Moving to NC coast (Wilmington, Oak Island: homeowners insurance, mobile home, safe area)
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Hi all, hoping I can get some information. I'm looking to semi-retire to a quiet area near the coast from upstate NY (within 20 minutes or so from the beach). Not looking for night life, just decent shops and a safe area. I'd appreciate any info and feedback on areas to look that are reasonable as far as housing costs, taxes, etc. Thanks !
Hi all, hoping I can get some information. I'm looking to semi-retire to a quiet area near the coast from upstate NY (within 20 minutes or so from the beach). Not looking for night life, just decent shops and a safe area. I'd appreciate any info and feedback on areas to look that are reasonable as far as housing costs, taxes, etc. Thanks !
You can search this forum for similar threads, and there have been dozens of them. We retired to Sneads Ferry, near North Topsail Beach. Homes are available here, with everything from a mobile home around $100K to ranches at $175K, to homes at the beach around $400K and up. Our taxes on a home worth about $300K will be $1900/year. We consider that reasonable. However, we will also pay about $1900/year for homeowners insurance to cover hurricane insurance.
If you describe your price range, people can give you a better idea of where to look. For example, Leland and Southport are very popular with retirees, but they are pricier than Sneads Ferry.
We are in Nags Head and love it. The coastal community is very close knit. Be prepared to pay less property taxes but much more for insurance. And look for an X flood zone or no flood zone.
You might look into the Hampstead area northeast of Wilmington. It's about 20 minutes from Wrightsville Beach to the south and the same to Topsail Beach to the north. It's close to the Mayfaire shopping center in Wilmington and there are grocery stores (and a Walmart going to be built fairly close by). Another area that's small and similar to where you currently live is Leland, to the west of Wilmington. It's population is around 15,000 I believe, but it's an up and coming area with close access to the shopping Wilmington has to offer. There's a lot of talk about the area south of Leland having some retail stores built there too. Wrightsville Beach is about 20-30 mins away from Leland. There are some beaches to the south (maybe someone will comment on Oak Island) that I'm not sure about the driving time (30-40 mins, but as I understand it, some have free parking and you won't spend time driving around looking for spots on the weekend afternoons like you will at Wrightsville Beach in the summer. I think the housing will be more affordable in NC as long as you stay away from flood zone properties. Give us an idea of your budget and I think people will be able to give more relevant responses for you.
Thank you for the replies. My budget is between $120,000-$160,000 (ranch home) and I'd like to stay out of flood zones (obviously). I appreciate the info ! I was not aware of Sneads Ferry and will look into that. I'm taking a trip down in a month or so to get a feel for these areas.
You can search the forum for additional threads. Shallotte is convenient to Myrtle Beach and has a few golf communities. Perhaps you can find a bargain there.
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