What about Irmo? (Columbia, Lexington, Andrews: house, established neighborhood, buyers)

[PalmettoGuy]

Has the Irmo/St Andrews area fallen out of favor with new buyers in comparison to Lexington and NE Cola/Blythewood?

From a look at the MLS, it looks like one can get a lot of house on a relatively large lot for under $200K, in the Coldstream CC area, for example. I'm guessing it's because these homes are a little older (more with side-access garages, mature trees, etc.).

Do the locals think this area is a good buy? We don't have to have new construction and would prefer the larger lots and privacy of an established neighborhood. Job would be in downtown Cola on Main, but urban living is not for us. Google says the commute from Coldstream would be about 20-25 minutes. Does that sound right for the rush hour commute? Also, any opinions on the schools there? Thanks.

[waccamatt]

I would rather live in-town, but as suburbs go, Irmo is fine. A lot of the homes there are getting a little older now, but the schools are good and it is convenient to shopping, etc.

[jlboney]

I have heard good things about the schools there, and you can get a good sized home for a reasonable price. You can likely add 10 minutes or so to your commute during rush hour. The same could be said for Blythewood on the Northeast Columbia side of town. It really depends on where you live in Irmo and where you to travel to down town.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Blue Ribbon schools, one of the stronger housing markets in the Columbia area, good mix of older and newer homes in all kind of price ranges. If you're in rush hour add 5 minutes to that time. Hire a good agent and they'll take care of you.