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Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,678,989 times
Reputation: 10256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karlsd
here is why we are considered the move...
my wife and i make 150K combined and we have nothing left over at the end of the month. We have a relatively small 1800 Sq ft house that I paid 400K for in 2005. the taxes are 8800/yr. It costs us 3500/month to keep this house up. I have no land (30ft of grass around the house). The winters here are bitter...more so than in the past. December through March are killer. November and April are just tolerable. I understand the hot--cold trade off. The trade off is 2 months of very hot for 4 months of very cold.
But yes its mostly about the money. I have been getting job offers for around the same as what I make today. So financially life would be much easier. But equally important to us is the quality of life and overall happiness. We have a trip scheduled next month to check things out in both Charlotte and Raleigh.
The best advice that I can give you is to make certain that you make time to go into supermarkets & some small shops. In the Charlotte area, check out as much of the area as possible. Job location will determine where you live.
Jack as usual pretty much nailed it and I agree with SB's additional comments.
The comments here with regard to transplants complaining about specific things as a "cover-up for wishing they could afford to stay" are disingenuous because they don't paint the full picture... It's not that simple.
First of all, it's extremely important that the OP here is from Long Island - not NYC... This is a very important distinction for anyone who lives in the Tri-state area. Saying you're "from NY" is not enough detail. Long Island like almost all the surrounding city suburbs were essentially formed due to White flight. They spent the first 20 or so years making these suburbs "great" and then the next 20+ years putting policies in place to ruin it for future generations.
So in short, I would not agree at all that many of the transplants would "stay in NY if they could afford to so they put it down to make themselves feel better"... That's not true at all. It's that people want the suburbs of that area from 20 years ago, they pine for how it was back in the day - what they can't get back. It's just the flip side of those that talk themselves into putting up with the rundown NY and NJ tax trap created by stupidity and corruption of the past 20 years. They're not staying and putting up with the costs for the reasons people went out to those areas in the first place. It's backwards.
I've made this suggestion in other threads. If you are from the NYC metro & think that you want to move to the Charlotte area because it's cheaper, remember that there is a different life-style.
Plan a long weekend to South Jersey. I'll even give a list of locations. Go into shops. You will almost certainly be approached & people will strike up a conversation. If this leaves you unsettled, go back to the drawing board. If this doesn't bother you, then come to NC & check it out in person.
Great suggestion.
As someone who's lived in NJ, 2 of the 5 boroughs, and on Long Island, in many ways is Southern NJ like Charlotte.
Over the years, I've met and known several Staten Islanders who moved to NJ and PA, and moved back to the Island. I'd say that people in Bay Ridge and Marine Park have a similar love of their sections of Bklyn; some have left and went back - nothing else is like it.
In Southern NJ, the people are much friendlier (and more approachable) than they are on LI; people are more considerate, and there's a lot less traffic.
When I lived in NJ, I loved it, although I couldn't get used to the lack of deli's, pizza, bakeries, and other conveniences. Now that I am older (or perhaps that the obnoxiousness, and ever degrading values Long Islanders possess, trumps convenience), I am ready for CLT.
First of all, it's extremely important that the OP here is from Long Island - not NYC... This is a very important distinction for anyone who lives in the Tri-state area. Saying you're "from NY" is not enough detail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyKid
So in short, I would not agree at all that many of the transplants would "stay in NY if they could afford to so they put it down to make themselves feel better"... That's not true at all. It's that people want the suburbs of that area from 20 years ago, they pine for how it was back in the day - what they can't get back.
With this you hit the nail on the head.
I can't tell you how many generational Long Islander's moved off of LI. Yes, for some it had to do with the cost of living. Yet I have friends who've moved off of Long Island, in their desire to raise their children in a more culturally conservative area. As for my Wife & I, we've noticed that self absorption and narcissism is starting to effect the way people relate to one another in every day tasks (driving and shopping).
It's getting bad here.
Observing the behavior of average South Charlottean's, we'd say that South Charlotte is about 20 years behind Long Island...
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,678,989 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDL
Great suggestion.
As someone who's lived in NJ, 2 of the 5 boroughs, and on Long Island, in many ways in Southern NJ like Charlotte.
Over the years, I've met and known several Staten Islanders who moved to NJ and PA, and moved back to the Island. I'd say that people in Bay Ridge and Marine Park have a similar love of their sections of Bklyn; some have left and went back - nothing else is like it.
In Southern NJ, the people are much friendlier (and more approachable) than they are on LI; people are more considerate, and there's a lot less traffic.
