Would like to hear from Long Islanders who moved to NCarolina (live)

[saturnfan]

Not where I live in Raleigh, NC. Very efficient law enforcement.

Now, when we lived in New Orleans, all holds were off. My Mom lived in Alphabet city, which was a Sunday school picnic compared to New Orleans.

[NYC2RDU]

I recently relocated from Long Island to Raleigh, North Carolina.

What exactly would you like to know about the move?

[wisdom4me]

The houses on LI are CRAZY!!! Check out Har.com Its houston area mls homes then you'll see what you get for your money. Why is everyone going to NC??I live in the Woodlands..Moved to Texas 29 years ago from Long Isalnd. excellent schools, lots of stores.. NO cowboys!

[nyxmike]

You can't go wrong with Charlotte or Raleigh. I find there is more to do in Charlotte, but both places are nice.

[NYC2RDU]

Originally Posted by wisdom4me

The houses on LI are CRAZY!!! Check out Har.com Its houston area mls homes then you'll see what you get for your money. Why is everyone going to NC??I live in the Woodlands..Moved to Texas 29 years ago from Long Isalnd. excellent schools, lots of stores.. NO cowboys!

Houston was number 3 on our list of possible locations when deciding to relocate last year. Ultimately the weather was a little too different, the landscape not as familiar and distance from where we expect to spend much of our time (New Jersey, Florida) was too great.

It was very competitive vis-a-vis cost of living, quality of life and education. It also had an advantage in terms of proximity to beaches.

And you can compare 90% of real estate centers from around the country to Long Island to illustrate how insanely expensive it is to buy a house there.

[Keeper]

I would suggest you check out the North Carolina forum and post your question there.

[bekindtoanimals]

I can tell you to really do your research. No state will be the cure-all for the problems that exist on LI. In Raleigh it is very hot during the summer they had maybe 8 days of 100+ and 90's straight through. There is constant development and all the beautiful trees are cleared and paved. Be careful about the construction down here and PAY ATTENTION to where the new roads will be (I-540 etc).Also coming from LI you will notice that not all backyards are flat and smooth, here they have slopes and sit on tiny lots right next to your neighbor. People here think it is a good way to socialize and know your neighbor. So many people have moved here but the elected officals have no idea how to manage the growth. Prices are not that cheap here any more and the quality of homes are terrible.

[Redd Jedd]

I left LI in 2006 for Union County, just south of Charlotte.

First off, it is not NYC and never will be. Some from here and some who moved here are waiting for it to happen, but it will not.

Yes there is crime here, just the same as anywhere. Research areas you want to be in and can afford and check the statistics for that area. Most of the sensational crime on the news and in the papers happens in bad areas most people will not venture into for the simple reason they have no business there. There is random crime, the same as I saw on LI. As compared to the “Crime Beat” report in Newsday on Sundays, I’d say the crime is about the same. These are the break ins an assaults that happen and are not feature story newsworthy for both areas.

Do research the area and any potential projects as bekindtoanimals states. As residential growth reaches a certain point, commercial development will begin. What looks rural now, may not be in 3 years. Projects are in the pipeline all over, so you may want/not want to be near one.

Annexation is big in NC as incorporated areas gobble up the unincorporated areas. It is not like LI were almost every area belongs to a town. See if your potential area is to be annexed by another town. There are rules for annexation and towns have non annexation agreements between each other as well. Also, know what town you’ll be located in. Several in my development did not realize they were not in a town the realtor told them they were in. This will affect your taxes. Charlotte doubled in land size in the last 25 years via this method.

Schools maybe crowded and have trailers behind them to handle the overflow. Union County is in a school building boom with 10 or 12 of varying levels to be built in the next 8 years.

Make sure to deal with a reputable builder – check complaints against them. Aside from sloping backyards, basements are an extra in most new construction. They can add $40K to the price if they are offered. Also ask the builder about how the lot will be leveled. Most lots don’t start off as sloped, they grade them that way.

Weather is good although we are in a drought right now. Spring weather starts in March and runs to mid June. From then on it is in the high 80’s to 90’s until early September. Fall runs from then until November and winter runs from December to February (lows in the 20’s and 30’s, highs in the 40’s and 50’s).

Traffic is here, but it depends on your prospective. It is OK for me, coming from LI, but locals say it is bad.

Coming down here with a lot LI equity, we’ve eased our financial concerns. Utilities are about 40% of what we paid on LI. As clsmith15 points out, getting in a nice subdivision will shield you from a lot of what goes on in questionable areas. I have not experienced racism, chicken fighting, bible-ism, etc… I do not think I would go back to LI unless I had total financial freedom, even then, maybe only as a second home (since I’d be rich, I could afford it).

Use a buyer’s agent to get an idea of what areas would fit you best.

[Waterboy526]

Please don't think that dog & chicken fighting are big in NC, just because we are in the South...lol. That might be an issue in rural areas, but even then I would not say it's a "big thing". All of my neighbors here are from other areas of the country and world. It's becoming a very diverse area and Racism is not a bog deal IMHO. In fact my Grandmother (passed last year) grew up in NYC and lived in LI until her dealth was pretty prejudiced towards other races as I've found with a lot of my relatives in LI (love 'em to dealth though).

The weather this summer has been extremely HOT and is not typical of the normal or average temps at all. They just said it was the hottest Augest in Raleigh EVER on record. So it's not typical for us to see 100 degrees or even mid-upper 90's as we have this summer.

I was born in LI, moved to Northern VA when I was 7 and just moved to Raleigh last year at 29. I loved all areas I've lived and I'm still a NY sports fan (Jets, Mets, Isles).

[lilady]

Grew up in Smithtown. Two of my sisters moved near Southport, No. Carolina within the past two years, both of them moving into "St. James Plantation" (gated community, 3 golf courses, 3 restaurants, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pool, it's own tiny fire dept., all beautiful brick or wood/brick combo homes, fantastic prices, their own marina, and about 25 minutes from the ocean (St. James Plantation residents have they're own private beach with changing rooms and an outdoor pool.) Only drawback: no real cultural venues, flat, and if you like snow, you are out of luck. Go to "St. James Plantation" on the web and you'll see the beautiful neigborhood. Let me know what you think.