St James Plantation (Wilmington, Oak Island, Beaufort: real estate market, rental, home)

[jmarquise]

oh, another advantage to that development is that you are very close to a city with an airport and medical facilities, but you are still paying those low brunswick county taxes!

[Missanna]

Originally Posted by jmarquise

my personal thought is that st. james is my idea of hell. so pricey, snobby people, and it's in the middle of nowhere. I guess it's ok if you like no places to shop, no places to eat, and if you like shopping at wal mart with people who live in trailers.

I get so frustrated with wealthy people moving to our area and looking down on those of us who grew up here. I would say someone is snobby if they don't like shopping at WalMart with folks who live in trailers...which happen to be just about the only affordable housing for those of us who didn't sell a house in yankee-land and move to the South, drive up land prices, and steal the land that has been in families for generations due to the increase in taxes.
Brunswick County is beautiful but very rural. Expect to drive at least 45 minutes to Wilmington or Myrtle Beach, SC, to do much shopping, at least for the time being. St. James has plopped itself down on the outskirts of a small beach community and declared itself a town, and it is trying to determine the fate of those outside it's gates without giving them a vote. I personally wouldn't want to live in a gated town that wants to keep out the average joe. I work close to St. James and in the tourist season, I can't make it to the local bank (normally a 10 minute drive) during my lunch hour. Lots of overwhelming, crazy traffic. Expect to exercise a lot of patience.
I post this because there are many people who feel the way I do, but the local media and governments want to raise the tax base and put the needs of the newcomers over the needs of the locals. There is going to be a big problem in the future if something isn't done to even out the situation. Housing for folks who teach or fight fires or work at that fancy boutique is almost out of reach now.
That said, we welcome those who would move here and try to blend in, slow down, and speak with a drawl.

[jmarquise]

it is only going to get worse. they are building a convention center in wilmington and I live in the city. that is going to be a burden on the average tax payer. you know what the funniest part about st. james is? they actually went to wal mart and demanded that it be closed to the public once a week so that the residents of st. james could shop there without having to be among the locals. it might sound like a rumor, it isn't. I worked in st. james unfortunately.

[kareybear]

jmarquise;2823777]my personal thought is that st. james is my idea of hell. so pricey, snobby people, and it's in the middle of nowhere. I guess it's ok if you like no places to shop, no places to eat, and if you like shopping at wal mart with people who live in trailers

I lived in Oak Island for two years and have a lot of friends in St. James. Yes there are some snobby old people in St.James but it is everywhere. St. James is not in the middle of nowhere. You can drive less than 20 min to grocery stores & Restaurants to Southport. You can drive to Shallotte/Suppy area for about a 20-35 min drive and to Oak Island (Beach) is about 20-30 min on season and less than that off season.People that shop at Wal Mart do not just live in Trailers. Where do you get off saying that. Oh you must be one of them. Activities at St. James has clubs such as bunko,scrapbooking,Magarita Momma's,Book club etc. You can also exercise,swim, play golf or Tennis etc.

I would look at all the options before I make a decision. If don't have to live in Retirement Community Oak Island Recreation has so much to offer for people that live on the Island. I would into that as well. There is one down size about living in a smaller community is that if you want to do mall shopping you have to drive about 30-45 min to Wilmingtion or 1 hour Myrtle Beach. Other than that it is a great place to live.

[jmarquise]

kareybear, I don't disagree with you that not all people who live in st. james are snobby. you find good and bad in all areas. and yes, not everyone who lives in brunswick county lives in a trailer. but brunswick county does seem to either be a new retiree subdivision or just random trailer housing. I do think it is in the middle of nowhere. there is no culture in that part of brunswick county. my position is that if someone wants a more active retirement, move someplace closer to wilmington where there is some culture. I worked in bolivia, NC for a year, and found it to be very depressing. there isn't a whole lot to do. if you want to just relax with your husband/wife and just play golf, then yes, st. james might be a good place to live. but it is quite a trek to a place like wilmington. I just want to prepare people for a culture shock if they move from a place like NYC to a place like st. james.

[Oyster07]

My husband and I live here in Wilmington. My mother and father in law already live here (near Carolina Beach...moved here from Ral/Durham 4 years ago and love it). I am from NC and my husband is from the New England area. His mother, 90 year old grandmother, and brother and his family are planning to move down to Wilmington (they have fallen in love with the area). They have been actively looking for places (new construction) in the area for almost a year. They stumbled across a small community called Sunset Reach that seems like no one knows about. It's on a high bluff right on the NE Cape Fear River and absolutely gorgeous. They are all boaters and proximity-wise it's a home run for them being so close to downtown (it's only 5 minutes from downtown). We are all hoping to build a family/summer home and we are all thrilled to death. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Good luck wherever you choose and dm me if you have any questions

[GetoutofNJDave]

Have you checked out Rivers Edge in Shallotte? We bought some property there and can hardly wait to start building.

[surv1234]

I would look at Grayson Park on Highway 87 N off of 17

[barbara8585]

My husband and I were just at St. James Plantation. We were treated very rudely by the staff and none of the information about the place had been sent to us even though we had repeatedly asked for it. We couldn't even walk in their clubs, let alone have the breakfast we were supposed to have because my husband had not brought colored shirts! We were not told of this and all he had were sweaters.
After much looking we decided on Ocean Ridge. I seemed a much friendlier and open place.
We also heard many rumors about the snobbiness in St. James. That's not for us!

[leebythesea]

If you're not afraid of gators...check out Caswell Beach and the Oak Island Country Club. The coarse is really cool and home to some big gators and hundreds of sea birds. The homes around the golf coarse varies in size and cost. Everyone walks or takes golf carts to the beach. The country club is a local hangout, a very nice group of professionals, still working and retired. Otherwise, if you're interested in checking out Myrtle, Litchfield in Pawleys Island is the only place! It is gorgeous! If you can't retire in the Florida Keys, it's the 2d best place. I think Litchfield Plantation or Litchfield by the Sea, may be exactly what you are looking for! Good Luck!