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My husband is considering a job in Cary off the Weston Parkway/Harrison exit by Lake Crabtree. We have been looking for homes in the Cary and North Raleigh areas and like different aspects of both communities. Ideally, we would like to find a 4 BDR home on a larger lot (.4-.5 acres or so) for less than $500K, which is harder to come by in Cary on our budget apparently. Plus, as I understand it, the higher ranked public schools are located on the western side of Cary, which seems to have smaller lots based on what I've seen, but the larger, more established lots are on the eastern side. I should also mention that we are broadening our search to Apex.
Questions:
1) What kind of commute would we be looking at in rush hour traffic to and from Olde Creedmoor Road area, for example, to the Harrison Avenue exit near Lake Crabtree?
2) Are the schools generally "good" in the North Raleigh area? How do they compare to Cary and/or Apex generally? I understand there is no guaranteed school option based on neighborhoods so am hoping to purchase in a neighborhood where there are relatively good schools within close proximity in the like event of re-zoning.
3) What kind of commute would we be talking if we were coming from Apex to that part of Cary in traffic?
From what I have heard, traffic can be pretty heavy commuting even from the western side of Cary to the eastern side and I just want to try to have a better sense of what or options for relatively close proximity (30 mins or less) housing options might be.
If your husband is working off Weston Parkway, unless you need a gigantic lot, you will regret buying far away from that area. That's near me. It's lovely here. Convenient to so many things.
I'd strike North Raleigh right away.
Maybe Apex if it's not too far out from Cary.
What exactly are you looking for?
Exact lot size, home size, age of home, etc?
There honestly aren't any horrible schools in Cary at all. There's a perception that West Cary equals better schools, but I doubt it. More kids there with higher test scores doesn't mean the teachers are better. Wake is a countywide system. Factually speaking, you stand a greater chance of being rezoned in W. Cary, Apex, or N. Raleigh based solely on the huge numbers of transplants pouring into those areas. Just a thought.
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Definitely stick to Cary or Apex if that's where the job is. Schools in the county are technically a crap shoot as far as where you could be assigned, and the faster-growth/higher-transplant areas are more likely to have reassignment issues of course (as those schools get overcrowded faster) but as meh says, you generally don't hear complaints about Cary or Apex schools, plus newer schools are likely to be built in those areas.
Thanks so much to you both, meh and Francois! That is really helpful information. I have some flexibility with my job so am looking for at least one of us to have a short(er) commute for drop-offs and pick-ups to and from day care and eventually school, so staying on that side of Cary (eastern part?) is appealing. We checked outa neighborhood called Wessex, which we really liked, and there seemed to be a couple of homes within our price range that were on decent sized lots (.4-.5 acres). However, that neighborhood fed into Reedy Creek elementary, which gets mixed community reviews and faired lower on great schools. I do wholeheartedly agree though that test scores are only one small glimpse of what a school is truly about but worried a bit about some of the reviews.
Meh, we are less concerned about the age of the home (in fact, I tend to prefer homes built in 90s-early 2000s) where they still might have an open concept feel on the main floor but have more mature landscaping and a slightly larger lot.
Just out of curiosity, any idea what kind of commute we would be looking at from North Raleigh?
Check out Wellsley, one of my favorite neighborhoods on this side of Cary. Lovely homes, built mainly in the 1990's, larger lots around 1/3 acre, mature trees. It is so nice and the location is great! Prices upper 300's - 400's.
Another great option is The Reserve, just off Rt 55. Large lots, beautiful homes, prices high 300's to 500's.
I agree check out Wellsley, The Reserve and Somerset. Berkely is another option - it's attached to Somerset but it doesn't have a pool and I don't know if you can use Somerset's pool. You'll probably come in shy of .5 acre but they are established neighborhoods with lots of trees and mature landscaping.
I would stick to Cary and Apex. I don't generally buy into the commute hype around here, coming from a completely different mindset, but N. Raleigh to the area you are talking about seems silly, when you can get what you are looking for in Cary and Apex.
I'm not as familiar with Apex, and there's lots of new construction there, but one subdivision you might like there is Dogwood Ridge. Nice pool, tennis and even basketball court.
I fully understand the desire for a larger lot than those in NW Cary, but I think that if you draw a hard line in the sand at .4 to.5 acres you will quite possibly shut out your ideal property.
My lot is .33 acres. The adjacent lot is .67 acres. If you drove down the street and looked at both homes and lots, you would never guess the size difference to be much of anything. You would also see quite clearly that in terms of orientation, slope, and what borders the lots, that my lot is clearly the better of the two. I have twice the usable backyard space of my neighbor. I have better old growth trees than they do.
Don't look for the bigger lot. Look for the better lot.
If you have a budget of 500K there is NO reason to subject yourself to a long commute to Weston Parkway. Stick with Cary/Apex/Holly Springs.
Commute from N. Raleigh to SAS is about 40-45 in regular traffic at rush hour. A bit faster minus rush hour. Not worth it. Cary is closer to RTP, the airport, and downtown.
Wessex is a great, mature neighborhood with larger lots. My two youngest kids went to Reedy Creek Elementary, starting when my youngest was in 1st and my middle child was in 4th. Middle child did all 3 years at Reedy Creek Middle. He's at Green Hope High now.
Youngest (my daughter) is in 6th at Reedy Creek Middle now.
I liked RCES just fine. Good teachers. My kids liked it, also. The principal is very attentive toward the students.
Also like RCMS, though I wish their principal would record his phone announcements by reading off cue cards so he wouldn't keep using the same modifiers over and over.
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Commute from N. Raleigh to SAS is about 40-45 in regular traffic at rush hour. A bit faster minus rush hour. Not worth it. Cary is closer to RTP, the airport, and downtown.
Wessex is a great, mature neighborhood with larger lots. My two youngest kids went to Reedy Creek Elementary, starting when my youngest was in 1st and my middle child was in 4th. Middle child did all 3 years at Reedy Creek Middle. He's at Green Hope High now.
Youngest (my daughter) is in 6th at Reedy Creek Middle now.
I liked RCES just fine. Good teachers. My kids liked it, also. The principal is very attentive toward the students.
Also like RCMS, though I wish their principal would record his phone announcements by reading off cue cards so he wouldn't keep using the same modifiers over and over.
It is great to see this report on Reedy Creek Schools.
Wessex is such a lovely neighborhood, and a superb location, it is a shame that folks overlook it.
That said, I think the OPs opportunities to get into Wessex for $500,000 or less are very limited.
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