Need help figuring out where to live (Greenville, Mauldin: apartments, power lines)

[naturefreak]

Hello everyone,

I will be moving to Greenville at the end of the summer and I was hoping you guys could help clarify where I should start looking. I've gathered from other threads that the "east" side is the nice part of town, but that's all I've got! I'm a 28 y.o single male and someone suggested I try to get downtown if I could, though I'm not sure I can afford it ($1000 max a month). I was hoping someone could give me some good zip-codes, roads, etc. as to the nicer parts of town. I've lived in apartments for the last 10 years and I'm getting a little sick of it (though I'll do it if I have to) I was hoping to find a nice little house or condo in greenville. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

[naturefreak]

Wow...viewed 58 times and not a single person can tell me where the "bad" parts of town are...

[Kimmie]

Hi-
If you go to the Greenville county mapping site, (google search "greenville gis") you can find a map of crime incidents. That may help you.
If I was 28 and single I would like to be near downtown, too. I don't know much about housing in that area though, as we sought family-friendly in Simpsonville when we moved here.
Perhaps if you give more information we could help you better. In what part of town will you be working and/or going to school? What kind of commute are you prepared to handle?
If you list the street names of places that interest you, w might be able to tell you if that is a safe part of town or not.
Good luck!

[davidmg1]

I'm biased towards Simpsonville, and if I was single, I think these loft condo's at Cotton Mill Place looks like a great place for hip and trendy people. Cotton Mill Place | Simpsonville, SC

Simpsonville probably doesn't have the night life you may be looking for, but it is a nice place to live. The area offers lots of places to shop and eat though. Downtown Greenville is less than 30 minutes from downtown Simpsonville.

[IamIam]

Originally Posted by naturefreak

Wow...viewed 58 times and not a single person can tell me where the "bad" parts of town are...

Now don't be rude!

[myrc60]

There are few undesirable areas in and around Greenville. This has been discussed over and over again in other threads in this forum; take a look around. Google maps in satellite mode is your friend!

[sois]

I accidentally drove into the ghetto yesterday. North west side of town. Rutherford and Foster to be exact. Literally projects. It was awesome.

BTW, I got a house rental in the Historical Earle District (I think that is what it is called, zip 29609, Earle, Stone, Park and Main are the big streets around) for $850. Good luck man.

[ckeegan]

Originally Posted by naturefreak

Hello everyone,

I will be moving to Greenville at the end of the summer and I was hoping you guys could help clarify where I should start looking. I've gathered from other threads that the "east" side is the nice part of town, but that's all I've got! I'm a 28 y.o single male and someone suggested I try to get downtown if I could, though I'm not sure I can afford it ($1000 max a month). I was hoping someone could give me some good zip-codes, roads, etc. as to the nicer parts of town. I've lived in apartments for the last 10 years and I'm getting a little sick of it (though I'll do it if I have to) I was hoping to find a nice little house or condo in greenville. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

Here's my personal history, which will probably (hopefully) help. When I first moved here as a single guy, I lived on the eastside, specifically 29650. I liked the eastside, but when it came time to look for a house (I was engaged by then), we really didn't find anything we loved until we looked in the Simpsonville area (29681, for us). After three years in that house, we bought another, and revisited the eastside area, but stayed in 29681.

One thing you will find, is that the eastside is more established than the Simpsonville area. The Simpsonville area (for the most part) offers more new construction and younger (age of home, not people) communities. I have also helped many young, single folks move to the Mauldin area.

I can tell you, that based on your payment preference, you will probably want to search between $125,000 and $160,000 (based on current interest rates, approximate property taxes, estimated insurance) in order to stay at or below the $1,000/month mark. You will still want to talk to a lender to find out your exact qualifications.

With that, you currently have 451 options (349 single-family homes, 99 condos/townhomes, and 2 mobile homes ) within a 10 mile radius of downtown Greenville.

Some of these areas still qualify for USDA Rural development loans (although they're hardly very rural), and those programs still have 100% financing options, if needed.

I hope that helps.

- Cameron Keegan

[NewYorkBorn]

Hello Naturefreak,

The eastside of Greenville is not the only nice area nor is downtown Greenville the only nice place to live. It all really depends on what your preference is for where you would like to live. If you want to be in an apartment and a more city type of setting then downtown Greenville may be the place for you. Although during my visits I have found parking to be tough there. On the other hand if you enjoy golf, want to live in a house in a more country like setting (20 minutes from downtown Greenville) then you should check out the homes in the subdivisions that surround the Bonnie Brae golf course.

There are plenty of beautiful homes and condos in Greenville but of course the downtown areas are always way more expensive then other areas because you have the convenience to walk to stores. However you will also find that you will get less bang for your buck downtown Greenville.

Good luck....

[g-man430]

Originally Posted by sois

I accidentally drove into the ghetto yesterday. North west side of town. Rutherford and Foster to be exact. Literally projects. It was awesome.

Best part of town is the ghetto. Actually, the whole county looks like the ghetto except for downtown. Just look at all the sprawl, billboards, lack of sidewalks/transit, above ground power lines, etc. in the area. Hudson Road is still two lanes. LOL.