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Hello,
We're hoping to make some exploration trips late fall (depending on Covid), to look at 3 places (Charleston, Raleigh, Austin) we're considering for full-time, one house residency. We're kind of intrigued by DI and Mt Pleasant. We've been to these cities before for work or as tourist. I've done a fair bit of research, but have some questions that I can't seem to find the straight-up answers to.
1) How many people are really full-time residents in places like Mt Pleasant and DI? While we have a healthy budget and would like a house in an area that's special and has some amenities, we don't want to live somewhere that's a constant merry-go-round of renters/visitors. We'd prefer to have at least 50% real full-time neighbors.
2) We have a couple little dogs and while we don't ever leave them out unattended, what predators should we be concerned about in terms of them potentially being hurt/attacked by something? This probably sounds like a weird question, but we live mainly in MN and have a winter home in AZ and in both places we have coyotes and in AZ, snakes and scorpions. So, I want to know what I'd be looking at if we and our pups lived in the DI or Mt Pleasant.
3) What's it really like when you have to close up your house and leave during a hurricane? I know this is a broad question, but just wondering if anyone feels that this makes choosing retirement in this location just too difficult? Do people use hurricane shutters, is it typical to have some damage on your house pretty regularly?
4) And finally, are most the homes there built with something like Hardi-plank? Is it typical to have to power wash them every year because of dampness? Years ago, we had a vacation place in the Panhandle of FL and I believe we had to have it power washed every year with something like bleach water.
I know this is a lot of question. You folks live in one stunning part of the country and I appreciate any feedback. Thank you, Thank you!
Hello,
We're hoping to make some exploration trips late fall (depending on Covid), to look at 3 places (Charleston, Raleigh, Austin) we're considering for full-time, one house residency. We're kind of intrigued by DI and Mt Pleasant. We've been to these cities before for work or as tourist. I've done a fair bit of research, but have some questions that I can't seem to find the straight-up answers to.
1) How many people are really full-time residents in places like Mt Pleasant and DI? While we have a healthy budget and would like a house in an area that's special and has some amenities, we don't want to live somewhere that's a constant merry-go-round of renters/visitors. We'd prefer to have at least 50% real full-time neighbors.
2) We have a couple little dogs and while we don't ever leave them out unattended, what predators should we be concerned about in terms of them potentially being hurt/attacked by something? This probably sounds like a weird question, but we live mainly in MN and have a winter home in AZ and in both places we have coyotes and in AZ, snakes and scorpions. So, I want to know what I'd be looking at if we and our pups lived in the DI or Mt Pleasant.
3) What's it really like when you have to close up your house and leave during a hurricane? I know this is a broad question, but just wondering if anyone feels that this makes choosing retirement in this location just too difficult? Do people use hurricane shutters, is it typical to have some damage on your house pretty regularly?
4) And finally, are most the homes there built with something like Hardi-plank? Is it typical to have to power wash them every year because of dampness? Years ago, we had a vacation place in the Panhandle of FL and I believe we had to have it power washed every year with something like bleach water.
I know this is a lot of question. You folks live in one stunning part of the country and I appreciate any feedback. Thank you, Thank you!
1)All of Charleston is mainly full time residents with the exception of the beaches which will have a higher percentage of vacation homes. For Daniel Island or Mt Pleasant, that won't be a concern.
2) For your dogs' safety, you'll want to keep them out of any fresh or even brackish water impoundments due to the possibility of alligators. That goes for any size dog really. We do have coyotes though they aren't here in great numbers yet.
We do have snakes and they could be a concern more or less depending on just how close to woods/marsh a property lies. I've been here 37 years and don't know anyone who's pet has been bitten by a venomous snake, but it could happen.
If your dogs are under maybe 15lbs, it's possible that a Red-Tailed Hawk might view them as prey. That's not typical for a Red Tail, but especially when they're migrating and not in familiar hunting grounds, they're more likely to go after non-traditional targets.
