Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After many months of deliberation, my wife and I have decided on Western NC as our new home. She'll be working in Clyde. We are a young newly married couple and though I have a home now, we'll soon start our search there together (and sell our current home). We really like Waynesville, but there doesn't seem to be much new construction near main street. We've toyed with the idea of moving out further, but honestly we don't know what that holds. We've heard that there is much to do in West Asheville and the market there is coming up. Unfortunately, with two dogs, I'm afraid the .1 acre lots would be cruel as it relates to letting them outside to run.
I work from home, and she'll be in an "on-call" situation every week or so for a night so we must live close enough to Clyde for it to be feasible for her to get in quickly with her job. I'm also selfishly concerned of boredom taking over if after working all day at home, there's nothing near-by to do. I've looked on line at builders, and from what I read now is the time to build. That being said, I've been researching modulars on line and I'll admit with some trepidation, I am intrigued. We're looking to spend around 300k for everything (land/home). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
Rent first and get to know the area, then buy or build once you find what is right for you. That will also give you time to sell your house, see what the modular market offers vs buying an existing home. Building/buying a house is a long term commitment that deserves a little research time--Larry
Larry, I agree completely. We searched for over a year before buying our current home. Just wanted to get a heads up or a couple of ideas from people in the area. Before committing to the area we visited Boone, Franklin, Sylva, Charlotte, Lincolnton, Hendersonville and Murphy. Spending 3 days in each, we had enough time to allow my wife to complete her interviews and do a little looking around. Just wanted to get an idea from the local folks on here of where I might focus my search over the coming weeks/months. Thanks for your feedback.
Your price range is going to allow you a lot of flexibility, but it depends on what your expectation is of the home. What type of home are you looking to build 2BD, 3BD or more.... How many baths. Really contemporary or arts craft. Also, keep in mind that you can buy square footage right now for cheaper than you can build in almost every scenario right now. Let me know and might have some ideas for you.
Brian
I do agree with Cofga about renting until you find a place, but I would suggest Waynesville since the controlling factor on location is proximity to Clyde. It is close enough to Asheville to get the "Asheville" affect on housing demand and for investment. Driving wise you are close enough to Clyde to deal with the "on-call" status yet still close enough to be in Asheville quickly when boredom strikes.
I did a search on Real Estate Listings, Homes for Sale and Rental Property Listings – REALTOR.com® in the waynesville area and found 79 houses priced in the 250-300K range...so maybe some window shopping is a good place to start. I definitely wouldn't mark downtown Waynesville as the place to take care of the boredom (I live in Fletcher and have the same issue....nice town but for excitement I need to go to Hendo or Ash).
If you are really focused on building....then look at lots. Few builders are putting anything up at the moment. So you are better off renting, buying your lot, and then building your dream home on it. I will get back to you though....I just thought of a subdivision that I did which may have lots your might be interested in...with town sewer and water which is a huge bonus. So watch the thread and I will pass that data on once I have it.
Last edited by waytosouth; 01-21-2010 at 06:52 PM..
Thanks for the responses guys. Brain, I like to idea of the arts and crafts as opposed to the contemporary. I know the housing market has people selling for less than assessed values, but I'd assumed that the market pushing down labor costs and building supplies may make this a good time to build as well. Any thoughts? Terminsls, I'm planning a trip up for a weekend in the next month and will be compiling a list of lots, builders, homes etc. to look at. I realize it may be more expensive to build (modular costs might be lower??), but we really love the idea of putting our ideas in from the beginning. That said, I wouldn't pass up a home that we really liked. Thanks again for your input!
Well...... You would think that might be the case, but it really isn't... Material prices and labor expenses really have not gone nearly as much as resale value, that relationship just does not exist. Banks have A LOT more flexibility in pricing and ways to move that loss off their books. Builders, GC's, laborers and material suppliers not so much. The cost of living would have to go down significantly before you saw reductions in labor costs and that has not happen. Asheville still ranks very high in the state for cost of living, we all have to make a living. I really do not want to use this forum to push my services, but drop me personal message if you would like the assistance of a real estate broker and general contractor who is active in the market. I am not the best at typing and the answers are not that cut and dry, there are a done of variables to consider.... have a good one....
Your budget does help you a lot at the moment. as long as you stay away from the high priced mountain top lots you should be able to build a custom/modular home without much of a problem. Another thing to look at are the DELTEK (spelling?) homes. There seems to be a lot of demand for these all of a sudden. Schuamaker homes also has a good reputation. If you are looking for custom home with a Cabin feel....I looked at some homes Ken Wertheim designed and they are really nice...good luck and email me if you need some thoughts!
Terminusls makes a good point DELTEK makes some great modular products and they also have a green build line that ecobuilders was selling like crazy before the down turn in the economy. I would stay away from the rondets (spelling?) they have a horrible resale value, because there is such a limited audience that finds them appealing. Keep this is in mind as you explorer house plans, the average person will move approx. every 5 years. So, design and plan your home with the idea that one day you might have to sell that home. Not everyone will agree, but if you put features in the home that only you or a select few would appreciate you might actually lessen the appreciation you could see later down the road.
Brian
I really appreciate you guys input. I've gotten a quote from an Asheville modular dealer quoting $125-$150 for a "Haven Homes" modular as I really like the plans I've seen on line. Plus the land and whatever expense would be incurred in prepping it. I'll be looking at the Deltek offerings tonight and will try to get an idea of how they compare to one another. I'm going to check with Asheville builders to compare site built prices as well. In looking at the builders sites, I'm anxious to see what the possibilities are with our budget. But, I'm very excited to get the process started. You guys have been such great help, thanks again!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
