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Looking to relocate from NJ... Can anyone share thoughts on Greenville, Charlotte suburbs, and Charleston? Really torn! Looking to be in the $350-$450k area... Love mt pleasant but quite pricey... Schools are important too as we have a 5 yr old... TIA! Much appreciated
I think the big question is what are you looking for? Beach, mountains, jobs?
Are you moving here because you want a lower cost of living, cheaper gas or because our state flag looks awesome?
Cost of living esp from a real estate aspect- we can get a lot more there and save once we sell here... I'm in real estate and my husband is relocatable so that's not a major issue... Quality of life, schools, proximity to shops and restaurants, best bang for the buck are criteria...
Cost of living esp from a real estate aspect- we can get a lot more there and save once we sell here... I'm in real estate and my husband is relocatable so that's not a major issue... Quality of life, schools, proximity to shops and restaurants, best bang for the buck are criteria...
Agreed, it all depends on what you're looking for. The three choices are apples, oranges and bananas. Ziggy might be right about Greenville being the best bang for the buck if no other factors matter. It's a different bang than Charleston though. If you're looking at those, you might also consider Raleigh-Durham.
Don't move just for lower RE costs, you won't be happy. All the areas you mention, as other people have said, have very different personalities and pros/cons. Check out a Cost of Living Calculator which lets you compare locales you are considering to your current home town/city.
We looked at all the areas you mention, as well as Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Here's our take - our opinion only...
Charlotte Suburbs -
Huntersville - Too crazy busy for us, homes were reasonable though.
Davidson - Like it a lot, but too pricey for us, and we felt we might get bored there. Great job market if you are in Finance.
Visited some of the other surrounding towns, can't remember the names now - Cornelius was one - just weren't taken with the area enough to move there.
Greenville -
We loved, loved the downtown, but we are more beach people than mountain types, and worried there might be a more "bible belt" feel here. The job market seems to be better in Greenville than the Charleston area. Lots of corporations have headquarters there, but you are in RE so that probably doesn't matter. Lowest home prices of your choices.
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill -
Feels more vibrant/progressive to us than any of your other choices. Great healthcare (UNC and Duke Hospitals) and schools (especially in Chapel Hill). Lots to do, and a great mix of small and med size towns and bigger cities. Highly educated population due to the universities (UNC and Duke) and RTP. Home prices very reasonable. Probably the best job market of the three. Building boom going on. Equi-distant from mountains and ocean.
Charleston area -
Arguably the prettiest of the bunch, and the only one close to beaches. Good schools in some towns. Also the priciest of the bunch. You're nearing the top of your budget depending on what town you look at. Not a great job market unless you are in food service, retail, or hospitality industry. And not a cheap place to live, RE aside. We came from a pricey area of New England and find lots of things much higher in price here than back home - specifically utilities and groceries and sales tax. Almost fell on the floor when we got our first $350 water/sewer bill which was $30 back in MA. RE taxes are very low, sales tax is high (8.5% when you add in the local and municipal taxes) and going up I think to 9%. One plus (or minus depending on how you look at it) - you'll probably have lots of house guests if you move here.
You really need to visit each. They are as different as night and day. Spend a couple weeks in your top two choices - one week in the winter, and one in the summer. It's eye-opening to experience the "very hot" and "very cold" of a place first-hand and might be a deciding factor. Live like a local those weeks - grocery shop, visit the places you would normally frequent, experience the traffic, talk to locals and police. What are the pros/cons of the area, how safe is the area, etc.?
I've lived here too long to know much about cost of living in other cities but Macalan, were there unusual circumstances for you to have a water/sewer bill of $350? I realize I'm only one person but my water/sewer is $50 or less. The quickest way to rack up an expensive water bill is to water the lawn, gardens, etc. The easy way to avoid that is to install a shallow well. If you're watering a lot, the shallow well will pay for itself very quickly.
LocalHero - We're only two people, so we were surprised to say the least. Determined it's the irrigation system. And not sure if MP water costs are higher than other towns. The water also is metered off one system which makes it pricey. Looking into options for a split system. Not sure they allow wells in our subdivision.
LocalHero - We're only two people, so we were surprised to say the least. Determined it's the irrigation system. And not sure if MP water costs are higher than other towns. The water also is metered off one system which makes it pricey. Looking into options for a split system. Not sure they allow wells in our subdivision.
Irrigation system would explain it! Definitely see if they allow shallow wells. It would pay for itself in a few months at that rate.
Water bills are definitely high here, but macalan's issue is shared by a lot of new homeowners. It's just a matter of dialing back the irrigation a LOT. Our bills are no more than $120 during peak watering. And about $70 off season (family of 4).
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