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We've finally decided that Greer is the place for us. Myself(38) and my husband (also 38) along with our 2 kids( ages 3 and 2) will hopefully be moving very soon. We currently live on Cape Cod(in MA) and our house will be going back on the market, hopefully it will not be on it long. We will be pricing it about 20,000- 25,000 below similar sized homes. We will be looking for a good realestate person to help us find a home in Greer. We will be down there for about 3 days and an offer will be made before we leave. Has anyone moved from Ma to Greer? How does it compare? I am very curious about the pre-schools in Greer and surrounding towns. My 3 year old has an IEP and I am told that it will not be a problem when we move( she ia a former 24 week preemie that weighed just aver a pound at birth) any help with schools would be greatly appreciated. Just let the dog outside it is 15 degrees( we are so looking foreward to the weather). I love reading the threads about taxes. Our taxes are 2,900 and my house insurance is almost 1,900 a year. We also pay excise tax every year for our vehicles. Thank You for all of your help.
We moved from Swampscott (North of Boston) in September of 2005. I live in Greer, and love it! I don't know much about IEP's, but my daughters (5 in Kindergarten this year) and 4 have attended/attend a wonderful pre-school in downtown Greer. Pre-schools are competitive to get into here (as in MA) so I suggest you make that a priority once you get here
My kindergartener attends the public school (Woodland) and so far it's been wonderful, no complaints at all. We moved in a similar fashion to you, 3 day whirlwind flight down here with the sole purpose of buying a house, it was stressful, but not a problem. There is plenty of inventory around here (but not too much...as in it's not terrible to sell), so you should find what you're looking for.
The taxes are amazing, but be warned there is a tax on cars here, just like Excise tax in MA. When we first registered our cars it was about $600 (total for both), so it's just called something else. However, you'll appreciate this..our entire utility bill for our worst month was $320. That included gas, water, electric, everything. In MA, our monthly budgeted oil payment when we moved was $300!
Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions, I think you'll be very happy that you've chosen Greer, and SC for that matter!
I'm also from MA (western) & my girlfriend and I are looking to come down to SC as well. Greer had been suggested to us so I'd like to keep an eye on this thread for upcoming responses
Which cities in MA could you liken Greer to? At least as far as development and such. We're trying to find which cities are and are not what we're looking for. Haven't been able to visit the area yet, but that will be forthcoming.
Thank You very much for the info. I've been doing a lot of research about the schools. Our house is going on the market in 3 weeks(can't wait). I've been doing a lot of research about the schools in the area. My daughter(Faith) currently gets services through the school (ot,speech and pt). She had early intervention until she was 3 and then went right into school with an IEP. She will be going to school in Simpsonville. How long did it take you to adjust to the pace down there? My husband justs wants to make sure there is a Dunkin Donuts near by so he can get his coffee. We are huge football fans(GO PATS!) We currently have 2 season tickets. Is football big in Greer? We have a 2 year old who has linebacker thighs and a quarterback arm. How is the job market. My husband will probably be looking for something else. He was a landscapper for 16 years and then he got into the social work field. Thanks again for the info fromma. Have a great day
Capemom24:
your dh will be happy to know that DD are starting to pop up all over the place in this area!! We moved from Tewksbury a little over a year ago and it was one of the things my dh missed!!!
As far as the pace...trust me...it won't take long to adjust!!
Good luck to you in your move!
Thank You very much for the info. I've been doing a lot of research about the schools. Our house is going on the market in 3 weeks(can't wait). I've been doing a lot of research about the schools in the area. My daughter(Faith) currently gets services through the school (ot,speech and pt). She had early intervention until she was 3 and then went right into school with an IEP. She will be going to school in Simpsonville. How long did it take you to adjust to the pace down there? My husband justs wants to make sure there is a Dunkin Donuts near by so he can get his coffee. We are huge football fans(GO PATS!) We currently have 2 season tickets. Is football big in Greer? We have a 2 year old who has linebacker thighs and a quarterback arm. How is the job market. My husband will probably be looking for something else. He was a landscapper for 16 years and then he got into the social work field. Thanks again for the info fromma. Have a great day
My children are in ST and OT and we decided to go private, there was inadequate space in the public school so we use this agency: CDServices.org : Center for Developmental Services : Home
There are several agencies in one building, speech hearing and learning center and kidnetics. Their # is 864-331-1300.
They are affiliated with the childrens hospital as well as the school system. They are the only STOT agency around so wait times are long, you might want to call ahead for eval appts before you even move.
There is a brand new dunkin donuts in Greer, with a drive thru.
