Charlotte areas??? (Rock Hill, Union, Fort Mill: for sale, crime rate, house)

[lcashman21]

My husband and I are trying to relocate to the Charlotte area. The problem is we are having a hard time with where to buy a house. We love the Ryan homes so we have looked at some develpments. Autumn Cove in Lake Wylie, I heard the water is dirty, and the power plant is dangerous. We are also looking at Dominion Bridge, Glen Laurel and Balmoral in Fort Mill. Balmoral is nice but when you get out of the community it seems kinda like its in a not so great area. We are also going to check out Winget Pond in Charlotte but they only have a few lots left and they might not be the good ones, also Im not sure how good the schools are there. We want a area with great schools nice shopping close by, and not the far from the city. Any advice to those areas and developments would be of great help.

[groove1]

PLEASE take my advice: DO NOT under any circumstances buy ANY home in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County. You will thank me later. Concord, Union County, Fort Mill, but NOT Charlotte. Fort Mill is a great area, and if you have children, the schools are top notch (some schools do have an enrollment freeze, but it doesn't apply if your kids are starting in kindergarten). Stay out of Winget Pond and the SW Charlotte area. TOO MUCH crime and the property taxes keep going up (they are already high). Check www.crimeincharlotte.com for more info. Charlotte schools are a mess all the way around. Do you really want to pay exorbitant taxes for a sub-par school system where kids bring guns to school even in elementary school? There isn't too much recreation to do at any of the lakes around here unless you have a boat and live on them.

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by lcashman21

My husband and I are trying to relocate to the Charlotte area. The problem is we are having a hard time with where to buy a house. We love the Ryan homes so we have looked at some develpments. Autumn Cove in Lake Wylie, I heard the water is dirty, and the power plant is dangerous. We are also looking at Dominion Bridge, Glen Laurel and Balmoral in Fort Mill. Balmoral is nice but when you get out of the community it seems kinda like its in a not so great area. We are also going to check out Winget Pond in Charlotte but they only have a few lots left and they might not be the good ones, also Im not sure how good the schools are there. We want a area with great schools nice shopping close by, and not the far from the city. Any advice to those areas and developments would be of great help.

Okay call me crazy (since I am one of those folks that happen to live off Lake Wylie and disagree with what you have been told about it)...but if you truly do believe what you have been told....why are you looking at homes all around the lake?

Best of luck to you!

[lcashman21]

Originally Posted by groove1

PLEASE take my advice: DO NOT under any circumstances buy ANY home in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County. You will thank me later. Concord, Union County, Fort Mill, but NOT Charlotte. Fort Mill is a great area, and if you have children, the schools are top notch (some schools do have an enrollment freeze, but it doesn't apply if your kids are starting in kindergarten). Stay out of Winget Pond and the SW Charlotte area. TOO MUCH crime and the property taxes keep going up (they are already high). Check www.crimeincharlotte.com for more info. Charlotte schools are a mess all the way around. Do you really want to pay exorbitant taxes for a sub-par school system where kids bring guns to school even in elementary school? There isn't too much recreation to do at any of the lakes around here unless you have a boat and live on them.

Thank You
So you think Fort Mills and Lake Wylie is a nice place to raise a family with good schools?

[lcashman21]

Originally Posted by lovethecarolinas

Okay call me crazy (since I am one of those folks that happen to live off Lake Wylie and disagree with what you have been told about it)...but if you truly do believe what you have been told....why are you looking at homes all around the lake?

Best of luck to you!

Im not sure if I believe what I have heard. Can you go swimming in Lake Wylie? I do know they have good schools. Im from boston trying to relcocate thats why Im asking questions. Any advice would be great!!!

[groove1]

Originally Posted by lcashman21

Thank You
So you think Fort Mills and Lake Wylie is a nice place to raise a family with good schools?

Absolutely. Much better than Charlotte. Fort Mill schools are almost always given high marks. Lake Wylie is nice, though the homes usually cost a bit more. If I had children, I would not put them in CMS (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools). If you are looking at the Winget Pond area, you may as well live in SC and you will get cheaper gas, lower taxes, and better schools. The tax difference on a home in Winget and the same priced home in SC is probably at least $1500.

[baggleflap]

Are you looking for NEW construction only? If you don't mind existing homes, just up the road from Dominion Bridge is Whitegrove. A Ryan neighborhood about 5-10 years old. Several homes for sale but I've noticed they don't stay on the market for long. Kids go to Fort Mill Elementary/Middle School and will go to the new High School. No enrollment freeze on these schools. Also, you might try Sutton Place over on Sutton Rd by Baxter. Also Ryan homes. And yes, Ft Mill schools are awesome.

[moedog]

Originally Posted by groove1

PLEASE take my advice: DO NOT under any circumstances buy ANY home in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County. You will thank me later. Concord, Union County, Fort Mill, but NOT Charlotte. Fort Mill is a great area, and if you have children, the schools are top notch (some schools do have an enrollment freeze, but it doesn't apply if your kids are starting in kindergarten). Stay out of Winget Pond and the SW Charlotte area. TOO MUCH crime and the property taxes keep going up (they are already high). Check www.crimeincharlotte.com for more info. Charlotte schools are a mess all the way around. Do you really want to pay exorbitant taxes for a sub-par school system where kids bring guns to school even in elementary school? There isn't too much recreation to do at any of the lakes around here unless you have a boat and live on them.

Please realize that is groove1's opinion only, and does not reflect the experiences of many who live in Charlotte Mecklenburg. CMS has a number of highly respected schools whose patrons (parents/students) are very well satisfied. Regarding crime, you have to realize that any county of 900,000 is unfortunately going to have a fair amount of crime. Charlotte Mecklenburg's crime rate compares quite well with most other counties of similar size. Taxes are much higher there than in SC, but then the county/city/state tries to do a lot more for its citizens.

[groove1]

Originally Posted by moedog

Taxes are much higher there than in SC, but then the county/city/state tries to do a lot more for its citizens.

Like using $265 million in taxpayer money for a basketball arena and paying police officers 9% below the national average and not hiring enough of them. Also, refusing to pay any money for street lights downtown and things like that. No one in their right mind would say CMS is as good as Fort Mill school district. I lived in CM for 6 years and now live in York County. It's a no-brainer really.

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by lcashman21

Im not sure if I believe what I have heard. Can you go swimming in Lake Wylie? I do know they have good schools. Im from boston trying to relcocate thats why Im asking questions. Any advice would be great!!!

Yes, you can go swimming in Lake Wylie....there are many of us here that do go in the lake...we are easy to spot..due to the fact that we glow in the dark and have 8 toes on each hand (I'm just kidding you ). You will find naysayers though that will say differently...so I suggest you do your own research and then form your own opinion.

In regards to the schools within York County...my first choice would be Fort Mill, then Clover, and then Rock Hill, SC.

In regard to homes...your monies will go a little farther in Clover, SC than say Fort Mill. Course within any of the areas around the lake...the closer you are the more you will pay.

Happy House Hunting!