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My family and I are considering moving to Columbia within a year or so. I live 15-20 minutes outside of Reading(towards Morgantown). The area is way to exspensive for us to afford. We're looking for a area that will be cheaper and it looks like Columbia might be the place. I do have some questions about Columbia.
Housing- I've looked at housing for sale on realtor sites and couldn't believe some of the prices($190,000-$170,000). It seems to good to be true! Is that what houses typically go for? I've also looked at the some new house developments and liked the prices. What builders are the best in the area, and have houses in the low to mid $100,000? Any areas to avoid would be great too!
Rentals- Are there any house rentals in the Columbia area that are between $1000 and $1400 a month? Taxes- What are housing taxes like? Where I live on a $300,000 house, you'd pay close to $7,000, if not over. Are the taxes cheaper then that? What would taxes be on a $180,000 house?
Terrain- Whats the terrain like in Columbia(ie: flat, hill, mountiany,etc). Where I live its pretty hilly. We'd like to move to a place thats flatter and where your not going up and down hills(think, Hershey,PA).
Weather(Tornadoes, Hurricanes, flooding, etc).- I have a pretty good idea of what the tempatures like in Columbia. We do have a concern on the humidity and weather patterns. I have low grade/mild asthma and so does my Mom. I'm not sure how high humidity will affect us. How humid does it get? Also, another concern is the weather. Does Columbia get alot of hurricanes and tornadoes? How about flooding? Are there any areas to avoid that are flood areas?
Outlets- Does Columbia have any Factory outlets? I like to go to Ralph Lauren, Tommy H, Dooney & Burke, J Crew, etc. My Mom likes Bass, Neutralizer, & Easy Spirit. If Columbia doesn't have any factory outlets, whats the closest?
Deli Meat- Do any of the supermarkets or delis sell Boars Head cold cuts? Boars head is pretty much the only cold cuts we eat.
Restaurants- What type of Restaurants are in Columbia? Do you have anything like Buca Di Beppo? Any restaurants with a verity of foods(pasta, fish, chicken,steak,etc)?
Gas prices- What are the gas prices like in Columbia? Last I saw, our gas was between $3.89 and $3.95ish. Is it the same, less, more?
Attitudes- I probably used the wrong word. Where I live now, the people seem to be on ths snotty, snobby side. Most of the people you meet that are nice, are from out of state. Its rare to meet someone from PA and not have them be snobby. Is it like that in Columbia?
Horses- I've herd that areas around Columbia are good for horses. I'll be looking for a barn to take lessons at. Can anyone recommend areas within 30 minutes from Columbia that have good hunter barns?
Jobs- Whats the job market like in Columbia? Where I live, its nearly impossible to get a job. Your either to young or have out of work for over 20s years and they think your a moron b/c you stayed home to raise your family(my Mom). I've applied and interviewed with severl stores, etc. I either never hear from them or never get the job. Its really
frustrating, especially when you need money! My Moms looking for a entry level IT job(Data control clerk, operator, something very simple that you don't need a degree). I'm looking to go to school to become a nurse, but in the mean time I'm going to need a job(not retail). How easy would it be to get a simple office job, hospital, or even pharmacy? Are entry level, simple IT jobs common? I'm hoping it'll be easier there then where I am, but I'm not sure anymore.
I know I asked alot of questions, most are going to tell us if Columbia is going to be an option for us.
Thank you in advance.
Last edited by EquineLove; 06-08-2008 at 06:34 PM..
Wow, lots of questions. I'll answer the ones that I can and I'm sure others can answer the ones I miss.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EquineLove
Hi,
My family and I are considering moving to Columbia within a year or so. I live 15-20 minutes outside of Reading(towards Morgantown). The area is way to exspensive for us to afford. We're looking for a area that will be cheaper and it looks like Columbia might be the place. I do have some questions about Columbia.
Housing- I've looked at housing for sale on realtor sites and couldn't believe some of the prices($190,000-$170,000). It seems to good to be true! Is that what houses typically go for? I've also looked at the some new house developments and liked the prices. What builders are the best in the area, and have houses in the low to mid $100,000? Any areas to avoid would be great too!
