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Yeah James Island Charter is highly rated in SC- and SC is in the bottom of the barrel in terms of education in the US. And go see what’s for sale right now on james island for 500k or less. Not much.
Damn I think I know who you are from other social media just from that first line- because you always have to highlight that while you live on James island, you live in tbe city of charleston (rather than town of james island). Seriously dude- no one cares.
Oh and the whole town is in a flood zone. But you gotta pay attention to the FEMA maps. That’s important for we people to know. There’s also some houses on the island that were built below minimum elevation that flood like hell and get passed from buyer to buyer. People gotta look out for that too. But do go on about how the simple solution is to “not buy in a flood zone.”
Sc is in the bottom of education because of the rural areas. The places where alot of people are not moving to in the first place.
Oops, yes, my mistake. I know that and I still mix them up at times. Thanks for the correction.
I wouldn't say Beaufort is close to Edisto Beach though. Unless you're in a boat... by car it's over an hour.
My friend lives near Beaufort and she complains that "everything is in Charleston" and she's 80 yrs old, so maybe the OP and family wouldn't be happy there. Another friend has lived on James Island for years and is ready to move out due to overcrowding and traffic, when I was interested in moving down there my friend's advice was to stay in the NYC suburbs when she saw how nice it is here on a visit two years ago.
Yeah James Island Charter is highly rated in SC- and SC is in the bottom of the barrel in terms of education in the US. And go see what’s for sale right now on james island for 500k or less. Not much.
Damn I think I know who you are from other social media just from that first line- because you always have to highlight that while you live on James island, you live in tbe city of charleston (rather than town of james island). Seriously dude- no one cares.
Oh and the whole town is in a flood zone. But you gotta pay attention to the FEMA maps. That’s important for we people to know. There’s also some houses on the island that were built below minimum elevation that flood like hell and get passed from buyer to buyer. People gotta look out for that too. But do go on about how the simple solution is to “not buy in a flood zone.”
The beginning of your last paragraph shows why someone might want to pay attention to whether to live in the city versus the town. The city parts aren’t all in a flood zone. And, seriously, dude, there are copious reasons to care about the jurisdiction a house is in when considering purchasing it. Being aware of those reasons isn’t on me.
I don’t know that you’re going to find what you’re looking for in charleston on that budget. I’m also not sure charleston is what you think it is. I don’t say that to be unkind or unwelcoming. The schools arent great here and your housing budget doesn’t really allow for the areas with the better schools. Someone suggested James island (which is where I live) and I that would be the best choice given your budget and requirements BUT you will be lucky to get a 3/2 around 1300-1500 sf for 500k. If that’s ok with you (it is for me but not for many others) there are other potential issues you must consider. One, even if you live on james island you probably not be hitting the beach as much as you think you will. The traffic and parking is a pain during the season, which gets longer ever year, it seems. Also outdoor activities here can be limited by the heat and humidity (not to mention pollen and insects) for a good chunk of the year, especially if you don’t have a boat. Then ofcourse there is the issue of jobs and cost of living. The COL here may be higher than you are expecting and the wages for many industries have not kept up with the COL. So unless you have a remote job you can keep at your current salary, you should expect to take a pay cut.
Lastly- if you do move here, rent and check out the area before you buy. Educate yourself on the flood maps, flood insurance, etc. And don’t trust real estate agents when they tell you that every home is “minutes from the beach and downtown.”
No place is perfect but Charleston is growing by leaps and bounds and it isn't because it's a terrible place to live. I have numerous clients who have moved here from all over the country and I've not been hearing complaints about the schools. The heat, the humidity, the insects, yes they're all things that one learns to live with and really it's not too hard. Much of the southeastern US coast and pretty much all of Florida has the same factors and yet it's still one of the fastest growing areas of the country. Not everyone likes it here and it sounds like you're one of them but you have to admit, you're outnumbered by those who happily choose to live here.
COL/Wages can be an issue and I would always recommend that someone look into job prospects before making a decision. That goes for any move to any location, especially when a family is involved. So many people work remotely these days that it's often not an issue.
House prices in Charleston have risen a LOT over the recent years but you might be surprised as to what you can find on James Island. A quick MLS search shows that in the past 12 months there has been over sixty 3bdrm/2ba single family homes sold on James Island at $500k or less and that ranged from ~1500 sqft to 2500 sqft. Some of those are going to be dogs but some are going to be gems as well. The challenge is going to be finding highly rated schools with a non-suburban feel.
