Jumping right in, I will first say Wake Forest has an abundance of luxury, new construction neighborhoods that are now selling for $1.5-$2.5M with some of the best custom home builders in the triangle.  

Check out our separate blog breaking those neighborhoods down, but this blog focuses on the overall best neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC that have a generally more affordable range of prices.  

Traditions

Starting off with neighborhood built out in the past 10 years and one that is still expanding, is Traditions.

Located on the eastern side of Wake Forest, just north of Hwy 98, and across from the Gateway Commons shopping center, Traditions is a newly built master plan community with an amazing variety of housing types and the BEST amenities.  

It has a large pool surrounded by a playground, a sand volleyball court, and a fire pit surrounded by amphitheater style seating for social gatherings.  

It also has a network of paved walking trails throughout the neighborhood and is right next to the Wake Forest Reservoir, where you can kayak, walk through wooded trails, and go mountain biking.  

The neighborhood has numerous sections that each have a different size and style of home.  They are also newly built, so they will not require updates.

The most common style of homes range from $400k to $800k with roughly 2500 to 4000 SF, and have around 1/4 to 1/3 of an acre lots.  

There are townhomes in the $400k range with 1500 to over 2000 SF located in various parts of the neighborhood, and there’s a Del Webb section located in the back of the community that has its’ own pool and tennis courts.

There is an estate homes section as well, where the average homes prices are $800k to $1.25M with over a 1/2 an acre lots where typically more trees were left.

Commutes are about 30 minutes to downtown Raleigh, 35 minutes to RTP, and 30 minutes to the airport.  If commuting during rush hour, expect those times to increase.

Schools are Richland Creek Elementary, and Wake Forest Middle and High School.  The popular Envision Math and Science Charter school is also located within the neighborhood.  

Next up on our list of best neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC is Holding Village, another new construction, master plan community located in a prime location.

Holding Village

Located just north of Rogers Rd and next to the popular Heritage community and shopping centers, Holding Village has it all for those who love master plan communities and want to be in a prime location within Wake Forest.

The neighborhood started around 2015 and is still expanding.  It’s rooted in the history of the Holding Dairy Farm, and they left the silos on the property to maintain its’ historic feel.  

There is a 15 acre nature made lake with walking trails around it that also connect to the Wake Forest Greenway system, and 6 pocket parks with over 35 acres of open green space throughout the neighborhood.  It has a good size pool and playground next to the lake as well.  

The average home prices are between $400-700k with between 2000 to 3500 SF, and the homes are generally on lots that are 1/4 acre and some much less, as the neighborhood concept relies on the pocket parks and green space for play. 

There are quite a few different styles of houses that provide a good variety to choose from, and Toll Brothers is building farmhouse style homes in the new phase that will start in the upper $600Ks with 3500+ SF, and slightly larger lot sizes.  

Commuting wise, traffic can be a challenge in the immediate Heritage area during school drop off and pick-up times, as you are right across from the Elementary and Middle Schools.  

Expect about 30 minutes to downtown Raleigh, RTP and the RDU airport, but peak rush hour times will add 10-15 minutes to those times.  

Schools are all great options of Wake Forest Elementary, Middle, and High, and there are multiple charter schools nearby.

Moving on to Heritage, Wake Forests’ marquis neighborhood.

Heritage

Heritage is Wake Forests’ original, master planned neighborhood that helped put the suburb on the map, and its’ popularity continues as it has some of the best schools in the county in Heritage Elementary, Middle and High School.

The community began in 2003 and currently covers over 2000 acres, as the latest portions of the community just completed over the past couple of years.  

It’s built around its’ own golf course for country club style living, has two separate, large pools, and quite a few unique playgrounds that are amazing spaces for the kids.  And its’ Forgotten Pond is an absolutely beautiful place to enjoy a nice afternoon.  

With such a large neighborhood, there is quite the variety of home styles and prices, but overall, typical home prices are between $400k to $1M with between 2000 to 4000 SF. 

There are some areas with larger homes that are over $1M with 5000 to over 8000 SF near the golf course as well.