Yes, the housing prices are for real. You can find decent homes for under $100,000 and you can get a very nice home for your stated price range of $170,000-$190,000. I don't know a lot about which builders to look for, I'm sure some of the realtors on here would know.
Rentals- Are there any house rentals in the Columbia area that are between $1000 and $1400 a month?
Gosh yes, you can rent a great house in that range without a problem.
Taxes- What are housing taxes like? Where I live on a $300,000 house, you'd pay close to $7,000, if not over. Are the taxes cheaper then that? What would taxes be on a $180,000 house?
My house last appraised for $190,000, but tax assessments are usually less than the actual value - for instance, my home is assessed at $117,000 and it is inside the city limits and taxes are only a little over $700 a year. You do have property taxes on cars, too, though, which generally run in the neighborhood of $200 or so for every $10,000 of value for your car.
Terrain- Whats the terrain like in Columbia(ie: flat, hill, mountiany,etc). Where I live its pretty hilly. We'd like to move to a place thats flatter and where your not going up and down hills(think, Hershey,PA).
There are some hills here, but there are flatter parts of town, too. I've been to Hershey and it's nothing like that.
Weather(Tornadoes, Hurricanes, flooding, etc).- I have a pretty good idea of what the tempatures like in Columbia. We do have a concern on the humidity and weather patterns. I have low grade/mild asthma and so does my Mom. I'm not sure how high humidity will affect us. How humid does it get? Also, another concern is the weather. Does Columbia get alot of hurricanes and tornadoes? How about flooding? Are there any areas to avoid that are flood areas?
I am originally from New Jersey and I don't think the humidity is much higher here than it is there or in Pa. It is hot here during the summer and it stays hot for a longer period of time than in Pennsylvania. It's not worse than how it has been in SE pa. the last couple of days, though. Columbia is over 100 miles inland so we usually only get rain and some wind if a hurricane hits the coast. The worst hurricane of the last 100 years - Hugo in 1989- brought some high winds here and some power outages along with some downed trees. Closer to the coast, of course, the damage was worse. Tornadoes do occur here from time-to-time, but in this part of the country they are not usually as severe or as frequent as in the midwest and great plains. I wouldn't be terribly concerned about them. There are very few developments that I know of that are located in flood plains.
Outlets- Does Columbia have any Factory outlets? I like to go to Ralph Lauren, Tommy H, Dooney & Burke, J Crew, etc. My Mom likes Bass, Neutralizer, & Easy Spirit. If Columbia doesn't have any factory outlets, whats the closest?
There aren't any factory outlets here, other than Burlington Coat Factory, that I can think of, but there are outlets at the beach (2 hours), Concord Mills (a little under 2 hours) and Gaffney (about 2 hours) and Commerce, Ga. (also about 2 hours).
Deli Meat- Do any of the supermarkets or delis sell Boars Head cold cuts? Boars head is pretty much the only cold cuts we eat.
I shop at Publix and they carry a wide variety of Boars Head. There are Publix all over the Columbia area and I'm sure other stores carry it, too.
Restaurants- What type of Restaurants are in Columbia? Do you have anything like Buca Di Beppo? Any restaurants with a verity of foods(pasta, fish, chicken,steak,etc)?
There is a wide variety, especially in the Five Points and Congaree Vista entertainment districts in the downtown area. You can find just about any cuisine you want. Italian, Chinese, Thai, Sushi, Greek, Middle Eastern, Indian, etc. are all easy to find.
Gas prices- What are the gas prices like in Columbia? Last I saw, our gas was between $3.89 and $3.95ish. Is it the same, less, more?
I saw the other day that gas prices in South Carolina were the lowest in the country this week.
Attitudes- I probably used the wrong word. Where I live now, the people seem to be on ths snotty, snobby side. Most of the people you meet that are nice, are from out of state. Its rare to meet someone from PA and not have them be snobby. Is it like that in Columbia?
