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I agree with Mule. I was also warned by the high prices for groceries at Ingles (supermarket chain), but it was the same, maybe even a little cheaper than it is up here in Delaware. proberty taxes are pretty much the same, too. (living within city limits is more expensive everywhere).
traffic is no worse to me, either (we are going to live off sweeten creek road which goes parallel to Hendersonville road. ok, and a good thing (in my case): you can buy wine and beer in a supermarket (even at aldi), here we go to the more expensive liquor stores.
It always depends on where you're coming from - what you are looking for ... and what you are willing to give up for living in such a beautiful area
Sounds like you are coming to the same conclusion we came to five years ago, that it was time to trade some things for a better quality of life.
To echo a common theme (or beat a dead horse), don't take the job thing for granted. Even in health care, which is the best of all possible fields here, have the job in hand when you make the move. Availability and salaries here can be another level of culture shock.
That said, in the price range of houses you are looking at, you will probably have a tax bill of $2500-$3000 in Buncombe County per year. If you are within the Asheville city limits, it will be higher but nowhere near what you are used to seeing. Also, if you can have the financing in hand, there are certainly some deals available on houses that would have sought another 20-30% four years ago. And they may well go down further. It all depends on how badly the seller needs to move the property, and often that seller is a bank.
We live in the Arden area. Actually, we are two miles and some change from Hendersonville Road and that mess. That said, I wouldn't trade my view and immediate location with anybody. This area is like that. You can go from what seems to be the center of a fiasco to “out in the sticks” in less than five minutes, and if you keep going, can get to the center of another fiasco if you really want.
Another thing you will find entertaining, if you don't fall into the trap, is having to go “way to the other side of town.” Cofga will certainly relate to this, as well. “Way to the other side of town” may take all of 20 or 25 minutes. Everything is relative to what you are used to.
For a city of this size, you will find enough to do in terms of music, visiting entertainers, etc. We probably have more decent restaurants per capita than many other places. No, it isn't New York City. But the good news is it isn't New York City, either. And, as Gigimac said, bring your outdoor shoes because you'll put them to good use.
Just make sure you can make enough of a living to enjoy yourself and achieve what you want. That is the Achilles heel of the area.
Good luck.
Thanks Mule, and everybody else for your help. We certainly would not take the job situation for granted. We are certainly in the prelim stages. IF we like it there, we plan on getting jobs lined up first and certainly would rent for at least a year. I'm just a bit of a planner and trying to see how everything goes.
Right now we live in Suffolk County Long Island. I work about 45 minutes from my job, which I have no problem with. Not much to do here on Long Island in the winter either. To tell the truth, my wife and I are pretty happy with that. No bother.
For some that might not know, lower New York has some of the worst weather in the country. Winter has tons of snow and is cold, summer is hot and muggy and lots of precip all year.
As I said, still in early phases of this. Still need to sell our house etc, but relocating is not something to sneeze at. We know these obstacles and certainly wouldn't jump without doing the homework.
Right now we do want a better quality of life and aren't going to get it here. Not sure if we can get it in the northeast to tell the truth. We should be doing better than we are. It's always a tradeoff, but moving down south can allow our family to get ahead in a huge way, actually have money for vacations, kids college, and to save to retire early.
If I stay here in NY, I'll never save a penny, and life here isn't all that great. Life is always sacrafices, and to tell the truth, we're not living all that great here. We can have a better house for a lot less and do the same things we do here for a lot less. My wife and I came to this realization in the past year and are continuing to search for the right place.
Didn't Arden once have a toxic dump? It seems I read that somewhere in these posts?
Actually, it's more often considered Skyland, but it's not a toxic dump. It's and old factory on Mills Gap, just before it meets Sweeten Creek. It has some contaminated soil that's affecting the neighbors and needs to be cleaned-up. That's the short version of the story.
You've got some great answers so far, so I'll just toss in some random thoughts on your questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
1). Looking for houses in the 400k-500k range. Probably in the middle of that range. Have a house in the 600k range on LI with 10k+in taxes per year and I'm through with the rat race.
