Which Suburbs are Less Expensive? West vs Eastern Living in Raleigh NC
Which Suburbs are Less Expensive? West vs Eastern Living in Raleigh NC
Are you considering relocating to the Raleigh area and wondering if it would be a good place for you and your family to live? If you've been researching the various suburbs surrounding Raleigh, You may have noticed the western suburbs are much more expensive than the eastern suburbs and you may be wondering why?
Today i'll be discussing some of the reasons you can get a home on the east side of raleigh for so much cheaper than the western side of Raleigh and let you decide if the price is worth it. For the most part, properties on the east side of Raleigh are so much cheaper than the properties on the west side of Raleigh.
Now, home prices for properties on the west side are approximately 150, 000 to 200, 000 more expensive than the average home price for properties on the east side. And it isn't like the towns here on the east side are any further away from Raleigh. than the towns on the west side. Every town that we're going to talk about today is less than 30 minutes from downtown Raleigh.
And we'll talk about why you can get a home for so much cheaper than Knightdale, Windell, Zebulon, and Clayton. Then you can in Raleigh or in Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and even Fuquay Verena. It's just so much more expensive over on the west side and we'll talk about what's happening on the east side that's going to change the prices of homes over here.
Hey y'all, I'm Brandi Nemergoot, a local realtor here in Raleigh. Let's go ahead and jump right on in. Now the pricing disparities between the east side of Raleigh and the west side of Raleigh are not going to be based on their proximity to downtown Raleigh. It's based on their proximity to the Research Triangle Park, which is our largest employment center with over 375 companies employing over 65, 000 people.
Now, generally speaking, the closer a town is to the RTP, the more expensive its real estate prices are, but it's not all about the commute time. Outliers are going to be Morrisville, which is closer to the RTP than Cary, but the percentage of attached housings sold in Morrisville is a much larger percentage, at over 40 percent last year.
And then we have Wake Forest, which actually isn't cheaper like the rest of the eastern suburbs. It'd take way too much time to cover these, along with these other towns that we're going to talk about today, so I'm going to save that for another video. I remember when my family and I first relocated here from Southern California, everyone was suggesting that we move to the western side, specifically Cary, Apex, or Holly Springs.
The one town that was not mentioned much was Fuquay Verenas. If you asked anyone about Fuqua, they'd say it was super rural, out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do, and people who wanted just to live inexpensively, as far as housing, and still stay within Wake County, moved there. So, of course, it didn't sound too exciting to my family and I, so we researched no further.
Now a fun fact, when we moved here in 2018, the Fuquay pricing was pretty similar to the eastern suburbs at a median price point of around 270, 000. However, fast forward to 2021, pricing increased to 425, 000. which pretty much brought it closer up to the western suburb prices. And today, going into early 2024, Fuquay is around 505, 000.
So in essence, Fuquay housing prices have seen around an 87 percent increase. Since we first moved here now that is just crazy to me and prices are holding here in comparison If we look at the eastern side of raleigh, which is increased by about 52 In the same period of time I get asked the question all the time Why the western side is so much more expensive than the eastern side And I think it really comes down to one thing which is Location is king Or queen, depending how you want to say it.
For example, if you take a look at a few similarly distance towns, say Fuquay versus Windell, Nightdale, or Garner, these towns are roughly comparable distance to the RTP, give or take a few miles. So based on this, logically, you'd think that would increase the value about the same if just the RTP was the main driving force.
However, if you take a look at amenities, which are so important to many people, not only does Fuquay have two historic downtowns, if you look at neighboring towns of Fuquay Verena, which are going to be Holly Springs and Apex, Both towns have continued developing and adding commercial spaces, shopping, and restaurants.
And from Fuquay, it's only about a 10 minute drive to Holly Springs, where there's not only the old downtown, but also the new Holly Springs Town Center. With the first phase that was completed in 2019, and the second phase will be completed this spring in 2024. So looking back, when we moved here in 2018, those shops and restaurants didn't even exist.
And from Holly Springs, you drive up another 15 minutes. And you're in downtown apex, which has a happening downtown area full of shops and restaurants to enjoy. That's one of the things a lot of people living on the Western side really enjoy is being able to drive that short distance between three to four towns.
and have access to so many amenities to enjoy. And these towns have done an amazing job developing the greenways, the parks, the shopping, and restaurants. And Fuquay also shares one of the biggest Costco's around, Bordering Garner. And they are going to be getting their very own Target, so no need to head over to Holly Springs soon.
if they don't want to. So there's just a lot more that's developed on the western side that makes it better location for some as it's more conveniently located to amenities than it used to be. Whereas if we take a look at the eastern side towns between Windell, Knightdale, and Zebulon, there's just really not a lot going on over there.
Each town does have a couple of parks. Wendell's main park is the community park, which has a rec center, tennis, dog park, and playground. And then we have Knightdale, which has Knightdale Station Park, which is a big draw for a lot of people to this town. It has nice walking trails, playground, dog park, sports fields.
Kids flash pad and it also intertwines with a master plan community that even has its own private school Bailey's Academy, which is where my daughter attends and it's a great place because the tuition is low It's less than six thousand dollars per year and they even have aftercare and school clubs available And they also offer scholarships And switching on to Zebulon, Zebulon has a community park, a rec center, sports field, disc golf, playground, and tennis courts, and even offers fitness classes.
But aside from the Walmart for shopping and a handful of places to eat, there really isn't much going on in Zebulon. And when it comes to amenities, these towns haven't quite caught up And it'll probably take about a decade or so for them to actually catch up. Now, in my opinion, Windell is at the forefront of development.