Flooding... Do some houses flood in Charleston? Yes. Do most houses flood in Charleston? No. Houses flood in every state and you just need to be smart about your due diligence. I've never had a client who bought a house that later flooded. I've owned multiple houses in my 40 years here and have never experienced flooding in any of them. (4 of those were/are on James Island) I was renting a house on Folly Beach when Hurricane Hugo hit and that house had 4' of water in the first floor. That was front beach though and not a raised house.
Like everything else in life, one needs to make smart choices. There is no place in the world that is problem and risk free.
My friend lives near Beaufort and she complains that "everything is in Charleston" and she's 80 yrs old, so maybe the OP and family wouldn't be happy there. Another friend has lived on James Island for years and is ready to move out due to overcrowding and traffic, when I was interested in moving down there my friend's advice was to stay in the NYC suburbs when she saw how nice it is here on a visit two years ago.
Agreed, Beaufort is a sleepy little town compared to Charleston. Sounds like that might be what the OP wants though, I'm not sure. Traffic is really getting bad in Charleston but I'd argue that James Island has some of the area's mildest traffic woes. Especially the areas East of Folly Rd. I live there and can be downtown before seeing a traffic light.
I grew up outside Philly and have lived in NY and MA. I'll never go back to those winters.
The beginning of your last paragraph shows why someone might want to pay attention to whether to live in the city versus the town. The city parts aren’t all in a flood zone. And, seriously, dude, there are copious reasons to care about the jurisdiction a house is in when considering purchasing it. Being aware of those reasons isn’t on me.
Incorrect. The entire city of charleston is in fact in a flood zone. However not all properties are designated as being in the special flood hazard area. The city of Charleston says this outright on the website on the page Flood Information and FAQs.
And being in city vs town has absolutely no bearing on whether a property is in the special flood hazard area. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Incorrect. The entire city of charleston is in fact in a flood zone. However not all properties are designated as being in the special flood hazard area. The city of Charleston says this outright on the website on the page Flood Information and FAQs.
And being in city vs town has absolutely no bearing on whether a property is in the special flood hazard area. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I didn’t realize that about the flood zone. I wouldn’t live in one of the hazardous zones. I’m on James Island’s highest elevation, and my condo HOA’s insurance policy covers flooding. But there are still lots of reasons to care whether you live in the city or not. If you don’t believe that, that’s your business. And you said incorrect. Adding the sentence on the end of your post wasn’t good social media etiquette.
You should be less concerned about my social media etiquette and more concerned about the fact that you regularly say things that are factually incorrect and give potential new residents ill-informed advice about moving here. Many of the people who post here and on Facebook are asking questions because they are considering uprooting their children and moving away from their support system and want to make an informed decision. Given that you live in a condo and don’t know anything about flood zones, perhaps you should refrain from commenting on such things. Not to mention how obnoxious it is that you say things like you would never buy a home that wasn’t in the city of charleston (saw ya do that on fb many times) and in your comment above that you wouldn’t live in one of the hazardous zones. Newsflash- most of the town is in fact in a hazard zone according to the FEMA maps. It’s called the Lowcountry for a reason. Water is a part of life here, including flooding. Which has only gotten worse as the city has annexed land and let the developers do whatever they like.
And for someone who doesn’t seem to know anything about flood maps you sure are confident that your condo is “james island’s highest elevation.” You sure about that? And are you sure that condo was the best purchase, given the track record of condos around here? Residents were evacuated from the Pennsinsula Condos by Lowe’s a few years back due to imminent safety concerns and structural problems deemed “a danger to life” by city engineers. The Mira Vista condos are still involved in a lawsuit because of construction defects and no one was able to refinance during the pandemic as a result. Last I heard over 40 charleston area condos and townhome communities have been involved in construction defects. And I’m pretty sure all of the multi- level condos back up to marsh because they were built on marsh covered in full dirt and the townhome condo communities have slab foundations- not great given the geography of our island and the tendency of the city to green light developments and redevelopment that brings in full dirt and causing flooding in nearby neighborhoods.
Not to mention that there is an entire neighborhood of single family homes on james island that was built below the minimum elevation in the 80’s and the city covered it up and gave the developer a variance and messed with the zoning designation to cover their ass and it has been creating problems for the residents ever since and most of those homes keep getting passed on to new, unsuspecting buyers. Some of those homes have serious mold and have made people sick. Do you know about that?
Don’t speak to things you know nothing about. No one elected you ambassador of Charleston. If you want to speak to something you actually have knowledge about, God bless. Otherwise, you are misleading people who are asking for help making a very important decision and that ain’t right.
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