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I have a great friend who has been in and out of building homes (his own biz) for several yrs now. He was first in Orlando FL then moved to the NC/SC border and then moved back to FL, (Jacksonville FL currently).
He values my opinion a lot, and now that he is thinking of building homes again (self-employed), he was asking me if he should return back to Central FL where the market is booming again, or head back to Greenville SC where it's more of a slower but steady growth.
I am asking you all which market would be better for him, b/c honestly I have no idea. Any thoughts? He builds homes in all kinds of price ranges. His most expensive one was several yrs ago and it was in the $600-700k range.
There is still a large inventory of homes here in Western NC, resales and foreclosures. Things are picking up but not booming. Not a lot of new construction going on, uness it is in developments that went belly up 4 or 5 years ago, many of which were by out of state builders hoping to make it "big" here on spec homes. In the meantime, zoning and planning boards have tightened up requirements. The local builders who have been in business here for years are building once again. I don't see much going on to encourage any unknown builder to do startup here. Unemployment is still an issue in the Asheville area as well, and lower paying jobs don't bode well for new construction.
Thx QC. Low paying jobs for sure, I think GVL would be a better option. I've really never thought of Asheville as "booming"... Was more thinking of Greenville for him. If not here in Central FL.
Last edited by StreetSmarts; 06-13-2014 at 03:23 PM..
Thx QC. Low paying jobs for sure, I think GVL would be a better option. I've really never thought of Asheville as "booming"... Was more thinking of Greenville for him. If not here in Central FL.
Oh yes, we've had our boom years no doubt about that, and some big out of state contractors came in and swooped up some land, built some cookie cutter subdivisions and then left. But the native/local builders will get the best land, or already own the land they have set aside for the future. Building in the mountains is a whole different ballgame than building in the flatlands, and permits could be more difficult to get here in the future.
The areas around the upstate of SC have a lot more potential, but then that is not my "territory" so can't say for sure whether there is a lot going on there now or in the planning stages. It is definitely a growth area for jobs and businesses. Even in the burbs of Charlotte, things could be different.
Oh, I'm sure the native builders are the best, would never throw up a cookie cutter subdivision. Out of state GC's build crap I bet.
Yes, some of them did unfortunately. And their homes were the first to drop in price like stones; still hard to sell because of the reputation they left behind when they went bankrupt.
ComSense, I wouldn't group Upstate SC/Asheville NC together in the same real estate area - the Asheville metro is a huge retiree area - the economy is somewhat lop-sided (government, medical, tourist based) - the Upstate's economy is much more diverse - but, the Upstate is not a retirement draw (with the exception of Oconee County/Lake Keowee). Knowing this, there will be significant differences in home inventories, prices, etc.
Honest/quality general contractors in the immediate Greenville area are extremely busy and well-entrenched in the community. A new contractor from out-of-state may take years to become established.
ComSense, I wouldn't group Upstate SC/Asheville NC together in the same real estate area - the Asheville metro is a huge retiree area - the economy is somewhat lop-sided (government, medical, tourist based) - the Upstate's economy is much more diverse - but, the Upstate is not a retirement draw (with the exception of Oconee County/Lake Keowee). Knowing this, there will be significant differences in home inventories, prices, etc.
Honest/quality general contractors in the immediate Greenville area are extremely busy and well-entrenched in the community. A new contractor from out-of-state may take years to become established.
He's more or less a small home builder, not like a big GC like Harper Corporation or Flour there in GVL. He builds 3-4 homes a yr, if that. In different price ranges, just depends.
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