They've done a great job attracting businesses into the area where Wendell Falls is off I 540. Their new shopping area at Tree Light Square has the new Publix, restaurants, shops, new apartments and across the way there's a school, hospital, fire station and more is on the way. Wendell Falls really put Wendell on the map and this is the outlier on the eastern side in regards to housing prices.
As Windell Falls median price point is approximately 530, 000 for a single family home and a townhome is going to run you around 439, 000. Whereas Windell area in general has a median price point of about 410, 000. Windell is also working on developing their new park, Lake Myra County Park. which is located south of Knightdale.
It's a 224 acre property in the Marks Creek Watershed directly connected to Window Falls trails. And catching up is none other than Knightdale. Now in 1940, downtown Knightdale was burned down as there wasn't a water system. You'll still find some great businesses there like the Mexican Bakery that has the most amazing pastries and stuffed doughnuts, along with a Doggy Groomer, which is where my little fur babies get to get beautified each month.
And one of my all time favorite barbecue places to enjoy is prime barbecue. People from all over the triangle come just to eat here. They have hands down the best brisket that I've had along with some ooey gooey mac and cheese. Yes please! Let me know in the comments below if you've tried it and what you think.
And if not, please add it to your list when you visit. I wonder if Guy Fieri from Diners and Dives has eaten here yet. Another local favorite is Oak City Brewery that rotates food trucks and has a super chill vibe where even families with kids and dogs can hang out while adults sip on a refreshing beverage.
And the beloved Knightdale Station Park, which is where I get my morning miles in. It's such a great park that brings everyone in the community together. Out and about for fresh air and some socialization. It offers 71 acres and has a 1. 4 mile walking trail through serene trees, ponds, a playground area for the kids, splash pad, dog park, disc golf.
soccer fields, a Y. M. C. A. Pool, amphitheater for summertime movies in the park and annual festivals. And yes, even more. And Night Dell is continuing to grow. The downtown north development is now underway. This 91 acre space will include a Single family homes, townhomes, condos, and apartments. There's also plans to include commercial space, grocery, fitness, hotel, buildings, retail space, and even shopping space.
This will definitely give us new and improved, lively downtown that will compete with other surrounding suburbs. Then there's also Parkside at Westlake that will include apartments, townhomes, single family homes, mixed use commercial office space, shopping, greenways, and more. The town also has plans for a river district which spans four square miles that will improve walkability and connectability by filling greenway and sidewalk gaps.
And if that weren't enough, growth and development, the next town over in Clayton also has two big developments happening between the Waterfront District set to open in 2025 and the Copper District, which is a 10 year project and said to be three times the size of Fenton and Cary once it's completed.
So the eastern side is starting to develop now. But it's going to take some time to build out. Some of these projects are 10 years out before they'll be completed. But these amenities are really important to people and they're willing to pay for them, which is why it's less expensive to live on the East side versus on the West side.
Another consideration is the impact that COVID has had on our workplaces. We are now seeing more businesses that continue to accommodate employees working from home or adopting some sort of hybrid model. Not only have employees love this option, but the companies are profitable and able to retain and continue to attract highly skilled talent, no matter where they live.
And there's a lot of new growth companies in the triangle that are paying high salaries, Which is going to continue to push the area's growth. People moving here often come from large cities where they're used to long commutes. So even though these eastern triangle towns don't have as much of the amenities as the western suburbs yet, they're growing now because compared to places like Orange County or Los Angeles County, like where we move from, it seems really close to the amenities of downtown Raleigh and many of the surrounding towns.
Because of this, we're seeing continued growth as more tax dollars come into the eastern side. The more money these towns will have to build new shopping districts, restaurants, parks, and more. So in the near future, these areas will not only continue to grow, but transform into vibrant communities with suburbs similar to the ones on the western side of Raleigh.
One thing that surprises a lot of people who relocate here is how much more it costs to live here than in previous decades. In comparison to other parts of the country, we are still relatively inexpensive, but one big shift here is that the builders are no longer building. inexpensive homes on larger lots.
If you look at homes that were built prior to the 2000s, you can find many larger lots from half of an acre to over an acre. You can still find larger lots with new or newer homes, but you're going to be spending a lot more money on average for these homes. We're seeing some in excess of 1 million in many areas.
Close to the amenities. If you don't need to be close to amenities and you're all right, pushing further out from Wake County into Harnett County or Johnston County, you'll be able to find properties that are much less expensive with larger lot options. Nowadays you'll find local builders here in the Triangle area building on smaller lots and we're even seeing a lot more attached housing being built which helps provide more affordable housing options for everyone.
You'll especially see this in the Morrisville area and Apex area with the available land being developed with attached housing. So whether you want a lifestyle that's close in proximity to all the amenities, and you don't mind spending a bit more, or you want a quieter lifestyle that's still within a close commute to enjoy all the amenities at an affordable price, you can find what you're looking for on the Western or the Eastern side of Raleigh.
If you found this information helpful, please click the like button below. So others like you can find this information as well. And if you're considering relocating to the Raleigh area or anywhere surrounding the Raleigh area and looking to purchase a home, we would love to chat. All you have to do is reach out to me.
My number's right here on the screen. Whether you want to give me a call, shoot me a text or send me an email, we would love to help. Until next time, we'll see y'all later.
Brandy Nemergut, Realtor ~ eXp Realty Raleigh, NC
919-583-6895
