FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. — A town built from tobacco and farming is becoming one of the most sought after towns not only in North Carolina, but the country. 

Fuquay-Varina, a suburb less than 20 miles south of the City of Raleigh, was named sixth best suburb to live in by homes.com. The report considered several factors, including median listing price, crime index and school district scores. 

The small town’s population has nearly doubled in size over the last decade. According to the 2020 Census, 34,152 people call Fuquay-Varina home. 

Home builders are working to keep up with the demand as people continue to flock to the town, looking to plant their roots. TriPointe homes began building the Johnson Pond subdivision in November 2021. 

“There is absolutely no inventory in the market right now. People stop by every day wanting a home, wanting to buy something. As we are releasing home sights, we are selling them as soon as they come on the market,” said James Flanagan, director of community experience for TriPointe Homes. 

Flanagan, who has 18 years of experience working in real estate, says Fuquay-Varina is an ideal location for home buyers. 

“They’re looking for school districts, commute to their work, safety is really big. People will check to see what the crime rate is in the area,” said Flanagan. 

A study done by Safewise in 2021 placed Fuquay-Varina in the top 10 safest towns in North Carolina. 

The Johnson Pond subdivision is one of 67 residential development projects under construction in the town. Once complete, it will consist of 57 single-family homes. 

“Over the last two years, the number of homes being built in Fuquay has doubled, it’s actually 120%,” Flanagan said. 

Similar to most industries, the home building industry is being impacted by supply chain issues and labor shortages. Flanagan says waiting on specific things, like windows or having the people to perform the work, is causing delays in completion. 

“We are unable to develop the land because we don’t have the people to do it,” Flanagan said. 

His advice to home buyers is to set the right expectations and plan on the process taking eight to nine months from start to finish. 

“The way the world is, we can only sell so many a month to keep up with the pace that’s going to build a quality home. Realistically, the expenses, the way the costs are going up, odds are if you don’t buy today it’s going to be higher tomorrow,” Flanagan said. 

With the rapid growth and influx of people comes more cars on the road and traffic backups. The town of Fuquay-Varina approved $45 million to fund 30 transportation projects that are either recently completed, under construction or are planned for the future.