Decisions....input please? tia!

Okay, I am in NC for a little over 2 years now renting.

We full comfortable buying at this point.

The area we like is 9 miles south of where we currently live(in an area that I love, love, love but could never afford to buy in).

The area we like, Waxhaw, is going to shorten DH's commute by a few minutes. Its growing at a tremedous rate, transplants are taking over.

It has neighborhoods that are GORGOUS. A dream suburb...these homes start at 220,000-800,000.

New school is going up...so no need for private. Crime rate is crazy low....
downside, these houses are all on .30 acres. DH can't come to grips with this.

Around the corner from these neighborhoods is a lonely country street, untouched by new development. Country folks...like broke down trucks in the yard folks. No sidewalks...ughh....but homes on 1.60 acres. smaller homes. cheaper homes.

so, new school district, same crime rate...just country neighbors.

how important is the neighbor thing? I am from SI where neighbors marry each other and never move off the block.

do I bite the bullet and go country? its seriously less then a mile away from homes 4 times the price.

tia!

Message edited 10/22/2008 8:30:09 PM.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

IMO - go country y'all!

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

People will say location, location, location.

But also keep in mind that you need the house to appreciate in value (or at least maintain its value). If the houses down the road from the country homes are 4x the cost, will they remain that value for the remainder of the time you live in that house. Maybe not.

Buy a home that will make you happy...if it means to wait a bit until the right house comes up, so be it.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

thanks!

the big neighborhoods are definitely going to stay up in numbers.

Charlotte's still in a boom, I have been waiting for it to slow down, but it just isn't!

The kind of home I want is never going to be available on the kind of land DH wants.

thanks again

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

i personally would go for the smaller lots......I'm from SI too BTW

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

thanks!

I guess we just have to keep looking for a happy medium.

I still want a condo in my current area, he wants a farm........

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

How long are you planning on staying in this house?

Because it sounds like the general area you want to buy in is in pretty high demand. Over time, I'm sure the "fancy" area will begin to expand less than a mile away to the "hick" area. So if you are planning on staying a long time, you might be able to get a great deal buy buying in the less developed area now, before it gets more developed.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

thanks Jackie and Jackie

a whole lot of .30s, that's on the bigger side.

and I do think development will come and invade. I also feel its going to get too congested for the country folks and they are going to leave.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

You may be right, and like Jackie said if you are in it for the long haul, going a little more country may be a good idea

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

I would go for the land, and make the house what you want it to be.

If you're buying for that much less in the "country", can you expand/upgrade the house?

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

I love that view!

Personally, I'd go for the country.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

Personally I would go country. When my parents moved, this is exactly what they did. They bought a moderate sized home on 1.5 acres of land. My dad NEVER had that type of land here on LI & wanted to have it. Everytime I am there, I tell DH how much I wish we could have that here!

In regards to neighbors, it definately is nail biting bc you never know who your neighbor will be but remember that these country folk are just set in their ways. I feel that it brings character to your lifestyle & if land is what your DH wants, this is the only option to go with

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

We were in the same situation...we looked at houses in the city and in the country...ultimately we decided to live in the city. I wanted the community full of neighbors and kids, so that our children can play with others.

Since the houses are in the same SD you just have to decide where you'll be happier. I needed some kind of cilvilization, I knew I wouldn't be happy staring at my acre wooded yard with nothing around me.

Re: Decisions....input please? tia!

hmmmm, I love the thought of having land but I think I would choose having a neighborhood over land. I love the neighborhood feeling and being able to walk the blocks and watch the kids play. JMO