Irmo rated the most affordable real estate town in SC

[Robertsm76]

So irmo has two more low income housing developments in the works in the town limits. I understand people need a place to live and all, but I’m afraid of what irmo is going to look like in a decade

[smithgn]

Originally Posted by Robertsm76

So irmo has two more low income housing developments in the works in the town limits. I understand people need a place to live and all, but I’m afraid of what irmo is going to look like in a decade

I think the two are mostly mutually exclusive. I did some quick research some months back on low-income housing effects on property value and there is little to no evidence that it negatively effects it. What prompted the search was that my parents own an established home in Greenville in a middle income area. There were talks of a new low-income housing project going up directly behind the neighborhood there and everyone got worried... Turns out it wasn’t (and nothing as of lately has been built). But we did the research and there’s no conclusive evidence that it will cause an area to plummet.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with Greenville but there is a super fancy commmity called Montebello and just on the other side of the street there is the ghetto of all ghettos (Worley). Still doesn’t stop doctors and lawyers from buying their 750k-2 million dollar homes.

But then again, that doesn’t mean the introduction of low-income housing won’t prompt hysterical white flight part deux. But that’s not the low income people’s fault. Or at least depending on who you talk to.

[Bouje2]

That avg mortgage number looks way too low.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by smithgn

I think the two are mostly mutually exclusive. I did some quick research some months back on low-income housing effects on property value and there is little to no evidence that it negatively effects it. What prompted the search was that my parents own an established home in Greenville in a middle income area. There were talks of a new low-income housing project going up directly behind the neighborhood there and everyone got worried... Turns out it wasn’t (and nothing as of lately has been built). But we did the research and there’s no conclusive evidence that it will cause an area to plummet.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with Greenville but there is a super fancy commmity called Montebello and just on the other side of the street there is the ghetto of all ghettos (Worley). Still doesn’t stop doctors and lawyers from buying their 750k-2 million dollar homes.

But then again, that doesn’t mean the introduction of low-income housing won’t prompt hysterical white flight part deux. But that’s not the low income people’s fault. Or at least depending on who you talk to.

I would agree that the income level is likely less of an issue as opposed to how the property is maintained and managed. If that is failing then that will drive crime stats lower resale value as people attempt to bail out and unload their property to get away etc which could all lead to lower values.

I have always been concerned about new friarsgate and how that section of the city was holding up ? As the housing stock and residents age. Most more homes and buyers may be drawn towards Chapin Lake Murray and Ballantine which could leave some of these 1980ish neighborhoods lacking if people aren't doing major renovations. It's amazing how Housing features have changed from 80s 90s even early 200s to now If you are not updating every 10 yr or so in some of these rapidly expanding areas you could be left behind

[Growingup15]

Irmo use to be the far out suburbs but now with the rapid growth of the area it's pretty much became as Intercity as the neighborhoods in Midtown-Downtown Columbia.

Columbia is growing fast so I expect more plots of land like this to get snatched up with development such as this.

Now for the thing about the low income housing. Let people of low income feel secured living in a brand new place. I'm tired of people creating a bogeymen to justify their bigotry.

The ones who are saying it'll create "traffic" or "crime" uses those words to say they won't want Poor people or minorities in their neighborhood. I literally heard this argument first hand at a DOT meeting when a bunch of older white folks were b******* about a bridge planned over I26 with restrictions so no big trucks could use it and has to direct access to the interstate so it wouldn't be filled with traffic. Complained that it'll Attract "traffic" and "crime" from "that neighborhood" which was a predominantly black slightly lower income neighborhood. (Which btw doesn't have any higher crime than they Whitehall neighborhood)

This irritates me because a couple things happen. It either stop developers from building, We get lower density development which doesn't help with the housing problem, price of everything eventually goes up to the point it'll start pricing people out of their neighborhoods.

That's my 2 cents on this whole thing going on in Irmo