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Location: Chi-Town soon to be NYC and eventually Ireland
291 posts, read 1,075,209 times
Reputation: 371
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Hi All-
This is my first thread on these boards, though I've been lurking for a while now. These boards have been endlessly helpful so far
My BF and I are both law students getting ready to graduate in May, and we are trying to narrow down our options for after graduation. We were considering the Denver area and Charlotte, but have been leaning strongly toward Charlotte after reading some of the info here.
We are coming for a visit next month, and I was wondering if anyone has any "must-sees" for the two of us. We will probably have about 3 full days to spend there, and would like to get a good overview of what daily life is like there. When I was younger my family spent a lot of time in Boone and Blowing Rock, and I just loved visiting, but I don't know what to expect from Charlotte since I'm sure it's quite different. We're currently in Minneapolis, and I've heard the cities have some similarities (which would be nice, since I like it here, but can no longer tolerate the extreme weather).
Some additional questions if you guys don't mind....
Neither of us is "married" to the idea of practicing law necessarily, and would love to work for the state or local government, or in the business world if possible. Anyone know what kind of jobs are available for people with law degrees?
We also tend toward the fairly liberal side of things (we believe in gay rights, abortion rights, don't believe in religion and government being intertwined in any way shape or form),(I hope this doesn't offend anyone!) but we were a little afraid of being the lone liberals there. If anything might be a dealbreaker for a potential city, it would be intolerance and very conservative politics. Would we be out of place there?
Any areas we should avoid? I've lived in Tampa, New Orleans, Chicago (most of my adult life) and now Minneapolis, so I have my share of street smarts, but I want to avoid unnecessary dangers if possible
Anyway, hope that wasn't too much rambling! Any and all advice would be appreciated.
Charlotte is a big town. There are a lot of religious organizations here like the Billy Graham Organization. But it is also a diverse city. Most people do there own thing as far as religion goes. Some churches are more conversative and some more liberal.
As far as areas to stay out of, I think you'll find helpful info on http://www.charmeck.org. Click on "Neighborhoods" and look at the "2006 Quality of Life Study". This is a comprehensive report with color coded maps denoting crime stats and economics in various areas.
Feel free to access my website (found on my profile) to view listings in the area. If you find something you're interested in send me a note and I'll get you all the details. Give me a call when you're in town if you want to see some properties. Good luck.
One thing that's a must-see is the U.S. National Whitewater Center. It's awesome. There are other things to do here as well, depending on your interests. Maybe others can chime in as well. You can also go on charlotte.com.
I'm conservative and have lived in the Charlotte area all of my life. It has a nice mix of conservative/liberal who generally get along very well. We feel like we don't have to compromise who we are in order to get along. I have liberal friends and we get along fine. Yes, there are a lot of churches here. I go to a large church here in suburban Charlotte and we have many mixed race couples/families and it's what many would consider a conservative church . So, don't let old stereotypes get you shook up. Too, it's good to keep in mind tolerance works both ways. A lot of conservatives and liberals are pretty "tolerant" until they're not being areed with. If you keep that in mind, you really will do well here and not feel uncomfortable. Most of us conservatives are really nice!
Good luck and pm me if you want anymore info. Welcome!!
Location: Chi-Town soon to be NYC and eventually Ireland
291 posts, read 1,075,209 times
Reputation: 371
Hi Businessperson and NCfriend! Many thanks for the responses. One more question if you don't mind....
We would probably like to buy a place (that is if we're employable!) but would not have a great deal to spend. I'm thinking probably a max of $150,000, at least to start with (given our astronomical student loan debt ) Any insight into how the resale market is? I know from these boards that there is a whole lot of new construction, and I'm thinking that might make resale a bit more difficult. I'm thinking we might be better off renting for a couple of years, but my fear is that we'd be priced out of the market entirely if prices continue to go up. Any thoughts on this? Am I crazy for thinking we could even buy something for that price?
charlotteagent or one of the other posters who work in that field might answer that question better than I would. But if you're looking in the $150k range, one of the suburban counties around Charlotte is where you need to look. I live in Cabarrus County (NE of Charlotte), and I have a 9-year old 2100sf, 1/3 acre, 4/2.5, 2-story in a nice 250-home subdivision in a good school zone, close to I-85, and TONS of shopping and restaurants closeby. If I sold my house now, I'd probably get $175k. So you can get a nice home in a safe area if you know where to look.
You could buy a townhome or small single family in some of the surrounding areas in the $150k range. Of course, as a Realtor I always advise people to buy, but here's my philosophy. If you buy a home and average 8% appreciation per year (which is what we've seen in Charlotte over the past several years) it's a better investment than putting $150,000 in a savings account and earning 4% per year. You can't live in your savings account. After 2-5 years, you would have a sizeable equity in your home and will not have wasted money on rent. You can visit my website (under my Profile) and do a Property Search to get a feel for what's available in your price range. If you have questions or need more detailed info feel free to e-mail me. You can find my info on my profile. Good luck.
