What Out-Of-Town Homebuyers Need To Know

Are you looking to move to the Triangle from out-of-town or out-of-state? What kinds of questions should you be asking and considering? Angie answers a few key questions to put your mind at ease.

As an out-of-town homebuyer, what sort of questions should you be asking your realtor? In addition to the normal questions you might have as a first-time homebuyer or someone in the market to buy, we dig deeper for questions you might not have thought of as an out-of-towner. Angie answers a number of questions all related to relocating and helps guide you through the homebuying process on this week’s podcast.

For starters, you might be surprised to find a difference in fees from your last place. Like, are HOA fees common in the area you are looking in? What is the typical range of fees you can expect to pay and why? What do those fees cover?

Where are the new homebuyers looking to go? Raleigh is a hotspot for transplants as well as Cary, depending on where buyers might be working. That said, some prefer the outskirts of town for more land or more bang for their buck. The Triangle market is a large area with a lot of variety to choose from. But is there a particular area that provides the best value?

When people move from out-of-town to the Triangle, many times it is for the job market. There are a lot of diversified job opportunities that bring people to the area. Depending on where you’re from, the commute could seem harder or easier than where you’ve been, but even on bad days it’s still better than most big cities in the country. 

Lastly, if you are coming from out-of-town, you may need help finding lenders or inspectors or a number of other professionals. Your realtor will be able to help you find the right fit to make it a smooth and seamless homebuying process.

Listen to the full episode to hear more or click on the timestamps below to hear a specific question.

0:38 - What questions should out-of-towners ask before moving to a new area?

1:08 - How popular are HOA fees and what’s the common range of fees to pay?

3:48 - What area in the Triangle draws in most new buyers?

7:12 - Is there a community Angie sees as the best value?

9:14 - What is the job market and commute like?

12:39 - The Triangle is a good place to live and work, even while working from home.

13:24 - Do you help connect buyers with lenders, inspectors, and other needed professionals?

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Angie Cole - Contact - Call: 919-538-6477

Show Transcription:

Note: This is an automated transcription. Please forgive the robots as they tend to make some (a lot of) mistakes...

Speaker 1: (00:02)
It's time for the savvy real tour podcast. I'm Walter Storholt alongside Angie Cole, the owner and broker in charge of AColeRealty serving you throughout the triangle, teaching you about the ins and outs when it comes to buying or selling a home. You can find the team online by going to eight Cole realty.com that's a C O L E realty.com or by calling (919) 578-3128 that's (919) 578-3128 and now it's time for one of the top realtors in the triangle, Angie Cole and the savvy real tour podcast. I think it might be appropriate for us talking about out of towners and some of the questions that maybe they should be asking before they move to a new area. So I kind of compiled a list of questions. I don't know how popular these questions are. I know that you work with a lot of people that are moving into the area for the first time.

Speaker 1: (00:55)
So maybe you'll say, you know what, nobody ever really asks that and that's totally fine because these are all from the bread, but these are all from the brain of Walter as potential out of town or questions, but then they may not be realistic. So we'll see. It'll be fun. Uh, so one question, I thought that folks might wonder, especially if they're moving from a different state that's got different costs of living and things like that, you know, how popular are homeowner association fees in most neighborhoods in this area, and what's the typical range that someone can expect to pay?

Speaker 2: (01:23)
Yeah. Um, and that is a popular question. Yes. Um, yeah, so, you know, I would say most of our neighborhoods or our subdivisions, they have HOA dues. Not all, but many, many, many of them do. I would say at minimum they probably have covenant. So make sure you're looking at the restrictions, even if there aren't HOA dues to pay. I would say every neighborhood, unless they've expired, has covenants. Um, but yes, I would say majority of the neighborhoods have some type of covenants. Um, it really ranges if you're looking at a single family, a townhome or a condo, single family, probably being your least expensive townhome, probably being in the middle, um, as far as expense because they maintain the exterior of the building and the lawn maintenance. And then condos are typically the most expensive because not only do they maintain the exterior of the building, the lawn maintenance, but they also cover what's called the [inaudible], which is your condo insurance. So your homeowners insurance bill will be less, it's tough to say an average, but I would say if it's in a neighborhood with amenities, you know, expect for, I don't know, anywhere between like maybe 7,230 or so. That's a wide range. They are. Uh, but really, again, it depends on if it's a single family, a townhome or a condo. Um, I mean, I've seen some, you know, condos that are, you know, 300 or plus a month, you know, so really can be a spike. Um, depending on the style of the home.