You're certainly going to be in the cat bird seat in that price range. Whereas that price range was moving well before the RE drop, it's dead now. You can get much more house and negotiate a great deal. If the sellers don't want to go with the program, you can just move on to another one since the inventory will be stale and numerous.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
2). Areas that have the best elementary as well as high schools. Schools are very important with 2 young kids.
I think you'll find that the TC Roberson and RC Reynolds school districts are considered the best in the area. Some might argue a little, but they're still in the tops.
Basically, Roberson is South Asheville and Reynolds is in Fairview. Both are south of Asheville with Roberson near US25 (Hendersonville Road) and Reynold off of 74A (Charoltte Hwy).
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
3). Areas that are scenic and pretty. Hope to have house with reasonable views. Reasonably affluent neighborhood is preferred.
Hummmmmmm . . . Let me just say that it certainly sounds like Biltmore Forest might be just right for you. However, you need to know that your property taxes will be a higher on anything in there. Of course, prices have an affect, but much of it is due to Biltmore Forest being an incorporated city in and of itself. They have to fund their city operations somehow since they are a city without any industrial tax base. They are primarily residential so they fund themselves on the back of the homeowners.
An area that could very well fit for you is the Cane Creek area. It is a little valley that more or less runs E/W between Hendersonville Road and Charlotte Hwy in South Asheville. There are many nice "affluent" properties in the area, including lots of unsold ones that were caught in the RE debacle.
Just take a look at a map for the street called Cane Creek. Anything either side of it will have many nice homes and developments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
4) Dont need to be super-close to downtown. 20-30minutes or so is fine. Close is good too but not required. Would like suburban/rural setting.
The minutes will allow you to live just about anywhere in Buncombe County. However, you might be pushing it a little when you get into neighboring counties depending on where you live. Waynesville would be fine up to a point where it might push you past the 30 minute downtown limit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
5). As a northerner, the south is still pretty foreign to me. Any pointers for north easterners like myself looking to relocate and make a comfortable transition is appreciated.
Yes, don't say to anyone . . . "This is how we did it back home." Even though you might think you're being helpful, it's not taken that way. Long term residents really don't want to hear it, especially from a "Yankee." There are other transplants who also like this area the way it is and don't want to hear it. If someone doesn't like your suggestion, and who has a problem in holding their tongue, they might have responded with, "Since you like it so much back there, go back and don't let the door hit you in the ###." Luckily, I don't think that anyone would be so impolite, at least to your face.
The issue I believe is that some people feel that their culture is being lost in a sea of migrants to the mountains. Families lived here for hundreds of years and formed a culture that was isolated from much of the rest of the Nation for a looooooong time. Now, that culture is being diluted and they might even be feeling that it's looked-down-upon by those who they see as thinking better of themselves.
. . . and yes, "Yankee" is still used in some circles in the South. You'll always be one, just like me, even though none of my heritage can ever be traced to anywhere in New England. I'm not from the mountains of NC, a location where people are very proud to say that they're "from here" and there's nothing you or I can do about it.
With that being said, just enjoy the environment, be polite, take part in the culture of the community, enjoy the company of your neighbors no matter if they're a PA, MD, truck mechanic, farmer, or anything else you can imagine, and don't think of yourself as better than any of them. As long as you can do that, and leave any stereotypical brash NY'er/NJ-type ways (may not apply to you) back home, you will get along just fine. It's just a matter of being polite and respectful of a people and environment that it appears you find attractive. Why change it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCNPA
I've heard plenty of other areas mentioned like grove park, black mountain but I can't make heads or tails of it without some assistance. Would appreciate any suggestions of other areas I should look at when researching, before I plan my trip. thanks.
That's why you need to put some feet on the ground. It doesn't matter what everyone suggests if you don't have any perspective.
