Possible move to Greenville or Columbia Sc-any suggestions? (Charleston, Greer: for sale, real estate)

[JWorkman]

[SIZE=5]JWorkman[/SIZE]
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Dover Pa
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Possible relocation to Columbia or Greenville SC-any suggestions
My wife and I currently live in Pa. Strongly considering possible move to either Greenville or Columbia SC. Will be visiting both areas next year to aid in our decision. Will be able to visit for about 1 week, does anyone think is will be long enough to get a general idea of both cities, or do you think this would be rushing it to much? We would like to get to know the general area and also if possible spend some time with a realtor or buyers agent to show us what type of home we would be getting in our general price range ($160,000-$170,000) ? Also does anyone know of a real estate agent or buyers agent in either greenville or columbia that they recommend that would be able to help us with that? Any suggestions or comments would be very helpful. Thanks
[SIZE=5]JWorkman[/SIZE]
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Dover Pa
0 posts
Reputation: 10



Possible relocation to Columbia or Greenville SC-any suggestions
My wife and I currently live in Pa. Strongly considering possible move to either Greenville or Columbia SC. Will be visiting both areas next year to aid in our decision. Will be able to visit for about 1 week, does anyone think is will be long enough to get a general idea of both cities, or do you think this would be rushing it to much? We would like to get to know the general area and also if possible spend some time with a realtor or buyers agent to show us what type of home we would be getting in our general price range ($160,000-$170,000) ? Also does anyone know of a real estate agent or buyers agent in either greenville or columbia that they recommend that would be able to help us with that? Any suggestions or comments would be very helpful. Thanks
My wife and I currently live in PA. We were strongly considering a move to either Greenville or Columbia SC after visiting both areas. We were planning a trip down next year to check out both areas, we will probably be able to spend about a week. We would like to spend some time if possible with a realtor or buyers agent to see what our budget for a home would give us ($160,000-$170,000) Does anyone know or could recommend a realtor or buyers agent in both Greenville or Columbia that could possibly aid us with this? Also since we only have about a week to visit, would this be enough of time to visit both areas or is this going to rush us to much to get a good idea or feel for both general areas? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! Thanks

[ranger17]

for what it's worth, some info from our experiences.
In 2008 we made the decision to head south from WI, and after some internet basic research ( plus having spent a few days in Hilton Head that spring ) we decided that the Columbia area fit many of our requirements. So last Sept we came down for 8 days, to get a feel for the overall area, what the housing was like, plus ( and this was important ) do some of the things we would if we lived here. So we did spend a couple days driving around with a realtor ( Brandon Hoffman, who was a huge help both early on as well as thru our recent home purchase; can't say if he handles both cities or just Cola but he gets 2 thumbs up from us here ) to get a feel for some suburbs of Cola, look at some houses and neighborhoods ( at that stage just to get a feel for what our $$ could get us, compared to back home ), plus get some overall lessons.
We also hit the mall, found some new places to eat, went to the zoo, the lake, and even took a day trip to Charleston ( again all things we'd do on a regular basis ). After the 8 days, we were both confident this area would be it. As luck would have it, we put our house up for sale in Nov and had offer the first day. So the first week of Feb 09 we packed up a large Uhaul, hooked up the boat to our suv, and we made the drive to our new community.
We knew we wanted to be down here, but were not sure if the exact sub or neighborhood we first liked would be it for long term ( we lived in last town for 23 yrs ). So as the market was soft, we rented for this first year, allowing us to spend plenty of time to look around and find "the right spot" to own a home. And we did find that spot.
So, long story short, a strong week can give you plenty of time to check out the area, and likely could still do well if you are considering both metros ( we only wanted to be here as Lake Murray was important to us, but have enjoyed 'visiting' Greenville ). Spend a couple days each driving around and exploring both locations, then perhaps if one stands out over the other finish your vaca time solely in that area. But again, don't just look at houses, do some recreational things as well.
As for pricing, while we can't compare apples to apples, our money did get more house here, but the big thing was taxes were lower ( and that includes the taxes on vehicles that have to be paid ).
We just wanted to get away from winters, and find a nice spot to start the next chapter in our lives. We have been happy with the decisions we made--good luck.

[LynchburgLover]

If only The South could figure a way to export warm weather . . . .

[innovator82]

I have lived in both Greenville and Columbia. If one week is what you have to visit, then it can easily be done. Greenville to Columbia is about a 1hr30m to 1hr45m drive. Considering the size of each area, you could easily split your week evenly between the two. I'd do as much research as possible on the Internet first, like searching online maps to see where the general shopping and residential areas are, looking at the surrounding suburban towns (such as Simpsonville or Greer outside of Greenville and Lexington or Irmo outside of Columbia), look at housing stock and prices online, etc. The $160-170k price range can get you a nice house in either area.