I think you'll find most people to be down-to-earth, though you'll find exceptions anywhere. Columbia is a very heavily "middle class" city with a high percentage of degree-holding professionals. Keep in mind there are 8 colleges and universities so there it also tends to be a younger population, though there are a lot of retirees, too.
Horses- I've herd that areas around Columbia are good for horses. I'll be looking for a barn to take lessons at. Can anyone recommend areas within 30 minutes from Columbia that have good hunter barns?
Blythewood and Camden are areas nearby that have a "horsy" presence.
Jobs- Whats the job market like in Columbia? Where I live, its nearly impossible to get a job. Your either to young or have out of work for over 20s years and they think your a moron b/c you stayed home to raise your family(my Mom). I've applied and interviewed with severl stores, etc. I either never hear from them or never get the job. Its really
frustrating, especially when you need money! My Moms looking for a entry level IT job(Data control clerk, operator, something very simple that you don't need a degree). I'm looking to go to school to become a nurse, but in the mean time I'm going to need a job(not retail). How easy would it be to get a simple office job, hospital, or even pharmacy? Are entry level, simple IT jobs common? I'm hoping it'll be easier there then where I am, but I'm not sure anymore.
The unemployment rate here is typically low and the staples of the economy (Colleges and Universities, state and federal government, the military and Insurance) are very stable. There are 5 general hospitals, a VA Hospital, an Army Hospital, a number of specialty hospitals and a medical school here so there are plenty of jobs for nurses. Keep in mind that with the lower cost of living here, you will also probably find salaries to be a little lower, too.
I know I asked alot of questions, most are going to tell us if Columbia is going to be an option for us.
Thank you for your responce.
Where I put Hershey,Pa as a example to how flat we like it. Hershey is much flatter then where I live and we like it flatter. Can you recommend the flatter areas around Columbia, so we can look in those areas?
Thank you for your responce.
Where I put Hershey,Pa as a example to how flat we like it. Hershey is much flatter then where I live and we like it flatter. Can you recommend the flatter areas around Columbia, so we can look in those areas?
Thanks!
The east and southeast parts of Columbia are the flattest parts, but none of the city is as hilly as what you're thinking of.
I used to work alot up in columbia county and I lived in and around Reading too and most real PA people are not stuck up just the ones that are spoiled rotten all their lives and think they are better than other people because of their money and possesions(but alot of well to do people are cool too they don't forget where they come from), but most PA people are decent hardworking folk .
Columbia seems to have some decent places for sale up there just depends if you buy an older house or newer house ,in a small town or a city ,I used to be in Bloomsburg and some of the houses are pretty decent even cheaper than 100,000 and comes with a yard and their playground is nice and their pool and they have a skate park too right beside the Susquehanna river,there is the bloomsburg fair and in august there is a nice hot rod show at the fairgrounds and they have all kinds of things going on there, now for food there is a restaraunt called Quaker Steak and Lube they some of the best tasting wings and the hottest too along with the standard fare of pizza burgers dogs and chinese so you have a wide selection,it is a true PA original and thru out the area there is different places to work and different skillsets needed too so you have to look around and check out pacareerlink.state.pa.us to look at some jobs in that area, so there is something to do all the time and Knoebels amusement park is literally right down the road about 20-30 minutes and hey something with free admission is nice to know .
For shopping look around and see whats there it is not as much as Reading but you can have fun looking .
