Welcome to 255 Empress Road! - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Covered Front Porch - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Drone View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Entry Hall - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Front Office - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Dining Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Kitchen - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Kitchen - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Kitchen - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Kitchen - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Breakfast Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Family Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Family Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Family Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Family Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Screen Porch - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Primary Bedroom - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Primary Bedroom - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Primary Bathroom - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Primary Bathroom - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Primary Bathroom - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Main Floor Guest Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Main Floor En-Suite Guest Bath - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Bedroom3 - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Bedroom4 - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Bedroom5 - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
2nd Floor Hall Bath - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Bonus Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Bonus Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Main Floor Powder Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Entry Hall - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Laundry Room - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Mud Room Area - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Walk-up 3rd Floor Attic - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Back View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Backyard - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Drone View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Drone View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Drone View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Drone View - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Main Floor - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Second Floor - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
Walk-up Attic - 255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278, Hillsborough
43 photos

$650,000

255 Empress Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Listed by Debbie McCormick · Berkshire Hathaway HomeService
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
3.5
Living area
N/A
Year built
2015

About this home

255 Empress Road offers the total package—style, thoughtful upgrades, flexible living spaces, and a wooded backdrop in the highly convenient Waterstone Estates. The open floor plan is exceptionally well designed, packing in an impressive amount of living space without ever feeling oversized. Beautiful scraped engineered hardwoods span the main level and second-floor hallway, creating a polished foundation for the home's fresh, sophisticated style. The main-level guest suite, complete with a private en-suite bath, is ideal for overnight visitors, while the beautiful home office makes working from home a pleasure. Upstairs, the spacious primary suite is joined by three additional bedrooms and a fabulous bonus room, giving everyone room to spread out. The primary retreat features a tray ceiling, huge walk-in closet, and spa-like bath with a separate walk-in shower and soaking tub. The kitchen is both stylish and functional, with under-cabinet lighting and soft-close cabinetry/drawers. And then there's the walk-up third-floor attic—a tremendous storage opportunity with pre-framed set-ins for future windows and TechShield insulation designed to help keep the space cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Outside, the wooded buffer behind the home (with screened-in porch and upgraded paver patio!) creates a peaceful sense of privacy, while the covered front porch offers the perfect spot to connect with neighbors. Waterstone Estates also features a neighborhood pool and clubhouse, making it easy to enjoy the community without leaving home. Ideally located near UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus, Cates Creek Park, and Home Depot, with easy access to Chapel Hill and Durham, 255 Empress Road delivers the combination of beauty, function, and location buyers are looking for.

Highlights

Fireplace

Property details

MLS
Doorify MLS
MLS #
10195639
Property type
Single Family Residence
Subdivision
Waterstone
Status
Active
Days on market
18
On market date
September 30, 2026
Stories
N/A
Total bathrooms
3.5
Garage spaces
2
Parking spaces
N/A
Lot size
0.25 acres
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Nearby schools

Within 10 miles. School directory data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), accessed via the Urban Institute Education Data API. Local Score is calculated by INNOVATE Real Estate; where a state rating is shown, it comes from that state's own official school report card.

Elementary
Hillsborough Elementary
2.26 mi away · Grades -1-5
Zoned school (attendance boundary, 2015-16 data)
4.0
Local Score (state rating (2025) blended 70/30 with student-teacher ratio) -- not an official state rating
State rating: B (2025)
Enrollment
422
Student:teacher ratio
13.6:1
District
Orange County Schools
Middle
A L Stanback Middle
1.85 mi away · Grades 6-8
Zoned school (attendance boundary, 2015-16 data)
3.3
Local Score (state rating (2025) blended 70/30 with student-teacher ratio) -- not an official state rating
State rating: C (2025)
Enrollment
636
Student:teacher ratio
13.5:1
District
Orange County Schools
High
Cedar Ridge High
2.02 mi away · Grades 9-12
Zoned school (attendance boundary, 2015-16 data)
3.7
Local Score (state rating (2025) blended 70/30 with student-teacher ratio) -- not an official state rating
State rating: B (2025)
Enrollment
1,039
Student:teacher ratio
15.7:1
District
Orange County Schools

Walkability

Blended score for Hillsborough's center, calculated by INNOVATE Real Estate from two sources: the EPA's National Walkability Index (street network, transit, land-use mix) and Google Places amenity data (what's actually reachable on foot from this point). 60% EPA National Walkability Index + 40% nearby-amenity density (Google Places).

37
Car-dependent
out of 100
EPA National Walkability Index
8.2 / 20 -- Below average walkable
Google Places amenity density
30 / 100
Restaurants & cafes0
Grocery stores0
Parks1
Schools2
Transit stops8
Pharmacies1

Market position

How this listing compares to current activity in Hillsborough, from live MLS data.

On the market 18 days -- 123 fewer days than Hillsborough's current average of 141 days.
For reference, the median list price across 167 active listings in Hillsborough right now is $449,900.

Mortgage calculator

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Est. monthly payment
$4,064/mo
$130,000 down
$520,000 loan
Principal & interest$3,373
Property tax (est.)$542
Home insurance (est.)$150

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Data source: Listing information provided by Doorify MLS via Trestle/CoreLogic. Last updated 22 hr ago.

Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed; all measurements, school assignments, HOA fees, taxes, and feature lists are approximate and should be independently verified. Equal Housing Opportunity.