Relocating to Statesville area...help?? (Charlotte, Monroe: real estate, rent, new home)

[allyf]

Hi everyone! I'm new here, and Lord willing will soon be new to NC. My husband and I have 3 grown children and are looking for a less expensive lifestyle. We are currently in Monmouth Cty NJ, one of the most expensive places to live in the US. Beautiful but crowded and really expensive. We went down to the Statesville/Mooresville/Cornelius area back in April to look around and see some houses but are still undecided. We really like Statesville; love the downtown area and all the old houses, and we don't need a lot going on. We like parks, bike rides and maybe the Symphony or ballet once in awhile. (And Charlotte will give us that and more...) My husband is a Contractor/Carpenter-the one man band old fashioned type. Will he have work in that area? What about crime? What constitutes the 'South side' of Statesville? We didn't like all the craziness up in Mooresville with all the shopping going in and traffic was crazy (and we're from Jersey) but we did like the area around Lake Norman, we will miss being by the ocean. Any advice would be most welcome. We cannot wait to start fresh in a beautiful, friendly, slow-paced town. Thanks so much! Ally

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

If you can afford to wait until he builds up a business, handymen who really know what they are doing are in high demand. Here in Utah, a low wage state, they charge $25/hr. Good luck!

[susan42]

Originally Posted by allyf

Hi everyone! I'm new here, and Lord willing will soon be new to NC. My husband and I have 3 grown children and are looking for a less expensive lifestyle. We are currently in Monmouth Cty NJ, one of the most expensive places to live in the US. Beautiful but crowded and really expensive. We went down to the Statesville/Mooresville/Cornelius area back in April to look around and see some houses but are still undecided. We really like Statesville; love the downtown area and all the old houses, and we don't need a lot going on. We like parks, bike rides and maybe the Symphony or ballet once in awhile. (And Charlotte will give us that and more...) My husband is a Contractor/Carpenter-the one man band old fashioned type. Will he have work in that area? What about crime? What constitutes the 'South side' of Statesville? We didn't like all the craziness up in Mooresville with all the shopping going in and traffic was crazy (and we're from Jersey) but we did like the area around Lake Norman, we will miss being by the ocean. Any advice would be most welcome. We cannot wait to start fresh in a beautiful, friendly, slow-paced town. Thanks so much! Ally

If you go onto http://www.citydata.com you can compare cities-looking at crime,cost of living etc. House price average for Mooresville is squewed because of the multi million $ homes on the Lake in zip code 28117, but 28115 is also Mooresville but on the east side of the 177 which is where the downtown area is.
I don't know much about Statesville except that we also like the quaint downtown and houses seem good value.You can get homes close to Lake Norman there. Also Troutman might be an option, or Denver which is on the other side of Lake Norman.
Statesville, Mooresville and Troutman are in Iredell County which has lower taxes than Cornelius in Mecklenburg Co. I think Denver is in Lincoln county.

Hope this helps. Good place to search real estate is to go to CarolinaHome.com


Hope this is helpful!

[allyf]

Thanks! Any info is helpful at this point, sometimes just talking to people who care to respond helps!

[Stripes17]

Sorry I can't help you much with the Statesville "community" situation. We live closer to the "craziness" of the Mooresville shopping area. I'm not really fond of the downtown Statesville area. I think it's sadly dying a slow death. The main shopping area in town now is off I40, one exit west from I77. That area gets to be quite congested with traffic and shoppers too. Depending what type of home you're looking for, there are some nice options between Statesville and Mooresville. Troutman is a nice area. Look along Perth Road as well. Nice new homes going in there.

I do have to say that it's not bad in Mooresville either. Sure there are busy times of the day on the Hwy 150 corridor near I77 and of course on the Brawley School Road peninsula. However, after commuting for years up and down the Garden State Pkwy and later commuting in the NoVA/Wash DC area, this is a piece of cake around here!!!

Yep, we're from Jersey, too! What exit? 91 But, I went to HS school in Belmar and the DW went to Wall.

Good luck with your move. I think you'll find this area to be quite nice (and we're only 4 hours from the beach!)

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by allyf

Thanks! Any info is helpful at this point, sometimes just talking to people who care to respond helps!

ally - We're only too happy to help! Whether you're from Freehold or Rumson though, I would have some advice to offer. I'm going to assume that you're both in your late 40's to early 60's, but too young for Social Security! The unemployment in the area remains much higher than NJ. If you're selling your home in NJ, I'd also assume that you have a good chunk of equity in it, which may come in handy. I'd only consider moving here, if you have at least 6 months of income to tide you over, until your husband gets established, - preferably a year of income if you can swing it - just to be on the safe side.

Many people who move from expensive areas like NJ tend to "overbuy" a house when they get to NC. I can remember house hunting down here, and thinking that relative to NJ, it felt almost like a "Buy One - Get one Free" sale! If you end up buying something similar in size compared to what you had in NJ (or a little smaller if the kids won't be visiting in a group) you'll be paying a half or a third of what the same house would cost in NJ. Taxes are a third to a quarter of what you'd pay in Monmouth municipalites.

