Moving to Fort Mill in July, any words of advice? (Rock Hill: real estate, renter)

[Bound4NC]

Originally Posted by FLRich

OK maybe I can help a bit, not much but it seems I am 2 steps ahead of you, here some background.

I just transfered 2 weeks ago to our Charlotte office and am responsible for locations from the Charlotte airport to Lancaster SC, quite a bit south of Fort Mill Rock Hill. I have been living out of 2 suitcases in NE Charlotte and have just checked out of the hotel and am on my way to a "Corporate Studio" (furnished older apartment) for about a month in Rock Hill. I came from the West Palm Beach / Jupiter Florida area and was/have been very shocked with crime which is a concern of mine having been a Deputy and having a wife and 6 year old back home on their way here in Mid-July.

Fort Mill is a up and coming town, and getting overpriced. I think the entire real estate market nationwide will keep it a bit under control but it's still going up. People like me who have 3 homes to sell and are selling for below value or NOT SELLING AT ALL will keep prices SOMEWHAT in control overall. Fort Mill is mostly a new community with central areas that has what people need. Schools are rated very well and as I sit here at the car dealership waiting for my truck they are talking about the Fort Mill 6th Grader at the national spelling bee. If you like to live close to the city and have a nice but small property Fort Mill is nice and worthwhile for a nice steady appreciation value. Homes are clean, cookie cutter types mostly in developed communities not my style but it may become my style soon by need.

Since I have no family here (other than by phone) and I have very little money to spend (got a move coming up and 2 NEW investment homes in FL that are not showing let alone receiving offers after 3 months with $2K payments yeach a month!) I do a lot of driving to learn the area. What I have learned is that crime is very widespread even outside of the city but it seems to be in pockets. This was a new way to think for me since in SE Florida you need to look for the crime areas and here it is more like you need to look for the good areas, different way to think! If you are looking for crime areas back home you go to the cities and then find the bad areas of town. Here it seems to be that you do not need to go to big cities, even small towns have crime ridden areas. I don't want to scare you but it's what shocked me based on where I came from. All that is different is that you need to know where to go and where not to go.

In Fort Mill this is not as much as an issue as it would be in Rock Hill, Charlotte or even in small town Lancaster. Tega Cay and such have no run down or high crime areas that I have been able to find everything seems quite new and really quite expensive, even for me where 1.25 acres of land is selling for $280K in a DEAD market!

OK I rambled on enough but that is a view from a fresh set of eyes. I am really interested in hearing from others also that live in the area that can add to my findings or more information. Even though I am checking into a small studio today I will need to be renting a home by July1st waiting for the moving company and my family to arrive. Still not sure what I can find and afford during these difficult times in the real estate market. I sure don't want to have ANOTHER morgage to deal with so I guess I will be a renter for the first time in my life!

Rich

Great post (I even gave you good feedback!) So, its safe to say the Fort Mill and Tega Cay are good areas? Your feedback to me is good. Both my parents worked (retired now) for the Sheriff's dept. So, I am sure you are right on in what you say.

[Bound4NC]

Originally Posted by lovethecarolinas

That is a very broad question.

Fort Mills or Tega Cay? DO you have a web site (you can PM me) for the police dept?

[sal707]

I really appreciate the feedback. As far as the crime issues goes, I'm moving from New York City and don't feel that the crime is too rampant, as compare to NYC. This was one of the biggest reasons to move to a smaller town, where you know your neighbors and can keep better track of your property, family and surroundings. The other equally important factor was the price of housing. In New York, there is a serious overcrowding issue, plus the real estate prices are out rages, a single family home with no or little yard space attached to a neighboring house, that was built 50-60 years ago is going for $600,000 or higher! Therefore, the move was obvious and evident for us, and knowing that the school district was so highly recommended, it seemed like an ideal place to grow and raise our family. After having bought a home in the Whitley Mills area, I hope that prices do go up to a certain degree, it will prove to have been a good investment to boot. Everyone has different needs and one has to have a basis to compare things to. Good luck to all.

