Possible Greenville relocation for work. Need advice asap (Taylors, Easley: apartments, for rent)

[captain92]

Hello, I have an opportunity to interview with the VA in Greenville. I wanted to know any advice
on relocation to that area; home communities/better builders mostly. Would consider living on the outskirts as well if better deal on taxes/homes etc. Also, obviously the 'safer'
communities. I am single, no children but need to consider purchasing a home instead of renting
due to having a large amount of 'stuff' that can't go into storage as well as a couple cats.
I will monitor the thread in the next few days, any clarification needed for better advice, please let me know. I live about 2 1/2 hours away in the Foothills of NC. The interviews
are on Nov 4/5 so any advice asap would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Greenville]

We get posts like yours multiple times per week, so if you don't get the answers you're looking for here, a forum search will probably be helpful.

Have you been to Greenville before, or is this your first visit? Not knowing how familiar you are with Greenville, I'll start with some general info...

If you decide to purchase, Greenville's housing prices are quite reasonable compared to much of the U.S. You have a lot of options, including suburban, urban, and rural. Obviously the farther out you go from the urban core, the cheaper homes get.

Regarding safety, the only area I would consider unsafe is part of west Greenville. This is the area immediately west of downtown. Downtown is very safe overall. The eastside of the metro area is the most prosperous, and also the fastest growing. That is also where the bulk of the shopping and retail options are.

Particular suburbs I would recommend you investigate:

Simpsonville
Greer
Mauldin
Pelham Road/Eastside
Taylors
Travelers Rest
Powdersville
Easley

All of those suburbs are safe, with varying home sizes and prices. All will have apartments or houses for rent as well.

I hope your time in Greenville is enjoyable. Be sure to check out the downtown area if you have time. Specifically, Falls Park on the Reedy. It has an amazing pedestrian suspension bridge overlooking a natural urban waterfall.

[oldhousejunkie]

You might need to supply us with more information before you get more information. I'm assuming that you mean the new VA clinic off of Grove Road? The area around there is called the Augusta Road neighborhood. It is pretty desirable with houses starting in the $225K to $250K range, and are older restored homes.

Most of Greenville and its outskirts are "safe" with a few exceptions. If you search this forum, there was a post not too long ago where folks listed the places you want to avoid. There are some dodgy areas around GHS, which is near to the VA Clinic. The West End is coming up, but I don't think I would want to live there if I was a single gal. The area off of Highway 123 is out too.

Many of the suburbs are nicer. If you are set on a new house, a lot of people choose to live in Simpsonville. I personally think the commute in and out of Greenville on 385 is hellish due to the sheer volume of people coming out of that area. If you don't mind living on the fringes and prefer the small town feel, you may want to check out Travelers Rest. There are several new communities of that way and they are really trying to create that small town charm in their rather small (some might say non-existent) downtown. The Pelham Road/Eastside area, while busy, has great amenities and a couple of newer communities. I live in Greer, and there are some newer communities around Riverside High School that may appeal to you. Greer is a great small town (if you get off of Hwy 29) with a plethora of annual events in their downtown plus some tasty restaurants.

Best of luck to you.