Suggestions for moving from NJ

[ditchoc]

Isolated, very quite in winter, miles and miles of beach where you can find quite time most all year .... Ocracoke.

[Marley05]

Originally Posted by jjdeadhead

Hi all so my wife and I are in central NJ and want to consider NC but need to narrow down some areas. We need some suggestions for nice quiet areas no further than 30 mins (closer the better) from a nice quiet beach (theme going here). We would like a decent lot of 1/2 acre or larger. Non-congested areas. If some folks can throw out a few areas that I can plug into a real estate site that would be a great start. THANKS!

You should assess your needs and cultural fit. One of my good friends came to Wilmington from South Jersey and became frustrated with the good-old-boy mentality and left. It still goes on. I personally struggle to find good contractors for my house who are professional and competent (not working for the next six pack or double the price after they've torn a room apart). My former place of employment hired cheesy relatives and "good buddies" all the time. Schools are sub-standard, if that is important, school boards run by hicks and "local gentry".

That said, people are extremely nice, the economy is generally good, and we have now a Democratic governor who is re-instituting the tax credits for film, bolstering the local economy. I'd shelve the NJ attitude that is so popular. If you did it better in Jersey, then stay. If you can "reinvent yourself" and can thrive in alternate cultures, adapt easily, and deal with ambiguity well, this might be the place for you. You gotta be flexible and have a good sense of humor, some days it will be really valuable.

Consider if you could live on a boat. Not sure of your family situation but friends of mine bought a 1970s yacht for a good bit less than six figures and made it work. They are my heroes. They had two teenagers when they did it and now one kid is rising in the Coast Guard, the other is prepping for college. He runs his contracting business from the boat.

Good luck whatever you do.

[hsw55]

If you're still having issues finding a contractor PM me and I'll give you the name of a company I used that is really professional.

[Daedalus-NC]

We went the same route. Realized that, for us, a half acre wasn't going to happen. Two issues: a half acre is no problem outside of developments. It's unlikely inside the developments (called plantations down here). I didn't desire to live in an HOA community and wanted a minimum half acre. Guess what - that didn't work out! It depends on where you are and what your requirements are. OBX was far too crowded for us during the summer. We love to vacation there, but don't want to live there. Going west from OBX does not give a lot of options if you are accustomed to and want zoning. We ended up going south to Brunswick County. It is worth a look if you don't mind the extra distance from NJ. Depending on budget you can get a 1/2 acre site and build what you want and be no more than 10 minutes from the beach.

PM me if you wish and I will give you the name of our real estate agent who was outstanding in our search.