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You are moving to the South to be around people from the Northeast? I don't get it. I'm from NJ and I really don't get it. Why are you moving? To pay less taxes?
You know, I was fighting the temptation to say the same thing! It seems a bit insulting to us southerners that she would only want to move for cheaper living and avoid actually living amongst us. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt that she really didn't mean this exactly the way it came out, but I do hope she will check that kind of attitude at the state line and come with a more open mind.
You know, I was fighting the temptation to say the same thing! It seems a bit insulting to us southerners that she would only want to move for cheaper living and avoid actually living amongst us. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt that she really didn't mean this exactly the way it came out, but I do hope she will check that kind of attitude at the state line and come with a more open mind.
I try not to judge, because so often things can be taken the wrong way here. But there were quite a few posts by momof2 asking the same question. So, I'm really curious as to why anyone would want to move to an area so culturally different and look for more of the same!!
Yes actually i happen to like ny and nj people, we just cant afford to live in NJ anymore and basically since we arent coming with any family and or our friends its nice to know you have people from your areas...and yes we are looking to move to NC because my dh loves it there, cost of living is huge difference homes taxes car insurance etc....so to answer your question we arent looking to move just for the taxes.....
Yes actually i happen to like ny and nj people, we just cant afford to live in NJ anymore and basically since we arent coming with any family and or our friends its nice to know you have people from your areas...and yes we are looking to move to NC because my dh loves it there, cost of living is huge difference homes taxes car insurance etc....so to answer your question we arent looking to move just for the taxes.....
Staci
Staci, you are still missing the point The vast majority of us came here at one time or another without family or friends, but guess what? We made NEW friends because people in the south are basically very friendly and welcoming. For you to say you only want to live where others of "your kind" live means you've already made up your mind that the only people you would possibly have anything in common with are other yankees. Personally, I find that a bit insulting and was hoping you could look at that mindset from another point of view. How would you feel if the situation were reversed and droves of people were descending on your beloved hometown, not because they cared about what a great community of people lived there and wanted to be a part of THAT, but because they could get better housing deals and pay less taxes? I'm just asking you to think about how you came across, that's all
And btw, I too "actually happen to like NY and NJ people".
I think it's a bit far fetched to say that your mortgage and taxes will drop $2,000. In the extreme case of someone who had a $600k mortgage and $12k in taxes, and bought a $110k starter home in NC- maybe. Otherwise, that's reaching.
People are lured by the "you can buy a brand new house for $120,000" crap, when in reality, you're not going to want to live in an area that has $120k houses. Why, you ask? Because with today's insanely stupid mortgage programs, anyone making $20k/year can qualify for a mortgage on that house, so the neighborhood is filled with people you'll likely not fit in with if you're leaving behind a $600k house in NY.
When I moved to Las Vegas in 1994, homes started in the low $100's, and at the time, you needed to be making around $40k/year or more to qualify for the mortgage on those homes. Even at that, it was a stretch, so most people in a $100k subdivision were in the $50k/year or more range. Now, you can't touch those same homes for less than $250k, yet the mortgage programs have made it just as "easy" to qualify as when they were $100k homes. Now the people who previously would have bought a $250k house are buying $500k houses to live with people in a similar income bracket.
There's another phenomena happening that I saw repeatedly in the mid 90's when I was building semi-custom homes in Vegas. The majority of my buyers were selling 900 SF bungalows in Southern CA for $400-500k (now they're more like $800-1 million...), and moving into Vegas with large amounts of equity, since they had bought the homes for $100k previously. Instead of being smart, though, and buying a $200k house that was still three times the size of what they left behind (and having money left over to buy a car cash, furnish and decorate the house nicely, etc), they'd buy a $500k house that ended up being $600k with options. Nine months after they moved in, their 20-person dining room had a 4-person dinette set because they couldn't afford the new furniture. They also spent alot of time complaining about how much it cost to cool the house, or how much water the pool used, or how much time it took to keep a 4,000 SF home clean. Duh.......
I'm just writing this as a warning to those who may get caught up in the "low cost of living" hype that Charlotte seems to be the latest victim of. Vegas was the same thing in the mid 90's, and look at the mess it has become. Before you jump on the "houses are under $100k" bandwagon, make sure you really look at what you're getting, where it's located, and who's going to be on the other side of your fence. All it takes is a simple reality check- are you really going to save $2,000/month on mortgage and taxes? And what about the $500/year auto registration, etc? Can the property taxes really continue at $1,000/year when they need to build roads, schools, and infrastructure to support the hundreds of thousands of new residents?
Only time will tell, but I can tell you that there's gotta be a reason that I'm back in NJ (the state that so many of you are fleeing) from Vegas now that it's time for my kids to go to school.......
Bob
I do have to add to this comment we are looking to move because YES we will be saving over 2000 dollars a month between our Mortgage and Taxes as well...So I have to agree with the other person..I am coming from a 670k house and bought it for 500k 2 yrs ago and my taxes are now up to 10k and will be going up in the later part of 07 and going into 08..So most people in NJ are in the same boat finanically..we are looking in Union County...
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The vast majority of us came here at one time or another without family or friends, but guess what? We made NEW friends because people in the south are basically very friendly and welcoming. For you to say you only want to live where others of "your kind" live means you've already made up your mind that the only people you would possibly have anything in common with are other yankees. Personally, I find that a bit insulting and was hoping you could look at that mindset from another point of view. How would you feel if the situation were reversed and droves of people were descending on your beloved hometown, not because they cared about what a great community of people lived there and wanted to be a part of THAT, but because they could get better housing deals and pay less taxes? I'm just asking you to think about how you came across, that's all 