As far as football the high school team in Greer has won several state championships in recent years so high school football is big. As for NFL, Charlotte is abt an hour up the interstate, Panther stadium is in downtown Charlotte, but the team trains here in the upstate, you can watch practices daily inthe summer, for free.
The Greer Rec assoc also has peewee, termite and junior football. I think they start at 5 or 6.
If your DD is going to be going to school in Simpsonville then I recommend that you move to "my side" of town. You'll want to head up highway 14 to get her to school most likely because traffic on 85 and Woodruff Road can be busy, not Boston busy, but Greenville busy. Like the other poster said..DD's are popping up everywhere! We are in heaven. There is one right on the Parkway, which is great!!!
We have adjusted fine, the area is so family oriented, which is exciting, my kids have adjusted great! We live in a wonderful neighborhood and they are involved in many activities which are affordable. You will have no problem finding activities for your "linebacker".
My husband has had a little more difficulty adjusting. Salaries here are terrible, be warned....like really really horrible. The work ethic is also very different. They work you to death here. You get very few holidays (if any) and the health insurance (for us) has been terrible. In MA we were used to an HMO and just paying a 20 co-pay for everything and that was it. My million dollar pregnancies (c-sections) cost us nothing...here..oh my we'd be in the poorhouse! The doctors have been fine, just the cost kills us.
In my opinion (and I'm sure others will disagree) I do not find the job market great here. People talk about Michelin, BMW, etc, but I don't really find that there are a lot of "professional" well paying positions. Like I said that is my opinion. I am fortunate to work from home for my old company in Boston, so I'm not affected, but DH has been.
If you'd like to email me, my email address is swims_1 at yahoo.com
The work ethic is also very different. They work you to death here. You get very few holidays (if any) and the health insurance (for us) has been terrible. In MA we were used to an HMO and just paying a 20 co-pay for everything and that was it. My million dollar pregnancies (c-sections) cost us nothing...here..oh my we'd be in the poorhouse! The doctors have been fine, just the cost kills us.
This is what I was talking about in other threads about a "Northern Mindset".
Perhaps you are not working harder, but actually earning your salary?
Perhaps a lot of the affordability of things in the area is because you don't get a million dollars worth of health care "free". (Someone has to pay for that)
Simply put it's an entitlement mindset, and if those moving down don't lose it - you'll be back in the same pickle in 20-30 years as you were in over priced, crime riddled, taxed to death "Boston" or wherever.
On topic, thanks for the posts about Greer. I'm coming back South soon and run a small service business which will be coming with me. I would like to service Greenville and Spartanburg so Greer seems like a good strategic jump off point for both.
How is highway access from Greer. Do you have to wade through blvd's with heavy traffic lights or are there clear divided "state roads" which can get to I85 fairly easy in 5-10 minutes?
This is what I was talking about in other threads about a "Northern Mindset".
Perhaps you are not working harder, but actually earning your salary?
Perhaps a lot of the affordability of things in the area is because you don't get a million dollars worth of health care "free". (Someone has to pay for that)
Simply put it's an entitlement mindset, and if those moving down don't lose it - you'll be back in the same pickle in 20-30 years as you were in over priced, crime riddled, taxed to death "Boston" or wherever.
On topic, thanks for the posts about Greer. I'm coming back South soon and run a small service business which will be coming with me. I would like to service Greenville and Spartanburg so Greer seems like a good strategic jump off point for both.
How is highway access from Greer. Do you have to wade through blvd's with heavy traffic lights or are there clear divided "state roads" which can get to I85 fairly easy in 5-10 minutes?
Thanks in advance.
In general you can usually get to 85 from Greer via hwy 14 S, or 101 S, in minutes. If traffic is clear you can be on 85 and in Greenville or Spartanburg in 15 or 20 minutes.
There is also the "back way" taking the airport exit or going Batesville to the Pelham rd exit, although the Pelham Rd exit is almost always a mess.
In general you can usually get to 85 from Greer via hwy 14 S, or 101 S, in minutes. If traffic is clear you can be on 85 and in Greenville or Spartanburg in 15 or 20 minutes.
There is also the "back way" taking the airport exit or going Batesville to the Pelham rd exit, although the Pelham Rd exit is almost always a mess.
Excellent! Thank you for the info. That is what I was hoping to hear. I should have clarified though I am looking at "North" Greer - North of Wade Hampton. I'm sure it won't make a huge difference but wanted to at least mention it.
Should I assume that W Hampton is a tangled mess of traffic lights and strip malls most of the time?
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