Location: Chi-Town soon to be NYC and eventually Ireland
291 posts, read 1,075,209 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by friendnc
charlotteagent or one of the other posters who work in that field might answer that question better than I would. But if you're looking in the $150k range, one of the suburban counties around Charlotte is where you need to look. I live in Cabarrus County (NE of Charlotte), and I have a 9-year old 2100sf, 1/3 acre, 4/2.5, 2-story in a nice 250-home subdivision in a good school zone, close to I-85, and TONS of shopping and restaurants closeby. If I sold my house now, I'd probably get $175k. So you can get a nice home in a safe area if you know where to look.
Sheesh! That sounds incredible. My BF and I never cease to be amazed by the astronomical home prices here in the Twin Cities. What you're describing would likely go for $300,000 or more here. We play a game where we pull up and grab those "information tubes" on homes for sale and then try to guess how much the home is before we open the flyer. The last one was $420,000 for a 1,200 sf home in an average area on a postage sized lot!
Thanks for the tip (and for renewing my hope that we may actually be home-owners someday
Location: Chi-Town soon to be NYC and eventually Ireland
291 posts, read 1,075,209 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by businessperson
You could buy a townhome or small single family in some of the surrounding areas in the $150k range. Of course, as a Realtor I always advise people to buy, but here's my philosophy. If you buy a home and average 8% appreciation per year (which is what we've seen in Charlotte over the past several years) it's a better investment than putting $150,000 in a savings account and earning 4% per year. You can't live in your savings account. After 2-5 years, you would have a sizeable equity in your home and will not have wasted money on rent. You can visit my website (under my Profile) and do a Property Search to get a feel for what's available in your price range. If you have questions or need more detailed info feel free to e-mail me. You can find my info on my profile. Good luck.
Thanks businessperson! I will definitely check out your site.
This is my first thread on these boards, though I've been lurking for a while now. These boards have been endlessly helpful so far
My BF and I are both law students getting ready to graduate in May, and we are trying to narrow down our options for after graduation. We were considering the Denver area and Charlotte, but have been leaning strongly toward Charlotte after reading some of the info here.
We are coming for a visit next month, and I was wondering if anyone has any "must-sees" for the two of us. We will probably have about 3 full days to spend there, and would like to get a good overview of what daily life is like there. When I was younger my family spent a lot of time in Boone and Blowing Rock, and I just loved visiting, but I don't know what to expect from Charlotte since I'm sure it's quite different. We're currently in Minneapolis, and I've heard the cities have some similarities (which would be nice, since I like it here, but can no longer tolerate the extreme weather).
Some additional questions if you guys don't mind....
Neither of us is "married" to the idea of practicing law necessarily, and would love to work for the state or local government, or in the business world if possible. Anyone know what kind of jobs are available for people with law degrees?
We also tend toward the fairly liberal side of things (we believe in gay rights, abortion rights, don't believe in religion and government being intertwined in any way shape or form),(I hope this doesn't offend anyone!) but we were a little afraid of being the lone liberals there. If anything might be a dealbreaker for a potential city, it would be intolerance and very conservative politics. Would we be out of place there?
Any areas we should avoid? I've lived in Tampa, New Orleans, Chicago (most of my adult life) and now Minneapolis, so I have my share of street smarts, but I want to avoid unnecessary dangers if possible
Anyway, hope that wasn't too much rambling! Any and all advice would be appreciated.
dont worry my girlfriend and I just visited the University Area this past week and loved it! we are moving there in May and we are both liberal as well. While visiting this past week and also a few other times that I've been there and having known some people from charlotte, my liberal (now I should say our liberal) ways have never really caused any problems and people have always still be rather nice. Its good to know another out of town liberal couple will be within the city limits sometime soon!
Location: Chi-Town soon to be NYC and eventually Ireland
291 posts, read 1,075,209 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by kd83
dont worry my girlfriend and I just visited the University Area this past week and loved it! we are moving there in May and we are both liberal as well. While visiting this past week and also a few other times that I've been there and having known some people from charlotte, my liberal (now I should say our liberal) ways have never really caused any problems and people have always still be rather nice. Its good to know another out of town liberal couple will be within the city limits sometime soon!
Ditto It's good to know we won't be alone!
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. So, don't let old stereotypes get you shook up. Too, it's good to keep in mind tolerance works both ways. A lot of conservatives and liberals are pretty "tolerant" until they're not being areed with. If you keep that in mind, you really will do well here and not feel uncomfortable. Most of us conservatives are really nice! 
) Any insight into how the resale market is? I know from these boards that there is a whole lot of new construction, and I'm thinking that might make resale a bit more difficult. I'm thinking we might be better off renting for a couple of years, but my fear is that we'd be priced out of the market entirely if prices continue to go up. Any thoughts on this? Am I crazy for thinking we could even buy something for that price?