Speaker 1: (02:55)
I think it's just interesting because, um, it's so funny because I know my, my grandparents up in Maine,

Speaker 2: (03:00)
they would just be chuckling right now at those prices because they pay like $700 a month. I think it is in homeowners association fees. It's a thing. Yeah, that's your mortgage payment. That's crazy. They live on in coastal Maine, so they're getting bombarded by coastal nor'easters and storms and they have to replace the roof every couple of years it seems. So there's just a lot that of maintenance that has to go into it. But that's all part of it like, but they've also got a pool access and a gym access. They have dock access to the water. So just goes to show you there can be a wide range depending on where you come from. Most definitely. And some are super minimal here in the area. You know, there's no amenities. It's just for maybe maintaining the common areas, you know, it's as little as sometimes, you know, $20 a month or you know, even less than that.

Speaker 2: (03:45)
So there's really a wide range there. Yep. Very true. All right. Another question from possibly and out of town, or maybe a good question for them to ask. Uh, what area do you see drawing in most new buyers? Where's the hotspot? Where are people heading right now? Hmm. Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. Um, you know, I guess I feel like it depends on the age of the person to, you know, are we talking about those millennials? Are we talking about empty nest starts? Um, but you know, a lot of people are relocate into this area. I would say Raleigh in general is just a hot spot, you know, but a lot of people are loving kind of the Cary Morrisville area because they're closer to RTP, you know, maybe they're relocating for business. Um, so that's a hard one to answer as far as, you know, what is drawing in most buyers as far as like the area goes.

Speaker 2: (04:35)
Um, because I really am not seeing that. Like one area is hotter than the other and another per se, you know, some people decide, you know what, we love that area, but we want more land. We want more home for our money. So we prefer to go on the outskirts. So, yeah, I, I'm having trouble answering that question. I wouldn't say there's just necessarily a hotspot. Yeah. I mean it really, I mean, but that's kind of the triangle isn't it? I mean it's, it's, you've got the triangles big, right? Like we cover a large area. We really do, you know, from, you know, Knightdale XebiaLabs you know, we go all the way down personally. We go all the way down to Fayetteville, but I mean, the triangle market, you know, really extends, I feel like, you know, people moving into Clayton [inaudible] um, we wrap around, you know, we go out to chapel Hill, you know, cardboard.

Speaker 2: (05:18)
I mean we're, we're really expanded out. Um, and so, yeah, I, I wouldn't say that one area is, is necessarily a hotter or more attractive than, than another. Yeah, I agree with you there. I mean you've got some folks who like a few grave arena or a wake forest, you know, kind of tight knit, smaller community but still close to everything is going to be more of their fit and others are gonna want to be right in the mix of it and Raleigh and others are going to be attracted to the Durham scene. So it really just kind of depends on on what you're looking for. But that, that is the nature of the triangle. And that's how I would describe it to somebody is like you have, you know, NC state vs UNC versus Duke fans probably hate me saying something like this of course. But you've got like

Speaker 1: (05:57)
I kind of have always viewed as someone who grew up in Greensboro and then lived on the coast during high school, but during my high school years and then went to college in the area and has stayed here since then. I've kind of been like on all sides of the triangle. Right. And then I've also lived here now for several years and I've always viewed the triangle is just one area. Like it's the triangle more so than other cities where you know, there might be the, like I don't view a Greensboro Winston Salem and high point as the triad as much as I view them all kind of like really individually. But I feel like the triangle is a very cohesive unit. People live in Raleigh, but work in Durham, live in chapel Hill, work in Durham, live in Durham, work in one of the other areas, all the outskirt communities too.

