Home prices in Chapel Hil/Carrboro (Durham, Chapel Hill: apartment complexes, crime, houses)

[yet-another-MA-transfer]

Can someone comment on the relative pricing of homes in the different areas of Chapel Hill and Carrboro ? There seems to be too much of a price differential between different communities within these towns when you consider that they share the same high schools. I'm aware of the desirability (for some) for being close to UNC. I'm just trying to understand what location related factors are being included in home prices. What would I be paying for in each of the areas (East Chapel Hill, South CH, Central CH, Carrboro, etc)? One observation, there's easily a 20% differencial in home prices between East Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Frankly that seems strange for towns that share one high school system.

[MaimounaKande]

Chapel Hill isn't really divided up the way you suggest...the historic districts of Chapel Hill are very expensive, so you will pay a lot for anything in those areas. Some of the older neighborhoods like Lake Forest (which is the only neighborhood with access to Eastwood Lake) have a big variation within them--from $300,000 up to $3,000,000...and that is all in one neighborhood.

The main difference, in generalities, is between Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Carrboro has a lot of old mill homes, and a lot of very tiny homes on little land. Carrboro is, in general, much cheaper than Chapel Hill b/c of this. It also has some of the cheaper development-type housing. That said...you can pay well over $1,000,000 for a house in Carrboro, although typically those houses are outside the town itself (more on the outskirts, in the country a bit, but still in Carrboro limits).

It really doesn't vary form North-South-East-West. You can have a really high end neighborhood, and then not far from that a less high end neighborhood. Same school system, very different prices.

Once you start looking around you'll see what I mean. Find the neighborhoods you like, and buy there. There is not a "more desirable" or "less desirable" area per se....it's all what you like, and you can spend $1,000,000+ in most areas of Chapel Hill--you won't have to worry about buying in the "wrong part" of Chapel Hill. Carrboro, as I said, is cheaper overall, but like you pointed out, same school system.

[alice_61]

I agree with Maimouna's assessment. The only thing that I would add is to be a bit cautious in areas near the public housing complexes. We rented a duplex in Northside that was close to several public housing complexes. There was definitely crime in our neighborhood (gunshots, break ins, etc.). I'd also be a bit careful about buying too close to a high concentration of apartment complexes. Transient neighbors aren't always the best.

[MaimounaKande]

What Alice says is very true. Personally that is why I would not live in much of Carrboro...there are a lot of apartment complexes, and I simply don't like to live near them. Same would go for any in Chapel Hill (and anywhere else). You don't know your neighbors like you would with single family houses, and it isn't as easy to keep track of who is moving in/out. I hadn't heard of gunshot issues, but even if the apt. complexes were "nice" I still wouldn't buy near one. That's just me though

[Indigoblue]

Also a note that the parts of Chapel Hill in Durham county go to Durham county schools. Those homes are way more affordable than other Chapel Hill homes as a result. There's nothing like actually having your child in the school, but I've heard and read good things about the Jordan high school Durham district.