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by sal707

I really appreciate the feedback. As far as the crime issues goes, I'm moving from New York City and don't feel that the crime is too rampant, as compare to NYC. This was one of the biggest reasons to move to a smaller town, where you know your neighbors and can keep better track of your property, family and surroundings. The other equally important factor was the price of housing. In New York, there is a serious overcrowding issue, plus the real estate prices are out rages, a single family home with no or little yard space attached to a neighboring house, that was built 50-60 years ago is going for $600,000 or higher! Therefore, the move was obvious and evident for us, and knowing that the school district was so highly recommended, it seemed like an ideal place to grow and raise our family. After having bought a home in the Whitley Mills area, I hope that prices do go up to a certain degree, it will prove to have been a good investment to boot. Everyone has different needs and one has to have a basis to compare things to. Good luck to all.

You don't say how old your children are...if they are school age...make sure you register them for school by July 27th (if you have not done so already). In regard to the value of your home...good chance you have already made some monies on it (of course it won't be as much as in NY but it will definetly raise in value). Best to you and yours!

[sal707]

no littles ones, yet, but hopefully soon. Thanks for the heads up, I really appreciate the info. Do you do any fishing? If so, any word on good spots. Do you need to get permits and such?

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by sal707

no littles ones, yet, but hopefully soon. Thanks for the heads up, I really appreciate the info. Do you do any fishing? If so, any word on good spots. Do you need to get permits and such?

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you in regard to the little ones No I don't really fish (streamfishing is more my speed) but I do love eating them. They call places around here that serve fish...Fish Camps..and one of the best one's around is not to far from where you will be living (Captain Steve's). The fish is great, large portions, easy on your wallet and hushpuppies to boot. If you like bass fishing (plus catfish, and crappie) your gone to love it here. You probably already know this but the Bassmaster Classic was held on Lake Wylie in 2004. Lake Wylie crosses both NC and SC...and you will need a fishing license for SC...but they also suggest you get a fishing license for NC as well (since no one really knows where one state starts and one state ends). I've been told the best spots for bass are above Buster Boyd bridge (but you will see people fishing just about everywhere). Best place to get bait/tackle is **** Pendleton's Grocery and Sporting Goods (5 points) in Clover, SC (of course there are other places in Fort Mill as well).

[FLRich]

Sorry it took so long to get back but things have been crazy and I do not have internet access very often, right now I am in some parking lot in Rock Hill and found a open wireless access point.

Yes most of the crime I was speaking about was in the Charlotte area meaning the on the NC side but I will not retract my statement that the crime pockets are all over. True some areas are worse than others but after doing 4,000 miles in 2 weeks between the Univerisity area of Charlotte and almost all small little towns if you can call them that in York and Lancaster Co SC it's all over here and there.

Little towns like Rock Hill and Lancaster has shootings just like the big city. I know I have a police scanner and have heard several of them recently now that I am in a studio for this month. BUT other sections of town are just fine, the trick is to know all the area and chose wisely. Tega Cay is GREAT, most of Fort Mill is also great but you still have a couple of streets I would not want to walk down at night.

Maybe I just had a picture of NO CRIME once you left the big Queen city and this is NOT the case. BUT you can still find wonderful places to live and some great schools. I was going to head out in the country to rent a rather large home for $1K a month, today I actually found a smaller but nicer and a little less expensive home in town and will probably rent that instead. So I did some research and got lucky. I got to lock myself into a 1 year lease which I hate but oh well... I doubt I'll sell my other homes within 1 year anyway and that's I need to do before I buy another one.

Rich

[sal707]

Just made me wanna move tomorrow! Sounds like everything I hoped for. I'll have to visit Captain's Steve's. You have been extremely helpful and have only fuel my desires to get there. Maybe, it is that I am due for a change and tired of big city living and am ready to enjoy the finer things in life. T-Minus 24 Days and counting! Thanks again.

[Marks]

Originally Posted by FLRich

Sorry it took so long to get back but things have been crazy and I do not have internet access very often, right now I am in some parking lot in Rock Hill and found a open wireless access point.

Yes most of the crime I was speaking about was in the Charlotte area meaning the on the NC side but I will not retract my statement that the crime pockets are all over. True some areas are worse than others but after doing 4,000 miles in 2 weeks between the Univerisity area of Charlotte and almost all small little towns if you can call them that in York and Lancaster Co SC it's all over here and there.

