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As previously posted...my family is moving from the Atlanta, GA area soon to Raleigh. I will be working in the Falls of the Neuss Road area (NE Raleigh). I am intriqued by the short commutes and amenities that Hedingham & Mingo Creek offers but also by the idea of living on / near a lake community.
Any input (commutes, area crime rates, resale values, schools, ect)?
The only thing I have to add is that if you do choose to live on or near a lake, remember that you will have geese nearby. I know someone who lives in Hedingham, and is constantly complaining about the geese, and the mess they make. They fail to realize that where there's water, there's going to be geese, and they really don't have a right to complain. It's their home, too!
I don't know anything about Lake Royal, but I did look at homes in Hedingham and Mingo Creek last summer. Those places are OK, but I did not care for them enough to purchase there. Heddingham is a decent enough development but I did not like some of the surrounding area. Something just didn't feel right at Mingo creek. I drove through that neighborhood at least a half dozen times during the summer and never saw anybody at the pool and noticed there was no pool furniture except for a few cheap $4.99 plastic chairs. I know that sounds like an odd thing to take note of, but I just got a weird feeling whenever I drove through there. It just didn't sit well with me.
In your price range and since you are looking at working on Falls of Neuse, I would take a serious look at homes in Durant Trails in N. Raleigh. It is located close to the intersection of Durant Road and Falls of Neuse Road. The homes are older, but have mature trees and sit on nice lots (.24 acres). I have seen 4 bedrooms in your price range there before. I did a quick search and there are two listed righ now that have 4 and 5 bedrooms listed at $235,900 and $236,900 respectively.
Something just didn't feel right at Mingo creek. I drove through that neighborhood at least a half dozen times during the summer and never saw anybody at the pool and noticed there was no pool furniture except for a few cheap $4.99 plastic chairs. I know that sounds like an odd thing to take note of, but I just got a weird feeling whenever I drove through there. It just didn't sit well with me.
NRG,
ME TOO! I don't know what it was... the houses are very nice and they are built by Fred Smith who does a very good job and has a great reputation. However, I just got a weird vibe when I drove through the nieghborhood. Of course, I barely saw a soul out there and figured it was because of the fact that it was new. Then again, I bought new construction and my street was deserted but I never felt that way here. so weird!
Hedingham used to be a nice community but from what I hear there has been some crime problems there lately but I can't really confirm or deny how true that is.
I don't know anything about Lake Royal, but I did look at homes in Hedingham and Mingo Creek last summer. Those places are OK, but I did not care for them enough to purchase there. Heddingham is a decent enough development but I did not like some of the surrounding area. Something just didn't feel right at Mingo creek. I drove through that neighborhood at least a half dozen times during the summer and never saw anybody at the pool and noticed there was no pool furniture except for a few cheap $4.99 plastic chairs. I know that sounds like an odd thing to take note of, but I just got a weird feeling whenever I drove through there. It just didn't sit well with me.
In your price range and since you are looking at working on Falls of Neuse, I would take a serious look at homes in Durant Trails in N. Raleigh. It is located close to the intersection of Durant Road and Falls of Neuse Road. The homes are older, but have mature trees and sit on nice lots (.24 acres). I have seen 4 bedrooms in your price range there before. I did a quick search and there are two listed righ now that have 4 and 5 bedrooms listed at $235,900 and $236,900 respectively.
I'll agree with NRG on Hedingham and Mingo Creek. Hedingham started out as a very nice neighborhood with golf. When the developers built the townhouse section, they kept pushing more and more in a small space. It makes the area look crowded and with so many cars crowded into a small area, it just doesn't have a good feel. There are some areas with larger houses that still have a very nice "feel" but you'll have to check them out for yourself.
I still think Lake Royale is a nice area for a 2nd home or a travel trailer but I'm just not sure I'd want to live there year round.
I just visited Lake Royale and thought it was very nice. I was not expecting much after reading many of the comments on the board so I was was surprised in a good way. I thought it was very clean, wooded, most of the lots seeemed very private and crime stats were low.
I just visited Lake Royale and thought it was very nice. I was not expecting much after reading many of the comments on the board so I was was surprised in a good way. I thought it was very clean, wooded, most of the lots seeemed very private and crime stats were low.
Thanks for all of the input...KristinS how was the commute / drive out there to Lake Royale?
My husband is currently renting in Wilson, that was about 45 minutes to Lake Royale. I have heard the commute to Raleigh ranges from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. My husband works in Rocky Mount so that will be about 30 minutes.
If anyone thinks differently please let me know. Thanks
Just a note about Mingo Creek - the pool and clubhouse were under construction all spring/summer 2007. Definitely explains why no one was there over the summer. We now have a nice, new athletic center in the clubhouse and I think there were a few updates to the pool. Even so, I actually prefer the pool complex at Riverwood, which we have access to and it's jst 10 minutes down the road. The Mingo Creek pool is very basic - fine if you're just looking to do some laps - and there's a shallow area for the little ones. But Riverwood has more for the kids to do. All in all, the amenities (particularly, having access to all the Fred Smith communities) are very nice.
Mingo Creek is a pretty quiet neighborhood. We live in the townhome section and it's VERY quiet. We're one of a few homes with kids. Seems like most of the townhome occupants are young, single folks or young, married, no kids.
Commute: The commute from Mingo Creek to N Raleigh is very convenient. My husband actually works in RTP, and commutes via I-540. I don't travel during rush hour, but I can get to Falls of Neuse Rd during the day in about 15 minutes.
Crime Rates: statistics say that Knightdale's crime rate is about the same as the US average and the NC average. My personal experience is that I feel safe here, in the city and in the neighborhood.
Resale values: we just moved here about 8 months ago, so I'm not entirely sure. However, there is a new phase of townhomes being built right now - they will be exactly like ours (which was built in 2006) and will sell for about 10% more. I'm happy with that. I have heard that real estate in this area will increase in value significantly in coming years due to the opening of I-540 which gives Knightdale easy access to Raleigh and RTP. Hopefully that will be true... it seems reasonable.
Schools: We homeschool, so I really haven't looked into the school situation at all. Perhaps someone with more info can chime in on this topic. Hodge Road Elementary (K-5; year round) is located at the entrance to the neighborhood. I have a friend who's kindergartener attends there and so far, they are pleased.
I'm not sure what sort of commute you're used to, but Lake Royale is OUT there... it would probably take you an hour to get to Falls of Neuse Rd. When we were looking for homes last spring, we were tempted by Lake Royale. It seems like a lovely place, but every time I mapped out the commute, I cringed.
Hope this helps some. Good luck with your search!
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Hedingham
I have heard that real estate in this area will increase in value significantly in coming years due to the opening of I-540 which gives Knightdale easy access to Raleigh and RTP. Hopefully that will be true... it seems reasonable.
