Another relocation thread. (Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg: best city, sale, foreclosure)

[ArcticPhoenix]

Well, here we go... I go by A.P., and I'm new to the boards. I joined because... well, I'd like to talk to some people from the Greenville-Spartanburg area to see what life is really like in that part of South Carolina.

I currently reside in Washington State with my wife and two children, two pet chinchillas, and Alex the parrot. I want to move, though, and because of where I work (I work at an airport), I can transfer to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. However, I do have some questions about the airport and the area in general. Perhaps some of you would be willing to answer my questions and talk to me about the area.

1. How large is the airport (overall)? Is it pretty small like, say, Pullman, Washington (that only has something like 5 flights per day), or is it closer to, say, Pittsburgh's airport, or somewhere in between?

2. How much snow do you guys get in the winter? This last year, we were just a little bit over 1 inch shy of the snowiest winter on record here in Washington. I personally hope I never see snow again as long as I live.

3. What are some decent areas to live in that are reasonably close to the airport (say, within 10-15 miles away)?

4. What areas should I stay away from (e.g. crime ridden neighborhoods)?

5. How high are the taxes on income (if you have any), food (if you have any), and property? Where I live there is no state income tax and no food tax (except on prepared dishes).

6. Is the area family friendly AND affordable? My income is the only income supporting my family, which is one of the reasons that we want to move. And, from what I understand, South Carolina is reasonably affordable, all things considered.

7. Is there anything else I should know about the area? Thanks in advance!

[Frankie117]

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

Well, here we go... I go by A.P., and I'm new to the boards. I joined because... well, I'd like to talk to some people from the Greenville-Spartanburg area to see what life is really like in that part of South Carolina.

I currently reside in Washington State with my wife and two children, two pet chinchillas, and Alex the parrot. I want to move, though, and because of where I work (I work at an airport), I can transfer to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. However, I do have some questions about the airport and the area in general. Perhaps some of you would be willing to answer my questions and talk to me about the area.

1. How large is the airport (overall)? Is it pretty small like, say, Pullman, Washington (that only has something like 5 flights per day), or is it closer to, say, Pittsburgh's airport, or somewhere in between?

It's not too terribly big, but it's not that small either.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

2. How much snow do you guys get in the winter? This last year, we were just a little bit over 1 inch shy of the snowiest winter on record here in Washington. I personally hope I never see snow again as long as I live.

It snows something like every other winter here. It snowed twice this year. It's never more than an inch or two.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

3. What are some decent areas to live in that are reasonably close to the airport (say, within 10-15 miles away)?

Greer comes to mind.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

4. What areas should I stay away from (e.g. crime ridden neighborhoods)?

The area is of typical suburban sprawl - so the bad areas have really given way to newer modern construction. It's always good to check the area out first though.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

5. How high are the taxes on income (if you have any), food (if you have any), and property? Where I live there is no state income tax and no food tax (except on prepared dishes).

There are food taxes, and property taxes. Property taxes can be quite confusing at first, but eventually it'll make sense.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

6. Is the area family friendly AND affordable? My income is the only income supporting my family, which is one of the reasons that we want to move. And, from what I understand, South Carolina is reasonably affordable, all things considered.

Yes, and yes. The Greenville/Spartanburg area has been growing rapidly, and in response prices are on the rise. However, from a national perspective prices and costs of living are quite low.

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

7. Is there anything else I should know about the area? Thanks in advance!

Not that I can think of. Greenville/Spartanburg has very Conservative suburbs (if that sort of thing matters to you), and very good schools (some of the best in the state).

[ArcticPhoenix]

The area is of typical suburban sprawl - so the bad areas have really given way to newer modern construction. It's always good to check the area out first though.

Are there any outlying areas that are decent?

There are food taxes, and property taxes. Property taxes can be quite confusing at first, but eventually it'll make sense.

What's the food tax? How much?

Yes, and yes. The Greenville/Spartanburg area has been growing rapidly, and in response prices are on the rise. However, from a national perspective prices and costs of living are quite low.

Are prices still on the rise, or are they falling like much of the rest of the nation now, and has the foreclosure crisis really affected the area? Would it be more affordable to transfer to Columbia, or to Greenville to live?

[NoodlesKnowles]

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

Are there any outlying areas that are decent?

What's the food tax? How much?

Are prices still on the rise, or are they falling like much of the rest of the nation now, and has the foreclosure crisis really affected the area? Would it be more affordable to transfer to Columbia, or to Greenville to live?

