Buying a house in Pittsboro or other parts of Chatham County is not unlike buying a house in any other part of the Triangle or the Country for that matter, with one exception. Chatham has in the past been one of the fastest growing Counties in the region, the Country even. So depending on your idea of the "perfect" home, one thing usually stands out when considering where to buy...location, location, location. And even though growth and development has slowed in Chatham, that trend is not likely to continue.
Not to sound cliché' ish, but location is one of the single most important features of a home. Select wisely and you can be rewarded with the quiet and serenity of the deep woods. Select poorly and you may find a four lane avenue passing in front of your house in the coming years. Do your homework and select a good location and you can find your nest egg has grown nicely when it is time to move on to your next destination. Choose without some due diligence and you may find after years of improvements and paying your mortgage down that your dream home has turned into a nightmare and in order to sell you may have to practically give the house away, and it may take a long time to do that.
Why is this? There are many reasons and factors that go into what someone would call the "perfect" home. There are as many opinions as there reasons of what makes the "perfect" home. Many people come to what I refer to as the "Rural Triangle" to get away from it all. Get away from the traffic, the hustle and bustle, the noise, basically get away from people. While others come for the greater value and reduced cost of living, but still expect to find all the conveniences of Apex, Cary, or Chapel Hill. And still some want to be in a location early to take advantage of the market upswing in that area. All are good reasons in their own right, but they have different objectives, different location feature requirements, and way different outcomes especially when choosing well or not.
Let's look a few of these in more depth. We will focus on the Eastern section of Chatham County, especially in and around Pittsboro as that is the area I know most about and can offer the best advice. Let's first focus on the person moving out to Pittsboro and Chatham County to get away from it all and live out in the country as this is the person likely to be the most impacted by what is happening now and in the near future.
So your driving through the "Rural Triangle" part of Chatham County and come upon this sleepy little town called Pittsboro. You think to yourself, why this is Mayberry, that mystical little town once seen on TV in the 1950s and 60s whose North Carolina native Andy Griffin patrolled the quiet streets with his trusty sidekick Barney. Parking downtown you might opt for dinner or ice cream at one of our quaint eating establishments or shop in one of our unique shops. But sooner than later, if you wait just a little bit, like Dorothy found out in the Wizard of Oz, you might not be in Mayberry. At least not for long.
You see, change was in full swing in Chatham just prior to the economic downturn. And while that downturn has led many developers and developments to head for higher ground, the fact is those tracts of land will one day house many newcomers. That is a fact. No matter what the situation is today, we are still likely to have others pick up where previous developers left off. Some with deep pockets, like Newland Community's Briar Chapel, staid the course and have continued to prod a long. That pace is also likely to quicken as the economy rebounds and new growth pops up.
But perhaps the biggest reason we will likely see growth continue again at a brisk pace really has less to do with the rebound in the economy and more to do with software, computer software that is. Because when things started to go south for many developers in Chatham, another group started quietly making plans. That group was Preston Development, backed by SAS Software's Jim Goodnight, one of the richest men on the East Coast. No one really knows what is planned with the more than 6,000 acres the group has quietly amassed. Yes there are plans that have been floated around. But I think what we are likely to see is something very special, different but very special. For this reason we are likely to see renewed investment and growth, not only in Pittsboro, but the entire area, the likes that have not been seen.
Understanding where growth is likely to take place and what type of growth is likely to occur will go a long way in knowing where to buy or build your "perfect" home. It will help you determine where on this growth path you want to be and what is the best place for you live, based on your wants and goals.
Watch for Part 2, where we discuss what is taking place in Chatham and around Pittsboro and how with a little planning on your side you can find your "Dream Home" and live happily ever after.
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