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My husband was just approved for SS Disability. Because of this income change, we will be able to do much more, starting early next year, to prepare our house for the market., which should take us to MB in either 2012 or 2013, rather than up to 2016, our formerly projected worse case relo year. Since we expect to gradually be able to do work on the house, after a year long standstill, we decided to begin now by getting some landscaping done. It felt funny after so long to have a contractor do something on the property, but of course it felt very good too. I don't see us getting the live-in worker I had hoped for which would probably make our remodeling move along at jet speed, but we will continue to hire various types of contractors as we can find and afford them. My husband is going through various medical testing/appointments, related to his disability, which is the only other thing I can foresee to slow things up, as well as a little medical stuff myself which is mostly of a cosmetic nature, but I have what I think is a great doc here in Philly and want to get done what I can before I move to an area where I have to seek out the amenities. I will give another update when I know more.
As time moves on, less and less are posting in this thread. Seems it would be a waste to lose this thread as it moves farther down in the list -- some said there are good resources here. As I continue to try to keep it on the first page, I thought it would be good to also start new threads, each on a specific topic for Newcomers and Hopefuls. I'll identify mine by beginning each title with "Newcomers and Hopefuls..." and ending with the topic. So if you don't want to actually begin a thread, I hope some of you can put on your thinking caps and suggest some topics I can try to start, maybe some that are either relatively new or more specific info on older ones. It could help me out a lot. Do any of the following sound interesting?
How is job hunting/interviewing, fashion/style, local customs, etc. done in MB?
What is unique about MB?
Comparisons of MB to Ocean City, MD?
What are the accepted geographical boundaries of the MB area and how does it change beyond the boundaries?
Alternatives to MB for relocation and why some choose it over the alternatives?
What is it like to live year-round in a resort area?
Things to do, places to go for ages 40+? 55+? etc.
Also maybe something similar to the above but more isoteric or subjective such as: Which types of people are most attracted to relo to MB and why? (compared to Florida, VA/NC area, and other areas that seem similar to MB)
Location: Lakewood NJ/Murrells Inlet SC/ N. Naples FL/Swainton NJ
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The MB area for us from the Jersey Shore is kind of similar. However the warm (read: beach & pool) weather last a lot longer, it is less crowded (even in the peak season), cheaper for the most part and more relaxed. But I am easy to please. I walk, bike, visit the beach, hit the pool and relax a lot on my front porch with a book and a cocktail. Pretty much the same routine I follow in Jersey (during the summer) and SW Florida during the winter.
I like Ocean City MD. But, like Jersey, the weather is not warm as long as SC, it is kind of crowded in the summer and much more expensive.
Another key for us is the distance. It is a 11 hour drive (with stops) from NJ to Murrells Inlet. It is an 11 hour drive from Murrells Inlet to Naples. With a dog and my spouse's inability to pack just one suitcase, I avoid flying and would much rather drive.
I've been reading and not commenting, but truly paying attention to what "ya'll" have been saying. I had some unexpected surgery, and that set me back about a month.
And I've been using all the real estate websites, Trulia, Realtor, Zillow, HotPads, and even a free trial in RealtyTrac (foreclosures and preforeclosures) to get an idea of the housing market. What's available, are prices still going lower, and what are the base prices for particular areas. All I can say is this, while each website has great features, you need to use more than one to get all of the information. I will continue to use these websites even with a realtor. They can't see everything, but my alerts can tell me of a newly listed and possible deal.
I love the fact that I can zoom out and see how far away from the beach, which beach, and zoom in to see if fencing is around other homes (HOA restrictions), using that wonderful crime map to see if there's been break-ins, robberies, car thefts, etc. (It's quiet in this area.) And sadly, I've watched several of my favourite homes sell very quickly -- those that were priced right went off the market in less than three weeks.
Seeing that actually happen, my home is going up on the MLS this Friday. I've been busy staging, taking photo's, moving furniture and de-cluttering. I've taken the advice of many on this forum and others and will be selling most of my furniture, except for my grandma's antiques. (I value my life, and I know she would haunt me if I didn't take them with me.) So while I realize the wintertime in the NorthEast area of our country isn't the most pleasant for "moving/estate/garage" sales, I'm also going with the new trend and having an INSIDE one, making sure prized possessions are moved into bedrooms and locked.
I will come down to my new home with minimal furniture, one queen-sized air mattress, and then use this time to explore new stores, flea markets, yard sales, and other 'treasure' shops to furnish my home. One of my favourite things to do in the entire world is to find a piece of furniture that needs some TLC and bring it shining back to life, and sometimes with a new function -- one that's better than the one it previously was supposed to perform.
