Location with good commute and schools (Columbia, West Columbia: mortgage, equity, relocation)

[JEJA]

We are potentially moving to Columbia. We just found out the location of where my husband would be working, which in near Columbia airport.

We were down in Charlotte last weekend and took a drive to Columbia to look around. Since we didn't know where his work location was going to be we were just casually looking around. We did look at some homes in Lake Carolina athough my husband loved the homes were were shown, I was okay with them. We did drive through other developments in NE Columbia too. We were looking in that area since we heard the schools were good. Figures a few days after we came home we found out the location.

We currently live in a colonial with three bedrooms, living room/den, family room, dining room, breakfast nook, 2.5 baths and a large bonus room over the garage or as it is called down there a FROG. We have a basement too, but that holds a lot of junk which won't be coming with us to SC.

We would want the same thing in SC (not necessarily a colonial with a farmer porch or the basement) but with one more extra bedroom just in case we decide to have another child. The max we would be looking to spend is $250,000. It might be more if we don't take such a hit on our current home, but as of right now we have lost about 40K in equity. I could give up the FROG if the bedrooms were of decent size, but I need a den/office for my home base travel agent business.

We both loved the Lake Carolina community, but I don't think it is feasible to live there and for him to commute. I would eventually get another job, I use to work in the mortgage industry until I got laid off, but now I am just working part time at our school district. We just want to qualify for a mortgage based on my husband's salary.

Schools are very important to us. We have two children ages 5 and 10.

Any suggestions on where we should be looking? We are thinking of going down to Charlotte in November so we can spend another day in Columbia. The move won't happen until next spring and we are waiting to see if we will be given a relocation package.

Thanks.

[waccamatt]

Since schools are an issue I wouldn't recommend living immediately around the airport. If you wanted to live in-town, the Shandon, Rosewood and Heathwood areas are zoned for Dreher High School and its feeder schools, which are all excellent. Forest Acres and AC Flora High School and its feeder schools are also an option. All of the above areas would be around a 20 minute drive to the airport. In the other direction, Irmo and Lexington would be a little closer to the airport than Lake Carolina and the schools in both areas would be good. Because of I-77, you may want to look at some areas in Northeast Columbia that are close to I-77 to lessen the commute from there.

[Brandon Hoffman]

In town, what Matt said...

West Columbia/Lexington could work for a convenient commute. If schools are that important you should stay in the Lex 1 district.

As a second choice you could go Irmo/ NW Columbia because the Lex/Richland 5 Schools are blue ribbon. The commute won't be quite as good but still won't be bad. There are plenty of homes on the market.

Your agent should be able to narrow it down more based on your specific needs. If you don't have one, I'd suggest hiring one.

[jlboney]

You should definately consider looking in Lexington. You would be able to find a home to fit your needs within your price range there and the schools are good. Northeast would also provide you with several communities to find what you want, but the commute would be farther.

[Palmetto Heel]

Lexington sounds perfect for you. Good schools. $250k will buy a palace. It's near the airport. Next question.

[JEJA]

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. We will be looking for an agent once it is 100% for sure that we are moving.

Are there any particular communities that I should be looking into? We really like the "life style" that Lake Carolina offered but want to look into different options too.

[waccamatt]

Would the work commute be during normal rush hour or would it be a different time of day? If not during rush hour, the Lake Carolina to the Airport drive wouldn't be insurmountable, though it would probably be 35-40 minutes. I'm guessing close to an hour during rush hour.

[jlboney]

Maybe you could look up information on Hunter's Mill and Vintner's Wood. They are both communities in Lexington and are not far from shopping and dinning. They are also not as far of a commute as Northeast and Lake Carolina would be. As far as communities in Lexington that are like Lake Carolina, I do not really believe that there are any. You can find plenty of communities in Lexington with similar type homes, but I do not know of any communities in Lexington that have town centers within them. However, there are golf course communities, such as Golden Hills just off of hwy 378.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by JEJA

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. We will be looking for an agent once it is 100% for sure that we are moving.

Are there any particular communities that I should be looking into? We really like the "life style" that Lake Carolina offered but want to look into different options too.

If you're looking up to $250 you'll have a lot of choices in that price range. Vintner's Woods would work, as would Baneberry, Southberry Park but I think the best 2 fits for new construction would be Lake Frances (smaller version of Lake Carolina in W.Columbia) or Wellesly which a green neighborhood with 3 different builders (Shumaker and Holliday are building in your price range there).

[JEJA]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

Would the work commute be during normal rush hour or would it be a different time of day? If not during rush hour, the Lake Carolina to the Airport drive wouldn't be insurmountable, though it would probably be 35-40 minutes. I'm guessing close to an hour during rush hour.

He wouldn't be commuting during the normal rush hour and would have to be to work by 6:00 am.

Thank you jlboney and Brandon for your suggestions.