Linda Dyer said shortly after arriving in North Carolina that she “clicked her little red heels” and realized she wasn’t in her home state of Kansas anymore but had landed in what Tar Heels affectionately call “the Southern part of heaven.”

“Everyone is so friendly here,” said Dyer, who moved here in August with her two teenagers, Brooks and Elizabeth, and husband, Dan, who works at Bayer in Research Triangle Park.

The family decided a home in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district was for them.

They decided that building in a new-home neighborhood where most of their neighbors would also be looking to make new friends would be a good idea. And Linda wanted a corner lot.

“We had a corner lot (in Kansas), and I found that corner lots have more people walking by with their dogs and their kids,” Linda said. “People walk by and when I’m out working in my yard, I’m going to meet them.”

Full of possibilities

At the time of their July 2011 visit to Ballentine, the only home built was the model. Dyer said she loved the model home’s floor plan, but knew the kitchen wasn’t going to work for her because the cooking, prep and clean-up areas didn’t have enough separation for someone who loves to cook the way she does.

She didn’t want an island sink and she would need her ovens to have more separation from the refrigerator to allow for a better flow when cooking. She also wanted more room between the island and the kitchen cabinets.

During the short July visit, she didn’t have time to analyze the floor plan completely. No problem, she could use M/I Homes website and make her changes online, including changing the master bath layout and opting for an oversized garage.

“We moved from Kansas and I had to put a lot of trust into the builders because I wouldn’t be here watching the house as it was going up,” Dyer said. “I have never worked with more professional builders. We hired our own home inspector, and he said that our house was one of the best houses he had ever seen. He inspected pre-drywall and when the house was finished.”

She said that the post customer care has also been very impressive.

“Once we closed on our house in Kansas, we couldn’t get the builder back,” Dyer said. “And here, it’s like you snap your fingers and the builders are back.”

The Dyer house has an outdoor flue and one hard rain came at an angle that caused a leak in the kitchen. Linda called the M/I Homes’ builder across the street and said she had three people at her house within 10 minutes.

“They went outside and reconfigured the flue and there is no way rain is going to get in there again,” Dyer said. “We could have horizontal rain now and it wouldn’t get inside our house.”

Now, according to Joyce Turner, a Ballentine sales consultant, there are eight lots left for single-family, detached houses and three spec homes currently being built. The new M/I Homes at Ballentine in Carrboro offer more than easy access to Research Triangle Park, Duke, UNC and Chapel Hill. There are many models and options, including homes with basements; homes with first-floor owners’ suites; and two-story homes sized from 2,332 to 3,395 square feet and ranging in starting prices from $372,990 to $444,787. Plus they’re Green Home Builders of the Triangle (GHBT) Certified “Green,” 100 percent Energy Star Certified, and come with M/I Homes’ 30-Year Transferable Structural Warranty.

Ballentine Towns also has four luxury three-bedroom, 2.5 bath townhomes of 1,888-heated square feet ready for sale through M/I Homes, the builder and developer of Ballentine. These luxurious townhouses range in price from $219,990 to $228,990 and have single-car garages, screened porches, welcoming foyers, owner suites with tray ceilings and owner bath with double sinks and granite counters. The open great rooms have direct-vent gas fireplaces, hardwood floors and nine-foot ceilings. The upscale kitchens have maple cabinets, granite counters, stainless steel gas range, dishwasher and side-by-side refrigerator.

When completed, Ballentine will have 44 single-family detached homes and 34 townhomes, at least eight of which will be affordable through the Community Home Trust. Ballentine has a playground and miles of walking trails that connect to two adjacent neighborhoods: Lake Hogan Farms and the Legends at Lake Hogan.

“We are very proud of the community that Ballentine has developed into,” said Ed Kristensen, president of the Raleigh Division of M/I Homes. “We’ve been able to offer top-notch, single-family homes as well as townhomes for an amazing cost. The real beauty of a community is shown when homeowners move in and bring the community to life. It’s a wonderful community.”

“It is going to be a great place,” Dyer said. ““Everybody is new and we have all different ages and ethnicities. I love the diversity because I think that is the real world, and I couldn’t have picked a better school for our kids than Chapel Hill High School.”

Home Owners Association dues for detached, single-family homes are $48 per month. HOA dues for townhomes are $136 per month. Children living at Ballentine would attend Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools: Morris Grove Elementary, McDougle Middle School and Chapel Hill High School.

Ballentine has two model homes: a single-family, detached home at 509 Dairy Glen Road, north off Hogan Hill Road; and a model townhouse, decorated by nationally acclaimed designer Mary Cook, at 250 Lexes Trail off Dairy Glen Road. For more information about a single-family or luxury condominium at Ballentine or to tour either model home, contact Joyce Turner at jturner@mihomes.com or 919-929-4777.

Affordable Condos

Ballentine condominium resident Betty Booher agrees with Dyer that Ballentine is friendly and her townhome well built. She also likes the convenience of living there. A school nurse in the Orange County School system, Booher says her neighbors in Ballentine Towns are “wonderful,” and that she looks forward to meeting more as the last four affordable two-bedroom units made possible through the Community Home Trust are filled.

Booher, who moved into her two-bedroom, 1.5-bath home in June, has spent the summer filling her place with comfortable furniture, favorite mementos, family photos and a very comfortable Pier One swinging chair on her covered front porch.

She says the 1,047-square-foot condominium is “a perfect size” for her. She’s single, but has family who like to visit. The extra bedroom and open floor plan makes entertaining easy, she says. The energy-efficient and green building techniques used by builder M/I Homes help keep utility bills low.

Booher says the commute to Efland’s Gravelly Hill Middle School where she works doesnÂ’t take much more time than it did when she lived in an apartment in Hillsborough.

“Our two-bedroom townhomes at Ballentine are a great opportunity for anyone wanting to own an affordable home in the Chapel Hill school district,” said Robert Dowling, executive director of Community Home Trust. “We recently lowered the price to just $110,000, and we can bring the price lower for qualified buyers.”

Each of the affordable townhomes comes with a refrigerator and Community Home Trust will pay $500 towards closing costs, Dowling said. To qualify, applicants must be first-time home buyers or not have owned a home within the last three years; must earn 80 percent or below the areaÂ’s median income; and must live or work in Orange County. Applicants must complete a one-hour orientation and an eight-hour First Time HomebuyersÂ’ Education Class, both of which are free. Visit www.communityhometrust.org for more information or call 919-967-1545 Ext 302 for Sales Associate Deanna Carson or Ext 301 for Crystal Fisher. The next orientation classes are December 1, 12 and 28.

Driving Directions
 to Ballentine

From Burlington, take I-40 East to exit 261 (Old North Carolina 86). Turn right and drive south approx. 6 miles to community on left side of street.

From Raleigh and Durham, take I-40 west to exit 266 (North Carolina 86). Turn left at the end of the ramp and then make an immediate right on Eubanks. Drive 2.5 miles to Old North Carolina 86 and turn left. Ballentine is approx. ¾ mile on the left hand side.

From Pittsboro take 15-501 North to Highway 54 west. Drive approx. 2.5 miles to Old Fayetteville Road and turn right. Drive approx. 2 miles to Old North Carolina 86 and turn right. Ballentine is approx 3 mile on the right hand side.