Best Commute and Best Schools... (Charlotte, Mount Holly: new home, neighborhoods, construction)

[ascalisi]

If I am looking for a new home in the $500K range and will be working in downtown Charlotte (BAC or Wachovia) and good schools are very important, where would you suggest looking for a home.

All I read is about how horrible the traffic to Charlotte is and it's scaring me a little..well, more than a little. One reason I want to relocate is to improve quality of life and if I'm commuting 2+ hrs a day I 'm not sure how happy I'll be!

I was considering Ft Mill, Lake Wylie, Marvin and Davidson but am open for suggestions and at this point I'm not sure that any of these offer a decent commute to work.

Thanks!

[O2BinNC]

All those areas that you mentioned are nice and you can reach "uptown" as we call it here within 2 hours, but if you want to be closer in within an 1hr commute you might want to consider South Charlotte... Southpark, Foxcroft, Cotswald areas. You can find homes in the 500 range there, some might need a little work. You can definately find some in Cotswald area for that price that might be all fixed up. They have good schools and depending on what time you leave to go to work you could have a 25 min commute to an 1hr....all depends on the time you leave. If you go further south near the Arboretum or Pineview areas you will have about a 45 min to an hour commute, good schools and could find something in your price range on the home.
Cotswald would be where I would start in that price range.

[megassel]

Are you set on new construction? Or would you be interested in resales?

[NCgirl]

Originally Posted by ascalisi

If I am looking for a new home in the $500K range and will be working in downtown Charlotte (BAC or Wachovia) and good schools are very important, where would you suggest looking for a home.

All I read is about how horrible the traffic to Charlotte is and it's scaring me a little..well, more than a little. One reason I want to relocate is to improve quality of life and if I'm commuting 2+ hrs a day I 'm not sure how happy I'll be!

I was considering Ft Mill, Lake Wylie, Marvin and Davidson but am open for suggestions and at this point I'm not sure that any of these offer a decent commute to work.

Thanks!

You may also want to consider eastern Gaston county.

McAdenville/Mount Holly/Belmont

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by ascalisi

If I am looking for a new home in the $500K range and will be working in downtown Charlotte (BAC or Wachovia) and good schools are very important, where would you suggest looking for a home.

All I read is about how horrible the traffic to Charlotte is and it's scaring me a little..well, more than a little. One reason I want to relocate is to improve quality of life and if I'm commuting 2+ hrs a day I 'm not sure how happy I'll be!

I was considering Ft Mill, Lake Wylie, Marvin and Davidson but am open for suggestions and at this point I'm not sure that any of these offer a decent commute to work.

Thanks!

Just my opinion, for best commute and the best schools that come with that good commute, you need to look in south Charlotte with Hwy 51 as the southern most boundry. This will not get you in a brand new home in your price range, but you can get a beautiful home in an established area (which fares better on resale due to proximity to uptown).

[TerryMcDonald]

You didn't say where you were from but by your commute probably somewhere in the NE... in which case you'll be happy to hear, despite many of the posts here, that traffic isn't "horrible" and the quality of life is by most accounts quite good.

I like LM recomendations for S Charlotte on the Charlotte side of Rt 51. You may windup just outside Rt 51, and that could be OK too, tons to choose from. Many nice neighborhoods with some of the very best schools in the county- and for you naysayers some of the best in the country, in S. Charlotte.

You can see test scores/school size and demo's at ncreportcards.org. Have a look at Elizabeth Lane, Old Providence, and Providence Spring elementary. All excellent.

If you are looking for a little more "life" in each day, come visit Charlotte,Moderator cut: tos violation
Charlotte is congested, but its easy to avoid as well. Moderator cut: tos violation .

[ascalisi]

Originally Posted by TerryMcDonald

You didn't say where you were from but by your commute probably somewhere in the NE... in which case you'll be happy to hear, despite many of the posts here, that traffic isn't "horrible" and the quality of life is by most accounts quite good.

I like LM recomendations for S Charlotte on the Charlotte side of Rt 51. You may windup just outside Rt 51, and that could be OK too, tons to choose from. Many nice neighborhoods with some of the very best schools in the county- and for you naysayers some of the best in the country, in S. Charlotte.

You can see test scores/school size and demo's at ncreportcards.org. Have a look at Elizabeth Lane, Old Providence, and Providence Spring elementary. All excellent.

If you are looking for a little more "life" in each day, come visit Charlotte, I'd be happy to show you around and look at some houses.

Charlotte is congested, but its easy to avoid as well. pm me for more.

Thanks, Terri. What areas specifically are you speaking of?

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by ascalisi

Thanks, Terri. What areas specifically are you speaking of?

He most likely means the rest of south Charlotte beyond hwy 51

Which is an awesome area with the best schools, but the commute gets rougher from that far out. That's why I told you for "best commute" to be inside hwy 51.

[Akhenaton06]

I'd consider the Fort Mill/Lake Wylie area. Definitely some of the best schools in the region, and the commute isn't bad either (give yourself about 30 minutes).