Moving to Columbia area (Irmo, Lexington: real estate, house, employment)

[eegm]

My family is looking to relocate to the Columbia South Carolina Area. I have two children so schools are my most important criteria. My husband is interested in having a least one to two acres of land. Can anyone point me in the right direction I am not all that familiar with the area and trying to determine where to go is difficult when you do not live there. Thanks so much.

[Brandon Hoffman]

You'll want to focus on the zip codes of NE Columbia (29229/29223) for the Richland 2 schools, Irmo/Harbison/ Chapin for Lex/Richland5 (29063/29212/29036) or Lexington 1 (29072/29073). Lexington or Chapin will give you a little more space, but depending on where you work Irmo/Harbison or NE Columbia will be closer in.

[waccamatt]

You also might want to look in Blythewood (29061), as well.

[mustangtiff21]

Originally Posted by eegm

My family is looking to relocate to the Columbia South Carolina Area. I have two children so schools are my most important criteria. My husband is interested in having a least one to two acres of land. Can anyone point me in the right direction I am not all that familiar with the area and trying to determine where to go is difficult when you do not live there. Thanks so much.

The school system here in the Elgin/Lugoff area is rated very well academically from what I hear. As far as finding 1-2 acreas of land, if your looking for a development, I don't know of a lot of them, however one does come to mind. Its here in Elgin and it's called Baldwin Place. They have standard 1 acre lots. There might be a few others, and I will check into them for you. I just have to drive by the signs to remember their names! Sorry. :-)

Good luck on your move!

Tiffany

[eegm]

Thank you so much for your help. My husband is looking to transfer with his job to the 29201 zip code which appears to be downtown - from which area would his commute be best. I had been thinking of the Elgin/Lugoff area for us but on the map it looks like a further commute? Also, while he would like a couple of acres he may have to wait. With small children I do not want to be too rural they need friends to play with, etc. This is not going to be our last house. Once we retire he can have all the property he wants. My price range is up to 200,000 for a 4 bedroom home? Thank you for any input.

[Brandon Hoffman]

You can look out in Lexington or Gaston/ Sandy Run. Lexington will have better schools. There are a couple of neighborhoods that I can think of. Creekside Plantation is nice and a convenient commute, it's Lexington 4 schools. All the lots are 1 acre. You can also go out 302 towards Pelion and get some land. SE may also be a possibility although I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

[mustangtiff21]

Originally Posted by eegm

Thank you so much for your help. My husband is looking to transfer with his job to the 29201 zip code which appears to be downtown - from which area would his commute be best. I had been thinking of the Elgin/Lugoff area for us but on the map it looks like a further commute? Also, while he would like a couple of acres he may have to wait. With small children I do not want to be too rural they need friends to play with, etc. This is not going to be our last house. Once we retire he can have all the property he wants. My price range is up to 200,000 for a 4 bedroom home? Thank you for any input.

Yes, Elgin from downtown would be a commute. Its not bad for me, or someone who is used to driving 30 +/- minutes. Here in Elgin and Lugoff area there are developments that have children in them. As a matter of fact there is a development right next to the elementary and middle school. All the times I've been through there, there have been kids playing outside and all. The name of that development is Pine Forest. I think its through Russell and Jeffcoat realtors, but I'm not positive. (Trying to remember the sign as I sit here.)

And like Brandon suggested, Lexington may be another area you want to look into as well. I have friends that live there and I would not have minded moving there myself. Good schools, very nice area too! Just check into the county taxes, if that is a concern for you. I would say with your price range you should be able to find something like what your looking for.

[eegm]

Speaking of taxes what is the property tax situation in the area. We are eager to leave New Jersey because of the property taxes. I assumed that they would be significantly less but from some of what I am reading it appears that the taxes are becoming a major issue there as well. We currently live in Northern NJ and have some of the lowest taxes in our county at around 5,000 a year for property that is assessed at $150,000. Any help is always appreciated. Thanks-

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by eegm

Speaking of taxes what is the property tax situation in the area. We are eager to leave New Jersey because of the property taxes. I assumed that they would be significantly less but from some of what I am reading it appears that the taxes are becoming a major issue there as well. We currently live in Northern NJ and have some of the lowest taxes in our county at around 5,000 a year for property that is assessed at $150,000. Any help is always appreciated. Thanks-

Real Property taxes are very low. Mine are under $800 a year on a house assessed at $117,00 and appraised at $193,000.

[eegm]

Hello Again, I really appreciate everyone's help on this site. I have been scouring maps, real estate listing, etc. to determine which way to go. I have decided that Lexington County appears to be our best bet. I was hoping I could get some feedback on going further out towards Gilbert, how long a commute into Columbia from that area. I see that Gilbert and Zip code 29070 are still part of Lex 1 school district and the schools appear to be smaller than some of the Lexington schools. I am somewhat surprised at the size of the schools. I am a big proponent of small schools a student population of 1,500 to 2,000 in a highschool is a lot larger than I am happy with. Is there any advise you can give on the Gilbert area? Also is there any employment opportunities out towards Batesburg & Leesville? I'm also curious how Pelion ends up in Lex 1 when it is appears to be very south of the Lex 1 area? Can anyone tell me anything about the Gaston, Swansea, & the Pelion area. I see that it is somewhat more rural which is okay by us. Where we live now is considered rural- if anything in New Jersey is still rural. It gets more suburban everyday! We are planning a trip down in the spring to start looking but I am trying to narrow our area down so we can focus on where we want to be. Thanks so much for all your feedback.