Now you said you are going to goto school for a nurse just find out if you want to go full time or part time, my wife is finishing her LPN clasees in a couple months and there was no way she could've done this full time and work full time ,her instructors even said if you are going to need to work full time then you will not make it going to school full time ,part time is best for that situation if you have to go full time then go to work part time where the job will work around your school schedule or can get very difficult to keep up so plan it out ,Bloomsburg U. has a nursing program by the way also ,if that wont work out go take an LPN at a community college or check the local technical schools too then when your done with that take a RN corse online ,my wife is going that route there is a couple legitimate colleges that offer this but check into this carefully and see what option fits.
now if your not too choosy about where you live and don't care there is also nice quiet areas in western PA I'm originally from northern Butler county and if you goto the Grove city area it is a nice flatter area and you can find a house in a real decent price range(50,000+ range sometimes a lil cheaper) just look at different realtors sites and look to see what they got I would suggest to stay out of developments they are way too pricey for the area and you will end up around a bunch of snotty acting people, try to look into neibourhoods the town is a dry town no bars allowed only a couple of distributors and thats it and it is a private college town so it has more restrictions their students must follow or they get thrown out,there is a Vanity Fair outlet mall nearby over by I-79 and 208 intersection along with a few restaurants and it is the halfway mark between Pittsburgh and Erie and Niagara Falls is only 2-3 hours away about the same amount of time to goto Atlantic City from Reading but alot more scenic and more kid friendly and Pittsburgh got some good places to shop like the strip district and a couple of nice malls and they get top end concerts too and the Regatta on the rivers is cool and they have Kennywood Park,Erie has a nice amusement park and water park and if head out to Presque Isle(a a misleading name it is a penninsula) they have a nice beach right there on Lake Erie .you will also notice alot of flea markets and different Craft fairs in the area too and some of the best fireworks is in the area since one of the top Fireworks companies is outside of New Castle and they have some cool stuff to go and do too ,so you have in an hours drive or so Pittsburgh ,Erie ,New Castle ,Youngstown ,Butler,Cleveland,Clarion,several State parks and then you have Niagara Falls isn't that far either.
hope this helps my suggestion is go and spend a weekend in the area your thinking about and just take your time looking around and checking out the area and talk to the locals.
Good Luck
I used to work alot up in columbia county and I lived in and around Reading too and most real PA people are not stuck up just the ones that are spoiled rotten all their lives and think they are better than other people because of their money and possesions(but alot of well to do people are cool too they don't forget where they come from), but most PA people are decent hardworking folk .
Columbia seems to have some decent places for sale up there just depends if you buy an older house or newer house ,in a small town or a city ,I used to be in Bloomsburg and some of the houses are pretty decent even cheaper than 100,000 and comes with a yard and their playground is nice and their pool and they have a skate park too right beside the Susquehanna river,there is the bloomsburg fair and in august there is a nice hot rod show at the fairgrounds and they have all kinds of things going on there, now for food there is a restaraunt called Quaker Steak and Lube they some of the best tasting wings and the hottest too along with the standard fare of pizza burgers dogs and chinese so you have a wide selection,it is a true PA original and thru out the area there is different places to work and different skillsets needed too so you have to look around and check out pacareerlink.state.pa.us to look at some jobs in that area, so there is something to do all the time and Knoebels amusement park is literally right down the road about 20-30 minutes and hey something with free admission is nice to know .
For shopping look around and see whats there it is not as much as Reading but you can have fun looking .
Now you said you are going to goto school for a nurse just find out if you want to go full time or part time, my wife is finishing her LPN clasees in a couple months and there was no way she could've done this full time and work full time ,her instructors even said if you are going to need to work full time then you will not make it going to school full time ,part time is best for that situation if you have to go full time then go to work part time where the job will work around your school schedule or can get very difficult to keep up so plan it out ,Bloomsburg U. has a nursing program by the way also ,if that wont work out go take an LPN at a community college or check the local technical schools too then when your done with that take a RN corse online ,my wife is going that route there is a couple legitimate colleges that offer this but check into this carefully and see what option fits.