Speaker 1: (06:38)
I just feel like the identity of this area is just one conglomerate made up of all these other cool little towns like Kerry and Morrisville and that kind of thing. So that's how I see it. So that's how I would describe it to somebody. So I think you had a good answer to the question is there's, there's really so many different little choices that you have here. It's not like there's no, it's, Oh well everybody's going to, you know, uh, North Raleigh. That's it. Period. You know, that's where, that's where all the new people are going. We're very diversified and where people like to go in this area in any event that, so, uh, that's how I see it. But it sounds like you're pretty much in agreement there, so that's good. Okay. Another good question. And out-of-towner could ask, is there an area or community now this is a good way of managing that you see as the best value at the moment? Because that's a little bit different question than just what's drawing those people. Yeah.

Speaker 2: (07:24)
You know, I would say best value, um, would really be going to, like I mentioned the outskirts going a little bit further out of town. Maybe you're not within the city. Um, so first of all you're only paying County taxes, but you can just get more home for your money and it's still up and coming. Um, so I'm seeing a lot of areas like Clayton really growing Rollsville, you know, wake forest Zeppelin. I mean, I just see those areas longterm. Just sprouting. You know, one area that's really sticking out to me, um, is new Hill. New Hill is really up and coming. There's a lot of great neighborhoods there, but there's still so much room for growth. And the same goes for Hillsborough. Um, so again, we're a little bit further out, uh, but those areas are just starting to boom. So it's a great time to get in. Now as far as pricing goes,

Speaker 1: (08:14)
I definitely don't know a lot about new Hill, but I have always, I have some experience in Hillsborough. I've always liked Hillsborough.

Speaker 2: (08:21)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean Hillsborough, it's just a great area and I mean it's just, yeah, like I said, it's a market to watch and it's going to explode cause you gotta remember, you know, areas like Cary and Raleigh. I mean, they're just, they're getting built out. Right. Um, and just as years go by, the homes that will be in those areas are older homes per se. There's not much more land to build on, so we just keep spreading out.

Speaker 1: (08:44)
Yep. That's the, uh, the sprawl, I guess we call it. Right. But, uh, yeah, it is, it is interesting to look at, but that I agree with you too. There. It seems like the value is definitely in some of those smaller communities can get a lot of home in a lot of those spots and still be close to all the action. So no, no surprise that more places like what Zebulon and Knightdale were and few Quaye in Holly Springs where a couple of years ago now are becoming like new Hill and we're seeing more and more to love those little communities start to pop up to some pretty interesting. Uh, alright. Another good question here or maybe, I don't know, you might turn it down. Uh, what's the job market like in the area? How is the commute or traffic for most people? I've got to think you get that question from out of towners, right?

Speaker 2: (09:26)
Yeah, of course. And we always say, I mean if you look at any type of article, I mean we're just well known for the job market, right? I mean it's just exploding, you know, with just, you know, textiles and you know, our medical fields and all of that good stuff. I mean, we are a place known for the job opportunities and large companies come into the area too, right.

Speaker 1: (09:45)
But it's also diversified job opportunities. It's not like a, okay, this Arkansas community has a great, fantastic job opportunities, but everybody works for Walmart. You know, like it's, it's not just,

Speaker 2: (09:57)
no, I mean all, all over the place, you know, I mean, there really is just so many different it, there's so much just different opportunities, you know, here in our market. Yeah. So it's not just one type of industry that's just really, you know, flourishing. Um, so yes, the, the job market is just amazing here. Um, and as far as, you know, the commute for traffic for people, for me, I'm like, Oh my gosh, this commute is so horrible, but Oh my gosh, we have it easy, right? Like we have it so easy. To me, it's a long drive. If I'm on the road for 10 minutes and you know, people in other areas would laugh at me. Um, so I mean, the commute is nothing. I mean, my father, for example, he works up in RTP, um, and he drives all the way from Harnett County, from CO's, but it still takes them anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. That's it. And I mean, that's old law, that's many, many, many, many, many miles apart. You know, it's not like driving through, you know, Atlanta or New York city and all this trafficking just, you know, bumper to bumper sitting there. Um, so, you know, the commute is pretty even flow as far as it's, you know, cars are moving, right.

Speaker 1: (11:05)
Even on a five 40 is worst day. It's really not.

