Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Been awhile and about time to update this posting and list the latest with our move to Charleston, well specifically Mount Pleasant, after our 2 week trip there the end of May. I have received many PM's so easier to post my findings, decisions here as opposed to replying to each individual PM please.
As stated in previous postings, my wife and I and son (2 yrs old now) traveled to MP the end of May for 2 weeks. We rented a home for the 2 week period in Dunes West. Could have rented at one of the beaches or downtown etc., but wanted to be 'in' where we are seeking to live. Not Dunes West per say, but in the general area we are interested in and the home in DW fit the bill for the area. By the way, the vaca rental home was outstanding and made a great place to stay while there. We wanted to drive the roads early in the morning, simulating early morning rush hour to downtown Chas. or Daniels Is etc. Wanted to drive 17 during the rush hour coming home as well during work hours. Wanted to shop in the grocery stores we would be shopping in. Try some of the restaurants, went in and out of stores bike stores as we are bikers, etc. By the way, best best pizza was in Belle Hall, sorry but forgot the name. Great brick oven pizza and we can say that coming from NYC ! Will not miss the pizza here with the place in Belle Hall
We actually wanted to rent initially when we moved to MP. Gives us time to really research the areas we were interested in, being
Park West
Rivertowne
Brickyard
tried Belle Hall but decided no
wanted Darrel Creek the best, but decided too out there, same with Alston Point.
Anyway... we drove all over the areas, in and out of all the neighborhoods just mentioned as well as Chas. National, Hamlin etc.
Again just wanting to initially rent when we move down.
But then we found a home that really hit us when we saw it and really really hit us when we viewed it a second time. The 3rd visit to that house was to make an offer. In the days to follow we worked out a price we and the seller would be happy with. It was a short sale, so actually the bank still had to decide if the selling price was appropriate.
This was the very end of May, with the bank stating they would have a decision to approval/disapproval of the short sale the end of June. We said great.. we would have a reply from the bank in about 30 days.
Again we wanted to initially rent... we did quite a lot of research real estate wise for MP over the past year before we traveled down and for those that have been reading my post know I was there the previous June myself to do a lot of the legwork. As I drove all over MP and practically hit every subdivision.
So while we were there in May we did go around with a real estate agent with whom I have me the previous year and have stayed in touch for the year prior to us as a family coming down this past May.
As far as the agent I will get into details at the end of the posting and highly, highly recommend him to anyone interested in moving to Charleston.
So we saw this 'short sale' home and went for it.
We both have purchased homes previously, this is not a first time venture for us, but a short sale is.
We also knew we would have a bank reply the end of June... well we thought !
The end of June came and gone......
The end of July came and gone..
The end of August came and gone...
The end of September came and gone...
The end of October came and gone... and no word from the bank.
Sitting on a short sale certainly is not for everyone.
5 months came and went and the worse part is........ the bank can simply not grant the short sale and we wasted 5 months !
In the meantime we could have searched for other homes, we could have searched for rentals and even moved in the meantime.
As I say, short sales are not for everyone
But just when we thought the bank would wait for 2011 to make a decision, the bank approved the short sale in November.
It was either this time in Nov. or with Thanksgiving coming, we knew it would be at the earliest Jan 2011. After a promised end of June... yeah right
We will close on the house in January and cannot wait.
We can breath a sigh of relief at least that the wait was well worth it.
We did look at other homes on-line for the past 5 months and not a one came close to the one we are getting, we got lucky to find it.
We became experts on short sales now. One has to do quite a lot of research on their own to know the ins and outs of a short sale.
All this was in my wife's lap (MBA Finance). A short sale is certainly not for everyone. The bank for no reason can sit on a decision for months and months and I hear could reach 8 months and then decline the short sale and also banks are not giving short sales away, they have to approve the price even after the seller and buyer approve a price... and they want their price.
Specific details will be disclosed after the closing. We go by.. loose lips sink ships and it ain't over till it is over.
But finally we will move to Mt Pleasant and cannot wait. Yes we thought we would be moving in July, August, into a rental. Now will be moving in the middle of winter up here in NYC. Hope moving day will not be a blizzard up here
Good I did not give away my snow shovels yet, as I will still be shoveling snow this winter, well for the last time at least.
Again cannot wait to move to MP.
Everyone we have met have been super nice.
I have developed friends from my first visit 1-1/2 yrs ago and cannot wait to have them as neighbors. As well as all the people I have been in touch with that I have not yet met.
Any questions please feel free to ask.
I do have some questions to ask about moving and misc. items in a follow up post.
Just wanted to get this one out as many PM'ers have been asking me on what has happened after our trip in May.
Now to the real estate agent we used.
We used USCJoe as many of you know him here.
He is without a doubt a great agent to have with you, along side you.
As I tell people, any agent can open the front door to a home and walk through the home with you.
But when it comes down to location, price, appraised value, opening bid, building quality, material, resourses etc etc that is where the expertise of a great real estate agent is needed and valued.
Especially with the short sale, which we had no knowledge of the workings. As I wrote earlier, my wife and I, prior to our marriage have purchased and sold homes, but never a short sale. There are so many questions, so many specifics, terms, reasonings, lack of reason etc. Joe was monumental with all of this. He does not toot his own horn, so I will.
His background of being a former FBI agent and attorney throughly came through throughout the entire process... and it is not over.