If your dogs are very small, even a Fox could be a concern. It's unlikely though and I've seen Foxes foraging side by side with cats before... I've never heard of them attacking a dog of any size.
Except for the Alligators, these are all likely to be predators that you'd find in MN as well.
3) Everyone has a different risk tolerance for hurricanes. I left when Hurricane Hugo came in '89 but that's the only time I've ever left and then I was living on beach front at Folly Beach. Hugo caused some serious damage though mainly along the coast and to older homes not built to current standards. Maybe we've been lucky, but the NC coast gets hit more often than Charleston does. (my theory is that it's the shape of the coastline) Hurricane Dorian came through in 2019 and did do some damage but not extensive. Damage has not been a regular event. Some folks do choose to evacuate though I find that the longer they've lived here, the less likely they are to leave. Newer houses usually come with some form of hurricane shutters and some people use them and some don't.
4) Higher end houses are most likely to be built with Hardi-plank or brick. Yes, they will need pressure washing regularly, more or less often depending on how close foliage is growing, etc.
Hope that helps. I have clients from MN that just bought on Daniel Island last Dec and they love it here.
Hello,
We're hoping to make some exploration trips late fall (depending on Covid), to look at 3 places (Charleston, Raleigh, Austin) we're considering for full-time, one house residency. We're kind of intrigued by DI and Mt Pleasant. We've been to these cities before for work or as tourist. I've done a fair bit of research, but have some questions that I can't seem to find the straight-up answers to.
1) How many people are really full-time residents in places like Mt Pleasant and DI? While we have a healthy budget and would like a house in an area that's special and has some amenities, we don't want to live somewhere that's a constant merry-go-round of renters/visitors. We'd prefer to have at least 50% real full-time neighbors.
2) We have a couple little dogs and while we don't ever leave them out unattended, what predators should we be concerned about in terms of them potentially being hurt/attacked by something? This probably sounds like a weird question, but we live mainly in MN and have a winter home in AZ and in both places we have coyotes and in AZ, snakes and scorpions. So, I want to know what I'd be looking at if we and our pups lived in the DI or Mt Pleasant.
3) What's it really like when you have to close up your house and leave during a hurricane? I know this is a broad question, but just wondering if anyone feels that this makes choosing retirement in this location just too difficult? Do people use hurricane shutters, is it typical to have some damage on your house pretty regularly?
4) And finally, are most the homes there built with something like Hardi-plank? Is it typical to have to power wash them every year because of dampness? Years ago, we had a vacation place in the Panhandle of FL and I believe we had to have it power washed every year with something like bleach water.
I know this is a lot of question. You folks live in one stunning part of the country and I appreciate any feedback. Thank you, Thank you!
Having lived in Austin and calling Charleston my home town, and also having relatives in Raleigh, I can say that out of the three Austin is my favorite city. Although it's quite a college town, there's so much more to Austin than you could ever put into a posting on City-Data. The culture, amount of things to do to keep yourself entertained, the music scene, 6th street, golf, and moderate weather (for Texas standards) are enough to keep it at the top of the list as far as my favorite cities. The politics tend to lean a bit too far to the left although it probably won't creep into your day-to-day living.
But- and this is a big but- there's something about Charleston that keeps me here. It's the water. The history. The politeness. The smells. The fact that we call each other folks and say ya'll. I don't know how to explain it, but I love getting up in the morning, jogging down to the Ashley River, watching the sunrise, and taking in the smell of the pluff mud. You can't find that in Austin and that's probably why I moved back to Charleston from Texas. I missed all those smells and experiences and friendly folks.
When did you live in Austin? We just sold our Austin house and it isn't what it once was. Things are way more corporate these days. Even on 6th street. It's way more packed and traffic is an absolute nightmare. Going to do things outdoors is always packed with people. And the moderate weather? Huh? It was 104 plus every day this week.
