Moving to Charlotte very soon - Help needed finding houses close to Microsoft (Lexington: how much, manor house)

[stableneo]

My wife and are in the early stages of relocating to Charlotte, due to a job offer from Microsoft. The biggest challenge is we are both natives of Kentucky and have no clue where to start looking at to live in the area. We have 2 small children, the oldest just finishing Kindergarten, so education is definitely our top priority, commute and living space being the next. With that said, I’ve been spending some time on this website and have found it very informational, however was hoping I could get a few suggestions and input from everyone to help narrow down our search related to my specific predicament.

I will be moving down in May to start work and live in temporary housing, and I will be moving my family down in June when my son gets out of school. Our price range is not to exceed 250k, and my wife will be staying home at first until we get settled in, so nearby amenities would be a perk. Granted most schools in Charlotte sound better than what we’re used to in Kentucky (Lexington area), however we don’t want to completely overwhelm our son with a mega school starting out, so we were thinking a smaller elementary school, where he’ll be going with kids in a nice neighborhood he can befriend.

We will be flying in this weekend to meet with a realtor to show us a few neighborhoods and houses. I want to try and limit our search as we will only be there for 2 days. We’ve mentioned Yorkshire and Berewick just because we seen some nice houses online and it’s close to the Mircosoft Campus, however the realtor is trying to stir us away from those and targeting more in Union County and southern Charlotte. What should I do????

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

-P.S. Sorry, I know this post was long, but wanted to be thorough

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by stableneo

My wife and are in the early stages of relocating to Charlotte, due to a job offer from Microsoft. The biggest challenge is we are both natives of Kentucky and have no clue where to start looking at to live in the area. We have 2 small children, the oldest just finishing Kindergarten, so education is definitely our top priority, commute and living space being the next. With that said, I’ve been spending some time on this website and have found it very informational, however was hoping I could get a few suggestions and input from everyone to help narrow down our search related to my specific predicament.

I will be moving down in May to start work and live in temporary housing, and I will be moving my family down in June when my son gets out of school. Our price range is not to exceed 250k, and my wife will be staying home at first until we get settled in, so nearby amenities would be a perk. Granted most schools in Charlotte sound better than what we’re used to in Kentucky (Lexington area), however we don’t want to completely overwhelm our son with a mega school starting out, so we were thinking a smaller elementary school, where he’ll be going with kids in a nice neighborhood he can befriend.

We will be flying in this weekend to meet with a realtor to show us a few neighborhoods and houses. I want to try and limit our search as we will only be there for 2 days. We’ve mentioned Yorkshire and Berewick just because we seen some nice houses online and it’s close to the Mircosoft Campus, however the realtor is trying to stir us away from those and targeting more in Union County and southern Charlotte. What should I do????

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

-P.S. Sorry, I know this post was long, but wanted to be thorough

Good grief DO NOT let the realtor take you to Union County.

There is just absolutely no need to be that far from your job.

Sure, schools in western Union County are popular (and getting crowded with newcomers BTW) but there are schools in Charlotte that are even more highly rated.

Here is my best suggestion for you...do some reading on the website great schools dot net to learn about the schools nearest to your job location.

If you are not satisfied with what you find, then broaden your look at schools into either south Charlotte or nearby Fort Mill, SC just over the state line.

Fort Mill is a really nice little place and schools are also very popular there. You could definitely find a home in your price range easier there too.

My favorite place in the Fort Mill Schools district is the tiny little village of Tega Cay. PLEASE get your realtor to take you there. It may not be your cup of tea, but it is safe, family oriented with 2 pools and ball fields, and has a lovely lakeside park for town residents only. Your commute from there would not be crazy (like it may be from some places in south Charlotte).

Best of luck!

[Belmarin]

I totaly agree with Loves. Check out Fort Mill, Tega Cay, and the town of Lake Wylie in SC. It is a much easier commute, lower taxes, and a highly rated school system.

[lanigan911]

Sounds to me like your realtor has a lot of listings of her own in Union County. Completely agree with Loves. South Charlotte's a good choice too, but depending on how much house you're looking for, it might be harder to stay in your price range.

