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Originally Posted by Mack
Gentlemen,
I'm looking for a little real estate help from those that have gone through the Q, or who know about living around Ft. Bragg. I currently live in Phoenix, Az and have just received word that my training NCOIC has applied, on my behalf, to attend the Q course (background info: selected 007-06, 18c, Korean, not yet Airborne Q'd). In light of that information, I'm planning on selling my house in Phoenix and moving to NC. If I were by myself I'd move right off post and call it good, but the wife needs to be fairly close to the Raleigh/Durham Airport (45 minutes or so) for business. I've been looking at Sanford and Benson as possible places, but without knowing what to expect from the Q course, don't know how to advise her and her job on where we'll likely end up. Can any of you folks lend a hand with towns that are between Ft. Bragg and R/D and are family friendly (have a 10 month old). BTW, I'll probably be looking at a house in the $250k-$350k range. FWIW, I've had bad dealings w/ Real Estate agents and that's the reason I'm not going that route first.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I've been given an October start date for the Q.
Thanks for your time and take care...
Mack
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Mack:
Good question.
You are going to be pretty much limited to Harnett, Lee, or southern Wake county. There are not very many bridges over the Cape Fear river that is the major drainage between Raleigh and Fayetteville. Therefore, you will have to stay near those highways with Cape Fear bridges to access both areas easily.
I commuted from a small town east of Raleigh to Bragg for several months, the drive was usually close to 80-90 minutes. I have known people who lived in Fuquay-Varina in Wake County and drove to Bragg for the same spousal reasons as you, that was about a one hour commute to post. It would be less than 45 minutes to RDU, maybe as few as 30 depending on traffic.
I would recommend that you look along the US1 or US 401 corridors. Both will get you to RDU easily, Bragg will be a bit more cross-country. With the new sections of US1 being completed, Sanford (near US 1) is an easy 45 minutes to RDU except for rush hour, and is about equidistant to Bragg. That section of highway is wide open and has few exits with services though, so make sure that you have a good cell and a well-maintained vehicle for the wife. Harnett County, between Fuquay and Lillington, will put you on the edge of the desired 45 minutes to RDU, but will be a quicker commute to Bragg for you. You could possibly edge into the southeastern portions of Chatham County, which would be closer to RDU, but at the expense of an hour or so to the main post. You are almost able to hit northern Moore County, which has all of the advantages of Sanford and then some, but is an additional 15 minutes drive to the airport to make it just under an hour. Your drive to Bragg should be 40 minutes or less. If you want to try that, look at the area around Vass (close to US 1) and places north of there. Of the options, you are going to find better houses, better highway routes, faster access to the Raleigh-Durham airport and big city life and relatively more amenities in Sanford and northern Moore County.
HTH.
TR