Good info form Local. While in Charleston it would be worth taking a day trip to look at Sun City Hilton Head (Bluffton SC actually) if an over 55, all amenities one could want place interest you. I have several friends there, retired from MA, that love the place.
When did you live in Austin? We just sold our Austin house and it isn't what it once was. Things are way more corporate these days. Even on 6th street. It's way more packed and traffic is an absolute nightmare. Going to do things outdoors is always packed with people. And the moderate weather? Huh? It was 104 plus every day this week.
In the mid 1990's, been back a few times since, still enjoy it when I visit. 104 there feels like 80's compared to the 100% humidity here as you should know. Yes you can pick apart any city, but that's why God gave us all opinions I suppose.
When did you live in Austin? We just sold our Austin house and it isn't what it once was. Things are way more corporate these days. Even on 6th street. It's way more packed and traffic is an absolute nightmare. Going to do things outdoors is always packed with people. And the moderate weather? Huh? It was 104 plus every day this week.
“It isn’t what it once was”. Not arguing with you but isn’t that also very true of Charleston and just about every Southern city? So much change is happening.
Hello,
We're hoping to make some exploration trips late fall (depending on Covid), to look at 3 places (Charleston, Raleigh, Austin) we're considering for full-time, one house residency. We're kind of intrigued by DI and Mt Pleasant. We've been to these cities before for work or as tourist. I've done a fair bit of research, but have some questions that I can't seem to find the straight-up answers to.
1) How many people are really full-time residents in places like Mt Pleasant and DI? While we have a healthy budget and would like a house in an area that's special and has some amenities, we don't want to live somewhere that's a constant merry-go-round of renters/visitors. We'd prefer to have at least 50% real full-time neighbors.
2) We have a couple little dogs and while we don't ever leave them out unattended, what predators should we be concerned about in terms of them potentially being hurt/attacked by something? This probably sounds like a weird question, but we live mainly in MN and have a winter home in AZ and in both places we have coyotes and in AZ, snakes and scorpions. So, I want to know what I'd be looking at if we and our pups lived in the DI or Mt Pleasant.
3) What's it really like when you have to close up your house and leave during a hurricane? I know this is a broad question, but just wondering if anyone feels that this makes choosing retirement in this location just too difficult? Do people use hurricane shutters, is it typical to have some damage on your house pretty regularly?
4) And finally, are most the homes there built with something like Hardi-plank? Is it typical to have to power wash them every year because of dampness? Years ago, we had a vacation place in the Panhandle of FL and I believe we had to have it power washed every year with something like bleach water.
I know this is a lot of question. You folks live in one stunning part of the country and I appreciate any feedback. Thank you, Thank you!
Regarding your question about hurricanes, I do not have first hand experience as we live in the Upstate. But we have relatives in their 70s that live on Hilton Head. They’ve lived there about 25ish years and have evacuated numerous times. They do have shutters and they are increasingly difficult to install as they age. Their children are grown and not in the area. With EVERYONE trying to board up, handyman help is hard and expensive to come by. Given their age, health issues and the threat of COVID-19, this potential season is really an issue.
Granted Hilton Head is on the water and you are looking at Charleston, but you asked about hurricane shutters.
“It isn’t what it once was”. Not arguing with you but isn’t that also very true of Charleston and just about every Southern city? So much change is happening.
Agree completely. The OP seems to have picked 3 of the really hot cities in the South.
Austin and Charleston both have infrastructure issues as well. I can't speak for Raleigh's.
In the mid 1990's, been back a few times since, still enjoy it when I visit. 104 there feels like 80's compared to the 100% humidity here as you should know. Yes you can pick apart any city, but that's why God gave us all opinions I suppose.
I was curious because I've never heard anyone who has spent time in Austin say the weather was moderate in comparison to other Texas cities. It's only separated in averages by 1-2 tenths from Dallas and Houston.
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