Looking into Coastal N.C. (Charlotte, Wilmington: for sale by owner, crime rate, new house)

[valzpal]

Does anyone here live on the Coast of N.C? We have friends who have moved to the Charlotte area , but as we live on the coast in New England now , we would really like to stay on the coast , but have it a little warmer.

I would hope to find a place that has moderate home prices , close to necessary shopping , the school system is not a concern, but a large enough area to find jobs would be great. Thanks so much this summer i hope to have enough info to go down and really start looking but i need somewhere to start thanks!

[DeepSouth]

Valzpal,

Two years ago, I relocated from Providence RI to the Crystal Coast NC.
We live in Morehead City and we love it! Warmth weather, wonderful people, and very affordable living…..Please check your PM I sent you some stuff.

Take care,

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

Valzpal,

Two years ago, I relocated from Providence RI to the Crystal Coast NC.
We live in Morehead City and we love it! Warmth weather, wonderful people, and very affordable living…..Please check your PM I sent you some stuff.

Take care,

DeepSouth,

My husband and I are from southeastern mass and we're also looking to relocate to the crystal coast. hubby has had a couple of job interviews but unfortunately both companies went with someone else. I'm wondering if you could tell me the names of some employment agencies in the area. Hubby would like to send his resume out to them (he is a senior buyer - with amazing negotiation skills - for a manufacturing company on the cape). thanks in advance for any help.

[chevygirl6216]

I live in grandy nc and its really nice... its on the mainland and only 15 min to the outerbanks beaches. VA IS ONLY 45 MIN AWAY AND PLENTY OF JOBS. We are selling our house and moving inland.(which doesn't thrill me but.....) the taxes in currituck county are great i own a 3550 sq ft home with detache garage all brick on a 1.06 acre lot in a culdesac , its a beautiful home and we only pay $1,404 yearly taxes on it!!!!!!! coming from newyork i was almost paying that in 1 month lol go to forsalebyowner.com/20712974 or punch in grandy nc 27939 for houses for sale by owner. my house is in there.

[DeepSouth]

Surfingatwork,

I sent you an email.........

Take care,

[greengladezoo]

I'm also relocating from the Northeast.
I'd like to hear thoughts on this as well.
Want to live coastal, but in a good area for raising a teenager who will begin her high school years there...

[FrozenAngel]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

Valzpal,

Two years ago, I relocated from Providence RI to the Crystal Coast NC.
We live in Morehead City and we love it! Warmth weather, wonderful people, and very affordable living…..Please check your PM I sent you some stuff.

Take care,

I was in Providence, RI just a couple of hours ago! I live in MA. close to RI. I am looking for what you described. I am a single Mom with an 11 YO daughter. I publish free magzines (autos, restaurants, and a community pub). Are there enough businesses for me to keep my same work? Is the area swamped with free publications? I could also fall back on my old work which was a kitchen designer. Would there be a call for that? How are the schools?

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by valzpal

Does anyone here live on the Coast of N.C? We have friends who have moved to the Charlotte area , but as we live on the coast in New England now , we would really like to stay on the coast , but have it a little warmer.

I would hope to find a place that has moderate home prices , close to necessary shopping , the school system is not a concern, but a large enough area to find jobs would be great. Thanks so much this summer i hope to have enough info to go down and really start looking but i need somewhere to start thanks!

We have lived in Atlantic Canada including Halifax, NS, Columbia, MD, Reston, VA, and Roanoke, VA. I went to school in Cambridge, Mass so I understand the New England fascination with the water.

We made the decision to get a place on the Crystal Coast near Cape Carteret because it is one of the few places on the Carolina coast where many of the people live in the area year round and reasonable services are available all year. Also the area is not overwhlemed with tourists even in peak season.

We have good four lane roads into the area and with south facing beaches seemed to have faired well with the storms. Recreation on the water is part of life here.

It is an area with a small town feel, but there are plenty of people from all over the country to give it a very accepting atmosphere. We have people in our neighborhood from NY, New Jersey, and beyond.

There is also significant history in the area with Beaufort (http://coastalnc.org/beaufortnctravelguide - broken link) and Swansboro.

The beauty of the area is absolutely stunning from the water. There are communities that can match almost every taste. I love the area trails and the fact that we live in an area where we are almost surrounded by the Croatan National Forest.

I tend to run on about the area forever since I am having an absolute blast living here. I walk out my door and go for a swim in the morning in the neighborhood pool (http://coastalnc.org/newbluewaterpoolshot - broken link). I can stick my kayak in the water behind my house and we have a 20 ft skiff tied up behind our house (http://coastalnc.org/readyforaction - broken link). I rode my bike and walked on the beach every month last winter.

We recently did a trip to Beaufort to see the tall ship Royaliste. We also did a sixty-seven mile boat trip to visit Shackleford Banks and just went up river on the White Oak where we got to watch it change from a wide tidal river to a winding fresh water one.

I think we got a great new house on the water for a very reasonable price.



Jobs are the biggest challenge, so I would suggest you check the local papers before making a move.

You can check out the Moderator cut: link removed.

School information is available at Chamber of Commerce Site.

I have five websites about the area, but a good starting point is my Southern Outer Banks site.

You can find lots of pictures at my Picasa web albums site.

Climate info can be found at the Weather Channel site for zipcode 28584.

I hope you find a spot that you can love like the one we found.

I would be happy to answer other questions as they come up. I actually have a very neat beach tour route that I recently gave to some friends from Massachusetts who enjoyed our beaches in April !

[greengladezoo]

hey florijon-
even with all of the negative comments on this forum, i am still leaning towards wilmington... some great options in Monkey Junction, which also looks good for investment potential.
at this point i am trying to locate WHICH places are NOT suitable. For example, I heard Jacksonville was high crime and that an area called Leland was not well respected. BUT I am definitely open to being corrected if these comments are incorrect.

As a realtor, are you allowed to comment as to which areas are "Good" or "bad"... and if not maybe this will generate some other comments.

[Nunyabiz86]

Originally Posted by greengladezoo

For example, I heard Jacksonville was high crime and that an area called Leland was not well respected. BUT I am definitely open to being corrected if these comments are incorrect.

Well, darn it, now you've got me curious...guess I'll have to do some research. According to the city data website, crime is quite a bit lower in Jacksonville than Wilmington. As a reference point, the crime index per 100,000 people is 325 nationally. In 2005, the crime index for Jacksonville was 99.5 and the crime index for Wilmington was 614.

There are a lot of reasons (jobs, amenities, etc) to move to Wilmington, but apparently, a lower crime rate is not one of them. It's all relative though. Wilmington is probably a walk in the park compared to some cities.