Retirement ,Raleigh,Durham,Chapel hill area (Cary, Wake Forest: 2014, townhome, neighborhood)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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My wife and I will be retiring to the R,D,C area after much research . She is a retired educator and I am a marriage and family therapist .Does any one have some suggestions as to where the best place to build a home in the 300 k range.?We are looking to build a ranch style home. At this point in our lives we are avoiding the 55 plus developments . The other issue is that since we will be new and have no family or friends in the area we would love to be in a development where we can meet new people . By the way, we are moving from the Erie pa area where we get 180 inches of snow ,lake affect .
We looked for lots in Chapel Hill 3.5 years ago and simply could not find anything. Very expensive here because of the top notch schools but there are some places with Chapel Hill address but not in school district where you might find a pre existing ranch.
My wife and I will be retiring to the R,D,C area after much research . She is a retired educator and I am a marriage and family therapist .Does any one have some suggestions as to where the best place to build a home in the 300 k range.?We are looking to build a ranch style home. At this point in our lives we are avoiding the 55 plus developments . The other issue is that since we will be new and have no family or friends in the area we would love to be in a development where we can meet new people . By the way, we are moving from the Erie pa area where we get 180 inches of snow ,lake affect .
We moved down here almost 5 years ago. Sort of "pre-retirement". We're still working and will be for the next 7 years. Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill as well as other surrounding areas (Cary, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Hillsoborugh) are also great places to live. It really just depends on what you are looking for. Many people from the Northeast have settled in more rural areas and have been unhappy being so far out from everything.
We looked all over and settled in Cary. For us, it was very central, 15 minutes from Raleigh and Durham and 20 minutes from CH. Everything we need is within a few minutes of our home. We bought a townhome in your price range and have been very happy. 2400sf, plenty of room for guests. CH is a great town and if I had kids, I'd live there because of the quality of schools. Not my preference as an empty nester.
WE thought of selling and moving to an over 55 Del Webb community a couple of years ago and came pretty close to doing so. One main reason was to have a one level home. I am SO glad we decided against it as I really enjoy having neighbors of all ages, kids included. Plus, the community we looked at now has over 1100 homes and to me, looks like army barracks lined up in rows. The clubhouse is nice though.
Ranch homes are hard to come by in this area. I've been told this is because of lot size. Houses are very close together around here. An option is move to an outlying area to have more land, but then you are away from aeverything. It's a tradeoff. There is a neighborhood in Brier Creek (northwest Raleigh) and all the homes are one level ranches (Toll Brothers is the builder). The houses are nice but higher than 300K (I would say high 300's to low 400s). We looked at them as well. The homes were very nice but I am not fond of the Brier Creek area. Too crowded for me.
I think you're going to have a tough time getting a newly built ranch in a development at that price point...at least near civilization as you know it I can totally unserstand your wants.....but it's going to be tough.
My parents wanted a ranch and ended up at the Del Webb community referenced above but they are much older (late 70s) and stairs were not an option at all. And the clubhouse is wonderful over there but as they continue to build out it's getting VERY crowded.
What does this ranch house look like?
2000SF?? 3 BR, 2 Ba? 2 car garage? .19 acre lot?
You may get a bit of sticker shock when you see what $300,000 buys here, vs. in Erie.
Ranch homes in new communities can be difficult to find, although if you go to outlying smaller towns like Holly Springs or Fuquay Varina, Knightdale, Rolesville, you will find opportunities within your budget.
To be in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, finding an infill lot vs. a new home community may be your best bet.
And resale opportunities of existing homes are a better bet.
BTW, lived in Clarion PA for 20 years. The average snowfall here may be a shock to you, if you enjoy an occassional blanket of snow.
My daffodils are up.
You will have to live here for 50 years to see 180 inches of snow.
As another retiring couple, we also desired to have a ranch style retirement home. We found a parade home ranch South of Durham, on a .54 acre lot. It was, however, more than twice the cost range you are looking for. You said "no +55 communities" but you might inquire into Chapelwood. A small community of 1/4 acre lots South of Chapel Hill and they are all single story brick homes with enclosed patios, lawn maintance is included. They are building out now.
Heritage has lots of "empty nester" type homes...ranches, 1.5 story homes BUT...they are on very small lots. Some have a monthly fee for yard maintenance. Seems to me that most of my clients that are retiring aren't interested in large lots, as they are "done" with spending their weekend taking care of the yard.
Stonehenge Park also has some homes that you describe but they are over $450,000.
I'm sure there are n'hoods that will meet your requirements, like an older home in Falls River.
you will probably have to do what most of us recommend to those people moving here who are looking for something very specific----rent for at least a year. what you are looking for will go quickly as it is highly desired all over the triangle. and if you could up your budget at least 50-75$ you will have better luck. be prepared to remodel too.
My wife and I will be retiring to the R,D,C area after much research . She is a retired educator and I am a marriage and family therapist .Does any one have some suggestions as to where the best place to build a home in the 300 k range.?We are looking to build a ranch style home.
I'd suggest the Horizon community in Pittsboro for newer "green" homes. If you are willing to look at an older house, I'd suggest the Fearrington community. It has a Duke wellness center nearby, and many community amenities. There are also other communities in Pittsboro where you can find a newer one-level house, perhaps also find a builder.
Any 2014 updates for retired couple planning on a move to Wake Forest?
My husband and I are also retiring and planning to move to Wake Forest. We would be interested in a 1 to 1 1/2 story living, treed lots, with parks nearby for walks and photography. Most of the homes are two story without a MBR on the 1st floor which would be an alternative for us.
Some 55+ communities that I have seen(Cary) seem to remove the trees and build track homes. That's not for us. We were hoping that Wake Forest would have some smaller homes with small treed lots as we love the small town feel. Any updated feeds or independent info would be appreciated.
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I can totally unserstand your wants.....but it's going to be tough.
