Where are you moving from and why ? (Charleston, Greenville: apartment, new home)

[carolinadreamin]

Originally Posted by SteveO813

I was just making a general remark about power outages in general. Don't mind me, I'm still just bitter from the recent storm here. Plus, I'm one of those people who can't stand winter, so heat always sounds like a better option to me.

I guess what I'm saying is that both situations would be tough to deal with. Since you can't really run a space heater overnight without running a serious fire risk, I think a cold temperature power outage would be worse during the night, but the sweltering heat would be pretty bad during the day.

Like I said though, I'm still recovering from the recent ice storm and dreaming of warmer temperatures in SC.

True enough but the kind of year-round heat and humidity we have here in SoFL is no picnic in a power outage either. Days are easier because you can drink cold drinks, swim or take cold showers but it's hard sleeping soaked in sweat. We were blessed that Wilma's aftermath came with a rare, early-season cold front that lasted a week. We slept very well at night with the windows open, but if it happened in the middle of August we'd be quite uncomfortable. After Hurricane Andrew people were sleeping in their bathtubs to stay cool.
At least in the cold in SC (and to my knowledge bitter cold days are not the norm) you can bundle up during the day and if you have a generator, sleep with an electric blanket or in front of a fire.
Coming from the inescapable heat & humidity, that seems a lot more doable to me.
But hey I hear ya' about freezing weather. I wouldn't last long where you are. And my husband is from Indiana and would never live there again because of the bitter cold.
Let's just pray that we are all spared the agony of lengthy power outages this time around, no matter our climate.
Works for me.

[SteveO813]

Amen to that, my friend

[Girl]

My husband and I are planning on getting a small generator for power outages. We also have a huge stock of fleece blankets, flannel sheets, down comforters, oversized quilts, thick wool sweaters and fuzzy socks. Between all those we should be able to keep warm if the power goes before we get a generator.

I remember one winter in NoNJ it got so cold our pipes froze (even though we did everything we could to keep them open). Then a pipe burst AND our boiler went on the fritz. It got down to 40 degrees in that house despite keeping a fire going for three days straight. We had POWER, but no heat. We finally checked into a nearby hotel until our boiler and pipes could be fixed. We took the dog with us but left the cats behind knowing that they'd bury themselves in the down comforter.

Sure enough, whenever my husband went over to work with the HVAC guy on the boiler, he always found the cats in our bed under the down comforter, warm as can be.

[flgargoyle]

All this talk about generators- PLEASE be careful! They are meant to go outside, and well away from the house. Every year here, I read about people who are victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, both from generators, and from burning charcoal in the house (!), and fires started by all sorts of makeshift ways to keep warm. Have a proper fireplace or woodstove in good repair, keep your generator in proper shape, and follow all the safety rules. As for me, I'd rather try to keep warm, than keep cool. I don't know of anything you can burn to cool off!

[njtosc]

Well said flgargoyle. Be careful and pleas have them installed by a professional. Not only do you read about Carbon Monoxide poisoning but the industry I am in I also read about Electric lineman getting injured very badly if not killed by somebody who installed the generator incorrectly and backfed into the electric distribution system. If the lineman is working on your downed dead wires and you kick that generator on , it could be a very ugly situation.

On the same note I have lived in NJ all my life and have never owned a generator. I have been through all the ice storms and major snowed storms without a generator and survived to talked about

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by estrogen

I have lived in NE Ohio my whole life and always wanted to live in the south as I hate the winters here. In the past two yrs. our economy is dismal and my income (which is straight commission) has drastically dropped due to this.
I figured this would be a great time to make my move so I searched all over S.Carolina and decided I liked Aiken....reasons: horse friendly, charming southern town, not on the coast,weather,and job prospects.

I first went down in Oct.and fell in love with the area and did a little looking around. Again in early Dec. to pinpoint where I wanted to live and then last week again to purchase a lot. I picked a builder and hope to have my home done by next fall. Everyone I met in Aiken was friendly, down to earth and that was what I was looking for. I looked at Seabrook and Kiawah last yr but was turned off by the country club attitude...I'm not into that at all.

Am really excited about this new phase in my life

Hi there!
Which neighborhood in Aiken did you choose?
You're going to love living in Aiken - it's the best place I've ever lived!
The summer evening concert series at Hopeland Gardens is a must.... also all the festivals and activities downtown Aiken.
Did you walk through Hopeland Gardens? It's my favorite place of all!
Good Luck and God Bless.

Sincerely,
Maddie Claire

[Cns322]

We are moving from Surfside Beach, SC to Statesville, NC.

We just recently moved here because my mother moved and there is no way we can afford to stay! The houses that we are looking at are costing around $250,000-$300,000 and then add the taxes and insurance that has jumped way up there, there is no way we can stay! I don't want to live in Aynor or Conway and have to drive 40-50 minutes to the beach, we really love staying in Surfside but have decided that this is not meant for us. I have worked in manufacturing since I graduated college and they pay a whole lot more than the school system that I am working for right now. I have my degree in HR and the salary in NC (Charlotte and surrounding areas) is so much higher than it is here. I can also get more house for my money up in Statesville. I love the beach and have always loved it but I just don't see how new people moving here can make it with all the rising cost of ins and taxes. It is CRAZY! Unless they already have $$$ in which I don't!

[Nausikaa]

We had planned to move down to Surfside or Murrell's Inlet in the next year. I am concerned about the new costs of insurance since the hurricanes. What would be prop tax and homeowner's on a $300,000 house in Surfside, approximately. Thanks.

[Cns322]

Well my mother owns a house that she purchased 4 years ago at $140,000 and it had appraised at over $300,000 now and it is a very nice home. They are 4 blocks from the ocean. The property taxes are close to $3000/year and he insurance is $2800/year. I do not think the increase in insurance has taken effect on her policy yet because she paid that last year also.

I have talked to several people who live far away from the ocean and their insurance increased dramatically this year. Some people have had coverage dropped! One person lives in Carloina Forest which is not close to the water at all and their insurance was already $900/yr and increased $1200 more this year, so total $2100. Several people I know complained that the insurance went up $900-$1700 more this year on top of what they were already paying.

Just do your homework and check into it. This is a tourist town with lots of SERVICE jobs. That is another problem we ran into here, but to visit I love this place, Surfside and Murrells Inlet are great. Nice people and nice area! Just TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ME!

Hope that helps!

[Nausikaa]

Thanks for that CNS. We wouldn't buy property without checking the insurance beforehand, but it's looking grim down there on the coast. From what I have read, the closest you can get to Charleston, is Summerville, without high insurance. Which is 45 mins from beach. Sucks.