As far as your husband finding work, that's a tough thing to predict. One thing I've found about many handymen and carpenters here, is that many don't show up at the expected time...and sometimes not at all! I've heard this complaint from both NC natives and newcomers alike, as well as having experienced it, firsthand. Guys that do quality work and show up when expected are worth their weight in gold! The reason that I so highly recommend having a year's income on hand is that it may take some time for your husband to establish himself and you don't want to be one step away from financial disaster if he doesn't have a steady income for awhile. The good thing though, about the recession, is that while fewer new homes are being built, people are in a "hunkering down and cocooning mode" and are still modestly updating their current houses. Good luck in your house search!

[allyf]

I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes, Stripes17, with the Mooresville comment, I think I wanted to communicate that quiet was okay.
We are used to congestion and traffice here, especially in the summer because we are about 1 mile from the shore and get a lot of summer visitors. We are looking for a more quiet lifestyle. Even if Statesville is slow and quiet I can drive to Mooresville to all those shops! I surely hope Statesville is not 'sadly dying a slow death'. It's funny the little 'feud' thing that goes on between the 2 towns: we picked up on that on our trip down last April!
Emissary, thanks for your kind words. My husband is in his mid 50's and has been a self-employed Contractor/carpenter for over 25 years. Of course I think he is a consciencious worker, I am his wife! I already think he is worth his weight in gold. He has a couple of business contacts in the area that have assured him that with time he will be busy. Especially with the older homes, as that is his specialty. We will have a sizeable downpayment and plan on spending about $150,000~ your advice is good and solid. We hope to have about 8-10 months of living expenses, i.e. income, depending on moving expenses, etc. It is kind of a scary, gutsy thing to do: moving all that way and starting over, but we cannot afford to stay here, our children have grown and flown and we love it down there. We may rent for a bit if we don't find a home we are really confident about, but there are some really nice homes on the market: and you are right, coming from up here it's like a kid in a candy shop with his pockets full of change!! Can you tell me what neighborhood in Statesville constitutes the South side? We need a statesville realtor to ask these questions of. Thanks again for your response, I will let you know how the hunt is going! Ally oh, and Stripes, we are exit 98! for now.....

[Stripes17]

No worries. I didn't consider my toes to have been stepped on, Ally.

Be sure to let us know if you have any add'l questions on the area.

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by allyf

I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes, Stripes17, with the Mooresville comment, I think I wanted to communicate that quiet was okay.
We are used to congestion and traffice here, especially in the summer because we are about 1 mile from the shore and get a lot of summer visitors. We are looking for a more quiet lifestyle. Even if Statesville is slow and quiet I can drive to Mooresville to all those shops! I surely hope Statesville is not 'sadly dying a slow death'. It's funny the little 'feud' thing that goes on between the 2 towns: we picked up on that on our trip down last April!
Emissary, thanks for your kind words. My husband is in his mid 50's and has been a self-employed Contractor/carpenter for over 25 years. Of course I think he is a consciencious worker, I am his wife! I already think he is worth his weight in gold. He has a couple of business contacts in the area that have assured him that with time he will be busy. Especially with the older homes, as that is his specialty. We will have a sizeable downpayment and plan on spending about $150,000~ your advice is good and solid. We hope to have about 8-10 months of living expenses, i.e. income, depending on moving expenses, etc. It is kind of a scary, gutsy thing to do: moving all that way and starting over, but we cannot afford to stay here, our children have grown and flown and we love it down there. We may rent for a bit if we don't find a home we are really confident about, but there are some really nice homes on the market: and you are right, coming from up here it's like a kid in a candy shop with his pockets full of change!! Can you tell me what neighborhood in Statesville constitutes the South side? We need a statesville realtor to ask these questions of. Thanks again for your response, I will let you know how the hunt is going! Ally oh, and Stripes, we are exit 98! for now.....

ally - Wish I could clue you in to what's hot and what's not in Statesville, but I live in Monroe in Union County - southeast of Charlotte. I always knew I was in the Statesville area when going down I-77 and seeing that big sign for cigarettes at exit 50. I've since quit, so it doesn't quite hold the same appeal seeing it once did!

It's amazing what you can get in NC for your housing dollar. $150,000 would probably be the going rate for a "garage" in Colts Neck. "Crowding" is relative too, I remember driving down Rt 34 visiting friends and thinking how "empty" it seemed compared to northern NJ (I used to get off at exit 154)! I'd keep searching for properties on CarolinaHome.com as susan42 wisely suggested. The more trips you can take down here to scope out the area, the better! Being 56, I can well identify with your wish to find a nice, quiet area to enjoy the rest of your life. I've found mine, ally, and I hope in the next few months, you and your husband find yours too!

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by Stripes17

.....I'm not really fond of the downtown Statesville area. I think it's sadly dying a slow death.

Mooresville's downtown isn't much better

"...Can you tell me what neighborhood in Statesville constitutes the South side?....."The "Southside" is south of Front St about where Center Street curves just before "Depot Hill" (Highway 21South) and then on both sides of the road until Third Creek.
People hire handymen mostly through word of mouth and the ones who are reasonable and do good work are tied up for weeks. I usually wait on my guy for 2-3 weeks, but then he's here until he's finished. If restoration is your husband's "thing", you might consider looking for houses in the Historic District along West End Ave near Mitchell Community College.