now if your not too choosy about where you live and don't care there is also nice quiet areas in western PA I'm originally from northern Butler county and if you goto the Grove city area it is a nice flatter area and you can find a house in a real decent price range(50,000+ range sometimes a lil cheaper) just look at different realtors sites and look to see what they got I would suggest to stay out of developments they are way too pricey for the area and you will end up around a bunch of snotty acting people, try to look into neibourhoods the town is a dry town no bars allowed only a couple of distributors and thats it and it is a private college town so it has more restrictions their students must follow or they get thrown out,there is a Vanity Fair outlet mall nearby over by I-79 and 208 intersection along with a few restaurants and it is the halfway mark between Pittsburgh and Erie and Niagara Falls is only 2-3 hours away about the same amount of time to goto Atlantic City from Reading but alot more scenic and more kid friendly and Pittsburgh got some good places to shop like the strip district and a couple of nice malls and they get top end concerts too and the Regatta on the rivers is cool and they have Kennywood Park,Erie has a nice amusement park and water park and if head out to Presque Isle(a a misleading name it is a penninsula) they have a nice beach right there on Lake Erie .you will also notice alot of flea markets and different Craft fairs in the area too and some of the best fireworks is in the area since one of the top Fireworks companies is outside of New Castle and they have some cool stuff to go and do too ,so you have in an hours drive or so Pittsburgh ,Erie ,New Castle ,Youngstown ,Butler,Cleveland,Clarion,several State parks and then you have Niagara Falls isn't that far either.
hope this helps my suggestion is go and spend a weekend in the area your thinking about and just take your time looking around and checking out the area and talk to the locals.
Good Luck
You do know they were asking about Columbia, SC; right?
I used to work alot up in columbia county and I lived in and around Reading too and most real PA people are not stuck up just the ones that are spoiled rotten all their lives and think they are better than other people because of their money and possesions(but alot of well to do people are cool too they don't forget where they come from), but most PA people are decent hardworking folk .
Columbia seems to have some decent places for sale up there just depends if you buy an older house or newer house ,in a small town or a city ,I used to be in Bloomsburg and some of the houses are pretty decent even cheaper than 100,000 and comes with a yard and their playground is nice and their pool and they have a skate park too right beside the Susquehanna river,there is the bloomsburg fair and in august there is a nice hot rod show at the fairgrounds and they have all kinds of things going on there, now for food there is a restaraunt called Quaker Steak and Lube they some of the best tasting wings and the hottest too along with the standard fare of pizza burgers dogs and chinese so you have a wide selection,it is a true PA original and thru out the area there is different places to work and different skillsets needed too so you have to look around and check out pacareerlink.state.pa.us to look at some jobs in that area, so there is something to do all the time and Knoebels amusement park is literally right down the road about 20-30 minutes and hey something with free admission is nice to know .
For shopping look around and see whats there it is not as much as Reading but you can have fun looking .
Now you said you are going to goto school for a nurse just find out if you want to go full time or part time, my wife is finishing her LPN clasees in a couple months and there was no way she could've done this full time and work full time ,her instructors even said if you are going to need to work full time then you will not make it going to school full time ,part time is best for that situation if you have to go full time then go to work part time where the job will work around your school schedule or can get very difficult to keep up so plan it out ,Bloomsburg U. has a nursing program by the way also ,if that wont work out go take an LPN at a community college or check the local technical schools too then when your done with that take a RN corse online ,my wife is going that route there is a couple legitimate colleges that offer this but check into this carefully and see what option fits.
now if your not too choosy about where you live and don't care there is also nice quiet areas in western PA I'm originally from northern Butler county and if you goto the Grove city area it is a nice flatter area and you can find a house in a real decent price range(50,000+ range sometimes a lil cheaper) just look at different realtors sites and look to see what they got I would suggest to stay out of developments they are way too pricey for the area and you will end up around a bunch of snotty acting people, try to look into neibourhoods the town is a dry town no bars allowed only a couple of distributors and thats it and it is a private college town so it has more restrictions their students must follow or they get thrown out,there is a Vanity Fair outlet mall nearby over by I-79 and 208 intersection along with a few restaurants and it is the halfway mark between Pittsburgh and Erie and Niagara Falls is only 2-3 hours away about the same amount of time to goto Atlantic City from Reading but alot more scenic and more kid friendly and Pittsburgh got some good places to shop like the strip district and a couple of nice malls and they get top end concerts too and the Regatta on the rivers is cool and they have Kennywood Park,Erie has a nice amusement park and water park and if head out to Presque Isle(a a misleading name it is a penninsula) they have a nice beach right there on Lake Erie .you will also notice alot of flea markets and different Craft fairs in the area too and some of the best fireworks is in the area since one of the top Fireworks companies is outside of New Castle and they have some cool stuff to go and do too ,so you have in an hours drive or so Pittsburgh ,Erie ,New Castle ,Youngstown ,Butler,Cleveland,Clarion,several State parks and then you have Niagara Falls isn't that far either.