If you want to get acquainted with the area, I would suggest that you avoid the tourist stuff and try to get around as if you lived here. Drive some of the roads, check out the grocery stores you migh frequent, stop at non-tourist restaurants, go to the movies or do whatever it is that you normally do. I don't really know anyone who lives here that shops daily at the Mast General Store or hangs out at the Biltmore Estate, unless they work there.
One last thing I'd like to point out is that some of your desires may confilct with each other. For example, you want somewhat of a rural area, yet desire an "afflent" neighborhood. You do know that you will find million dollar homes across the street from a 1900s farm house with a mobile home on the next section, right? The house might not have been painted since 1940, the homeowners routinely burn their yard waste in the yard and the neighboring mobile home is sitting on 40 acres that the original homeowner parceled off for their kids when they grew up.
This area also didn't have zoning until just a few years ago, so you might find a construction yard around the corner from a multimillion dollar gated housing tract that's right down the street from a gas station and across the street from a laundramat. If that bothers you, something like Biltmore Forest might be right up your alley, but you'll still have to leave it once in a while and you also won't have a rural enviornment. I would call it strickly suburban.
So again, you need to get some boots on the ground and take in the life of the region. It's actually much much much better than I described. I just didn't want you to be shocked if you're expecting an environment where the "affluent" areas are segregated from everyone else.
We are in the same boat, Long Islanders (2 kids under 6) sick of surviving and not thriving. We just received an offer on our house (yikes 10 days on the market, much quicker than we had assumed.) We will be closing mid-summer and I appreciate this thread very much.
We plan to rent for at least 6 months while we determine where we fit. I have been looking at three very different areas of NC - the Triad area, Charlotte/Lake Norman area and most recently Asheville. I love Asheville for all the reasons you all already know. But even though I have my own, extremely portable IT business, the economic warnings of all the Asheville posts on these boards are concerning to me. I think I also read Asheville just lost a very large automaking plant. I'm actually leaning away from Asheville after being on these message boards.
Just 2 more cents from LI -- this is actually my first post after weeks of reading. Good luck with your search and move.
You've got some great answers so far, so I'll just toss in some random thoughts on your questions.
You're certainly going to be in the cat bird seat in that price range. Whereas that price range was moving well before the RE drop, it's dead now. You can get much more house and negotiate a great deal. If the sellers don't want to go with the program, you can just move on to another one since the inventory will be stale and numerous.
I think you'll find that the TC Roberson and RC Reynolds school districts are considered the best in the area. Some might argue a little, but they're still in the tops.
Basically, Roberson is South Asheville and Reynolds is in Fairview. Both are south of Asheville with Roberson near US25 (Hendersonville Road) and Reynold off of 74A (Charoltte Hwy).
Hummmmmmm . . . Let me just say that it certainly sounds like Biltmore Forest might be just right for you. However, you need to know that your property taxes will be a higher on anything in there. Of course, prices have an affect, but much of it is due to Biltmore Forest being an incorporated city in and of itself. They have to fund their city operations somehow since they are a city without any industrial tax base. They are primarily residential so they fund themselves on the back of the homeowners.
An area that could very well fit for you is the Cane Creek area. It is a little valley that more or less runs E/W between Hendersonville Road and Charlotte Hwy in South Asheville. There are many nice "affluent" properties in the area, including lots of unsold ones that were caught in the RE debacle.
Just take a look at a map for the street called Cane Creek. Anything either side of it will have many nice homes and developments.
The minutes will allow you to live just about anywhere in Buncombe County. However, you might be pushing it a little when you get into neighboring counties depending on where you live. Waynesville would be fine up to a point where it might push you past the 30 minute downtown limit.
Yes, don't say to anyone . . . "This is how we did it back home." Even though you might think you're being helpful, it's not taken that way. Long term residents really don't want to hear it, especially from a "Yankee." There are other transplants who also like this area the way it is and don't want to hear it. If someone doesn't like your suggestion, and who has a problem in holding their tongue, they might have responded with, "Since you like it so much back there, go back and don't let the door hit you in the ###." Luckily, I don't think that anyone would be so impolite, at least to your face.
