|
|
| |
Buying a Home: Location
Sometimes I think if I hear it again, I'll flip out! But it's true and it can't be over-emphasized: The three most important words in real estate are… Do I even need to finish the sentence?
What that means in the big picture, and in practical terms for you and your family, is that if you are moving from, let's say, Connecticut or New Jersey, or California, you will probably be able to move into much more house than you are moving out of. Because while prices here continue to go up at a healthy rate for homeowners and investors alike, they still pale in comparison to many other locales in the country. This is a pleasant surprise to many folks moving here.
Once you arrive, location is still the major factor. Generally speaking, the closer you are to the city (yes, we still consider Raleigh a city, albeit a relatively small and manageable one!), the more you will pay for a place to live. People here generally talk about it as "inside the beltline" which circles Raleigh or "outside the beltline". For many, inside the beltline is both prestigious and convenient to just about everything they want. So if they are on a budget, they may settle for a smaller/older home as a tradeoff for that proximity. For others who prefer to be farther away from the lights and action, outside the beltline generally means a bigger, perhaps newer home on more land for the same price. It also probably means more of a commute. (See Map and note the two concentric circles: That's how we break it down for you initially: In the city, near the city, and out of town.)
But guess what? All of that fine distinction is starting to go somewhat out the window even as we speak, because there is now under construction (and about one-third completed) a second eight-lane beltline farther out which has already dramatically decreased commute time to both work and play for many area residents. As that major new highway edges toward completion—emphasis on edges, I think some of the folks building it are escapees from Boston's Big Dig-it should make getting to and from quicker and easier for everyone. It should also-no guarantees-continue to strengthen property values considerably throughout the RTP area. RTP: that's Research Triangle Park.
Next, do not think that "outside the beltline" means hillbilly land, or even country. Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Clayton, Morrisville—all are modern, burgeoning communities with major new shopping and recreational facilities, places of worship, restaurants and the usual complement of service companies. Cary in particular offers numerous fine dining choices. Apex is nearby, and several new restaurants have opened there with more to come. Ditto Morrisville. Even Clayton, which some here think of as a tad removed, has two of the best restaurants in the entire RTP area; many people just don't know it.
What it will probably all boil down to for you is this: Less house and shorter commute in a city setting? Or more house and longer commute in a suburban area? Only you and your family can decide which is best for you. But part of what we at TeamSold do is give you the tools and the exposure to the area that will enable you and your family to make the right decision, intelligently, knowledgeably and in the end, comfortably.
One final note about location: RTP and the Triangle area, which consists of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill and the triangle they form with RTP in the middle (see larger Map), is home to three of the nation's most prestigious universities, Duke in Durham, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State in Raleigh. (Can you spell b-a-s-k-e-t-b-a-l-l?) But this is not merely and only jock heaven. Those three universities produce much of the brainpower that fuels RTP. And RTP itself is a world-class nucleus of research and development in a wide array of disciplines from medicine to computers. The Triangle is also home to three of the finest hospitals in the United States. Indeed, people who could go anywhere-the Saudi Royal family, for example—come here from all over the world for the best health care money-unfortunately, a lot of money these days—can buy.
Conclusion: No matter where you are moving here from, you will continue to be intellectually, philosophically and, if you choose, religiously stimulated and challenged. And you will be in good hands for your family's wants and needs.
We're not on Tobacco Road anymore, Dorothy!
|
|
|
;void('');){kind=link}
;void('');){kind=link}