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Please help us out here. I have seen some posts with people anticipating moves to Charlotte saying things like "can spend $750,000, $350,000", etc. and asking questions like "can I get a nice house in a good neighborhood and schools for that amount of money". Well unless I am missing something, it seems those prices are way too high in general, however with some of the forum member responses, they seem to validate those type of prices. So there lies my confusion, where are housing prices like that being quoted in Charlotte, are they located close to the Governor's Mansion (LOL)? For us, we have been looking forward to retiring in the Charlotte area in the next year or two and have been assuming based on online price searches that we can easily buy a fairly new (less than 10 yr's old), 3 bedroom, 2 bath, approximately 1800 to 2100 sq ft house in Charlotte or a close suburb for about $210,000 to $235,000 (lot size about 6,500 to 10,000 sq ft). We have kind of narrowed our search for best affordability and solid middle to upper middle class areas to the suburbs of Concord, NC or Fort Mill, SC (also would like to be around some southern culture). So please help us out here, are we missing something, are my estimates for housing prices accurate based on our needs, or am I way off the mark?
Last edited by NHCold; 08-06-2016 at 06:01 AM..
Reason: Correcting text
"Charlotte" and the surrounding small towns and counties covers a large area. You could buy a dilapidated mill home in Gastonia for $30,000 or have difficulty finding anything under $500K in places like Weddington, or Cornelius near the lake.
People who are not familiar with the area (and the extent to which commuting time, school districts, airport flight paths, etc affect valuations) can't figure it out right away from Realtor sites, so they come in here and ask questions...
My motto is set your price, then find what fits within that price. Most people can learn to live with a smaller home or a smaller yard than they desired, as long as the location fits their lifestyle. Don't overpay! It's too easy for your employment to be altered and what seemed affordable, no longer is...
Please help us out here. I have seen some posts with people anticipating moves to Charlotte saying things like "can spend $750,000, $350,000", etc. and asking questions like "can I get a nice house in a good neighborhood and schools for that amount of money". Well unless I am missing something, it seems those prices are way too high in general, however with some of the forum member responses, they seem to validate those type of prices. So there lies my confusion, where are housing prices like that being quoted in Charlotte, are they located close to the Governor's Mansion (LOL)? For us, we have been looking forward to retiring in the Charlotte area in the next year or two and have been assuming based on online price searches that we can easily buy a fairly new (less than 10 yr's old), 3 bedroom, 2 bath, approximately 1800 to 2100 sq ft house in Charlotte or a close suburb for about $210,000 to $235,000 (lot size about 6,500 to 10,000 sq ft). We have kind of narrowed our search for best affordability and solid middle to upper middle class areas to the suburbs of Concord, NC or Fort Mill, SC (also would like to be around some southern culture). So please help us out here, are we missing something, are my estimates for housing prices accurate based on our needs, or am I way off the mark?
we have been house hunting in Huntersville/Cornelius and have decided to stay under $200,000 for our first home (to be clear we can go as far as $275,000). We have found very wonderful and large 2 story homes at the $190,000 mark. Where we are from in Florida I wouldn't have been able to even find a condo for that let alone a home. We would be looking at $300,000 for a starter in drained swamp land. Charlotte (and surrounding areas) have a lot to offer. Its very beautiful and I'd suggest working with a realtor to help you out with any confusion. I assume you are from NH from you name. I also lived in NH and I can tell you you will see a big difference in the two yet still have similar feel. Towns like Davidson feel like small town New England (perhaps Exeter) yet the taxes are cut 75%
You should be able to find something you like in your price range... in some of the subdivisions, the houses are very close together if that would be an issue for you.
A friend sold her house in NJ a few years ago and bought much more house north of Charlotte and had $ left over.
Last edited by SunnyKayak; 08-06-2016 at 06:01 PM..
So there lies my confusion, where are housing prices like that being quoted in Charlotte, are they located close to the Governor's Mansion (LOL)?
