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From what I have been reading on these threads and talking to neighbors, you will have an advantage if you can pay for the house in cash. Normally that would sound crazy, but many of the people moving here are doing just that since they are coming from very expensive areas, selling their homes and using that cash to buy. Sellers like that of course because its much faster process for them.
Anyway, I'm certain you will love this area. The heat is different of course in the summer, more humid. But overall, a decent 4-season balance throughout the year compared to Phoenix.
Tell your spouse, thank you for their service!! Best of luck.
Thank you for your service! He's been retired for close to two decades....boy time flys. We may end up paying cash, but that means we will have to sell this house first and then be houseless for a period of time, which is scary in today's market. I don't want to end up in some crazy bidding war and never get a house.....everything is so crazy right now.
Real estate here is moving very rapidly. Here’s what we did.
We sold our house, put most of our furniture in storage and rented a short-term lease apartment, taking only minimal furniture. If you’ll have a mortgage, get a per approval in hand. We thought we wanted to be in the Greenville area and spent that time house hunting, only to find out we didn’t really want Greenville.
We have family in the area and had visited many, many times. Being out-of-state makes learning about the area will be even harder.
We then found the perfect house/neighborhood in Spartanburg. We had the cash on hand to make a totally clean contract offer.
Breaking a lease was a lot cheaper and easier than buying in the wrong area.
Real estate here is moving very rapidly. Here’s what we did.
We sold our house, put most of our furniture in storage and rented a short-term lease apartment, taking only minimal furniture. If you’ll have a mortgage, get a per approval in hand. We thought we wanted to be in the Greenville area and spent that time house hunting, only to find out we didn’t really want Greenville.
We have family in the area and had visited many, many times. Being out-of-state makes learning about the area will be even harder.
We then found the perfect house/neighborhood in Spartanburg. We had the cash on hand to make a totally clean contract offer.
Breaking a lease was a lot cheaper and easier than buying in the wrong area.
Best of luck in your search.
Thanks! May I ask what lease length you were able to find? We have a large dog, a Newfoundland, that may not be totally appreciated be many apartments, but he is our love and the BEST dog! May I ask what caused you to choose Spartanburg over Greenville?
A few thoughts from me, having lived in Taylors all my life. My personal preferences are to live somewhere quieter and less crazy than the city limits, but still convenient to all the amenities. As such I would recommend checking out the areas on the North side of Wade Hampton Blvd - aka Travelers Rest, Taylors, and Greer. They are more towards the northern side of Greenville county, and get you closer to the mountains (hiking, camping, skiing, Blue Ridge Parkway, and a gazillion other things to do in Western NC).
We recently moved towards the Lake Robinson area, which is (for better or worse) growing and within 25 min of GSP. If you would consider a new build, check out Blue Ridge Plantation Lakeside, and Oneal Village. They're smaller yards and probably only 2 car garages...but are using better building materials (some brick) and will give you a brand new home. Plus you wouldn't have the bidding wars like you do on existing homes.
I've always told people that the northern side of Greenville is the sweet spot. You have access to GSP, downtown Greenville (which is the award-winning gem of the upstate, so check it out when you're here); plenty of restaurants and shopping options along Wade Hampton; you're within 30-60 minutes of the NC mountains; and you're 3 hours from coastal activities like the beaches, Charleston, etc.
Also - +1 for Taylors...unlike other areas mentioned, it is unincorporated which = outside city limits = lower taxes.
A few thoughts from me, having lived in Taylors all my life. My personal preferences are to live somewhere quieter and less crazy than the city limits, but still convenient to all the amenities. As such I would recommend checking out the areas on the North side of Wade Hampton Blvd - aka Travelers Rest, Taylors, and Greer. They are more towards the northern side of Greenville county, and get you closer to the mountains (hiking, camping, skiing, Blue Ridge Parkway, and a gazillion other things to do in Western NC).
We recently moved towards the Lake Robinson area, which is (for better or worse) growing and within 25 min of GSP. If you would consider a new build, check out Blue Ridge Plantation Lakeside, and Oneal Village. They're smaller yards and probably only 2 car garages...but are using better building materials (some brick) and will give you a brand new home. Plus you wouldn't have the bidding wars like you do on existing homes.
