irmo rosewood cayce undecided move help! (Columbia, Forest Acres: for sale by owner, real estate, rentals)

[Margaret Bangs]

Hi, I am moving from St. Thomas Virgin Islands. My youngest son attending usc. I loved Columbia & the people there the moment I went there. Am trying to decide which neighborhood to move to. Will be up there house hunting in June. I will be working full time during the day (no idea where yet) & taking art classes in the vista, rosewood area at night & weekends. I am a middle aged caucasian women who wants a safe neighborhood. The realtor pushes harbison irmo but cayce & north rosewood & west columbia seem like a lot less commuting. Im past the point in life of suburbs & definitely into the arts scene so I'm torn. Do I have to move far out of town to avoid crime & put up with a commute or can I find a convenient location for $125,000.00. (Can't spend more than that cause I still have to pay house mortgage here until it sells) Definitely not a wild party woman. Basically quiet & conservative morals but really into progressive edgy art. No condos cause I have pets. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I hear so many conflicting comments on the web. Irmo is great. Irmo is Lame-o etc. Is the commute from Harbison 20-30 minutes depending on time of day? I guess it all depends on whether the comments are coming from a 19 year old student or a young couple raising children of which I am obviously neither. Is there anyone out there like me?
Any info/replys would be a big help.
Thanks
Margaret

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by Margaret Bangs

Hi, I am moving from St. Thomas Virgin Islands. My youngest son attending usc. I loved Columbia & the people there the moment I went there. Am trying to decide which neighborhood to move to. Will be up there house hunting in June. I will be working full time during the day (no idea where yet) & taking art classes in the vista, rosewood area at night & weekends. I am a middle aged caucasian women who wants a safe neighborhood. The realtor pushes harbison irmo but cayce & north rosewood & west columbia seem like a lot less commuting. Im past the point in life of suburbs & definitely into the arts scene so I'm torn. Do I have to move far out of town to avoid crime & put up with a commute or can I find a convenient location for $125,000.00. (Can't spend more than that cause I still have to pay house mortgage here until it sells) Definitely not a wild party woman. Basically quiet & conservative morals but really into progressive edgy art. No condos cause I have pets. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I hear so many conflicting comments on the web. Irmo is great. Irmo is Lame-o etc. Is the commute from Harbison 20-30 minutes depending on time of day? I guess it all depends on whether the comments are coming from a 19 year old student or a young couple raising children of which I am obviously neither. Is there anyone out there like me?
Any info/replys would be a big help.
Thanks
Margaret

Forest Acres would be good for you, but I doubt you would find anything other than a condo for that amount of money.

If you check this link, it make give you some indication. These are patio homes, that have small yards, and the grass is cut for you. They are being built right now. It's a small subdivision on I-26, great location, not quite as far out as Irmo. I believe you could buy a new patio home for that amount of money. If the link doesn't work, go to mungo . com and work you way through to SpringHaven, virtual tour.

http://www.mungo.com/community.asp?id=15&tab=tour (broken link)

just a thought!

[GoPadge]

Give a choice, I'd move to Rosewood. When I was living there in the late '80's crime wasn't a real issue outside a few well defined areas. The homes are, in my opinion, much more architecturally appealing than either Cayce or Irmo. (Though Cayce does have some nice neighborhoods.)

[waccamatt]

Of the places listed, I would second the suggestion of Rosewood. There are many homes you can find there for less than $125,000. I have pictures of a number of neighborhoods on my website if you'd like to see what appeals to you.

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/

[Margaret Bangs]

Originally Posted by GoPadge

Give a choice, I'd move to Rosewood. When I was living there in the late '80's crime wasn't a real issue outside a few well defined areas. The homes are, in my opinion, much more architecturally appealing than either Cayce or Irmo. (Though Cayce does have some nice neighborhoods.)

Thanks for responding. Rosewood seems like a good option & am checking out Cayce also. Do you know anything about Eau Claire? Found some good deals there. Am going up to Columbia next week to house hunt then returning here for a month. Also, I found what seems to be nice homes on beltline Blvd & near Downtown Airport area off Beltline & Lantana. Thank you again, I really appreciate the help. This can get overwhelming at times.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Margaret Bangs

Thanks for responding. Rosewood seems like a good option & am checking out Cayce also. Do you know anything about Eau Claire? Found some good deals there. Am going up to Columbia next week to house hunt then returning here for a month. Also, I found what seems to be nice homes on beltline Blvd & near Downtown Airport area off Beltline & Lantana. Thank you again, I really appreciate the help. This can get overwhelming at times.

I live in Eau Claire; it is a large area with some areas that are safer than others. The area off Beltline and Lantana is close to the Rosewood area. Good luck in your search.

[GoPadge]

The further south you get from Shandon (especially as you get closer to the railyard), the less attractive some of the areas get. If you head out Garner's Ferry road, the situation flips a bit and the areas south of Garner's Ferry tend to be nicer out to about 768 (Pineview Road) where the area turn more rural. Of course once you get that far out you're talking about a longer commute than I would want to take.

[Julie8020]

Margaret, you need to be very careful about the area you look in if you are a single female. Most of the areas that have been suggest are pretty good, butl ike most places these neighboorhoods go from hot to cold very quickly. Be carful for the low end priceing in Columbia. Anything under about $150 will get you in a rough area. I grew up in Rosewood and I know all about it, all about it. The good, bad and ugly. Lots of rentals and lots of college kids, can you say parties all night long and drag racing all night long. Try Forest Acres/Arcadia Lakes. Close to down town, University, I-20, 77, and I-26. 2 major hospitals within 10-15 minutes, 20 minutes to great shopping in North East Columbia and 20 minutes to great shopping in Harbison. Lots of great private schools within 20 minutes and Rich District 1 schools are pretty good as well. Crayton and Hand middle are very good schools and AC Flora and Dreher High are 2 of the best high schools in Rich Dist 1. If you can afford it look for homes 180K - 250K. You will be very pleased with the size you will find for the dollar. Great neigboorhoods, low crime, lots of middle age parents, and lots of retires. Forest Acres police dept is one of the best for response. They will write you a speeding ticket in a minute but the are very helpful and do a great job of patroling the area. Moderator cut: advertising Also go to the For sale by owner sites. Best deals.

[waccamatt]

Somehow it just doesn't seem right to me for someone to push their own real estate listings on here. There are plenty of nice neighborhoods in the Columbia area where you can find a home for under $150K. IMO, if you're going to be working after you move here, I would try and let work location be a guide to start deciding on a neighborhood to live in. Why commute further than necessary?

[sheasway22]

I personally live in and appreciate Rosewood area. For a downtown, urban location in the Southeast US, the crime is about average. There are parts of the neighborhood, (pretty well defined), that are not as desireable and slightly less safe. That said, Rosewood has seen an influx of young families and other folks who are moving in and fixing up houses. It seems to be on the upswing, and I for one, love the area. Convenience + Unique (not a planned suburb) + Affordable = Just Right