Considering move to Mt Pleasant, SC or Tidewater area in Virginia - any advice????

[carolinajack]

I am from Mt Pleasant SC and you would love it here

along with Dunes West which is nice,

Try:
Hibben

Park West

Hamblin Plantation

I'on

Old Village www.charlestonhomeadvisor.com


I know what you mean about NJ, right now my wife and I live in Philly and we cant wait to leave--when our child starts school.

Good schools there, excellent shopping, beaches of Sullivans Island, County Park System, good weather, theatres, culture, museums nearby, boating, hiking and biking too.

good luck in your search and If i can help let me know

[USCJoe]

From reading the comments from Lowcountry girl, I don't see any insulting words other than a strong difference of opinion as to the quality of homes in the Mt. Pleasant area compared to those in Summerville. As has been noted before in many posts, the price of a home in the Summerville area is certainly less than a comparable home in Mt. Pleasant. There are a number of reasons for this, but I can assure Colebennett that there are excellent builders in the Mt. Pleasant area that put up a high quality home although at a higher price than in other areas of Charleston.
There are areas of Summerville which are in a flood zone and real estate taxes will be higher than Mt. Pleasant, which has some of the lowest in Charleston County. The schools in Mt. Pleasant and Summerville are rathr good and the crime rates relatively low. I would not consider Mt. Pleasant anymore "transient" than other areas of Charleston. Both Mt. Pleasant and Summerville have a lot to offer. I personally feel that Mt. Pleasant gives more of a "Southern" feel than Summerville which I believe can be seen in the photographs of the two areas which have been posted in this forum the past week or two.
Regardless of one's persoanl preference and priorities, I think that the tri-county area is a great place to which to relocate, particularly for someone who has seen their old neighborhood and city change for the worse rather than for the better. The Charleston area is growing but still in many ways retains that small town feel.

[carolinajack]

cole look at the pictures of Mt pleasant thread, you will love it

[scjj]

Ahhhh, I just love when these old threads get resurrected from the dead.

Very true Joe about one's priorities. It's like comparing apples and oranges between the two. It all depends on your needs and wants, likes and dislikes. Mount Pleasant has a larger population by about 30k and has been growing longer than the Summerville area. Summerville has just begun it's growth spurt within the last 4-5 years and things are just now beginning to roll here. There is so much out this way in the planning stages that haven't even broke ground yet. Del Webb, the Sheep Island tract, Limehouse (which is designed to be similar to Ion), The Ponds ( a gated water community) and just announced Wassamassaw Plantation a custom home neighborhood on 1 to 16 acre lots. The list goes on and on. Home appreciations are only going to soar, especially with insurance on the coastal areas getting more and more difficult. People are moving further inland.

Mount Pleasant wasn't created overnight. 10-15 years ago Towne Centre, Dunes West, Rivertowne, Ion, none of those places were there. Summerville was basically a country retreat that has recently been discovered. Give it 5-10 more years and then we might be able make a closer comparison.

I've done the coastal living thing, paid my dues to 6 hurricanes. I breathe a little easier and sleep a little more sounder during hurricane season. That's where my priorities lie.

Maybe I was a little hard and unfair on the quality of construction in Mount Pleasant. If I offended anyone I do apologize.

[USCJoe]

You are quite correct in pointing out how the Summerville area is growing. I was just out to Cane Bay Plantation last week-end to take a look at the new Cane Bay High School under construction and the beginning of the new Centex subdivision. According to the newspaper, Cane Bay is larger than Daniel Island and the Charlesto Peninsula. Berkeley County certainly will be see a large number of families relocating to the area. I suspect that property values will certainly appreciate in the coming years, if just because of the anticipated cost of construction and higher impact fees that will be required from developers to build the infrastructure needed to support the increased population.
At the same time, you will always have individuals like myself and most of my clients who are willing to pay a premium for a home closer to the beach and downtown Charleston. At the same time, as anyone who has taken an elementary economics class knows, supply and demand are important factors in the appreciation of real estate. As there are no more large tracts of land left in Mt. Pleasant to be developed other than Carolina Park which is currently under development, I would anticipate that the town will continue to see good real estate appreciation in the coming years. This is in contrast to Berkeley County where there are probably thousands of acres of real estate developments currently approved or that could be approved in the future. It will be interesting to see how all the new homes will absorb all the those considering and actually relocating to the Charleston area.
I agree with you that the potential for hurricanes in the Charleston area, particularly along the coast, is a potential downside to the closer in communities. I also breathe a little easier when hurricane season is over. However, having lived in Mt. Pleasant for 18 years, the only hurricane of consequence to strick the Charleston area was hurricane Hugo and I believe that the last one prior to Hugo was many many years before.
Almost every section of the county is exposed to some natural diaster. Much of South Carolina is in an earthquake zone, withThe Middleton Place/Summerville Seismic Zone being the most active area of tectonic seismicity in South Carolina. At least with hurricanes you have warning. With an earthquake or tornado one has little if any warning.

[carolinajack]

I live in Old Village Mt Pleasant, our homes have been here since the founding in the 1700s. We have milliondollar ones and $180k ones, and they are built with quality wood siding, brick, great craftsmanship. Mt Pleasant has been here along time, not just since people started pouring in after Hugo.

we are native Mt Pleasant folk, just like those at Boone Hall, on Sullivans or other places.

There are some pretty affordable homes in Dunes West and Park west. I'on might be out of reach or Isle of Palm but there are plenty affordable ones too.