Olde Mill Stream

A stream runs through the middle of this subdivision, which is where the name comes from and why a good number of lots back up to water instead of a fence. The houses went up between 1990 and 1998, about 160 of them on half-acre lots, and they are a mix of ranches and two-stories. Prices generally land between $350k and $475k. There is no pool and no clubhouse. The HOA is $200 a year, which is roughly what it costs to keep a sign and a common area mowed. What you are buying here is the lot.

Where it is

Olde Mill Stream is east of downtown Wake Forest, off Ligon Mill Road. Nothing in the neighborhood fronts a main road, so every trip out starts by getting back to Ligon Mill and picking a direction. Downtown is to the west. The nearest everyday shopping and food is on the Heritage side of town, which is where most of the businesses listed under this page sit. Anyone commuting south toward Raleigh should drive the route at the hour they would actually be driving it before they sign anything. That advice holds for most of east Wake Forest.

What to know if you're moving here

Half an acre is a lot of grass, and that is the trade this neighborhood asks you to make. The rest of the decision comes down to what an owner did or did not spend on a house finished in the 1990s.

• The HOA is $200 a year, which at that level pays for common areas and little else.
• There is no pool, and no dues structure that could build one.
• Schools are Jones Dairy Elementary, Heritage Middle and Heritage High.
• A house finished in 1994 has either had its roof and its HVAC replaced already or is coming due.
• Kitchens and baths are often original, so ask for receipts and dates before you fall in love with a floor plan.
• Updated houses sell near the top of the $350k to $475k range and untouched ones sell near the bottom.

What to do if you're visiting

There is nothing to see inside the subdivision itself. It is houses and a stream, and the stream is not a park with a trail running down it. A visit means the Heritage side of town.

• Golfers can book a tee time at Heritage Golf Club, which is the closest thing to a destination on this side of Wake Forest.
• Mornings are easy, because Courtney's New York Bagels & Deli handles breakfast.
• Later on, Blackbird Brewery is the default place to end an afternoon.
• In July, Jeremiah's Italian Ice is what you do with children.
• Plan on driving to all of it, because nothing on that list is far and nothing on it is close enough to walk to.