To get an idea, look up Piper Glen Estates and Providence Plantation. Those are just two very affluent areas of Charlotte. I don't think that people who have .5M to.75M+ to spend are going to go on City Data to look for advice about real estate in that price range. If I were a real estate shill, I'd do that, but not if I were seriously looking for a house, so be very leery of advice from anyone except real estate experts.
If you're looking for southern culture, you PROBABLY won't find it in Mecklenburg county. Try Iredell County. There's still southern country folk out there. In general (note IN GENERAL), Charlotte is sort of an affected city with no real culture besides Banking and Medicine (if that even constitutes culture).
If you are steered to north Mecklenburg and that area, look up the words to "Little Boxes". That'll give you an idea of what you'll find. Some people love it with the endless shopping opportunities and sterile neighborhoods.
Since you are retiring, I assume that you'll sell existing property elsewhere to buy another house in the neighborhood of $235,000. Are you going to carry a mortgage in your retirement or pay cash for the house in the Charlotte area?
I think you are getting some very solid advice in the above posts. The bottom line is that it really depends on what else you want for your money. How close to the city do you want to be? Do you have school system requirements (which you will likely not, but will still consider for resale)? Taxes, community features, HOA's, lake access? Everyone's requirements are different and within those options are the prices to match. I think you will certainly be able to find a nice home in your price point. Realtor.com ties directly to our MLS system, so if you want to follow along with the prices, this is a good place to start. Additionally, I will add that in your price point, this is the quickest selling price point. We had more homes go under contract in our area within this price point in the last month than any month in the last two years. If you desire a ranch home within this price range, they go even more quickly. When the time period comes, I suggest you give yourself a good six months for the actual search, keeping in mind a great deal can change within a few years.
"Charlotte" and the surrounding small towns and counties covers a large area. You could buy a dilapidated mill home in Gastonia for $30,000 or have difficulty finding anything under $500K in places like Weddington, or Cornelius near the lake.
I think you named most of the places where $500K+ is the "norm" though.
Several inner-ring Charlotte neighborhoods
Marvin/Weddington
Davidson
Lakefront
That's pretty much it IMO. In most other places you shouldn't have a ton of trouble finding a home like the OP describes in the low to mid-200's. If you start adding more square footage, lot size, want brand new construction, etc., then the price will go up.
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Originally Posted by NHCold
Please help us out here. I have seen some posts with people anticipating moves to Charlotte saying things like "can spend $750,000, $350,000", etc. and asking questions like "can I get a nice house in a good neighborhood and schools for that amount of money". Well unless I am missing something, it seems those prices are way too high in general, however with some of the forum member responses, they seem to validate those type of prices. So there lies my confusion, where are housing prices like that being quoted in Charlotte, are they located close to the Governor's Mansion (LOL)? For us, we have been looking forward to retiring in the Charlotte area in the next year or two and have been assuming based on online price searches that we can easily buy a fairly new (less than 10 yr's old), 3 bedroom, 2 bath, approximately 1800 to 2100 sq ft house in Charlotte or a close suburb for about $210,000 to $235,000 (lot size about 6,500 to 10,000 sq ft). We have kind of narrowed our search for best affordability and solid middle to upper middle class areas to the suburbs of Concord, NC or Fort Mill, SC (also would like to be around some southern culture). So please help us out here, are we missing something, are my estimates for housing prices accurate based on our needs, or am I way off the mark?
It's a mixed bag. Some areas have more high price housing than others. People may be looking for high price points, depending on where they're coming from.
A moderator edited my earlier post because some of the real estate search results were too realtor specific. Therefore, I suggest you search with google or yahoo; you might be surprised what is available around $200,000. There's housing in Denver that surrounds a golf course--great if you are a golf enthusiast and you want to live in Denver, NC. To the OP, I'm pretty sure the Governor's Mansion is in Raleigh (lol). Maybe he has a vacation home in Charlotte. (lol) Since he used to be the mayor of Charlotte, maybe he has a home in Charlotte. He won't be governor forever.
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To the OP, I'm pretty sure the Governor's Mansion is in Raleigh (lol). Maybe he has a vacation home in Charlotte. (lol) Since he used to be the mayor of Charlotte, maybe he has a home in Charlotte. He won't be governor forever.
