Help - Cary Park, Weldon Ridge, Cameron Pond or Stonewater?? (Raleigh: sales, lease)

[kirbsdc]

We are looking to move to the Cary/Apex area and I like these subdivisions (Cary Park, Weldon Ridge, Cameron Pond and/or Stonewater).

Anyone live in any of these areas?

If so, please share your opinions. We have only one child that is 9 years old.

We like newer construction and would like to get a good value on a home.

Thanks in advance.

[got twins]

We are building in Stonewater right now and have been very happy so far-they are having great deals right now on their inventory homes.

[Beermat]

Originally Posted by kirbsdc

We are looking to move to the Cary/Apex area and I like these subdivisions (Cary Park, Weldon Ridge, Cameron Pond and/or Stonewater).

Anyone live in any of these areas?

If so, please share your opinions. We have only one child that is 9 years old.

We like newer construction and would like to get a good value on a home.

Thanks in advance.

I would worry about Cameron Pond with the impact of 540 as it seems very close where they are clearing the tree's. Weldon Ridge is very good but for great value there is a new construction home in Southbridge at Cary Park which seems a 'white elephant' because it doesn't have a raised Rec room and the price has dropped from $600k to $540k over the last few months - so an offer below the current asking price would be a steal, and worth checking out especially if there are only 3 in your family as the house looks great

Southbridge at Cary Park | New Home | Raleigh, NC | John Wieland Homes

[MikeJaquish]

The concern about 540 near Cameron Pond should be considered, although the effect will be greatest on the west side of the neighborhood.

Other than that, you are comparing semi-custom homes to production/tract homes, so your opinion of what makes a great deal will be important.

[jln69]

Originally Posted by MikeJaquish

The concern about 540 near Cameron Pond should be considered, although the effect will be greatest on the west side of the neighborhood.

Other than that, you are comparing semi-custom homes to production/tract homes, so your opinion of what makes a great deal will be important.

I agree. 540 would be my first concern in that area so choose carefully. Next you are comparing tract builders to sem-custom builders. Cary Park has a mix of both. Do you have a preference? What are you looking in the neighborhood?

These are just my opinions. There are pros and cons to each. Weldon Ridge does have some nice lots and floor plans. It does look a little more cookie cutter because Orleans is a production builder. Cameron Pond is custom so I do like the attention to detail that goes into their homes and they all for the most part look different. The homes in the neighborhood do seem a little packed in to me. Also some of the builders in there I feel tend to cram too
much into the inside making the layout feel choppy and not as spacious. Cary park has both of these. I do like their swim center the best. It is the closest to Harris Teeter and the shops. The elementary school as well. Now that all the streets are almost connected in that whole area it feels less like a neighborhood to me except for your own section. Can't comment much on Stonewater other than it's a production builder.

[Funky Chicken]

I'm going to make the assumption that your price range is somewhere between $350K and $500K based on Stonewater and Weldon Ridge being in the mix.
Of the four you mention I'd eliminate two right off the bat-Stonewater and Cameron Pond.
Stonewater has no "ground appeal". It's perfectly flat. There are no trees other than ones that the developer planted. I just find it unappealing. I'm also not a fan of townhomes mixed in with single family homes. I don't mind Lennar, but there's just no compelling reason to pick Stonewater IMO.
Cameron Pond has the 540 issue and the issue of the 100 foot buffer which Progress Energy basically clear-cut after making a behind the scenes deal with the developer. The developer is being sued by a group of homeowners. While of the four I think you will get the best quality home in Cameron Pond I can't see past the bigger issues that I believe will continue to taint the neighborhood.
That leaves Cary Park and Weldon Ridge.
Within Cary Park "proper" you will be looking at a resale. I think the right resale in Cary Park could be a great choice. I am a former Orleans Homeowner in Cary Park-the only reason we don't live there anymore is that our home needs changed during our time there and it was too late to build on a lot that would be acceptable to us.
I'd avoid Bellemont at Cary Park because of 540 proximity and I'd be very careful about the few infill lots that have new construction homes on them. Those lots remained undeveloped for nearly 10 years for one reason or another.
I like Weldon Ridge. I think Orleans does a very good job of laying out a site plan and the neighborhood has a nice traditional feel. The lots in the Park and Arbor sections, while not oversized, are scaled better than Cameron Pond or Stonewater. If you want new construction, it would be very difficult to make $500K go further than it goes in Weldon Ridge's "estates" section-you could move up from there into a White Elephant in Stonebridge, but my preference would be Weldon Ridge Estates. The estates section has also had a few resales below the original selling prices-"distress" type sales due to job loss, relocation, etc. If you need or want that kind of square footage and you want to be in West Cary it's a good choice.
I don't know if you have considered M/I Homes Greystone Estates-it might be worth a look if my assumptions as to your price range are accurate.

