Need some opinions.... (Charleston, Greenville, Mount Pleasant: real estate, insurance, houses)

[cap024]

Hi everyone!
My husband and I have been talking about moving to South Carolina for year. I spend many summers there in Travelers Rest and loved it but not sure if it meets with our needs...so I'm looking for some opinions...
Right now we're living in Cranford NJ..and honestly we love it but we just can't afford to live in NJ anymore. If we do my kids will pretty much grow up without us because we both will have to work full time.

We have a 18mth old little girl and i'm 7 months pregnant with our son. By the time we move they should be around 5 and 3...so a good school sytem is a must for us. (they might be a little younger...but still)
We're also in a area where there is a lot of things to do with the kids.
We're also looking for a neighborhood that is similiar to the one we live in now. It is a VERY safe neighborhood where everyone knows each other. There are a lot of community events and we're looking for a area similiar to that.
As far as jobs come....I work in finance but am planning to go back to school to get my teaching degree..my husband is a press operator so obviously we need a place not so much in a big city...but close to a big city.

I know this sounds like a lot...so far we've been looking at the Greenville area..and like I said I spend summers in Travelers Rest with a friends family. I remember there being a "Freedom Weeekend Aloft" or something fourth of july weekend....but that was it. from what I'm reading and finding out the school systems in that area are not the best.
We're looking for houses in the 200k-250k, we're trying to not have a mortage at all or very little mortage because we know our income level will dop also.
Any opinons on areas and what not would be much MUCH appreaciated!

[DJShymansky]

I'd check into the Summerville/Charleston area as well, if you'd like to be closer to the ocean. The only concern I have is that I can't even begin to speculate what the prices will be in 3 years in this region, after looking at past appreciation rates.

[waccamatt]

I always recommend finding a job first and then deciding the best place to live within commuting distance. We could probably give better advice if we knew where you would be commuting to.

[MelD74]

cap024:

My husband and I are also from NJ and hopefully moving down to Mount Pleasant (Charleston area) in the Spring/Summer 08. We visited there in June and looked at real estate, and fell IN LOVE with it. We too are looking for descent schools (kids in near future and husband a teacher) and a friendly community. Although I've never been to Greenville, I can tell you Mt. Pleasant is more than worth looking into. We can't seem to get there fast enough (pending jobs, of course). Good luck, and let me know if there's any additional info from my visit to MP I can pass along to you.

[flgargoyle]

As a Floridian who's living it every day- check to see what homeowner's insurance rates are like near the ocean. That's one of the reasons we are moving to SC (Greenville). Our HI went from $700 to $3000 in 3 years. I'm not sure what it's like in the coastal Carolinas. You might want to check out the Greenville sub-forum for more info on the upstate area. There's also one for the suburbs just south of Charlotte NC, also a very popular area. From what I read, the schools in those 2 areas are among the best.

[Skyliner]

If schools are important and you like the Greenville area, check into Anderson School District One, which is perennially among the elite school districts in SC. This is the Powdersville-Wren area of Greenville and has a pleasant variation of suburban and rural areas with easy access to all parts of the Upstate via I-85.

[g-man430]

Check into Greenville. The coast is too expensive with insurance rates and all.

[destiny truth]

Hello, I would like to Know how to go about building a home on my own land in Delaware. Can someone direct me on which way to start this, and, or where I caould get more credible resources? It would be so greatly appreciated.
Thank You Sincerely,
Destiny Truth

[btard]

Originally Posted by destiny truth

Hello, I would like to Know how to go about building a home on my own land in Delaware. Can someone direct me on which way to start this, and, or where I caould get more credible resources? It would be so greatly appreciated.
Thank You Sincerely,
Destiny Truth

You resurrected a dead thread on the SC board with a question about Delaware?