Need Advice on Where to Buy - will work downtown, good schools a must, homes with character up to $450K (Columbia: middle-class)

[laurastephanie]

My husband and I are examining our options for relocation to Columbia. We are both professionals in our early 30s with kids ages 3 and 1. We would like to buy a house with character in a good school district (with good schools at all levels from elementary to high school) with the idea we'll buy to stay. We'd love to be around other families with young kids as well. Ideally, we'd need 4 bedrooms and can spend up to about $450K.

As for areas, we are drawn to the areas near downtown for convenience and character (we'll both work there), but I've read lots of posts on this site with mixed reviews about schools near the downtown area. Are some areas better than others? What fits into our price range and needs? As I mentioned, we'd love an area with lots of younger couples with kids the ages of ours. I'm becoming more familiar with the neighborhoods, so specific info (even street names!) is greatly appreciated.

We have also looked at the Irmo/Dutch Fork area because my husband grew up there. We are, however, concerned about the commute to downtwon. We like the Richland/Lexington 5 schools, but I'm wondering if we could find comparable schools in that downtown atmosphere that I *think* we prefer. (Although we remain open to suggestions and certainly aren't opposed to living in the suburbs!) Also- any thoughts/concerns on safety issues with having small kids and living in that downtown area?

Are we missing any other obvious areas that would work well with a commute to downtown, have great schools and young kids, and meet our financial needs?

Also- can you suggest online sites where we can search for homes? I've searched ERA, Century 21, Remax,and Russell Jeffcoat. Who are the other prominent realtors in the area?

Thanks for all thoughts and advice! I realize that some of my questions are answered in other posts, but I just haven't been able to synthesize all of the information to get the most accurate picture of what will fit our needs.

[Chi2Midlands]

Originally Posted by laurastephanie

My husband and I are examining our options for relocation to Columbia. We are both professionals in our early 30s with kids ages 3 and 1. We would like to buy a house with character in a good school district (with good schools at all levels from elementary to high school) with the idea we'll buy to stay. We'd love to be around other families with young kids as well. Ideally, we'd need 4 bedrooms and can spend up to about $450K.

As for areas, we are drawn to the areas near downtown for convenience and character (we'll both work there), but I've read lots of posts on this site with mixed reviews about schools near the downtown area. Are some areas better than others? What fits into our price range and needs? As I mentioned, we'd love an area with lots of younger couples with kids the ages of ours. I'm becoming more familiar with the neighborhoods, so specific info (even street names!) is greatly appreciated.

We have also looked at the Irmo/Dutch Fork area because my husband grew up there. We are, however, concerned about the commute to downtwon. We like the Richland/Lexington 5 schools, but I'm wondering if we could find comparable schools in that downtown atmosphere that I *think* we prefer. (Although we remain open to suggestions and certainly aren't opposed to living in the suburbs!) Also- any thoughts/concerns on safety issues with having small kids and living in that downtown area?

Are we missing any other obvious areas that would work well with a commute to downtown, have great schools and young kids, and meet our financial needs?

Also- can you suggest online sites where we can search for homes? I've searched ERA, Century 21, Remax,and Russell Jeffcoat. Who are the other prominent realtors in the area?

Thanks for all thoughts and advice! I realize that some of my questions are answered in other posts, but I just haven't been able to synthesize all of the information to get the most accurate picture of what will fit our needs.

I think the best option for you overall would be to look into the Southeast Columbia (specifically the Shandon and Rosewood neighborhoods, although there may be others that are desirable that I'm can't name off the top of my head) and Forest Acres areas. Forest Acres is a separate city of about 10,000, and is an established upper-middle-class community right next to the City, so it is known for its convenient location and pleasant neighborhoods. These areas are probably considered Columbia's best, premier urban or near-urban neighborhoods. They are also quite safe. Forest Acres' police department is renowned for tough law enforcement.

In terms of young families, you will probably find quite a few families in a similar life stage as yourself. However, I will say that you will likely not find the overwhelming "young family" vibe you might get further out in the suburbs. Forest Acres, for example, leans more middle-age (40-50 something) in terms of median age. So while there will be more lifestage diversity in these closer-to-downtown neighborhoods, there will definitely be enough younger families for you to make friends with.

$450k will go a LONG way in just about any part of the Columbia metro. You should not have too much problem finding a 4-bedroom house with character in your budget. The SE Columbia neighborhoods are generally older "streetcar suburb" areas dating from the early 20th century and newer. Forest Acres was developed more after WWII, but you will still find some wonderful quality homes there. Just be aware that you will not get the same square footage as a comparable 4-bedroom house out in the 'burbs. $450k will probably buy you nearly twice the square footage if you look 10-15 miles away. In other words, do not expect 4,000 square feet for your price range near downtown, but 4 bedrooms should be doable.

Schools - here you will have to be a bit vigilant. SE Columbia and Forest Acres are in the Richland 1 school district. Overall the district performs lower than the more prominent suburban districts of Lexington/Richland 5, Lexington 1, and Richland 2. However, if you find a home in SE Columbia that is zoned for Rosewood Elementary, Hand Middle School, and Dreher High School, you will be zoned for some of the best public schools in Columbia - they are comparable to the better suburban schools. In Forest Acres, the school cluster you want to shoot for is Satchelford Elementary, Crayton Middle, and AC Flora High School (these are also good schools). So the bottom line is to make sure you are zoned for the better schools and not just look at the overall district. Even in the suburban districts there some schools better than others. Also, as SE Columbia and Forest Acres are stable, established areas with older homes, the school zones and attendance boundaries should not change much, so you should be able to reliably remain in those school for the long term (of course, there is no guarantee that you wouldn't be zoned differently some day - just a caveat).

Waccamatt is a frequent poster who lives in the city and can probably give you a bit more detailed responses than I have, but hopefully this can answer your questions as a start. I will say that I live out in the exurbs about 15-18 miles from downtown, but we did consider Forest Acres in our house hunt at one point when we first moved down here (we ultimately decided on a more suburban setting, but thankfully we found a wonderful development). I grew up in an older near-city suburb next to Chicago, so I understand and admire your desire to live near downtown.

[waccamatt]

Chi2 gives excellent advice in his post. If I were looking for a home in that price range and schools were a concern, I would still want to live in-town and would look at the Shandon area. The schools in that area are good (AC Moore and Rosewood Elementary, Hand Middle and Dreher High School) and so much is so close by. There are also other nearby neighborhoods like Wales Garden, Melrose Heights and Heathwood, which should have the same general set of schools. Those areas are all within walking/biking/short driving distance of the Devine Street and Five Points retail, restaurant and entertainment areas. I have photos of all of the mentioned areas on my website.

Waccamatt's page |

[Brandon Hoffman]

The above posters have provided excellent information and Dreher is the HS you'd want for in town. More Ivy League caliber students come out of Dreher than any other in the Greater Columbia area although Lex/Richland 5 and Richland 2 carry better reputations from start to finish. With you price range you'll have many options and I second the opinion that in town you should look in the Heathwood/ Rosewood/ Shandon/ Forest Acres areas. Secondary options could be Irmo, NE Columbia, and SE Columbia depending on the max time you'd like to spend on a commute.

What is your desired commute time and where will you be working?
The top companies in terms of production are Russell & Jeffcoat followed by ERA Wilder. C21 and Coldwell-Banker a distant 3rd/4th and then there is a big dropoff to #5. If you need a website to look at try REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale. If your company has relo benefits you should look into that prior to contacting agents as they may have a preferred company in the area. If not and you'd like some suggestions on who some of the better agents are with each company let me know and I'll be happy provide a few agents names for you.