The issue I believe is that some people feel that their culture is being lost in a sea of migrants to the mountains. Families lived here for hundreds of years and formed a culture that was isolated from much of the rest of the Nation for a looooooong time. Now, that culture is being diluted and they might even be feeling that it's looked-down-upon by those who they see as thinking better of themselves.
. . . and yes, "Yankee" is still used in some circles in the South. You'll always be one, just like me, even though none of my heritage can ever be traced to anywhere in New England. I'm not from the mountains of NC, a location where people are very proud to say that they're "from here" and there's nothing you or I can do about it.
With that being said, just enjoy the environment, be polite, take part in the culture of the community, enjoy the company of your neighbors no matter if they're a PA, MD, truck mechanic, farmer, or anything else you can imagine, and don't think of yourself as better than any of them. As long as you can do that, and leave any stereotypical brash NY'er/NJ-type ways (may not apply to you) back home, you will get along just fine. It's just a matter of being polite and respectful of a people and environment that it appears you find attractive. Why change it?
That's why you need to put some feet on the ground. It doesn't matter what everyone suggests if you don't have any perspective.
If you want to get acquainted with the area, I would suggest that you avoid the tourist stuff and try to get around as if you lived here. Drive some of the roads, check out the grocery stores you migh frequent, stop at non-tourist restaurants, go to the movies or do whatever it is that you normally do. I don't really know anyone who lives here that shops daily at the Mast General Store or hangs out at the Biltmore Estate, unless they work there.
One last thing I'd like to point out is that some of your desires may confilct with each other. For example, you want somewhat of a rural area, yet desire an "afflent" neighborhood. You do know that you will find million dollar homes across the street from a 1900s farm house with a mobile home on the next section, right? The house might not have been painted since 1940, the homeowners routinely burn their yard waste in the yard and the neighboring mobile home is sitting on 40 acres that the original homeowner parceled off for their kids when they grew up.
This area also didn't have zoning until just a few years ago, so you might find a construction yard around the corner from a multimillion dollar gated housing tract that's right down the street from a gas station and across the street from a laundramat. If that bothers you, something like Biltmore Forest might be right up your alley, but you'll still have to leave it once in a while and you also won't have a rural enviornment. I would call it strickly suburban.
So again, you need to get some boots on the ground and take in the life of the region. It's actually much much much better than I described. I just didn't want you to be shocked if you're expecting an environment where the "affluent" areas are segregated from everyone else.
Thank you very much for the great advice.
By "affluent" I don't mean to sound pretentious. Not at all. It probably came across the wrong way. I say so, mainly because the best schools are usually in the better areas. I'm not affluent here on Long Island, but do live in a nice area that has an affluent population and also excellent schools. I'm the small house on the block so to speak. I don't require a gated community or anything like that. Like I said. I've always been taught to choose a house based on location more than anything.
My questions with reference to being a northeasterner are more a concern whether we'll fit in down there, and it seems in Asheville we should. We have no problem with much of that and my wife and I love and embrace the culture of any region we were to settle in. Heck, even if I moved to Northern New England, they aren't keen on New Yorkers. Northern New Englanders don't even like Southern New Englanders. It's where the "flatlanders" moniker came from. The South is just a whole new animal for us.
After reading much of the suggestions, message boards here as well as doing realty searches, I think we'll probably be looking at houses in the 3-400K range instead. The reason we're leaving the rat race here is exactly that. Some really beautiful houses in that range and I don't need to tack an extra 100K on my mortgage for absolutely no reason.
I have one other question. I hear Black Mountain recommended quite a bit. How are the schools there compared to Reynolds/Roberson? Thanks. As far as Biltmore Forest goes, we're looking for an area with lower taxes. Once again. We have enough of them here. I pay 10K/year now and that is pretty low considering. I live on the town border. Across the road, the taxes would be in the 12-15K/year range for the same house. We've had enough.
We are in the same boat, Long Islanders (2 kids under 6) sick of surviving and not thriving. We just received an offer on our house (yikes 10 days on the market, much quicker than we had assumed.) We will be closing mid-summer and I appreciate this thread very much.
