if you aren't going to get a RE agent to help, search by towns. Look up Apex and see what your price range gets you. You'll soon see the difference between $300K and $450K.
You'll need to have a search set up for you where you can search "Coming Soon" or you'll miss 75% of the homes that match your criteria.
Once you get here, it is easy peasy! Again, by town, we'd head to Holly Springs/Apex and you'd see what your budget gets you. From there, you have to have a LOCAL pre qual letter and be ready to buy. We have a VERY LOW inventory. Most homes have multiple offers. You'll need an experienced agent to be able to grab a home. Its CRAZY! Its STRESSFUL! Prices are going up way too fast.
Until you sign Buyer's Agreement with an Agent, you are under no obligation to use that Agent. So...feel free to reach out and see if you can find an Agent that is willing to HELP YOU by answering your questions AND signing you up for automatic notifications, which will show you homes that match your criteria. You may actually see neighborhoods that you prefer right away!
If you don't want to contact a Realtor right away (you really should, just to ask for help), here are my suggestions, after working with Relocating folks for years...You aren't going to find much anymore for $300,000.
There is a huge gap between $300K and $450K. Narrow your price. No reason to look at $450K if you really are looking for $300K. And, no reason to try to find $300K if you can afford $400K.
Next, if you aren't going to get a RE agent to help, search by towns. Look up Apex and see what your price range gets you. You'll soon see the difference between $300K and $450K.
You'll need to have a search set up for you where you can search "Coming Soon" or you'll miss 75% of the homes that match your criteria.
Once you get here, it is easy peasy! Again, by town, we'd head to Holly Springs/Apex and you'd see what your budget gets you. From there, you have to have a LOCAL pre qual letter and be ready to buy. We have a VERY LOW inventory. Most homes have multiple offers. You'll need an experienced agent to be able to grab a home. Its CRAZY! Its STRESSFUL! Prices are going up way too fast.
Until you sign Buyer's Agreement with an Agent, you are under no obligation to use that Agent. So...feel free to reach out and see if you can find an Agent that is willing to HELP YOU by answering your questions AND signing you up for automatic notifications, which will show you homes that match your criteria. You may actually see neighborhoods that you prefer right away!
Good luck and Happy Shopping!
Thank you so much Vicki for the thoughtful reply. We understand that the process will probably be pretty crazy and stressful, especially while doing the bulk of the work remotely.
Renting for a short period is also an option, but to me that seems like wasting money.
Your wife won't have any trouble finding a job. A new high school opened last year, and when a new HS opens here, they open with only 9th and 10th graders. So once the first couple of years go by they need to also fill 11th and 12th....I know for a fact they are looking for teachers for next year, which will be their first with a senior class. Green Level HS in Cary.
Then Willow Spring HS in Willow Spring is opening in the fall. It currently houses Fuquay Varina HS as the actual FVHS is being re-built. That area is booming so wouldn't be surprised if both of those high schools are going to be hiring.
And teachers move around down here. With the new HS opening, teachers will likely leave their current school to take a position there. That leaves their spot open. And so on.
Lot of options for housing and since you're not married to new and don't mind upgrades you will do fine.
Good luck!
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