[MikeyKid]

It's a conflicting message to discount Western Union County due to distance from work and hype Fort Mill... I mean am I reading this wrong as to where MSFT is at 485 and 77? A Tega Cay and Marvin commute seems like to would be about even.

Lately it seems that Ft Mill is the flavor of the month, but those lower taxes come with caveats. I won't go too deeply into it, but most notable you're not a resident of NC. You live in another state - in a small bubble or pocket of a "good area". Meanwhile Western Union County is not only a good area itself, it's bordered and completely surrounded in all directions by good areas.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by MikeyKid

It's a conflicting message to discount Western Union County due to distance from work and hype Fort Mill... I mean am I reading this wrong as to where MSFT is at 485 and 77? A Tega Cay and Marvin commute seems like to would be about even.

Lately it seems that Ft Mill is the flavor of the month, but those lower taxes come with caveats. I won't go too deeply into it, but most notable you're not a resident of NC. You live in another state - in a small bubble or pocket of a "good area". Meanwhile Western Union County is not only a good area itself, it's bordered and completely surrounded in all directions by good areas.

Mikey, you know I'm your biggest fan here , but seriously, Tega Cay is so much quicker to Microsoft's location than western Union County.

And honestly, it's not about the miles, it's about the extreme backup that occurs on I485 EVERY DAY from I77 to Ballantyne.

Fort Mill is far from "flavor of the month". I've been recommending it to people who need to work in the Steele Creek and airport areas for years now. It too is "bordered in all directions by good areas"

[MikeyKid]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Mikey, you know I'm your biggest fan here , but seriously, Tega Cay is so much quicker to Microsoft's location than western Union County.

And honestly, it's not about the miles, it's about the extreme backup that occurs on I485 EVERY DAY from I77 to Ballantyne.

Fort Mill is far from "flavor of the month". I've been recommending it to people who need to work in the Steele Creek and airport areas for years now. It too is "bordered in all directions by good areas"

oh loves... I wasn't directing that at you, but looking back I see why you would think that! oopsie

How much quicker would you call the commute? I'm just wondering.

[coastalgirl]

If you do decide on Berewick, your elementary school would be the brand new (two years old) Berewick elementary, which is getting rave reviews. I have lived in Berewick for five years and love it here. We have a very tight knit group of neighbors here and the families all look out for each other, hang out together and generally make life good. We have tons of monthly activities at the Manor House (neighborhood club house), including yoga and aerobics classes (there is a gym), children's activities and adult nights. There was a group of 25 or so from the neighborhood that started kindergarten together this year, and the group is larger for next year. I've not heard one complaint from any of my neighbors or friends about the school, instead I've been told nothing but wonderful things about the teachers, school building, administrators (the principal is supposed to be amazing), etc. I think you would be doing yourself a disservice not to check us out!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by MikeyKid

oh loves... I wasn't directing that at you, but looking back I see why you would think that! oopsie

How much quicker would you call the commute? I'm just wondering.

awww, that's okay, I didn't take it personally

Honestly, you can go from Microsoft to Fort Mill/Tega Cay is about 15 mintues during rush hour, which is pretty incredible. But Mircrosoft to the the closest points in western Union County is going to be 30 minutes minimum just because of the backups on I485.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by coastalgirl

If you do decide on Berewick, your elementary school would be the brand new (two years old) Berewick elementary, which is getting rave reviews. I have lived in Berewick for five years and love it here. We have a very tight knit group of neighbors here and the families all look out for each other, hang out together and generally make life good. We have tons of monthly activities at the Manor House (neighborhood club house), including yoga and aerobics classes (there is a gym), children's activities and adult nights. There was a group of 25 or so from the neighborhood that started kindergarten together this year, and the group is larger for next year. I've not heard one complaint from any of my neighbors or friends about the school, instead I've been told nothing but wonderful things about the teachers, school building, administrators (the principal is supposed to be amazing), etc. I think you would be doing yourself a disservice not to check us out!

Berewick is certainly a popular option if he wants to stay in the Steele Creek area.