I'm also renting a moving truck and either going to drive it myself with my small SUV on a trailer behind it, and/or hire someone to drive the truck down while I drive my car with my dog inside. My realtor asked me, "What would you do if your house got an offer on Saturday but required you to be out by the end of the month?" I said..."Pack, hire a truck, driver, movers, and find a place to rent down in that area." I think he realizes how serious I am about moving. If I have to sleep at the beach for a night, oh... how awful.
I am having a problem finding information about some of the subdivision HOA's and their requirements, rules and regulations. I have a dog that weighs about 75 pounds. Trying to find HOA information on the web is next to impossible, and then when I DO find it, I will be honest -- one of the minutes of the Board of Directors was simply filled with innuendo, gossip and down-right nastiness towards several people in their 'community'. I guess what I'm saying is... Dig deeper than what your realtor tells you about the area, ask for HOA board minutes, and actually read them. One tip, find out how much the monthly HOA fees are, and how much they can be raised each year.
Right now, I'm trying to decide whether to visit yet again, view some of the homes I have in my folder, and get a real feel about the neighborhood(s). One of the best ways for me to see how I and my big ol' dawg will be welcomed would be to walk in the neighborhood in the early evening. Do I come down in November, or wait until December... This is more a personal decision right now. I've done my hunting on the web, but now I want to see them up-close and personal.
Oh, and most importantly -- I'm looking in the Little River area or Murrells Inlet. I do not want 2K square feet. I would be happy with a 2/2 or a small 3/2. After years of cleaning a large home, I want one that can easily be kept up so that I can relax, enjoy the weather, the people, the beach, and exploring my new 'home'. I want a yard big enough for my gardening, and my dog's assistance in my gardening. And I want an HOA that doesn't tell me that I can't stain my cement patio, or plant a snowball bush -- but one that does keep boats, trucks and cars off the front lawn. Man, I'm picky!
Having been in that boat before, I'm very sorry to hear your news. We are trying again next year. But after having a great job lined-up, a school for the kids and everything in check except for selling our house, it was so depressing to throw in the towel. I hope all works out for you somehow, as I hope the same for me and everyone else in our situation. God bless.
this is odd. We live in Michigan as well, and houses in our subdivision are selling briskly. If we were ready to move to our condo in MB full-time, then based on our neighbors' recent home sales, we would have no problem selling our house. Actually, our area of Michigan has picked up a lot of momentum lately and is seeing strong job growth and an improving housing market.
Hang in there and in the meantime, enjoy all of the great things that Michigan has to offer. (If you need a nudge, check out the Michigan pictures thread in the Michigan forum--some of them are breathtaking!)
this is odd. We live in Michigan as well, and houses in our subdivision are selling briskly. If we were ready to move to our condo in MB full-time, then based on our neighbors' recent home sales, we would have no problem selling our house. Actually, our area of Michigan has picked up a lot of momentum lately and is seeing strong job growth and an improving housing market.
Hang in there and in the meantime, enjoy all of the great things that Michigan has to offer. (If you need a nudge, check out the Michigan pictures thread in the Michigan forum--some of them are breathtaking!)
There's Michigan and there's Muskegon MI, where we're stuck. This is one of the worst hit areas in the entire country. Oh, there are some houses selling here, but a rock bottom prices. We'll keep trying though.
After living here 40 years, honestly, I couldn't care less about what MI has to offer, thanks though. The only time I look forward to seeing anything in MI is in the rearview mirror on the way out. Thanks for enouragement anyhow.
There's Michigan and there's Muskegon MI, where we're stuck. This is one of the worst hit areas in the entire country. Oh, there are some houses selling here, but a rock bottom prices. We'll keep trying though.
After living here 40 years, honestly, I couldn't care less about what MI has to offer, thanks though. The only time I look forward to seeing anything in MI is in the rearview mirror on the way out. Thanks for enouragement anyhow.
Well, I'm sorry that you're so discouraged. I have times when I think that I would like to move and when I do I think of all the things that I have here that I would miss and it helps a lot. My family is here, and nothing can replace them-not warm winters, not palm trees...nothing, so that's one thing. Actually, that's the main thing, although I do think that Michigan is a gorgeous and highly underrated state, so having that attitude helps a lot too. I have lived in this area my entire life (46 years) and I am still happy. I believe that we can be happy anywhere if we want to be, but I know that that doesn't fly for everyone.
Good luck to you and if you can't sell your house then I hope you can find a way to be happy where you are.
