Visiting in a couple weeks and need a plan! (Charleston: houses, employment)

[pamptrecy]

We're driving down from Maryland to visit in a couple of weeks and to figure out if we want to move to the Charleston area. I'm pretty sure we will! Anyway, we want to figure out where exactly near Charleston we want to live. Any ideas on how we should go about this? I feel like we need a plan! Is there some places in particular we want to make sure we explore? We have two kids so we want to be in a family friendly area. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Warming up now but STILL freezing in MD. Can't wait to visit!!!

[scjj]

Will commuting to a job be an issue? That's a good starting point.

[USCJoe]

There are a number of issues,factors you will probably want to take into consideration. What are the ages of your children and do you prefer private or public schools, the distance in terms of travel time you would want to be from your employment if that is an issue, the type and size of a home that would best suit your needs, the general price range for a home in which you would feel comfortable, how important is it to be close to the beach and historic district if that is important and anything else you feel you would want for you and your family. I think you will find all areas of Charleston to be "family friendly." If you can provide us with answers to some of these questions, I think you will get all kinds of advice and suggestions from different members of this forum.

[DJShymansky]

A large number of family friendly neighborhoods(without focusing on price), can be found in Mt. Pleasant, West Ashley, Daniel Island, James Island, John's Island and Summerville. I'd strongly recommend hooking up with a local realtor though to help you hone in on what neighborhoods and areas would best suit your needs and price ranges.

Simply driving around and falling in love with a number of different locales would do you a terrible disservice if we come to find out later that they're 1.) too far from work, 2.) too far from school, and 3.) out of your price range.

[Jim3310]

Simple, give us your "wants" in priority order. We'll custom tune your visit.
Ages of the kids is important!
jim

[my3littlemen]

Originally Posted by DJShymansky

A large number of family friendly neighborhoods(without focusing on price), can be found in Mt. Pleasant, West Ashley, Daniel Island, James Island, John's Island and Summerville. I'd strongly recommend hooking up with a local realtor though to help you hone in on what neighborhoods and areas would best suit your needs and price ranges.

Simply driving around and falling in love with a number of different locales would do you a terrible disservice if we come to find out later that they're 1.) too far from work, 2.) too far from school, and 3.) out of your price range.

I too am wondering about where to move. Schools is my #1 concern. We want highly academic and nurturing. My kids are in a private school in NH, but it's VERY expensive. I've always been biased toward private schools, but want to look into good public schools.

We want to get a house on the ocean for less than $1 mil, hopefully 4000+ SF if possible, but one that needs to updated on the inside. I'd just as soon gut parts of the inside to customize a house to our needs. But the best schools are our priority. We have a 10-year-old who is highly gifted and a 12-year-old with slight special needs. He needs a school that has very attentive teachers. We want a nurturing, high academic school for our 5-year-old. We have a lot of wants, huh?

I don't know if I'm even posting my questions correctly. What's the difference between responding to a post with "quote" or "quick reply"? And what are threads? How do I use this website effectively?

[USCJoe]

Anything on the beach in the Charleston area such as Folly Beach and the Isle of Palms will be much much more than one million dollars, even a "teardown." If you would like to enjoy the beach and want a home in the under million dollar range in the 4000 sq. ft. range, I would recommend a home on James Island or in Mt. Pleasant. The public schools in both atreas are excellent.

[pamptrecy]

Here's a list of our wants/needs:

within 30 minutes to Naval Base Spawar, we're not a military family though
good schools-undecided on private or public-would like the option
Kids 5 and 7
safe quiet neighborhood
space to keep our 29 foot camper
not too much traffic although from what I hear traffic in Charleston isn't anything like Baltimore traffic
not new construction or cookie cutter,
not houses too close together but we would like neighbors
2000-2500 square feet, 2 car garage, 4+BR, 2+ Bath, .3 or more acreage, sunroom or screened porch
small town, strong community, friendly people
Price 250-350K tops
near natural food store

[pamptrecy]

I was thinking too...what should we be seeing in the Charleston area to help us make this big decision of whether or not to move? I mean the good and the bad. We just want to make sure it's the right move for us. Thanks!

[Jim3310]

Originally Posted by pamptrecy

Here's a list of our wants/needs:
near natural food store

Ohhh;
You were SO close.
I had it all until 'natural food' came in.

I'll check it out & give you the 'next best thing'.
jim