Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisaluck
We are retired couple hoping to look for home in Durham-Chapel Hill area. Ideal would be mix of retirees and families. Also on the wish list a neighborhood pool. Would like a fairly established neighborhood with a lot of trees. We don’t like clearcut cookie cutter look or skinny tall houses on tiny lots. Walking trails in neighborhood or close by would be great. We would like to be a short drive for shopping, restaurants, groceries, and a reasonable distance from UNC, Duke, and downtown Durham. We want a SFH rather than townhome or condo and would like to stay around 800k or less. Treyburn and Governor’s Club are too far out although beautiful. South Durham looks like it may meet most of these needs. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions for neighborhoods. Thank you so much.
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If having a community pool is a must-have, that leaves out most of the Hope Valley neighborhoods, which are otherwise perfect for you. Likewise, so is Chancellors Ridge. The caveat about that last one is that 800 apartments are likely to be built between Chancellors Ridge Drive and Fayetteville Road.
If a pool is a must-have, then you want Woodcroft or Woodlake. Both have walking trails, both are established neighborhoods with a lot of trees. Downtown is a 20-minute drive. I-40 is about 10 minutes. Both are near many grocery stores (Harris Teeter, Sprouts, Food Lion, Aldi). A bit further out you have Lidl (Cary), Wegmans (Chapel Hill) and any number of ethnic groceries (Li Ming is a great Asian grocery about 12 minutes from both mentioned neighborhoods). UNC is about 15-20 minutes by car, Duke Hospital about the same. And Southpoint Mall is about an 8-minute drive (though in coming years it will change to a mixed-use development).
Houses in Woodcroft are going to top out at around $600K, but most houses will be around 1500-2200 square feet. If you're looking for a ranch, they can be challenging to find, but a cape with a 1st floor bedroom might substitute. But while this may sound like I'm on an HGTV show, that price range gives you room in your budget for updating if necessary.
Chancellors Ridge is going to be higher, newer, and no old-growth trees...but while one of them was shot down recently, it's highly likely that sooner rather than later, two 400+ unit apartment complexes will go up between Chancellors Ridge Drive and Fayetteville Road. This will also impact The Hills at Southpoint, but that is a small neighborhood which only rarely has a house for sale, is probably newer (fewer trees) than you want, but close to the American Tobacco Trail.
If a neighborhood pool is not mandatory, then look at the various neighborhoods in Hope Valley. There is a Hope Valley YM/YWCA that has an outdoor pool, and the UNC Wellness Center is about 15 minutes from Woodcroft and is a huge facility with lots of equipment, an indoor pool, and lots of classes. A lot of retirees go there. Hope Valley has also a wide variety of price range for houses; from 1960s ranches, to 1990s McMansions, to estates over $1 million.
I live in one of the Hope Valley neighborhoods; I moved here 7-1/2 years ago. Durham is growing and changing rapidly and I'm not convinced it's going to be senior-friendly going forward, but right now I do love it here.
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