The MB area for us from the Jersey Shore is kind of similar. However the warm (read: beach & pool) weather last a lot longer, it is less crowded (even in the peak season), cheaper for the most part and more relaxed. But I am easy to please. I walk, bike, visit the beach, hit the pool and relax a lot on my front porch with a book and a cocktail. Pretty much the same routine I follow in Jersey (during the summer) and SW Florida during the winter.
I like Ocean City MD. But, like Jersey, the weather is not warm as long as SC, it is kind of crowded in the summer and much more expensive.
Another key for us is the distance. It is a 11 hour drive (with stops) from NJ to Murrells Inlet. It is an 11 hour drive from Murrells Inlet to Naples. With a dog and my spouse's inability to pack just one suitcase, I avoid flying and would much rather drive.
tmozer, I was thinking of the comparison to the Jersey shore also. I thought the summer crowd would be just as bad in MB. A consoling plus to hear that it's better. I mentioned OC, MD because it's a bit closer to MB, also a Southern town (I think) and I always thought it was an area with a low cost of living, as well as being "separated" from other shore town areas, which is not the case with NJ. I'm surprised to hear it's more expensive than MB. OC and even NC are both too chilly for us. I remember OC as having a Northern shoreline with many highrises, which I think is the case also with MB. It's been such a long time since I went to either. I assume you go to Naples so you have the balmy weather pretty much yearround. And you make great time with the Jersey rides! Glad to see you're able to put in stops along the way though -- very important. We are not flyers either, but it's because of our phobias. :/ We may take the train down if we make a pre-moving trip, but only if we can get a sleeper. The only other way to do mass transit is to have seats that recline to about 135 degrees or more. I have sitting disability.
I've been reading and not commenting, but truly paying attention to what "ya'll" have been saying. I had some unexpected surgery, and that set me back about a month.
And I've been using all the real estate websites, Trulia, Realtor, Zillow, HotPads, and even a free trial in RealtyTrac (foreclosures and preforeclosures) to get an idea of the housing market. What's available, are prices still going lower, and what are the base prices for particular areas. All I can say is this, while each website has great features, you need to use more than one to get all of the information. I will continue to use these websites even with a realtor. They can't see everything, but my alerts can tell me of a newly listed and possible deal.
I love the fact that I can zoom out and see how far away from the beach, which beach, and zoom in to see if fencing is around other homes (HOA restrictions), using that wonderful crime map to see if there's been break-ins, robberies, car thefts, etc. (It's quiet in this area.) And sadly, I've watched several of my favourite homes sell very quickly -- those that were priced right went off the market in less than three weeks.
Seeing that actually happen, my home is going up on the MLS this Friday. I've been busy staging, taking photo's, moving furniture and de-cluttering. I've taken the advice of many on this forum and others and will be selling most of my furniture, except for my grandma's antiques. (I value my life, and I know she would haunt me if I didn't take them with me.) So while I realize the wintertime in the NorthEast area of our country isn't the most pleasant for "moving/estate/garage" sales, I'm also going with the new trend and having an INSIDE one, making sure prized possessions are moved into bedrooms and locked.
I will come down to my new home with minimal furniture, one queen-sized air mattress, and then use this time to explore new stores, flea markets, yard sales, and other 'treasure' shops to furnish my home. One of my favourite things to do in the entire world is to find a piece of furniture that needs some TLC and bring it shining back to life, and sometimes with a new function -- one that's better than the one it previously was supposed to perform.
I'm also renting a moving truck and either going to drive it myself with my small SUV on a trailer behind it, and/or hire someone to drive the truck down while I drive my car with my dog inside. My realtor asked me, "What would you do if your house got an offer on Saturday but required you to be out by the end of the month?" I said..."Pack, hire a truck, driver, movers, and find a place to rent down in that area." I think he realizes how serious I am about moving. If I have to sleep at the beach for a night, oh... how awful.
I am having a problem finding information about some of the subdivision HOA's and their requirements, rules and regulations. I have a dog that weighs about 75 pounds. Trying to find HOA information on the web is next to impossible, and then when I DO find it, I will be honest -- one of the minutes of the Board of Directors was simply filled with innuendo, gossip and down-right nastiness towards several people in their 'community'. I guess what I'm saying is... Dig deeper than what your realtor tells you about the area, ask for HOA board minutes, and actually read them. One tip, find out how much the monthly HOA fees are, and how much they can be raised each year.