Little towns like Rock Hill and Lancaster has shootings just like the big city. I know I have a police scanner and have heard several of them recently now that I am in a studio for this month. BUT other sections of town are just fine, the trick is to know all the area and chose wisely. Tega Cay is GREAT, most of Fort Mill is also great but you still have a couple of streets I would not want to walk down at night.

Maybe I just had a picture of NO CRIME once you left the big Queen city and this is NOT the case. BUT you can still find wonderful places to live and some great schools. I was going to head out in the country to rent a rather large home for $1K a month, today I actually found a smaller but nicer and a little less expensive home in town and will probably rent that instead. So I did some research and got lucky. I got to lock myself into a 1 year lease which I hate but oh well... I doubt I'll sell my other homes within 1 year anyway and that's I need to do before I buy another one.

Rich

Greetings Rich,

4000 miles in 2 weeks that's a lot! If you don't mind my asking was this business or scouting out for a place to live that prompted you to do that?

Do you think all that driving was benificial to you as far as setteling on a place? I say this because we're going out in Sept. for a look and I just wondering what your thoughts are in that type of scouting. It looks like we will drive check out a town, drive check out a town, drive check out a town, and then stay in a hotel. Next day same thing until we leave.

Any tips or suggesstions?

Thanks, Mark

P.S. I'm sure your right about crime we really can't avoid it--we will have it everywhere to some degree.

[FLRich]

Yippee!! Someone near my studio apartment set up an access point and it's OPEN!! I can do the web from my room now!!

Well Mark depending on exactly where you want to live it may take more than a day or two here to get the feel. I did end up renting that home for $1000 month to month for various reasons but one of them was that it was closer to I-77 than the home in Rock Hill and further from the inner city.

I drive for a living maintaining Cell Sites so I put a lot of miles on anyway but then I loaded a bunch more on in the evenings and weekends clocking milage, time and just generally not knowing where I was going and also no short cuts.
Not to mention it kept me out of my prison cell, I mean hotel room and since I have not had friend or family interaction in just a month now I got to keep busy.

You MUST DO SOME DRIVING and maybe more than some. Roads here are not like in NYC or in FL. It is not a grid pattern or tic tac toe board so when searching for homes and areas you can pass up a nice area or pass up a poorer area just next to what you were looking for. It also adds up the miles since "you can't get there from here" due to creeks, rivers, and forrests in many cases.

Hotels... once you get South of Rock Hill hotels will become more and more scarce, so will the towns unless you stay right along I-77. But then again you stated you wanted to live in the Fort Mill area and there is no reason for staying in other places, plenty of hotels in 10-15 minutes of there if not even right in town. Anything south of Rock Hill is VERY RURAL so if you want to live in RURAL (MEANING YOU TAKE THE TRASH IN YOUR CAR TO DISPOSE OF IT AT THE CENTER RURAL) it will only take you a 20-30 minute drive from Fort Mill to find it. If you want a bit more city then you take a 5 or so minute drive North and are in NC.

Bottom line is that I did a lot of driving since I was looking for something specific, kind of where my current home is. I love it there BUT I just am tired of the heat and cost of living in FL. People say SC is hot and humid but those are the people who have not lived in FL for a year or two year round. We do not see anything 65 degrees or below for more than 1 or 2 months a year I don't care if it's 1pm or 1am it does not happen! It's July and nights are in the 60's, a couple of weeks ago it actually got into the 40's!!! In the 1 month I have been here I have seen daytime temps in the 70's and high 80's. Coming from Florida where 10 months out of the year it's 85-95 degrees and 98%-100% humidity 24 hours a day it's a blessing. Sure people laugh and say you have seen nothing yet and I say bring it on! I'll take 1-2 months of rough weather (or so they make it sound rough) and 10 months of reasonable conditions than the other way around. I work on the road and outside it's a major factor for me. So I think the area of I-77 and SR901 in Rock Hill is as close to home as I can find here, in property, crime and closeness to retail facilities. I rent there for a year and see if my guess is right, I hope so since I would hate to take my kid out of school AGAIN and move somewhere else in the county or surrounding county.

Rich