hope this helps my suggestion is go and spend a weekend in the area your thinking about and just take your time looking around and checking out the area and talk to the locals.
Good Luck
Thank you for the information, but I'm looking to move to Columbia,SC.
Housing- I've looked at housing for sale on realtor sites and couldn't believe some of the prices($190,000-$170,000). It seems to good to be true! Is that what houses typically go for? I've also looked at the some new house developments and liked the prices. What builders are the best in the area, and have houses in the low to mid $100,000? Any areas to avoid would be great too!
Rentals- Are there any house rentals in the Columbia area that are between $1000 and $1400 a month?
Taxes- What are housing taxes like? Where I live on a $300,000 house, you'd pay close to $7,000, if not over. Are the taxes cheaper then that? What would taxes be on a $180,000 house?
Columbia does have affordable housing and those prices are accurate. You can get a very nice home in the low 100's and a really nice home in the high 100's. Plenty of good builders, it's a matter of the area and floor plan you like. Mungo, Shumaker, Great Southern, KB, Essex, C&C, Capital City are all good traditional builders that develop subdivisions. A good full time local Realtor should be able to help you narrow down the area you are focused on and show you all the homes and new communities that fit your needs. Buyer representation is paid by the listing company so it is free to have an buyer's agent (even on new construction). I suggest interviewing a couple and finding one to stick with through the move and home search.
Rent here is normally slightly higher than a mortgage. Those homes in the low hundreds will typically rent (depending on age/area) starting in 800's going up to about 1100 and the high hundreds will rent for 1400+.
Taxes are considerably lower here. Taxes on a $180,000 house will cost 1200-1800 depending on the assessed area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EquineLove
Hi,
Terrain- Whats the terrain like in Columbia(ie: flat, hill, mountiany,etc). Where I live its pretty hilly. We'd like to move to a place thats flatter and where your not going up and down hills(think, Hershey,PA).
Weather(Tornadoes, Hurricanes, flooding, etc).- I have a pretty good idea of what the tempatures like in Columbia. We do have a concern on the humidity and weather patterns. I have low grade/mild asthma and so does my Mom. I'm not sure how high humidity will affect us. How humid does it get? Also, another concern is the weather. Does Columbia get alot of hurricanes and tornadoes? How about flooding? Are there any areas to avoid that are flood areas?
Columbia is very flat for the most part with rolling hills in some areas but certainly nothing like what you have there in PA (my ex-wife is from Pittsburgh).
Weather, hot and humid in the summer. Our summers feel hotter than the temp and the winters feel colder than the temp b/c of the humidity. No hurricanes, occasional tornado but shouldn't be a concern. Flooding, not a big deal either.
I don't think there's much I can add to Matt's on the rest.
If you are looking for horse devoted areas, the Lower Richland area is the place to look. Lots of farms, riding stables, and feed stores (Horse World is awesome on the Sumter Highway.
I grew up out there and it seems everyone had horses (we had 3 and my aunt down the road had 5) when I was growing up. It isn't a whole lot different now.
ShumakerHomes just had to buy back two houses in Milford Park subdivision because of MOLD. The houses had severe water problems that Shumaker knew about before selling the houses. THey didn't do anything to help the homeowners who eventually sued them in Richland county. The lawsuits are public record so you can check it out. The promise you a full warranty but change their story after closing and swith you to a 2-10 warranty that you have to pay $250 for every problem you have. Think twice before buying a house from Shumaker! ( the house were only a couple of months old when the mold started and they are 3 years old now)
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