Right now, I'm trying to decide whether to visit yet again, view some of the homes I have in my folder, and get a real feel about the neighborhood(s). One of the best ways for me to see how I and my big ol' dawg will be welcomed would be to walk in the neighborhood in the early evening. Do I come down in November, or wait until December... This is more a personal decision right now. I've done my hunting on the web, but now I want to see them up-close and personal.
Oh, and most importantly -- I'm looking in the Little River area or Murrells Inlet. I do not want 2K square feet. I would be happy with a 2/2 or a small 3/2. After years of cleaning a large home, I want one that can easily be kept up so that I can relax, enjoy the weather, the people, the beach, and exploring my new 'home'. I want a yard big enough for my gardening, and my dog's assistance in my gardening. And I want an HOA that doesn't tell me that I can't stain my cement patio, or plant a snowball bush -- but one that does keep boats, trucks and cars off the front lawn. Man, I'm picky!
Cynner, you are on the list for the physical group. There are 4 others on it so , excluding myself. In case anyone else is reading this, I'm taking this opportunity to ask if there are any others reading this who may be interested in joining a physical group of Newcomers and Hopefuls (or know of anyone). Back to you Cynner -- Nice you could make the time for such a long post. Glad you're back on the site after your surgery. My husband had unexpected surgery back in 2001. Not emergency but he did have a strict time limit. Scary!
Your main concern seems to be finding your place in Shagri-la with a decent HOA. I don't think you're picky. I can't believe a HOA can't give the owners a choice of colors for cement or whatever. Could the problem boil down to HOA boards laziness? Someone posted a question about HOA's earlier in this thread but I don't remember if the answer seemed adequate. I would think an MB area realtor could get just about everything you need. I assume you posted in a thread specifically HOA or real estate related. Hard to get everything you need from a thread as broad, topic-wise, as this one. However, so many people seem to be at least lurking that maybe someone will answer, or already has. (I answer individually on here, as I go down the page.) Good you have Murrell's Inlet as another target neighborhood. The more flexible we can be, the faster and easier.
I know there is or was at least one site to locate residences of registered sex-offenders. Don't know if you will have any kids at your place. Appears it's just you and the "dawg". But you seem to have a very positive attitude, and one thing I have not mentioned but will here while I'm thinking of it -- I have reason to think we have an awesomely intelligent and motivated group of people posting in this thread. I hate to say something bad about another area, but the people attracted to MB seem to be more "on the ball" than those in the Charleston threads. Ok, I finally said it. Maybe another topic for us could be: "Why does MB attract intelligent people?" I am only HALF joking with that one. Anyway, I am sure you will get your answers. You've come a long way already, right?! I can relate to you as a single person, because some day I may be alone, with my "shrinking" family.
My mom is great with restoring things too. I am surprised there are not more indoor garage sales everywhere. If you can get a group of friends or relatives to stay with you for the duration, I think it's particularly safe. Oh but you have the dog, which may suffice. Good luck if you have the sale. If it's not too much of a sacrifice to go down again and you have a good chance to accomplish enough, I would go for it. I don't think you really need a formal "good luck" with your relo as it seems you're doing everything right. Hope the house went on the market as planned and sells soon. Keep us posted on your progress and hope you fully recover soon from your surgery.
this is odd. We live in Michigan as well, and houses in our subdivision are selling briskly. If we were ready to move to our condo in MB full-time, then based on our neighbors' recent home sales, we would have no problem selling our house. Actually, our area of Michigan has picked up a lot of momentum lately and is seeing strong job growth and an improving housing market.
Hang in there and in the meantime, enjoy all of the great things that Michigan has to offer. (If you need a nudge, check out the Michigan pictures thread in the Michigan forum--some of them are breathtaking!)
canudigit, I hear or read somewhere recently that homes at MB will increase in price in the not-too-distant future. (I think we all know this). I'm wondering how soon they will increase and what the proportion will be compared to other shore towns that people like us consider. I assume MB has always had a lower cost of living than, say, the Philly burbs, where I live. A house around the corner from me, about 13 years old, sold in about 2 months. I don't yet know the price. If a house sells that's really close to mine or if it's somewhere in the township and comparable in size, and age to mine (not historic or newer construction), I call the courthouse for the sale price. However the info isn't available to the public for about 2 months post-sale.
That was good to suggest looking at the pics. For everyone reading: The posters here are not only smart but very helpful and kind. I am pleasantly surprised. Maybe I should look at pics of New Hope, probably the most interesting and beautiful area around here.
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Begin "Temporary" Topic-Specific thread?
I had some unexpected surgery, and that set me back about a month. 
(If you need a nudge, check out the Michigan pictures thread in the Michigan forum--some of them are breathtaking!)