When I lived in NJ, I loved it, although I couldn't get used to the lack of deli's, pizza, bakeries, and other conveniences. Now that I am older (or perhaps that the obnoxiousness, and ever degrading values Long Islanders possess, trumps convenience), I am ready for CLT.
Thank you so much! I've posted this suggestion before & am generally ignored. South Jersey & Philly are not identical, but close enough, culturally, to make a quick and easy initial determination.
Trips to stores are almost a guarantee that you will have at least one conversation with perfect strangers. The clerks know you & ask about the family while they check you out. People call strangers "Sir" & Ma'am" & hold doors for each other.
Good luck with your move! It sounds like you're ready.
I moved down here from LI 5 yrs ago and will never go back. Some info I can give you is that most things are cheaper but there are a few that are more expensive. We were in a similar boat financially as you, making good money but having none to spend at the end of the month. We chose Charlotte for it's cost of living, quality of life and the weather.
Here is the good:
- Car and homeowner insurance half of what we were paying.
- My property taxes are 20% of what I was paying(2000 compared to 10000)
- Electric- balanced plan paying 128/month compared to 400. (current house 3000sqft - LI house 2500sqft)
- You are about 3 hrs from either the Beach or the mountains
- Traffic on 485/77 not as bad as the LIE
Here is the bad:
- Water will cost you a lot more than on the island. If you water your lawn down here and have between 1/4 - 1/3 acre you could easily have a monthly bill upwards of 250-350. Yes, that is per month. My bill is typically around 35/month in the winter and 75/month summer as I have given up on trying to keep it green all summer but still water my trees and shrubs.
- Food prices are higher here than the island.
Do your homework and when you visit as others have said visit the stores. Also do some research on HOA's (hot topic on this board) as most communities have them. I for one enjoy my HOA and like the concept. This of course will add to your monthly expenses and each community has different dues.
The last thing I recommend is that you can buy much more house here for the money. If you really want to be in great shape take what you are planning on spending and cut it back. We were amazed what 250k got us and really have too big a home. We could have spent 175k at the time got everything we wanted and would have had an additional 75k in the bank or a much lower mortgage.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific question. I would be glad to help.
I moved down here from LI 5 yrs ago and will never go back. Some info I can give you is that most things are cheaper but there are a few that are more expensive. We were in a similar boat financially as you, making good money but having none to spend at the end of the month. We chose Charlotte for it's cost of living, quality of life and the weather.
Here is the good:
- Car and homeowner insurance half of what we were paying.
- My property taxes are 20% of what I was paying(2000 compared to 10000)
- Electric- balanced plan paying 128/month compared to 400. (current house 3000sqft - LI house 2500sqft)
- You are about 3 hrs from either the Beach or the mountains
- Traffic on 485/77 not as bad as the LIE
Here is the bad:
- Water will cost you a lot more than on the island. If you water your lawn down here and have between 1/4 - 1/3 acre you could easily have a monthly bill upwards of 250-350. Yes, that is per month. My bill is typically around 35/month in the winter and 75/month summer as I have given up on trying to keep it green all summer but still water my trees and shrubs.
- Food prices are higher here than the island.
Do your homework and when you visit as others have said visit the stores. Also do some research on HOA's (hot topic on this board) as most communities have them. I for one enjoy my HOA and like the concept. This of course will add to your monthly expenses and each community has different dues.
The last thing I recommend is that you can buy much more house here for the money. If you really want to be in great shape take what you are planning on spending and cut it back. We were amazed what 250k got us and really have too big a home. We could have spent 175k at the time got everything we wanted and would have had an additional 75k in the bank or a much lower mortgage.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific question. I would be glad to help.
I don't think one can say "taxes are cheaper" without specific details as to what you get for your money.Cheaper taxes is too broad a statement expecially if you have childen in school.
Three hours from the beach is not exactly a day trip...lol.
I don't think one can say "taxes are cheaper" without specific details as to what you get for your money.Cheaper taxes is too broad a statement expecially if you have childen in school.
Three hours from the beach is not exactly a day trip...lol.
im not sure what you mean by the taxes statement. Math is math..there is significant savings in taxes between LI NY and NC....
i pay $8800 for an 1800 sq ft house on LI with no land in a mediocre school district.
I haven't seen a house in either Raleigh or Charlotte for 350K or under with taxes more than 2500/year.
Agreed on the beach statement.......that should have been under his "bad" list. I'm at Robert Moses Beach on LI in 15 minutes. 3 hours is killer. It will be Lakes and Pools...giving up the beach will suck.......driving 3 hours to go to a beach is insane.
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The clerks know you & ask about the family while they check you out. People call strangers "Sir" & Ma'am" & hold doors for each other. 
