Possible relocate to South Carolina (Columbia, Charleston: sales, insurance, low crime)

[KatnS2]

Ok, here is the Situation.
We are soooo over California and the political nightmare it is becoming and economically it is becoming a strain.

I am a SAHM of 3 yr twins and just starting out as a home-based travel agent. My husband works in the Technology field in our local school district and with the cutbacks being made year after year for the last 5 yrs, it is not looking good to stay.

We have pondered a couple places throughout the US and seem to really like South Carolina. What we don't know is the best places to live.

We currently live in a mildly affluent area in Southern California just outside of the LA Basin. And we really like the area we live as far as the community feel, but we foresee it going down the wrong road especially if California cannot get itself out of the hole it dug for itself. We are pretty conservative and really dislike the way the liberals are destroying this otherwise good place to live.

Now we are looking to leave here in the next couple years, but before we do we would like to narrow our search down. We or at least my husband needs to find a job, preferably working on computers - he is a Network Engineer here. He is also retired from the Military as a Mechanic.
Where are the best places to look for this type of work?

What are the property Taxes like.. what's the percentage.. what do you pay.. ie... are RV's included, property we own in the house.. how intrusive is it..what's the history.. how often is property assessed how often are the taxes raised...

What is the income tax.. what is the sales tax...

how is the cost of living.. are things expensive....

What area is the best as far as young families and schools go??

most importantly.. how is the job market ..say for someone in the technology field?

What is the average cost of housing??

What type of crime is prevalent? I currently live in a very LOW crime area - one of the best in the nation, so I know no matter where I go there is going to be a relative rise in the crime rate for me.. I am looking at more the violent type crimes (murder, assault, rape, battery) as opposed to thefts and vandalism. Which are the cities should be AVOIDED?

I think this will get me started.. Thanks for any advice y'all can give!

[Butterfly4u]

Katns2,
I would wait til your husbands job is no more before you start considering
South Carolina to move to.
Our unemployemnt rate is high here, just to let you know.
Engineering is a good field here in South Carolina.
I think your hubby would have to get a job here first and then move.
The property tax is relativly low compared to Northeastern states.
Depends on what value of home you decide to buy though.
State tax is alright, depending on how much you make.
The top rate for State income tax is 7 percent. That is the top
rate.
Personal property tax is levied upon titled property.
Cars, RV's, Trucks, Motorcycles ect.
Personal property tax is based on the value the state says your
property is worth. So, lets say a 30,000 new car they assess 800.00 a year
property tax, each year after that it will decrease as your vehicle depreciates.
Columbia is a nice city to move to. Look into Columbia.
Charleston is beautiful, look into Charleston area.
Charleston is on the water, so you may need additional insurance if you
buy there.
You will like the state of South Carolina, but you really have to come
and visit here to see if it's a good fit.
Good luck!

[Lone Star Rooster]

Job market is improving somewhat throughout SC, although I agree with Butterfly...make sure your husband has a job in hand before making a move.

I'd focus my search on a few areas around the state, all of which are near the bigger cities (SC has no true "metroplises" or big cities even on the scale of Atlanta or Charlotte, which to me is one of the great things about SC...the "larger cities" are just the right size, not too big or too small), and which are family-friendly with good public schools:

- Greenville (look into the Powdersville area of nearby Northern Anderson County, as well as around Greer)
- Columbia (look into Irmo, Lexington, and the Northeast Richland districts)
- Charleston (look into Mount Pleasant and Summerville).
- Rock Hill/Fort Mill (which are Charlotte suburbs).

Greenville and Columbia are absolute bargains as far as housing is concerned; a 4 BR/3 BA home, with a decent-sized lot in a nice nieghborhood and good schools, can be had for $250k-300k easily (and in some cases much less than that). However, Charleston is more expensive than that, by and large. I don't know as much about home prices around Rock Hill.

A word about the weather...in most of the state, you really do get the best of all 4 seasons. However, summer does bring high temps and high humidity (even in the "cooler" environs of the Upstate near Greenville), worse than what you're used to, so be prepared for it. However, the rest of the year more than makes up for it.