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Hi, first I wanna state I am originally from SC so I know a lot about the state. I am from Charleston so I've been to Columbia a few times growing up.
Anyway, here's our situation.
My husband is currently stationed overseas in Korea. He'll be coming home in January of 2010. So near the end of this year I have to start looking for a place for us to live.
Here's an idea of what we'd like.
-Close to Ft Jackson
-Pet friendly is a must
-Month to month lease if possible, we are going to buy a home after he returns
-2 or 3 bedroom
-Safe neighborhood of course, by the time we move our son will be 1 1/2 years old
-preferably a house, but townhomes are okay
-and here's the biggie.... if possible no more than $700 a month because we have a pretty high car payment
I know nothing about the neighborhoods up there. Or any realtors to get in contact with. If you know any you've had a good experience with, please share their info!
Also if you can tell me neighborhoods close to base to look in, or ones to stay away from that'd be great. If you know of anything matching my criteria please share as well!
Maybe you should take a look at the Rosewood or Shandon area, they are both very close to the base. A lot of the communities in Southeast can put you within a very short drive to Fort Jackson and close to down town.
If you are not a big fan of the Southeast, then there are plenty of communities in the Northeast that would be good for you. It is a little father from the Fort, but still within twenty or so minutes depending on time of day, because the base would be a straight shot down the interstate from most places.
I'd have loved you a couple months ago when I had a vacant house in NE Columbia that I would have taken a month to month lease on. (It's under contract right now).
You want SE or NE Columbia. It's a tough price range but it's possible. Check the thestate.com and craigslist.
I am in a similiar situation to jdh1186 only we have no kids and never lived in SC. We are both from NYC so living in a urban - moving - diverse - friendly area is really important to us. As well as having things to do in our spare time whether its rest., theater, mall, sight-seeing, adventure and etc. Our price range can go up to $1000. Also I am a cosmetologist and I would like to continue to practice in my profession so living in a moving city is necessary.
I would say that you may want to check out Rosewood or Shandon as well. They are close to town and you shouldn't have any trouble finding a place for that price. If you don't mind the burbs, then check out Northeast Columbia. There is a lot to do there and you are only about 20 minutes from down town depending on traffic and time of day.
A quick way to figure out if an area is good is to go to the Richland County GIS site Richland County Maps and click on Online Mapping. Then choose the Census Data folder (on the right of the pop-up window, scroll down) and select Median HH Income 2000. The red areas are good. For example, if you look along Percival Road which runs outside the top of the base, you'll see an interesting mix of good and bad areas. The areas around Forest Lake or Lake Katherine? Good, but probably expensive. The area abutting the base between Forest Drive and Decker Blvd? Bad. There is a small good area hiding between I-77, Faraway Dr, Alpine Dr and Percival. Maybe the rent will be lower there since it is surrounded by worse areas.
Then, if a small commute doesn't bother you, the whole area north of Sesquicentennial State Park, centered around the Village at Sandhills and known as "the Northeast" is chock full of new subdivisions, some of which have such tiny houses that they must be affordable. I don't know about the rental situation there.
I am in a similiar situation to jdh1186 only we have no kids and never lived in SC. We are both from NYC so living in a urban - moving - diverse - friendly area is really important to us. As well as having things to do in our spare time whether its rest., theater, mall, sight-seeing, adventure and etc. Our price range can go up to $1000. Also I am a cosmetologist and I would like to continue to practice in my profession so living in a moving city is necessary.
Are you looking for a house or an apartment and what are your space requirements? You'll have a good number of options and I could recommend some good urban options in-town.
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