So we're looking to buy a house and looking outside of Raleigh to get more for our money. We looked at a few houses yesterday in Garner and Clayton. We liked the convenience of Garner, but I just wasn't sure about the area. Being in the school system, I know Creech Rd. and Aversboro Elementary schools are priority schools and most of the time, the neighborhood kind of reflects that same feel.

So here's a few things I was curious about. Any help is much appreciated:

Are there any areas in Garner that you would recommend?

I was also wondering about the area off Rock Service Station Road. Some houses are still listed as Raleigh addresses, but I wasn't sure how good the area was.

Also, if you know of any Clayton areas that are nice, but also easy access to Raleigh.

8/9/2010 11:39:22 AM

http://maps.raleighnc.gov/imapsraleigh/index.html#default

Use this to figure out zoning/city limits.

8/9/2010 12:30:15 PM

Do you know anything about the area as far as quality of life, crime, etc. goes?

8/9/2010 1:45:27 PM

Great thread! We just started looking for houses too and drove by a big one in garner off Creech Road. Looks to be an older but nicer area. I lived off Rand Road and it wasn't too bad. As for the school system, Garner High School is part of WCPSS whereas Clayton is the JoCo system. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I can tell you more specifics in PM about the schooling.

8/9/2010 1:48:14 PM

I grew up off Rand Road in Garner (between 10-10 and highway 50) and it was fine over there. My parents still live there and love it. I moved to Willow Spring not too far away and love it.

Rock Service Station road is between where I grew up and where I live now and it is a fine community. Like you said, it may have a "Raleigh" address but so does my parent's place. It is definitely still a rural area, and that's what I like about it. However, there is always new development taking place in one place or another. Still lots of farm land to see.

I'd live in that area and raise a family with no reservations.

We built a house off highway 42 near old stage (about 5 minutes from rock service station road) on almost an acre and got a great deal compared to if we did the same thing in another part of the county. I can get to 401 in 3 minutes and from there it is an easy to drive to anywhere else.

[Edited on August 9, 2010 at 2:21 PM. Reason : ya]

8/9/2010 2:19:49 PM

^
Great information!

and

^^
PM sent

8/9/2010 2:30:54 PM

something else i just thought about... the southern wake loop of 540 is proposed to be built right along that area and rock service station road....so no telling how that area will develop in the next 5-10-15 years. But property values will probably go up near there for existing properties..

here is the map, take a look at the "protected corridor"
http://www.ncdot.org/_includes/download/external.html?pdf=http%3A//www.ncdot.org/projects/i540/download/southeastwake_map.pdf

8/9/2010 8:32:39 PM

I live in one of the newer communities in Garner down White Oak Road (becomes Jones Sausage). I like the area and it is convenient for working in downtown Raleigh. I don't have to use I40 and it takes only 20/25 minutes. Of course though, it does take longer to get anywhere else.

It may take 20 years or more for 640/540 to be built, so I would not make that part of your decision.

Certain parts of Garner I wouldn't like in, but you can still get alot for your money in some of the nicer, newer neighborhoods.

One thing I would point out though is that Garner taxes are really high for this area. Part of the reason is that the real estate is lower, so the tax rate is higher. The water rates used to be crazy as well, but they have since come down.

[Edited on August 10, 2010 at 8:05 AM. Reason : ]

8/10/2010 8:01:16 AM

high taxes compared to raleigh taxes or just higher in comparison to other garner areas?

8/10/2010 8:09:06 AM

Tax rates are city wide and county wide. Here's what you'd be paying by city for a 200k house:
Clayton 0.54 JoCounty 0.78 = $2640yr.
Garner 0.49 WaCounty 0.534 = 2048
Raleigh 0.3735 WaCounty 0.534 = 1815


Cary's rate is 0.33, Apex 0.34, Fuquay 0.385, Knightdale 0.41

http://www.wakegov.com/NR/rdonlyres/AC8EA9E6-C572-4C65-8B15-8AC9CAB2D1B0/0/TaxRates2010.pdf

8/10/2010 12:59:09 PM

i live in "that area of raleigh" ...it's off ten ten/old stage area.. it's nice because i only pay county taxes since i'm not in the city limits. the main reasons i moved out here, despite being a 25-30min commute into school is that 1) houses are way cheaper but still nice 2) i have 1/2 acre, but in a neighborhood so i still have neighbors and kids running around, but we're not on top of each other. it's also pretty quite out this way, i've been here for 2 years and haven't heard of any horrible crimes happening. only down side i really have is if i want to head to a mall/downtown/north raleigh. it then takes about 30 minutes to get there.

8/10/2010 8:42:29 PM

Can anyone recommend a good/cheap home inspector?

8/24/2010 8:08:52 AM

^^wow, didn't know Cary's tax rate is less than Raleigh.

8/24/2010 8:14:00 AM

i can't remember if this is the same site i looked at years ago when i bought my house, but it shows the same general crime reports data

http://spotcrime.com/nc/raleigh

as for a home inspector, i used ron coddington...he seemed as good as any other, and he came recommended, so at least i had one person's opinion

http://activerain.com/coddingtonhi

he was thorough and answered every question i had...his prices were about the same as everyone else's

8/24/2010 8:30:45 AM

I had an inspector from Pillar to Post do mine, Alan Beal. He was very knowledgeable and had no problems with us following him and asking questions about stuff. The report they give you when they're done is very comprehensive and well organized, so it's easy to go back over everything later.

8/24/2010 10:04:47 AM

^^ http://spotcrime.com/nc/wake+county

the entire wake county (versus raleigh) map gets that area better...

8/24/2010 10:34:55 PM

Our first house had a Garner address in JoCo. It was just off Cornwallis Rd. (White Oak Rd.). We really liked that area.

Last year, we moved to the other side of Clayton, almost to Wilson's Mills. I actually think where we live now is a better location due to the fact that I can be on 70 bypass a lot quicker. It takes the same amount of time to get to Raleigh now as it did when I lived 15 miles closer.

If you have questions about JoCo Public Schools, I will do my best to answer them. My wife is an elementary school teacher in Clayton.

8/25/2010 1:28:08 PM

we got a house! thanks everyone for your help. we're still in raleigh, but outside of city limits.

8/25/2010 1:56:34 PM

I know it’s on the super fringe of society but what do y’all think about buying a home in Benson? Is it even a decent investment?

7/12/2019 2:18:05 PM

If you're within 60 miles of Raleigh, it's probably a decent buy. At least that's the way it seems.

Damn half-million dollar spec homes in johnstonfuckingcounty

[Edited on July 16, 2019 at 2:14 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2019 2:14:50 PM

Return on your investment that far out of the metro areas likely depend most on how long you plan to spend there.

7/17/2019 7:33:54 AM