Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
hi everyone...
i am considering relocating to nc from nyc. i have been searching the internet and am seeing some beautiful homes for very cheap in charlotte nc. is there something wrong with this area that I should know about or is it just me?? it just seems too good to be true and am wondering if anyone could tell me the downsides to this town. if anyone has any suggestions for me as to another town, here is my criteria...
-family friendly town (3 small children)
-good schools
-homes in the range of 150-200k
-low taxes
my husband will be the only one working, and he is in healthcare so we are hoping that finding a job will not be an issue. we are just looking for a nice place to raise our family that we can afford and be comfortable.
hi everyone...
i am considering relocating to nc from nyc. i have been searching the internet and am seeing some beautiful homes for very cheap in charlotte nc. is there something wrong with this area that I should know about or is it just me?? it just seems too good to be true and am wondering if anyone could tell me the downsides to this town. if anyone has any suggestions for me as to another town, here is my criteria...
-family friendly town (3 small children)
-good schools
-homes in the range of 150-200k
-low taxes
my husband will be the only one working, and he is in healthcare so we are hoping that finding a job will not be an issue. we are just looking for a nice place to raise our family that we can afford and be comfortable.
thank you to anyone who takes time out to respond
Hi, Dana and welcome to the Charlotte forum!
First of all, where are you living now - for comparison purposes . . .
Secondly, can you give us some idea what areas the houses are in that you have seen online and liked? There may be nothing "wrong" but knowing what areas you were checking out would help . . .
As for healthcare, I will try to help w/ that. There are two major hospitals right in CLT and many others in the surrounding areas (some are stand alones, but most are affiliated w/ systems). Healthcare jobs are available but not sure how the salaries will compare - depends on where you are living now . . . but bottom line is - doubt seriously your H will have a problem at all w/ employment . . . most likely, he can pick a job from those that are available!
It is a chicken and egg thing to tell you where to look for a house - cause wh/ comes first - house or job, LOL? CLT metro is very spread out, wh/ is a surprise to many newcomers!
Good luck w/ your research - CLT is a very family friendly region.
EDIT - I apologize - I re-read and see you are in NYC!!! No wonder things look too good to be true, LOL.. Come on down!
.
Last edited by brokensky; 04-01-2008 at 10:42 PM..
Reason: add info
No, it's not too good to be true in your price range. I can only imagine what $200k will get you in NYC. Plenty of safe options in your range and I would highly recommend North Mecklenburg for what you are looking for, which includes Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, although the latter will be more expensive.
i really appreciate the response from both of you. wow...i cant believe that it is possible to live in a home like that for under 200k. around here, (bronx, ny) you cannot even look for a home under 400k (and thats a steal). i know the bronx has a very bad reputation, but i do live in a very beautiful area overlooking the water. its just that you don't get what you pay for. you would have to spend at least 650k for an average house in charlotte.
i really appreciate the response from both of you. wow...i cant believe that it is possible to live in a home like that for under 200k. around here, (bronx, ny) you cannot even look for a home under 400k (and thats a steal). i know the bronx has a very bad reputation, but i do live in a very beautiful area overlooking the water. its just that you don't get what you pay for. you would have to spend at least 650k for an average house in charlotte.
I understand totally, only we may be going against the flow of transplants if we move to Maryland. Our current house payment here will get us squat up there, so I'm glad we're getting raises!!
It really depends on which part of Charlotte you are looking. You are not going to get your dream house for $200,000 in South Charlotte or Union County. I Would compare these areas more with Westchester - much less expensive, of course. What I mean is that these areas are upscale and compared to the rest of Charlotte, South Charlotte and Union are more like Westchester. Lake Norman is also very upscale. But in between those places you can get a very good home for around $200,000. As Ani says, employment in the health professions shouldn't be a problem.
It really depends on which part of Charlotte you are looking. You are not going to get your dream house for $200,000 in South Charlotte or Union County. I Would compare these areas more with Westchester - much less expensive, of course. What I mean is that these areas are upscale and compared to the rest of Charlotte, South Charlotte and Union are more like Westchester. Lake Norman is also very upscale. But in between those places you can get a very good home for around $200,000. As Ani says, employment in the health professions shouldn't be a problem.
While Lake Norman can be very upscale, it doesn't mean it's not affordable. Houses like my 1872sqft. home are going for $195,000 to $240,000 in Cornelius and I am 1-2 miles from the lake.
Same goes for Union. Yes you will be hard pressed to find a decent sized nice home in your price range in Weddington or Marvin but Union is very large and there are a lot of good deals out there. I live in Monroe which is part of Union and we live in a very nice home. My house back in NY(Long Island) last year would have ran me at least 600K w/ 12,000 a year taxes.
Moving here was one of the best moves my wife and I could have made. Yes, things are different but not that different where it was a culture shock. Yes, we took significant pay cuts but our quality of life has greatly improved and our lifestyle has yet to change. We still get to go out to eat and do the things we would do back in NY. People ask us all the time if we would ever move back to NY in which we reply "Hell No!" You just need to do your research and homework and you will find a great home in your price range. Before ever coming here my wife would spend hours on the internet at night looking for home builders/houses in our price range in the different areas we would consider living. Be sure to get yourself a good realtor as buying a home from out of state can be stressful and using a realtor will cost you nothing but could save you from a whole lot of headaches, plus they will help keep the builders from taking advantage of you. Good luck!
hi everyone...
i am considering relocating to nc from nyc. i have been searching the internet and am seeing some beautiful homes for very cheap in charlotte nc. is there something wrong with this area that I should know about or is it just me?? it just seems too good to be true and am wondering if anyone could tell me the downsides to this town. if anyone has any suggestions for me as to another town, here is my criteria...
-family friendly town (3 small children)
-good schools
-homes in the range of 150-200k
-low taxes
my husband will be the only one working, and he is in healthcare so we are hoping that finding a job will not be an issue. we are just looking for a nice place to raise our family that we can afford and be comfortable.
thank you to anyone who takes time out to respond
Secure the job first!!!!!!!! Don't make that mistake
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
thank you....
