Expanding my search - Opinions please (Charleston, Goose Creek: HOA, co-op, houses)

[beth727]

So my husband and I are looking to retire in about a year. Our original search was Summerville which is still a player however I see several reasons to expand my search and I am looking for input on area.
What we want -
1. Budget - $200K - $300K lower is better
2. House
3. Employment Status - retired
4. Children - grown living on own so school is not a concern
5. Lifestyle - we like city, country, coast and everything in between. We currently live on Long Island in NY so we are used to having beach (ocean) access, as well as city and mountains all within reason we can be an hour from beach with no worries we will be retired!
6. Would like access to pool or our own pool. We do not golf so that is not a need.
7. property size would like at least 1/4 acre if possible or as close to that as possible.
8. Since we are retiring and hoping this will be our forever home we would like a one story - second floor bonus room ok. At the very least we want a 1st floor master and at least one additional 1st floor bedroom.
9. looking for a safe and desirable neighborhood.

So I see Berkley County has lower taxes. Yes I know everyone says D2 schools are better however I don't have kids in school and while that may help with resale hopefully this is my forever home.

Moncks Corner - good, bad and indifferent? What are your thoughts?

Subdivisions in Moncks Corner - recommendations or some we should stay away from and why?

other areas in Berkley County that may suit our needs/Wants?

My husband will be down there next week so I want to give him some direction on where to look around. He will be staying in summerville at my brother in laws so he will drive around Legend Oaks, Pine Forest and Wescott as they all seem to be areas we are gravitating towards although we have seen some nice properties listed in several other locations, bridges of summerville for one. The thing is when I see prices in Moncks Corner the property is bigger and the houses look nice for less money. Is this because of Schools, amenities and location further from Downtown Charleston and the beaches or are there other reasons.

Thanks in advance for any light you can shine for us in our search.

[johngolf]

Sun City in Summerville.

https://www.delwebb.com/homes/south-...arleston-12483

[FiveLoaves]

You really should check out Cane Bay first hand. In my opinion, that subdivision is too big. But, you should judge it for yourselves. The shopping is very convenient, but there's also an entire school system inside the subdivision (which you don't need). Cane Bay is also pretty remote from everything.

Berkeley County's Taxes will be catching up to the other counties over the next few years -- they have infrastructure to build up, roads to maintain and probably another school system to keep up with new arrivals. Your Electric Bill will be noticeably less in Berkeley county with the Electric Co-Op the low cost provider.

If DH is going to be on the Summerville side, he simply must experience the drive time traffic. I know you are retired, so you don't have to be out there at 8am or 4pm.....but you must see Main Street (Hwy 17) in S'ville and then down Dorchester Road to get a true picture.

If he's going to be looking at the big 3 developments that we've mentioned, he should also take a look thru the "Ashborough" and "Kings Grant" subdivisions along Dorch Road. These are older subs (circa 1990 ?), with some very solid homes, quite a few Ranches. These may be priced a level below the Golf Course comnunities.

Good Luck with the visit.

[beth727]

Originally Posted by johngolf

Sun City in Summerville.

https://www.delwebb.com/homes/south-...arleston-12483

Thanks! I love the homes in this area however it seems the lots are very small. I also have a friend who has a relative there and there were a couple things mentioned with the HOA that I was not really thrilled with one being when you have guests kids could not be at the pool during certain hours. I have many nieces and nephews and to not be able to bring them to the pool at the height of the day would be really bothersome to me. Maybe this is not accurate but it is what I heard from someone who lives there.

[beth727]

So FiveLoaves and johngolf - are you both of the opinion Moncks Corner would not be a good choice? I am looking for options outside summerville. Thinking maybe my post wasn't too clear. We have been looking through all the summerville neighborhoods and decided to expand our search. Also we have visited there a few times already as I said my husbands brother lives in Summerville and I have a cousin in Adams Run. Traffic is nothing compared to Long Island NY. I have had days where it has taken me well over an hour to travel 12 miles home from work. Thankfully I now work from home.

[FiveLoaves]

I honestly can't comment too much about Monck's Corner, I don't get out that way too often.

You have to decide what exactly are you looking for ?? Remember, you're not just buying a Forever Home, you're probably buying into a Forever Neighborhood too. Did you like the vibe of downtown S'ville ?? I don't think Monck's Corner has anything quite like that. The last time I was out in Cane Bay, I clocked the mileage back to S'ville -- just about 20 miles to Azalea Square in S'ville. Monck's Corner would add about 15 miles to that. It certainly is a nice location, near the Lake and the National Forest. If you're into that lifestyle, and would be OK with the occasional 35 mile drive to some semblance of a downtown....Moncks Corner could be for you !! I'd suggest DH take a ride out that way when he's here.

Also, Adams Run is another nice area with wide open spaces and bigger lots, if that's what you're looking for.

[beth727]

what about goose creek area? How is that. Any specific subdivisions in there anyone would recommend?

[LocalHero]

I'm not as familiar with Monks Corner either but it doesn't have the "city vibe" that closer in to Charleston has. The things that make Charleston attractive are the proximity to the beaches and the city itself with it's historical charm and it's relatively high level of cultural accessibility (for a city it's size). It's also a fairly cosmopolitan city (again, given it's size) These features become somewhat lost living out as far as Monks Corner. Goose Creek is closer but still seems remote to me. If that works for you, you might check out Crowfield or Brickhope Plantations.

BTW, I've not seen that Berkeley County has lower property taxes than Charleston County. According to the estimators, a $300k owner occupied house in BC (Monks Corner) would run $2092 per year and in CC (Mt Pleasant) it would only run $1177. It changes a bit for different municipalities within those counties:

https://www.berkeleycountysc.gov/drupal/tax_estimator
Auditor's Office

I believe Dorchester County is similar to Berkeley, maybe higher.

[beth727]

Originally Posted by LocalHero

I'm not as familiar with Monks Corner either but it doesn't have the "city vibe" that closer in to Charleston has. The things that make Charleston attractive are the proximity to the beaches and the city itself with it's historical charm and it's relatively high level of cultural accessibility (for a city it's size). It's also a fairly cosmopolitan city (again, given it's size) These features become somewhat lost living out as far as Monks Corner. Goose Creek is closer but still seems remote to me. If that works for you, you might check out Crowfield or Brickhope Plantations.

BTW, I've not seen that Berkeley County has lower property taxes than Charleston County. According to the estimators, a $300k owner occupied house in BC (Monks Corner) would run $2092 per year and in CC (Mt Pleasant) it would only run $1177. It changes a bit for different municipalities within those counties:

https://www.berkeleycountysc.gov/drupal/tax_estimator
Auditor's Office

I believe Dorchester County is similar to Berkeley, maybe higher.

Yes I was comparing Dorchester and Berkley counties. I think Charleston is the lowest. OK so maybe I shouldn't expand my search to Moncks Corner. I don't think MP is for us from what I have seen the prop is smaller for the money spent. My budget would probably be 250K I could go to 300K if I fell in love but not really interested in going that high. I really don't want to be right on top of my neighbor.

I know West Ashley has been mentioned as well.

So here is the thing while we were down there last time we drove through legend oaks and pine forest areas and really liked them. When we look online we seem to always gravitate towards houses in those areas as well as wescott and historic summerville. Some houses within our budget some a stretch. Either way that is the vibe we tend towards it seems. With that said are there any other areas that might fit our bill. keeing in mind other criteria like a ranch or at least downstairs master (or dual masters) with another qualifying room for guests on first level (like an office or something). My husband will be there next week so I want him to scope out some additional areas.

I probably should have started a thread with the above paragraph instead of mentioning Moncks Corner.