I've always told people that the northern side of Greenville is the sweet spot. You have access to GSP, downtown Greenville (which is the award-winning gem of the upstate, so check it out when you're here); plenty of restaurants and shopping options along Wade Hampton; you're within 30-60 minutes of the NC mountains; and you're 3 hours from coastal activities like the beaches, Charleston, etc.
Also - +1 for Taylors...unlike other areas mentioned, it is unincorporated which = outside city limits = lower taxes.
We had a six month lease (which we broke) at Crestmont at Thornblade. Including w/d and a garage, it was approximately $1200, if I remember correctly. It’s dog friendly — even has a dog park — but not sure about size limitations.
We were moving from the DC/VA area and decided Greenville was just growing too fast. We’d been there, done that.
We’re on the east side of Spartanburg, which still feels like a small city. Our downtown is growing but not so fast or nearly to the size of Greenville. Our son & family are in Greer and soon a daughter will be moving to the Charlotte area. So we have easier access to both. 40ish minutes to Greer and Greenville, 60ish to Charlotte. The shopping is superior, by far, in Greenville but to deal with that traffic daily was a real turnoff.
The houses and taxes in Greenville were also higher.
We’re very glad we chose Spartanburg but if we had bought right away, it could have been an expensive mistake. Take your time — it’s a big, spread out area with a lot of different “feeling” areas.
We had a six month lease (which we broke) at Crestmont at Thornblade. Including w/d and a garage, it was approximately $1200, if I remember correctly. It’s dog friendly — even has a dog park — but not sure about size limitations.
We were moving from the DC/VA area and decided Greenville was just growing too fast. We’d been there, done that.
We’re on the east side of Spartanburg, which still feels like a small city. Our downtown is growing but not so fast or nearly to the size of Greenville. Our son & family are in Greer and soon a daughter will be moving to the Charlotte area. So we have easier access to both. 40ish minutes to Greer and Greenville, 60ish to Charlotte. The shopping is superior, by far, in Greenville but to deal with that traffic daily was a real turnoff.
The houses and taxes in Greenville were also higher.
We’re very glad we chose Spartanburg but if we had bought right away, it could have been an expensive mistake. Take your time — it’s a big, spread out area with a lot of different “feeling” areas.
That's great advice! I know what you mean about the DC/VA area....I suffered through the traffic in Arlington a few times, and couldn't believe it!
Well, after many years of looking to relocate, it looks like we will go to the Greenville area. My husband has been there briefly, and I have never been there.
Where would you live given those parameters? Would like a decent commute to/from the airport. How competitive is the housing market?
I appreciate everyone's help!
Look on a map, and from the airport I would say to look down Hwy. 14.. There are some very nice neighborhoods along that route that extend from Pelham Rd, all the way into Simpsonville and Five Forks. And depending on traffic it's 20-30 minutes to the airport easily.
I'm in my 3 bd, 2ba w/2 car garage on 0.6 acres only 2.7 miles from the airport. Completely remodeled top to bottom in the past 6 months. I'll turn the 2 car into a 4 car garage in a heart beat if you'd give me $300k. Heck, I'd cut you a deal for $289k.
Apartment prices have skyrocketed in Greenville as the home buying has become so competitive. I have a friend who needed to find an apartment a few months ago and she ended up in an approximately 40 year old 1 BR apartment that is not a luxury apartment for $1200/mo. Every time she would make appointments to look at apartments they would be rented out from under her before the appointment. Another family who was moving here from Texas looking at houses in the $350K range spent 6 months trying to find a house in their price range and finally had to move here into an apartment in order to be here to be able to make a decision as soon as the house they ended up buying went on the market. By 10AM there were 12 offers. They ended up paying much more than the listing price by about $70K. They also needed to be here in an apartment so their daughter could start school at the beginning of the school year. The husband and daughter moved here while the wife ended up staying in Texas to get their house there closed and packed up for movers. They had to rent a storage facility here and for their furnishings until they could purchase and move into a house, which took 3 months. They were also paying cash and could close quickly. The seller ended up renting the house back from them for a month because they were in a similar situation trying to buy another home.
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