Relocating near Charlestown (Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville: real estate, rent, home owners insurance)

[sells500]

Ok, I have searched this site fairly well and have a few questions I can't seem to find. First, Wife and I are coming down from L.I. N.Y. in Jan/09. to have a first look, never been to SC. Does anyone know a good realtor? Here are some of the questions.

*looking for a new home approx. 2500 sq ft approx. 20-30 mins from charleston. Would like to pay no more then $250-$300. Preferrably in a community. I don't want alot of property to slave over, been there done that.
*Have no idea about property taxes, state taxes, local taxes etc.
*What are the seasonal temperatures like
*We like to be near activities so restaurants, shopping, concerts,outdoor activities etc need to be no futher then 15-20 min. car ride.
*Hate bugs of any size and have 3 small dogs, I have seen some nasty bug reports on this site that scares me a bit
*Coming from L.I. we have our share of crime, I would like to be as far away from that as possible without being too far out into the woods
*Peace and quiet are very high on our list as we have had 40 years of overhead planes, sirens, screaming people, traffic noise, motorcycles that rattle the walls of our home etc.
*Need to be within 45 mins of an airport
*Need to have good medical care nearby
*Last but not least we still have about 10-12 years of working life left, I am an IT professional and she is in mortgage banking. I recently read the Charleston area is the nations third worst for employment.
* no children, so schools aren't too important except for resale purposes therefore it is still necessary to have good schools.

I hope I didn't offend anyone as that is not at all my intention. I have a few tough requirements that I am fairly non negotiable on. I have heard the people are very friendly and the topography in SC is just beautilful...also no SNOW! Thanks for listening for what many I'm sure will say are unreasonable requests.

[DJShymansky]

Haha, they're not unreasonable. That's what you want, no problem finding it. West Ashley, James Island, Summerville and Mount Pleasant would probably suit you well. Each would have neighborhoods within them that would fit the bill on your stated characteristics and travel times. The hard part is just narrowing them down when you come into town and can see them for yourself.

-Property taxes are generally well under 0.75% of the purchase price annually (just a big ballpark figure without having to completely break that down into different cities/localities).
-Fantastic medical care abounds, locally.
-Seasonal temperatures vary. Summer's hot and humid and about 6 months long. The temps sometimes dip below freezing in the winter, though I'm guessing this winter might test that frequency.
-Employment is hard everywhere right now. IT is a tough field locally, but there are plenty of national companies and government contractors here that would have a need for experienced professionals.
-Bugs, well, they exist in abundance here. There's little that can be done aside from routine treatments and maintenance.

[beachme]

*looking for a new home approx. 2500 sq ft approx. 20-30 mins from charleston. Would like to pay no more then $250-$300. Preferrably in a community. I don't want alot of property to slave over, been there done that. Not a problem, I recommend Mount Pleasant if you'd like to be close to downtown and the beaches.
*Have no idea about property taxes, state taxes, local taxes etc. Much lower than where your from In you price range about 1200 a year or less.
*We like to be near activities so restaurants, shopping, concerts,outdoor activities etc need to be no futher then 15-20 min. car ride. highly recommend Mount Pleasant area
*Hate bugs of any size and have 3 small dogs, I have seen some nasty bug reports on this site that scares me a bit Not that bad here in your home...we do have pest control.
*Coming from L.I. we have our share of crime, I would like to be as far away from that as possible without being too far out into the woods Mount Pleasant
*Peace and quiet are very high on our list as we have had 40 years of overhead planes, sirens, screaming people, traffic noise, motorcycles that rattle the walls of our home etc. It's pretty quiet here.
*Need to be within 45 mins of an airport not a problem from any area mentioned
*Need to have good medical care nearby we have MUSC, VA hospital, Trident, Ropers, East Cooper and many more
*Last but not least we still have about 10-12 years of working life left, I am an IT professional and she is in mortgage banking. check out Google, blackbaud for IT and lots of bankers and mortgage companies. I might have a in for you with a mortgage company.
* no children, so schools aren't too important except for resale purposes therefore it is still necessary to have good schools. Again Mount Pleasant or Summerville best schools in the area best for re-sale

[OrangeCountyGirl]

I am not a real estate agent, but I do know a GREAT agent if you are interested.

I've actually worked with this person and would be happy to share my experience with you.

[sells500]

Thanks so much everyone very kind offers and great information. We will be flying in on 1/9 and staying to 1/12. I am going to book a hotel somewhere in the middle ground and rent a car to get around. We will try and absorb as much as we can in that small window. We will def. need a good real estate broker to line up and show us some homes. As temp. is pretty important to us can anyone break it down a little futher...you know like march-june 70-75 range, wet/dry etc. Is Mt Plesant very close to the beach...also a little worried about Hurricanes. Do you get mostly sunny weather or alot of rain and cloudy. Do most people get hurricane insurance or is this not typically something people worry too much about in mt pleasant? I know jobs are tough everywhere, but some areas are fairing better then others, NY is Def. not one of then, hence our move my wife just lost her job of 27 years (this economy is killing us) here and we can't afford to stay. Does anyone know how much property you generally get with a typical home? My property now is 50 x 50, it's perfect for me as it only takes about 45 mins to groom weekly. I don't want to spend hours weekly cutting and trimming...been there down that and life is too short. I will have more questions as time goes on , but I can't think of anymore right now. Thanks for all your help.

[DJShymansky]

Temps from March through June are probably in the 70-85 range. More sunshine than most of the country and rain usually last about an hour then moves on. June through September is usually in the 90's+ and humid.

Mount Pleasant is close to the beaches at Sullivan's and Isle of Palms, yes. Most places in Mount Pleasant are 10-15 minutes or less to the beach.

There is no "hurricane" insurance. There is home owners insurance, flood insurance, and then wind & hail coverage. There is a brightline in Mount Pleasant regarding wind&hail insurance and it's Hwy 17, those areas east of Hwy 17 are in a wind&hail coverage zone. Flood zones vary in Mt. Pleasant, some areas don't require flood insurance at all, and others could be upwards of a few thousand dollars per year, depending on the location, home construction, history, etc. All lenders will require the above if mandated by FEMA.

For many neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant you're looking at .25 of an acre or less. It varies significantly from location to location though.

[moneill]

okay where are y'all finding new homes in Mount Pleasant that are 2500 square feet and 300,000. Am I missing something?

[DJShymansky]

None currently listed, you're right. But built since 2000, and within 5-10% of the stated price range and size of 2500 sf., there's a handful.

[sells500]

DJ,
I don't think I will like to be that close to the beaches and flood zones what is west Ashley like and how far from Charleston? What other areas would fit the criterior I mentioned.

[Barbara]

Just type in on your web browser the town you are interested in, state, and detailed profile. Example "summerville sc detailed profile" then scroll down to the charts that show the climate.