I completely recommend USCJoe to anyone interested in the Charleston area. He never pushes, never puts any interests ahead of yours. Is completely knowledgeable of the physical area and all areas, aspects of real estate. Please consider contacting Joe for any needs, questions and tell him Michael says hi.
Again, we cannot wait to come down finally.
We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is the light of Charleston shining through.
Everyone we have met have been super friendly and helpful. Cannot wait to make them our neighbors and make ourselves neighbors of them as well.
Sorry if I dragged this on a bit much. Wanted to express we can now see as I wrote the light at the end of the tunnel with our move to Charleston and also reply in general to everyone's PM'ing me.
Michael
DUDE! i have been reading your posts, and your quest to move to somewhere outside of charleston proper is just lame. i cannot belive how much time, effort, etc. you invested simply to move to some lame cookie cutter/look-alike/cul de sac neighborhood somewhere out in deep mt. p.
my reco to anyone who actually wants to see the lights of downtown more than every few weeks, and to those who don't think the towncenter is where the action is... buy closer in! the groves, cooper estates, bayview acres, old mt. p, hell, old village if it's in your price point, same w/ hobcaw and ion... anything else is not giving you the charleston experience.
DUDE! i have been reading your posts, and your quest to move to somewhere outside of charleston proper is just lame. i cannot belive how much time, effort, etc. you invested simply to move to some lame cookie cutter/look-alike/cul de sac neighborhood somewhere out in deep mt. p.
my reco to anyone who actually wants to see the lights of downtown more than every few weeks, and to those who don't think the towncenter is where the action is... buy closer in! the groves, cooper estates, bayview acres, old mt. p, hell, old village if it's in your price point, same w/ hobcaw and ion... anything else is not giving you the charleston experience.
*************
Well, time to reply to the above I guess
I have learned and lived my life, NOT to judge a book/someone by its cover.... (or by their screen name... re: 'hate you people')
But to judge someone by their spoken/written word.
Well, read the above comment to me and enough said :P
**************
So anyway........
Question please....
Any comments on wireless/cellphone service for Mt Pleasant please ?
Sprint vs Verizon vs ATT vs T-Mobile etc.
All show coverage maps looking good for Mt Pleasant, but spotty here and there.
Worse scenario, my niece moved into her home in NC and in her house is the 'only' place her cellphone does not work !
Thanks again for all (ummm... well most) of your feedbacks
MNYC, that I hate you people person is a fluke...someone who hates Mt Pleasant and it's residents. That person could make the same post time and time again with folks wanting to move to West Ashley, Summerville, or any other area "around" Charleston. Instead he chose to unload on you. Go figure.
We have Verizon and I have no problem with coverage anywhere I've been...anywhere.
Yes I know he.. well 'it' is a fluke.
Hide behind a screen name and a rant... well to each their own.
He, well 'it' would never exist long here out in public in Crooklyn... opps I mean Brooklyn.
I have had Verizon for years and never had a problem with their service. My contract is up in January, right before we move, so curious as to reception in MP before I resign with them.
For reference, I live north of Hwy41. I frequent Awendaw, Francis Marion National Forest, up 41 towards Monks Corner, as well as south & west of the greater Charleston area. Never a problem with reception.
I have learned and lived my life, NOT to judge a book/someone by its cover.... (or by their screen name... re: 'hate you people')
Speaking of screen names, if you are so in love with SC, why do you keep your Michael NYC" screen? Why do almost ALL transplants from NY/NYC feel such a need to put "NY" in their screen name? What it says to us Southerners is that you will NEVER be one of us; you can take the New Yorker out of NY, but you can't take...
Why not change your screen name to prove that you have "left that all behind"? Considering how rude and patronizing so many New Yorkers tend to be toward Southern people, one of the first ways you'll fit in down here is to soften your "Brooklyn" accent and eradicate any "NY" or "NYC" in your screen name, because that tells people "I'll never be one of you".
What a ridiculous post. Way to categorize all people from NY... most people I know from the tristate or new England area aren't moving to "become" Southerners. They are moving on opportunity. We are from MA and RI and I will never consider myself a Southerner nor would I want to be. Not to speak negatively about the south- which I have not, we just like where were from. Can't please em all. NYC MA RI CT all the way! But can't wait to move to beautiful Charleston!
Obviously, I am one of the people that Francois has problems with but I believe that my screen name pretty much shows that I have "left that all behind". I did not choose to come here for any other reason than I like it here. You cannot assume that everyone that moves here from "up north" wants to change the way things are done down here. Some of us actually moved here because we like the way things are done down here.
I would also be willing to bet that a majority of us transplants from NY that post on these boards do not have NY in their screen names. I've been monitoring this forum for a few months now and I have only seen about three screen names with NY in them, including mine, and I think the other two still live in NY.
Obviously, I am one of the people that Francois has problems with but I believe that my screen name pretty much shows that I have "left that all behind". I did not choose to come here for any other reason than I like it here. You cannot assume that everyone that moves here from "up north" wants to change the way things are done down here. Some of us actually moved here because we like the way things are done down here.
I would also be willing to bet that a majority of us transplants from NY that post on these boards do not have NY in their screen names. I've been monitoring this forum for a few months now and I have only seen about three screen names with NY in them, including mine, and I think the other two still live in NY.
^5 good responce.......
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"NY" Screen Names