Greer, Travelers rest, Spartanburg, simpsonville, I enjoy living in greenville myself, but these are all close-by areas that you could check into.

as far as I know there is no food tax, there was one, but that tax was recently taken away(as far as I know)

prices are at a good point for buyers here from what I understand, and I read a post on a thread on here recently(post by a realtor Ckeegan)
* According to the Greater Greenville MLS, the average sale price of an existing single-family home or condo increased by 6.44% in 1st quarter 2008, compared to 1st quarter 2007.
* According to the House Price Index by the OFHEO, Greenville had the 37th (out of 291 metro areas) highest yearly appreciation rate, when comparing 2007 to 2006.
* From 2003 through 2007, existing single-family homes and condos in the Greater Greenville area appreciated by an average of 2.94% per year.
* The time it takes to sell a home (as calculated from the day a home is entered into the MLS compared to the day of closing) has decreased by an average of 5.09% per year since 2003, and decreased by .7% when comparing 1st quarter 2008 to 1st quarter 2007.
* In a foreclosure report released by RealtyTrac on April 29th, 2008, Greenville, SC ranked 89th of the top 100 metro areas by population in the US.
* On January 10th, 2008, Forbes named Greenville, SC the 37th best city in the country to find a job in 2008. This was based on several factors such as unemployment rank, cost of living, median income, job growth rank, and more.
* On April 8th, 2008, the housing price risk index from The PMI Group Inc., showed that Greenville, SC had a less than 1% risk of decline in average home price over the next 2 years.

hope this info helps

[g-man430]

Greenville, SC has the lowest foreclosure rate in the nation: http://www.city-data.com/forum/green...sure-rate.html That should speak enough for itself.

[flgargoyle]

According to an official site, Greenville-Spartanburg averages 186 flights a day, but 66% of them are air taxi. Although I don't live there yet, we have property north of Travelers Rest, and will begin building in a year or two. To an outsider, the areas north and west of Greenville are quite different than the other direction. North of Greer, it becomes quite rural, and the mountains can be seen from a number of areas. Simpsonville is more typical suburbia, with numerous subdivisions along with shopping and restaurants. Personally, I've had enough of that here in FL, so we opted for rural acreage near the mountains. YMMV. From what I read on here, the more rural schools may not be as good- you'll want to read the many threads about schools on here.

There is little snow, and it usually melts by noon. Ice storms can be a problem, but everyone tells me that they shut everything down for ice storms.

I would call it a mild four season climate. Unless you live in the desert, you'll find summers pretty hot compared to Washington- at least coastal WA anyhow. You'll find it much sunnier year-round, too.

The areas near the NC border are a hikers dream, with a number of beautiful parks and hiking trails. Many people are unaware that SC has mountains (okay, it ain't the Cascades). Further west, towards Oconee County there are many waterfalls, including the highest one in the eastern US. There are also 3 sizable lakes- Hartwell, Keowee, and Jocassee. It was the proximity of all that natural beauty that sold us on the area, that and the downtown.

As I say to everyone who inquires from a distance, you have to find a way to visit the area, preferably several times and at different times of the year. What one person loves, the next might hate.

[ArcticPhoenix]

I would call it a mild four season climate. Unless you live in the desert, you'll find summers pretty hot compared to Washington- at least coastal WA anyhow. You'll find it much sunnier year-round, too.

It will be a lot warmer than Washington State, especially in the winter, but Spokane is pretty sunny and dry for most of the year. We only get about 18 inches of precipitation per year, and most of that falls as snow.

Thank you for the info, though!

For those of you that have answered my question, how much should I expect to pay for a house? I'd really like to keep it under 120K, and I don't need a *huge* house. I only have two children, and the wife and I aren't having any more *crosses fingers*, so we don't need something that large, not more than 1400 sq. feet likely anyway, and I'd really love to see if I could maybe find land out there. Do you think that's doable on about a 30K/yr household income?

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

Well, here we go... I go by A.P., and I'm new to the boards. I joined because... well, I'd like to talk to some people from the Greenville-Spartanburg area to see what life is really like in that part of South Carolina.

I currently reside in Washington State with my wife and two children, two pet chinchillas, and Alex the parrot. I want to move, though, and because of where I work (I work at an airport), I can transfer to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. However, I do have some questions about the airport and the area in general. Perhaps some of you would be willing to answer my questions and talk to me about the area.

1. How large is the airport (overall)? Is it pretty small like, say, Pullman, Washington (that only has something like 5 flights per day), or is it closer to, say, Pittsburgh's airport, or somewhere in between?

The airport is medium. It handles about 1.6 million passengers a year.

All the major legacy carriers and/or their commuter affiliates serve GSP.

Here is a rundown of the carriers and their non-stop destinations:

Northwest/Northwest Airlink - Detroit, Memphis
USAirways/USAirways Express - Charlotte, Washington National, Philadelphia, LaGuardia
Delta/Delta Connection - Atlanta, Cincinnati, LaGuardia, Orlando
United/United Express - Chicago, Washington Dulles
American/American Eagle - Dallas, Chicago
Continental/Continental Express - Newark, Houston, Cleveland
Allegiant - Tampa, Orlando, Ft.Lauderdale

[g-man430]

Where are the low-cost carriers and west-coast destinations?

[kaKilaKiGirL]

Hey, you can look up any city you have questions about on this site <http://www.cities.sc/> it's been such a great help to me. As far as the upstate goes, I love Simpsonville, and how everything is so close- the airport is about 15min away...

good luck!