Is the whole Charleston area turning into Yankee-ville? (York, Mulberry: rent, mortgage)

[Phillip Beard]

So what are the other resources?

[Maryjane55us]

Originally Posted by RJ17015

Excuse me - but you have no idea what we did. We tore out a HUGE wooden stage, using drills, saws, and crow bars! We then built an office out of wood - including windows - painted the entire office, bought and built shelving cleaned the entire room out and organized the entire area - we were there for 3 days for 9 to 11 hours - this was WAY above and beyond the call of duty my friend.

Volunteer work is simply that.. Southern hospitality. We don't expect anything in return. You do it out of the goodness of your heart and don't expect any kudo's for it, except maybe from your co-volunteers when you have that celebration after it's all done.

[automated]

This whole conversation is really scaring me about SC. That's all I really have to say right now...really so much animosity toward northerners and also toward young people...like in this gem from MaryJane:

You're just another person so very "full of themselves". Typical of your age group.

WTF?And you don't need quotes around "full of themselves" the way you used it.

[pvjd]

"Carpetbaggers of yore". That's funny, I feel like I am being treated to a theater production. "Pardon me James, might I bother you for some mint tea, and possibly an umbrella for my weary body. I do believe I have the vapors". Great stuff, keep it coming.

[Chromekitty]

Originally Posted by Phillip Beard

So what are the other resources?

local corporations/businesses. There are MANY, MANY grants out there that can be written. There is help through the federal government if it is sought.
There is MANY resources!

[RJ17015]

Originally Posted by Maryjane55us

I don't know of any housing that's priced in the 1990's. In 1990 we built a 3000sf home with a basement for $110k. It sold in 1996 for $179k during the real estate boom of the 90's.

Do a little research woman so you can speak intelligently online. I've been researching this market for 7 years and unless you want to live an hour out, you can't find anything priced in the 1990 era in even a cookie-cutter neighborhood.




So who's mentioned anything about buying oceanfront?

We're looking for something *comparable* within OUR MEANS also and it just isn't out there.

We're simply attempting to find a home/build a home in the low 300's in Mt Pleasant/Johns Island with *real* trees for shade, real privacy in the back yard, and have some space between the houses.



If you say so, Miss Know-it-All.. Find me something and I'll buy it if it fits the parameters and is half-way decent.

No YOU don't know what you're talking about - YES Michigan housing has fallen to prices in the 1990's - I know this for a fact! You need to do YOUR homework!

[RJ17015]

Originally Posted by Maryjane55us

Volunteer work is simply that.. Southern hospitality. We don't expect anything in return. You do it out of the goodness of your heart and don't expect any kudo's for it, except maybe from your co-volunteers when you have that celebration after it's all done.

I didn't expect a "thanks" but to meet these people for one of the first times, and for them to refer to us as "Damn Yankees" as we are the ONLY parents not involved/employed by the school - and most of us from MI. What good comes from that - here we are good enough to help, but basically you're saying get the he** out of our state?

[GrandviewGloria]

Good NESSIE! There are some folks acting ugly around here today! It's shocking to a demure Southern lady, like myself, who endures the aggression and insults of rapacious outsiders with sympathetic good humor. After all, being sweet and understanding is how I generally end up being the one leaving the table with the briefcase full of money.

I assume that retiring in Charleston means either buying and restoring some beautiful old house on Tradd Street, or Moving into a McMansion or condo on the Isle of Palms or Kiawah. Either plan has to have a price tag well over half-a-mil. For that kind of money, you can get a really fine house in a low-crime part of the Rust Belt. Places where the industry has gone, and only old-stock Americans remain, are perfect for retirees. Check out the crime stats. Check out bestplaces.net. You can type in your criteria, and the site will spit out a list of your ideal communities, based on your criteria...weighted as your preferences dictate. My ideal locale turns out to be Long Island (I always KNEW I belonged in Southampton!). But for low crime and cheap houses, the Rust Belt and the Appalachias seem to be the winners. The catch is that there's no chance in (H-word-place) of getting a job in those places. That's why the nasties aren't moving there. But if you are a retiree, bringing your own money, then that drawback does not apply to you.

I just ran a search, just for you, darlings; ignoring all criteria but crime and housing costs, selecting only from the Southeast, and from population centers under 300,000. Wheeling, West Virginia (which has great gyms, a good medical center, and seriously hot-looking men, BTW) was the first choice. Parkersburg-Marietta comes in second, and Ocala, Florida comes in third. Jacksonville, NC is high on the list, too.

I partied with a bunch of Charleston debutantes as a wee bairn, and could tell you stories that would make your hair fall out. Stories of indiscretions I almost (and would have, had the logistics just been right, darn it) committed out on the fashionable barrier islands like Kiawah.....well....you'd drop dead just reading about them. And to understand the mores of the SC underclass, just Youtube the movie Bastard out of Carolina. Daddy's second factory was in SC, and our white help at that house acted pretty much like the people in the film. Then there's the seismic history of the Charleston area to be considered. Charleston is one corner of the area of the seismic event that created the Bermuda Triangle. The city was leveled by an earthquake once, and another is due.... Frankly, the only things that would draw me to Charleston are Spoleto, and the Geechee/Gullah people. Spoleto Festival is truly fabulous, and the Geechees and Gullahs are just heaven to be around.

But equally heavenly are the ordinary people of Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez is attracting large numbers of sophisticates with big trust funds. Half of Uptown New Orleans settled there following Katrina. There's a big Hollywood contingent, too. You can get and restore a little house there for a quarter-mil, and instantly be knee-deep in interesting things and people. If hanging moss, old mansions, and soup laced with Sherry, are your thing, then Natchez is a still-affordable alternative to Charleston. Several of Mississippi's near-billionaires keep Hollywood actresses as mistresses. They have 'secret' homes in Natchez as maisons de rendez-vous. There's Southern-style scandal and intrigue around every corner. Gossip Galore! Lots of fun for anyone who'd consider Charleston charming.

But if the Charleston area is your heart's desire, then pick a property and make a low-ball offer. An uncle of mine did just that, last year, and ended up with a big ol' humper (as our local builders refer to particularly ungainly McMansions) of a waterside palazzo on the Isle of Palms. We're in a depression. So, if you're standing there with the ability to pay, there's no telling what you may be able to snag for cheap.

[Phillip Beard]

RJ, you greatly over-estimate your audience.

[RJ17015]

Originally Posted by Phillip Beard

RJ, you greatly over-estimate your audience.

You're right! My mistake.