We plan to rent for at least 6 months while we determine where we fit. I have been looking at three very different areas of NC - the Triad area, Charlotte/Lake Norman area and most recently Asheville. I love Asheville for all the reasons you all already know. But even though I have my own, extremely portable IT business, the economic warnings of all the Asheville posts on these boards are concerning to me. I think I also read Asheville just lost a very large automaking plant. I'm actually leaning away from Asheville after being on these message boards.
Just 2 more cents from LI -- this is actually my first post after weeks of reading. Good luck with your search and move.
It was not a "very large" automaking plant. It was the Volvo truck plant, and they've been downsizing for the past 6 years, now they totally gone, to PA where I believe they've combined facilities. Volvo also has or had a large office building at Biltmore Park, not sure if that will be gone along with the truck division. Unemployment is alive and well in this area.
By "affluent" I don't mean to sound pretentious. Not at all. It probably came across the wrong way. I say so, mainly because the best schools are usually in the better areas. I'm not affluent here on Long Island, but do live in a nice area that has an affluent population and also excellent schools. I'm the small house on the block so to speak. I don't require a gated community or anything like that. Like I said. I've always been taught to choose a house based on location more than anything.
My questions with reference to being a northeasterner are more a concern whether we'll fit in down there, and it seems in Asheville we should. We have no problem with much of that and my wife and I love and embrace the culture of any region we were to settle in. Heck, even if I moved to Northern New England, they aren't keen on New Yorkers. Northern New Englanders don't even like Southern New Englanders. It's where the "flatlanders" moniker came from. The South is just a whole new animal for us.
After reading much of the suggestions, message boards here as well as doing realty searches, I think we'll probably be looking at houses in the 3-400K range instead. The reason we're leaving the rat race here is exactly that. Some really beautiful houses in that range and I don't need to tack an extra 100K on my mortgage for absolutely no reason.
I have one other question. I hear Black Mountain recommended quite a bit. How are the schools there compared to Reynolds/Roberson? Thanks. As far as Biltmore Forest goes, we're looking for an area with lower taxes. Once again. We have enough of them here. I pay 10K/year now and that is pretty low considering. I live on the town border. Across the road, the taxes would be in the 12-15K/year range for the same house. We've had enough.
Definitely take a look at Biltmore Forest, but in that area you will definitely be in an uppity area, with all that goes along with keeping up with the Joneses, and the McDowells. Andie McDowell, the actress lives in there and we see her in the markets around town. My neighbor was behind her in line at Earth Fare (a market on Rt. 25 in Asheville where the "best" people shop and others go to see them ... lol! ), and she railed on a young cashier with a "don't you know who I AM?" remark. That is the gentrification in B/Forest.
There are excellent schools around here, you need to sit down with an experienced Realtor, not necessarily get into the car with one, just have a sit down with a map and get some good advice. Then if you decide to settle here, be loyal to that Realtor. I've had people come back a year or more later and buy from me because I set them in the direction they needed to begin with and didn't waste their time. A good Realtor will take an hour or so with you for future business. Otherwise, around here, you will be wandering around (driving) aimlessly wondering "where was that?", "how did we get from here to there" etc. You could end up in some weird areas and get a bad impression.
But you don't need Biltmore Forest, believe us. And.... keep us posted, we like to get feedback.
Actually, it's more often considered Skyland, but it's not a toxic dump. It's and old factory on Mills Gap, just before it meets Sweeten Creek. It has some contaminated soil that's affecting the neighbors and needs to be cleaned-up. That's the short version of the story.
Actually its more complex than that. The groundwater in the area is contaminated with an organic solvent used in the manufacturing process. About 100 homes are in the plume and a number of groundwater wells have been shutdown already due to it. Last I heard EPA was adding it to their priorities list for toxic cleanup--obviously home values in that area have been affected and at one point the residents were begging the city of Asheville to annex them and put in a pipeline.
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And.... keep us posted, we like to get feedback.