FC

[gobirdz27]

I'd second looking into Greystone. It's also worth looking into Amberly.

[kirbsdc]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my questions. I am aware of 540 and I know I have to look at that very closely. My price range is $350 - $450, I am really looking for a lease to own if possible and that will not be possibel with a "production" builder. We are down sizing because of loss of income and I am having a hard time getting my arms around the attic vs basement. My husband wants a basement and the very small lots.

We also have another concern, our son has very mild ADHD and we have heard terrible things about the Wake schools. Most important to us is the quality of life and that includes a good education for our son.

I did look at Greystone and was not inpressed with their floorplans. I really likes the floor plan at Stonewater (Terrazo) and Weldon Ridge the best. However staying within our means is difficult.

Do any of you have any opinions on the schools that these subdivisions feed into?

Thanks...

[got twins]

Hold old is your son? There is a new elementary school opening right about a mile from Stonewater. For the most part, the schools in that area are very good-you can check out www.wcpss.net for more info.

[Funky Chicken]

Is commuting an issue for you? I ask because in another post you indicated that you had considered Chapel Hill but found it too expensive.
At $350-$450K I'd expand my search to the Optimist Farm area of Cary/Holly Springs-either Sunset Oaks or The Park At West Lake. That price point will get you a bunch of choices-
You could get DJF builders to build you a home in Sunset Oaks that would rival anything you have seen in Cameron Pond and frankly DESTROY Orleans/Lennar/M-I from a quality perspective. $450K might not quite get you to a basement and I'm not really sure if there are basement lots in Sunset Oaks (there might be in a future phase).
In The Park At West Lake you could find a VERY nice resale in the Woodlands section (190 lots and built out at this point). These are custom homes by local builders that are on a par with Cameron Pond as well. There is one basement home on the market (resale) at $475K. The lots are no smaller than .25 and some are as big as .33-almost twice the lot you get in the Northern section of Cameron Pond and no 110 foot tall rusty utility poles to look at.
You could also build in the Heritage section in that price range. Not quite to the Woodlands level of content/detail but still a cut above Orleans/Lennar. There is a section of wooded lots that are roughly .30 they are building on right now-there is one spec under construction and a few presales. A spec home that was a Parade Entry with a partially finished basement just closed around $400K.
A couple of other options-Sunset Ridge in Holly Springs, a large (LARGE) golf course community. Plenty of resales in your price range, maybe you could find a basement. Abbington in Apex-again a resale (the new construction phase starts in the low 500s) but a really nice traditional pool neighborhood with a ton of kids and a great location.
It's easy to drink the West Cary Kool-Aid. I did when we relocated. 4 years later we realized that there are other options. I still think that West Cary is probably the best geographical location in the Triangle but there are plenty of alternatives. A lot of people relocate here with baggage from crappy commutes in their old life and make commute time their first priority. Then they get real about the fact that a 30-40 minute Triangle commute is still light years better than their old situation.
Schools are in a state of flux right now all over Wake County. It is my belief that we are finally on the right track and that EVERY school in any of the areas I mentioned will be good places for my child (who is borderline special needs as well) to get an education.