Lot sizes are generally 1/4 to 1/2 an acre, and most locations have more mature trees given the age of the neighborhood.  This does mean many of the homes will require updates, but there are some locations that have newer construction homes as well.

Commute times are just like the neighboring Holding Village at about 30 minutes everywhere, but you do have to be cautious of the traffic during certain times along Rogers and Heritage Lake Roads.  

Next up on our list of best neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC is Stonewater, a new construction neighborhood located just north of Heritage.

Stonewater

Stonewater is in a GREAT location, just like Holding Village and Heritage, as it’s directly south of those neighborhoods and just a minute down the road from the coveted Heritage High School and Heritage shopping centers.  

Its’ comprised of new construction homes by a team of custom home builders, so they neighborhood is filled with gorgeous homes.  If you want the latest design trends in a prime location, this neighborhood has it all.

The average prices range from $750k to around $1.25M, with between 3500 to 4500 square feet.  Lot sizes are generally 1/3 of an acre and some trees were preserved as well.  

The neighborhood does have a pool and playground, and perhaps my favorite part is it has multiple entries to Wake Forest’s greenway system, so its’ a great place to get some exercise outdoors.  

Just like Heritage and Holding Village, Stonewater’s commutes are around 30 minutes, but again, watch out for that Rogers’ Rd traffic. 

The last neighborhood on the list of best neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC is Hasentree, which defines luxury living.

Hasentree

Hasentree is located on the far west side of Wake Forest, outside of official town limits.  While its’ just under a 10 minute drive to your closest store or restaurant, its’ really in a great location for commuting.  

It’s outside the main traffic areas of Wake Forest and has multiple routes to use for commuting to minimize impacts of rush hour traffic.  Expect about 30 minutes into downtown Raleigh, 30 minutes to the RDU airport, and 30 minutes to RTP, with minimal time added during rush hour.

The community is built around a Tom Fazio designed, 18 hole golf course, which has the Signature Gold Certified Audubon Sanctuary, one of a select few golf courses in the nation with this designation.  

The club house is gorgeous and absolutely massive at over 16000 SF, with both indoor and outdoor dining options that allow you dine in comfort while overlooking the 18th hole.  

Separate from the clubhouse is the Activity Center, which has a gym and family center for childcare.  The center surrounds the multiple pools, one of which has a really nice area for young kids, a playground, and multiple tennis courts.  

And it has a lake located in the center of the neighborhood that has paved walking trails surrounding it.  

Hasentree also organizes tons of events and activities for its’ community, like the annual fall fest, meeting Santa, and themed social gatherings throughout the year.  This is a great place for families, as well as retirees, as there is a great network and community for all ages.  

There is quite a mix of houses, but the average homes in the front of the neighborhood were built in the 2000s and average around $1M to $2M with 3000 to well over 5000 square feet, while some homes are in the $3M to $4M range with massive amounts of square footage.  

Given the age of the homes, many will require updates and have older style layouts, but there are some newer construction homes and sections sprinkled in as well.

In the back of the neighborhood are newly finished homes by Toll Brothers, which is a mix of Golf Villas in the $600k to $900k range that are generally ranch style homes with around 2000 to 2500 SF, and some larger homes further back as well.

There’s also a newly built section by Mungo Homes with home prices around $1M, and another section is currently under construction in 2023 and beyond by Ashton Woods, with a variety of floor plans available starting in the $700Ks.

Schools for Hasentree are North Forest Pines Elementary, Wakefield Middle and Wakefield High School.

Wake Forest has SO many GREAT neighborhoods and is generally more affordable than Raleigh and many of its’ suburbs, but it’s still in a GREAT location in the triangle for both entertainment and commuting.  

I hope this list of the best neighborhoods in Wake Forest NC was helpful.  For more information on Wake Forest, check out the pros and cons of Wake Forest, the best luxury neighborhoods in Wake Forest, and everything you need to know about Wake Forest.

If you need any assistance finding a home in Wake Forest NC, or the greater Raleigh area in general, please don’t hesitate to reach out as our team here at the W Real Estate Group would love to help you!

Please reach out via our contact information below:

Phone:  919-504-5265

Email:  Alison@thewgroupraleigh.com

Website:  www.thewgroupraleigh.com