Neighborhoods Whitehall and Woodland Hills (Columbia, St. Andrews: for sale, real estate, renting)

[soliving]

I'm looking to buy a house, the kids are grown so we don't have to worry about which school district. Will be working downtown. Don't want over a 30 minute commute.

The number of neighborhoods to choose from is overwhelming. I love all the mature trees of Forest Acres (Lake Katherine) but find it overpriced for the age of the homes.

Can anyone advise me on Whitehall and Woodland Hills? I read something somewhere about staying away from zip codes 29210-29212, but didn't give a reason.

Any suggestions where I should be looking? As you might of guessed we're new to the area. Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you.

[waccamatt]

There is no reason to stay away from those zip codes, though the traffic from that area to a job downtown is probably the worst in the Columbia area. Have you looked at any in-town neighborhoods like Shandon, Melrose Heights, Elmwood Park, Cottontown or Earlewood Park? The commute would be a lot less and you'll be a lot closer to more activities and entertainment. I've got photos of some of the neighborhoods on my website.

Waccamatt's page |

[soliving]

Yes, I love the older homes with the high ceilings and "character" no cookie cutter homes for me. But at the same time, I like a little elbow room and all the houses I see listed in the downtown area are so close together. I would like to be able to go in the backyard and have some privacy. Granted, if you get in the higher price range the lots get larger, but I'm trying to stay under $200. I'm entering the "Golden Years" and don't want a LARGE mortgage payment every month.

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by soliving

Yes, I love the older homes with the high ceilings and "character" no cookie cutter homes for me. But at the same time, I like a little elbow room and all the houses I see listed in the downtown area are so close together. I would like to be able to go in the backyard and have some privacy. Granted, if you get in the higher price range the lots get larger, but I'm trying to stay under $200. I'm entering the "Golden Years" and don't want a LARGE mortgage payment every month.

Those are two very nice neighborhoods for what you are looking for.

Woodland Hills
Whitehall
Murraywood
Quail Valley

All these are very nice with brick homes, trees, and some elbow room. Most priced below $200k.

The zip codes 29210 and 29212 include all these places, so that info was a bit mixed up I believe. 29210 is St Andrews, and 29212 is Irmo.

[Chi2Midlands]

Originally Posted by soliving

I read something somewhere about staying away from zip codes 29210-29212, but didn't give a reason.

I don't see a reason to avoid these zip codes wholesale. They comprise the St. Andrews area and middle-aged parts of Irmo (29063 holds the newer Irmo subdivisions). A former co-worker lives in Quail Valley in the 29212 zip - it's a wonderful, quiet community tucked between the commercial hub of Harbison Blvd., the Town of Irmo proper, and Lake Murray.

I would say you should check out things neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and house-by-house. In Columbia, you will find many zip codes with both desirable and not-so-desirable areas.

[Tommy1981]

I've enjoyed using Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information | Zillow Real Estate to look over the housing market on the map rather than by searching with a traditional real estate search. With the map on Zillow, you can start down town and explore areas from overhead, seeing the houses that are available on the market. It gives a much better idea of the neighborhood than a listing search. Once you click on a listing, you can see the "zestimate" value of other homes on the block to know if its a nice house in a lesser neighborhood or if the property backs up to a Rock Quarry. Zillow also has demographic data on the neighborhood, to gauge if its a community of older families or young single professionals.

As for the commutes, I'd say you want to stay south of the I-20 and I-26 intersection. The rush hour traffic there is almost always heavy and quite often a nightmare if there is an accident. There are other trouble spots around the North East, I just don't drive that way every day to speak first hand.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Tommy1981

I've enjoyed using Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information | Zillow Real Estate to look over the housing market on the map rather than by searching with a traditional real estate search. With the map on Zillow, you can start down town and explore areas from overhead, seeing the houses that are available on the market. It gives a much better idea of the neighborhood than a listing search. Once you click on a listing, you can see the "zestimate" value of other homes on the block to know if its a nice house in a lesser neighborhood or if the property backs up to a Rock Quarry. Zillow also has demographic data on the neighborhood, to gauge if its a community of older families or young single professionals.

As for the commutes, I'd say you want to stay south of the I-20 and I-26 intersection. The rush hour traffic there is almost always heavy and quite often a nightmare if there is an accident. There are other trouble spots around the North East, I just don't drive that way every day to speak first hand.

For the record, Zillow is very worthless and their zestimates are garbage. They are very inaccurate, pull the closest closings in an rough time frame and average them for a home value. Often the homes aren't even good comps for each other or aren't the same neighborhood. A Realtor can give you a much more accurate idea of the homes value prior to making an offer. If you have questions plug away, I'm happy to answer.

[sandlapper]

My folks live in Woodland Hills. It's a nice neighborhood, I'd reccomend it. The only draw back would be rush hour access to I-126 from either I-20, or I-26, Bush River Rd., St. Andrews Rd. and I-20 will usually be backed up during this time. It's not impossible to gain access just annoying so just be prepared to lane jockey. Good luck in your search. FYI if you were looking for a school disrict those neighborhoods are in Richland/Lexington District 5 one of the States best.

[soliving]

When is rush hour in that area? We are renting in Lexington at the moment and I try not to be on 378 after 4:30 PM. My husband is at work at 7:00 am and gets off work at 4:00 PM. He has not had any problems with rush hour....yet.

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by soliving

When is rush hour in that area? We are renting in Lexington at the moment and I try not to be on 378 after 4:30 PM. My husband is at work at 7:00 am and gets off work at 4:00 PM. He has not had any problems with rush hour....yet.

He shouldn't have too much problem with those hours.