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I am a Realtor in the Charleston, SC market. I grew up in Charleston and have lived here for most of my life. I have seen an influx over the past 10 years of New Yorker's relocating to my area. So, I have a question.
Besides the weather. What is the major draw that brings you to our city? I understand weather up there is terrible in the winters, but besides that, what do you truly see us as?
My brother, who lives in Jersey made this argument, he said that taxation and the costs of housing make Charleston a bargain compared to what you're spending power brings you in NY. Is this an fair comparison?
Tell me what you think. I'd love to hear it "from the horses mouth" so to speak.
Which lists, Charleston as one of the hottest places in the world to buy real estate (which believe me, it is!), but is that why you want to move down here? Because of the investment potential or the lifestyle?
Thanks ya'll in advance! I hope to get some honest opinions about us country folks.
I'll go a step further and say that many NYers move to the same communities in the area like the one on your heading or Summerville. So, it seems like when NYers and others from the Northeast move to areas in the South, they generally seem to move to the same, handful of communities in the same, handful of areas. So, in a way, enclaves of Northeastern transplants is formed and a bubble is formed, in a sense, but with a lower(generally depending on where in NY/the Northeast) cost of living.
I'll go a step further and say that many NYers move to the same communities in the area like the one on your heading or Summerville. So, it seems like when NYers and others from the Northeast move to areas in the South, they generally seem to move to the same, handful of communities in the same, handful of areas. So, in a way, enclaves of Northeastern transplants is formed and a bubble is formed, in a sense, but with a lower(generally depending on where in NY/the Northeast) cost of living.
So in your eyes costs of living is a driving factor for Charleston to be on the relocation map?
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As the above poster stated New Yorkers like Britts from the UK seem to establish ex-pat colonies (so to speak) in certain locations. Perhaps Charleston's reinvention after the Navy left opened the door for companies to come creating jobs that pulled from northeastern locations. I was stationed in the city while in the Navy, for me anyway the weather would not be an attraction and the paper mill I will never forget.
It's funny, I moved to Houston for a while, and the first thing I remember smelling when I returned was the paper mill. It's about as stinky as the marsh, but you kinda miss those smells when you've been away for a while.
I moved to the Charleston area mainly for the weather, the history and the food. The cost of living reasoning sounds good and it is a little lower, but if I add up the additional cost of taxes on my vehicles (and no, I don't drive luxury vehicles), the additional cost of my water bill, my HOA Fees (I know I did choose to live in an HOA community, but they are not exactly easy to avoid) and add it to the way lower property taxes I have to pay here, it comes somewhat close to the property taxes I paid in upstate NY. I am not disputing the fact that the overall cost of living is lower here, but if I were still working, my salary would probably also be lower and I think that would offset any savings due to the cost of living differences.
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I remember the marsh also (every morning) but I remember also that "the locals" consider the smell as a reminder of home. No one would claim the paper mill smell that wafts in every afternoon....lol
I moved to the Charleston area mainly for the weather, the history and the food. The cost of living reasoning sounds good and it is a little lower, but if I add up the additional cost of taxes on my vehicles (and no, I don't drive luxury vehicles), the additional cost of my water bill, my HOA Fees (I know I did choose to live in an HOA community, but they are not exactly easy to avoid) and add it to the way lower property taxes I have to pay here, it comes somewhat close to the property taxes I paid in upstate NY. I am not disputing the fact that the overall cost of living is lower here, but if I were still working, my salary would probably also be lower and I think that would offset any savings due to the cost of living differences.
This is exactly why I put that statement in parentheses in my earlier post. Some people may not understand that much of Upstate NY and many Southern areas are essentially neck and neck in terms of overall cost of living, give or take. I've never had an agenda about this, but given posts like this, having family in popular Southern metros(Charlotte and the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area), doing research and having roots/parents from the South, I think it something many people up here may not realize.
With that said, I believe that people from Downstate and the Bos-Wash corridor of the Northeast may find a place like Charleston more attractive due in part to the relatively lower overall COL.
I moved to the Charleston area mainly for the weather, the history and the food. The cost of living reasoning sounds good and it is a little lower, but if I add up the additional cost of taxes on my vehicles (and no, I don't drive luxury vehicles), the additional cost of my water bill, my HOA Fees (I know I did choose to live in an HOA community, but they are not exactly easy to avoid) and add it to the way lower property taxes I have to pay here, it comes somewhat close to the property taxes I paid in upstate NY. I am not disputing the fact that the overall cost of living is lower here, but if I were still working, my salary would probably also be lower and I think that would offset any savings due to the cost of living differences.
Excellent points thank you. You find that our food is better quality than you can find in NY? Or just a different style?
Excellent points thank you. You find that our food is better quality than you can find in NY? Or just a different style?
I just love southern cooking. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things (food wise) that I miss about where I came from but I just love good BBQ and the different ways of preparing vegetables and seafood that are more common down here. So I guess to answer your question, it's not about the quality as much as the preparation.
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