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Old 05-14-2009, 11:46 AM
 
40 posts, read 103,441 times
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Hello All,

I am currently engaged to be married in sept. I am renting a small one bedroom apt in nyc for 1350/month. I am considering relocating to somewhere cheaper than here! I am considering several places for a variety of reasons. Charlottesville, va; Asheville, NC; Triangle area, NC; Austin texas area to name some. They are all cheaper than New York, but I am trying to narrow down my search to something fitting for the two of us. I love the country, my fiance borna and raise in the city. I work on a ship and am goen for two months at a time and so I need a place where she can feel comfortable but not be to far out in the sticks. My family lives between lynchburg and roanoke, va so they are fairly close.

I am looking for a safe area where the people tend to be friendly and "neighborly". I am looking to rent at first (any good areas or subdivisions in mind?) adn eventually purchase. What is the cost of living like, and what kind of home can you purchase in the 200K area without being too remote,and not being right downtown?

ANyother advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
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Old 05-14-2009, 12:34 PM
 
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If you are looking at Asheville and Raleigh....these are two different things. I would suggest Clayton or Pittsboro if you like the country, but still want to be near Raleigh. I used to live in Asheville. You are not going to find anything here in Raleigh that has the flavor or beauty of Asheville. Each has it's positives. Living near or in Asheville, you will have mountain views at every turn and localism is very celebrated. It's a different feel in Asheville. Raleigh area is great for subdivisions, family neighborhoods, and great jobs. In Raleigh you are a 3 hour drive from the mountains and the beach. Jobs outside of healthcare are hard to come by in and near Asheville. The only area in the triangle that reminds me of Asheville is Pittsboro/Chatham county with it's rolling hills and artsy feel. It depends on what you like. If you like outdoor activities, Briar Chapel is a new subdivision in Chatham county that is a 40 min drive to Raleigh. They have 24 miles of walking/biking trails, pool, etc. Still out in the country, but multi use community and they have townhouses 200,000 and under. Near Asheville, I would recommend Black Mountain. It's a 15 minute drive to downtown Asheville and is a great town.
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Old 05-14-2009, 12:50 PM
 
3,650 posts, read 9,198,201 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wmorando View Post
Hello All,

I am currently engaged to be married in sept. I am renting a small one bedroom apt in nyc for 1350/month. I am considering relocating to somewhere cheaper than here! I am considering several places for a variety of reasons. Charlottesville, va; Asheville, NC; Triangle area, NC; Austin texas area to name some. They are all cheaper than New York, but I am trying to narrow down my search to something fitting for the two of us. I love the country, my fiance borna and raise in the city. I work on a ship and am goen for two months at a time and so I need a place where she can feel comfortable but not be to far out in the sticks. My family lives between lynchburg and roanoke, va so they are fairly close.

I am looking for a safe area where the people tend to be friendly and "neighborly". I am looking to rent at first (any good areas or subdivisions in mind?) adn eventually purchase. What is the cost of living like, and what kind of home can you purchase in the 200K area without being too remote,and not being right downtown?

ANyother advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Having lived in and/or extensively visited Raleigh, Charlottesville, and Austin, I would suggest Charlottesville, esp given the added plus of family being nearby. Good luck!
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Old 05-14-2009, 12:54 PM
 
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Those are all great places you are considering. I think a huge factor will be whether or not you can secure employment in each of those locations. Your ability to do so will vary by each area and also depend heavily on what you and your husband do. Good Luck!
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Old 05-14-2009, 01:02 PM
 
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Default No worried about work...

Iam not so much concerned about work as I work on a ship and fly to and from my ship on a regualr basis and can live jsut about anywhere. My concern with country living is that it might be a big stretch for my fiance growing up in queens, nyc. I can get along great in the country but I will be leaving her for 2 month periods (for at least a couple years) and need her to be comfortable and safe with her surroundings. I want her to nto be afraid of her neghbors and I want her to have an easy time getting around and getting to shopping centers, etc.

Also, is there a train that can get her to NYC fairly easily? or is it more cost effective to jsut fly?

Thanks for the tips!
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Old 05-14-2009, 01:35 PM
 
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Your fiancee is going to be bored out of her mind. Going from Queens to Clayton, plus having you away for 2 months at a time, is going to be a rough adjustment for her. I think you need to live closer to family, so she'll have a support system. Is she going to work? Does she drive?
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Old 05-14-2009, 02:04 PM
 
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Okay, I have another suggestion. You can rent from Southpoint Village Apartments in South Durham. These are really nice and new. They are right next to Southpoint mall, coffee shops, etc. A really nice area. I know a lot of people that rent in this area are young professionals that work in Chapel Hill. This way, you can house hunt and get to know the areas surrounding Raleigh before buying a home. There are so many choices when it comes to buying and you want to make sure you love the area before you buy here. While you are renting here, you can take vacations to Asheville. Then you can decide which area you like the best.
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Old 05-14-2009, 02:09 PM
 
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Default That is my concern

That is my concern. I am worried that anywhere outside New York will bore her. She has to understand though that between the two of us, we won't ever be able to afford much more than a one bedroom apartment, let alone buy a house and afford the taxes on it up her. The whoel Northeast is just too expensive to live comfortably and afford children unless you are making 6 figs. That is from doing some research. She will most likely, wherever we end up, get at least a part time job to stop the boredom and meet people. She is a really nice girl, jsut never had the exposure to different parts of the country, let alone "the country". So, this is why I am trying to do the research now instead of when we are ready to leave. Raleigh is only a couple hour drive or so from where my parents live. She would either have to train it or plane it to get back to her parents though.

Does anybody else have and real "pluses" and "minuses" for living in or around the triangle area. I hear one downside is there is a substantial population of illegals...is this true? If so, are they focused aroudn one particualr area or spread out over the region?

Thanks
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Old 05-14-2009, 02:18 PM
 
40 posts, read 103,441 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjohnson185 View Post
Okay, I have another suggestion. You can rent from Southpoint Village Apartments in South Durham. These are really nice and new. They are right next to Southpoint mall, coffee shops, etc. A really nice area. I know a lot of people that rent in this area are young professionals that work in Chapel Hill. This way, you can house hunt and get to know the areas surrounding Raleigh before buying a home. There are so many choices when it comes to buying and you want to make sure you love the area before you buy here. While you are renting here, you can take vacations to Asheville. Then you can decide which area you like the best.



I like this idea. I was planning on renting for 6 months to a year before i bought anywhere. It is most important that She is comfortable wherever we live and comfortable being alone. As I said, it is only 2-2.5 hours from my parents and brother. Plus if we have a baby, that is a decent drive. The airport is also close by if her family were to visit.

On another note, what is the cost of living like..taxes, utilities, etc. I mentioned before I was looking to not really go over 200k for a home. Can this get me a house, or jstu a town house/condo? It would be nice to at least have a garage for toys and a lawn to mow. Any input on this would be nice as well, thanks.
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Old 05-14-2009, 05:37 PM
 
9,680 posts, read 27,124,746 times
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Apts can be rented reasonably but almost no public transit. You can get va 3 BR here for what you pay in Queens. I used to live in Manhattan. Raleigh's nice but a different world from Queens.

Amtrak goes from Raleigh to Penn Station in about 11 hours.

She may be bored to death here coming from NYC.

You really need to visit.
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