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My soon-to-be fiance (yes, I know it is coming) and I would like to move out of NYC and to a more southern city towards the end of next summer (I am 26 and b/f is 29). I have lived in Gainesville, FL and South Florida, and I want more southern charm and different weather, so we are considering Raleigh and possibly Charlotte. My boyfriend's parents have a condo near Myrtle Beach, so we will stay there on vacation and make a trip up to Raleigh at the end of October.
I am an office manager for an investment firm (but would like to use my M.A. in Criminal Justice if I can find something) and b/f is in sales, so we are flexible in our employment. I make a pretty good salary for my position, and I am prepared to likely take a 50% pay cut with the move. We want to buy a house in the 150-200k range, but will probably rent until we are sure of where we want to purchase. I've never done this type of move so I could use any advice of what to look for and where to explore in Raleigh. I've heard good things about Northern Raleigh to live, but I want to know what areas are suggested for people our age that will be starting a family in 3-5 years.
We will stay for a day or 2, so if everyone can help a little and give us some places to drive around, activities to do, restaurants to eat at, etc, it will be greatly appreciated!!
Looking for:
- reasonable houses (and reasonable rent before we purchase)
- younger families
- good schools
- close enough to restaurants/some nightlife (we just need a good local bar with good beer)
- close enough to parks
- public pool a possibility
- BBQ =)
I am looking into transferring to the Durham VA Hospital with my young daughter and husband. I am looking into areas around Downtown Durham including Trinity Park, Old West Durham, Burch st, Ninth Street. I don't want suburbs and need some walk ability. Hope this helps you out.
Hello. My husband and are considering moving to NC and we'd like advice as well. We currently live in Maryland (DC Metro Area). I've been researching various areas of NC and the Triangle area seems like a pretty good bet. We're an old married couple (I'm 49, hubby is 58) and we're specifically interested in the following: Lower cost of living; lower overall taxes; the job market; pet friendliness; plus the housing market (rental vs buying and the for the love of Pete NO planned communities!!) We don't have kids. Any expats from MD on these boards?
Hello. My husband and are considering moving to NC and we'd like advice as well. We currently live in Maryland (DC Metro Area). I've been researching various areas of NC and the Triangle area seems like a pretty good bet. We're an old married couple (I'm 49, hubby is 58) and we're specifically interested in the following: Lower cost of living; lower overall taxes; the job market; pet friendliness; plus the housing market (rental vs buying and the for the love of Pete NO planned communities!!) We don't have kids. Any expats from MD on these boards?
Hello - We retired to Coastal NC from Maryland 2 years ago. I can't comment on the Triangle in detail, but I'll give a few general comments.
1. Housing costs are definitely lower. You will certainly find larger houses, but they usually don't have basements. So, think about what you can de-clutter before you plan to move.
2. Taxes are somewhat lower than in Maryland. However, there are many other states with lower overall tax burdens, for example South Carolina.
3. Unless you have some specific, in-demand skills, it will be difficult to find jobs. Please read the posts about NC having the 6th worst unemployment rate in the country. I would suggest waiting until you have enough retirement income to live here and pay health insurance without taking jobs.
4. The Triangle is an interesting area with many amenities. My hubby wanted to live on the water, and to spend his time fishing. Otherwise, I would enjoy living in Durham. In your situation, I would look for a community with mature adults. Many SFH communities are filled with kids, and you should ask yourselves whether you want to be surround by other people's kids for the rest of your life. I don't have specific places to suggest, as must new communities are planned communities. There are HOA's in most places unless you live in an older area or way out in the country.
My family recently relocated to the area from Southern California. We didn't want to bring the kids on such a far away scouting trip, so my husband and I each made separate trips to the area.
When we visited we were open to anything in the greater Raleigh area (Raleigh, Wake Forest, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, etc). Through the course of our trip we realized the Cary/Apex area was best for us.
We had already been in touch with a realtor who specialized in relocation. He took a day to drive us around ALL the aforementioned areas. Along with the "windshield tour" he was able to give us info on the "vibe" of each area, cost of housing, shops, things to do, etc. I'm not sure if this is the direction you guys are ready for, but it was quite helpful to us in narrowing down a specific area {and confirming NC was the right place to be!}.
My advice would be to skip any "touristy" things, and to think about what your life would be like if you moved here. I'd go to restaurants in the food genre you'd be eating in. I'd go to malls/shopping centers that sell the types of things you'd by. I'd walk through a grocery store. I'd go to a park/mall/coffee house and just talk to people and ask questions {we found locals to be quite friendly, although hardly anyone was originally a local!}.
If you have specific questions or would like recommendations from there I'd be happy to elaborate!
Last edited by RedZin; 09-22-2013 at 06:49 AM..
Reason: Removed realtor solicitation.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,777 posts, read 15,786,780 times
Reputation: 10886
Dawnstorm,
I moved here from the Virginia side of the river, but lived in Bethesda/Rockville for 10 years prior to that. Housing is certainly cheaper here. That is about all that I have found to be cheaper. Taxes for us have been more expensive, but VA taxes are less than Maryland, so you may not find that to be the case. You will pay property tax here on your cars, which you don't have in Maryland.
The job market is not nearly as good as that in DC. No comparison with the sheer number of jobs available plus there is a lower pay scale here, overall.
You will be mostly looking at older communities if you don't want "planned" communities if you mean developments with HOAs.
Overall, the traffic is much lighter here and the winters are milder. Any other questions, ask away!
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My husband and I need moving advice as well!