Speaker 2: (11:08)
It's not. No, it's not. And they've done a great job with, you know, trying to lessen or create the flow of traffic to be a little bit better with, um, I love, I love on the ramps how they have the green light. I hate. Oh, I love it. Cause I feel like I'm on a, yeah, they do. They do. So what they have is, you know, two lanes entering off of the ramp to get onto the highway and they have a light on each road per se lane, and it's like red light, green light, red light. And I feel like I'm in like a race car driver. Right. Waiting, waiting. Like I get a sense of excitement when it's my time to go room. But yeah, it, uh, it makes it so, you know, people are evenly joining the actual interstate to keep that flow of traffic going. So yeah, even on its worst day, yeah, it could slow down a little bit, you know, on or five 40. But I mean, that's nothing, nothing.

Speaker 1: (11:56)
Every once in a while when I'm a, well, not anymore, since we were from home all the time. But, uh, when I used to go after moving to North Raleigh my first couple of times on five 40 in the morning, going back to our office in Durham, I used to, uh, stop at the stoplight and I'd look at, you know, the person next to me, to my left or my right. And I, you know, give them a little look and like grip the steering wheel real hard. Like, you know, like rev, rev, the engine like yeah, we're going to do this. Right. And you know, usually though it's seven o'clock in the morning, I didn't get, you know, playful reactions back. It was most of the people going, what are you doing

Speaker 2: (12:25)
that is just like, who's this weird guy?

Speaker 1: (12:29)
Every once in a while you get somebody who laughs though. So that's, that makes it, that makes a good, trying to bright bright people's minds a little bit too funny. But yeah, the Kimmy, the traffic's not bad draw market. Great. So, uh, you know, even in the midst of what we're doing right now, you know, the triangle has a lot of businesses that were at the forefront of the working from home movement for a lot of the coronavirus stuff. So a lot of them really embraced that early on and had already been embracing it even before the pandemic and provide those opportunities. I know a friend of mine from, from college, I'd always been jealous of him because since college he'd been working from home pretty much all the jobs that he's had in the tech industry as a computer programmer. He's just been like three, four days a week working from home and uh, you know, live in that lifestyle. And so, you know, he was well prepared for this whole new change that we've all been hit with. So that's the kind of thing that I think is great about living in this area too, is you get, um, businesses that are thinking ahead and forward like that, which is great. So, yeah, definitely worth considering. All right, last but not least, an out-of-towner question here for you, Angie. Do you help connect buyers with lenders, appraisers and other needed professionals?

Speaker 2: (13:33)
Oh yeah. I mean, that's what we're here for, right? Um, we're here to help you with your home surgeon, show you homes and negotiate for you and take you contract to close. But you know, the great thing about our team is we have those resources for vendors as well. You know, it's a one stop shop and we have a great just amazing vendors in place to take care of you and help you along the way as well. So, you know, if you're needing financing, we have two preferred lenders that we work with, you know, one being Jonathan Ellis with fairway independent mortgage who is just fabulous. And so we would love to connect you with our lenders. You know, we have inspectors, I would say to appraisers is not as common just because that's order through your lender. You know, normally we don't need just an independent appraisal, but uh, you know, we have inspectors so once we're under contract we highly advise you to get inspections and we have two preferred inspectors in place. We have our preferred closing attorney, so we have all of those, you know, just specialties in place to make sure that it's, you know, once again a one stop shop, it's seamless as smooth and we get you to the closing table and it's easy peasy.

Speaker 1: (14:38)
If you want to talk to Angie about buying or selling your next home, you can do that by calling or texting. (919) 538-6477 that's (919) 538-6477 (919) 538-6477 and if you are thinking of buying moving into the area and buying a home, might want to pick up a copy of Angie's home buying guide. This is a guide that Angie has put together that walks you through the process of buying a home, going through all the important steps and teaching you the important terminology that you need to know to get through the process. You can get that guide by texting the word contract to the number five five five eight eight eight again, text the word contract to the number five five five eight eight eight and you can download this week's home buying guide. Just text the word contract to the number five five five eight eight eight and click on the link that we texted back. You've been listening to the savvy real tour podcast. I'm Walter store Holt alongside Angie Cole. She's the owner and broker in charge of Aiko Realty here in the triangle. And if you have questions for Angie, we invite you to go online to a Cole realty.com listen to past podcast episodes on the website, read the blog and all the great information, including the option to find a home right there on the website. That's a Cole realty.com and you can also call Angie with your questions. (919) 578-3128 

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