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Here's my question, we are looking to move to the area, husband is involved in a small business in the MB/Grand Strand area and wants to be there full time. He is semi-retired. Has anyone bought a home there first and then made the move? I know it may be best to rent first but with the market as hot as it is, it could be a challenge purchasing a home as we have heard of several folks who's leases are up and have been unable to get an offer in before it has been sold. So I'm interested if anyone has done this without renting first. What was your experience and are you happy with your decision. We will be visiting over the course of the next 6 months to get a better feel for the area. Because of the virus I have not been there for well over a year, although hubby has been many times.
I hope to hear your experiences, good and bad or indifferent. Thanks
I kind of did this 6 years ago. I had been visiting a relative who had been living in the area for over 25 years. I would come and stay for about a month at a time at various times of the year for over 10 years. When I visited I did not do the usual tourist things (I was basically taking care of my relative) so I ran errands, doctors visits, grocery shopping, etc.. I also made friends there and learned about all the various neighborhoods pros and cons. When it came time to purchase I had a pretty good understanding of what areas would suit me.
This area is basically a series of housing developments with the attendant traffic issues. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't had extensive knowledge of the area.
I bought a house before moving, although not in South Carolina. Renting and then moving would have cost more than buying and then moving, so I went ahead and bought a house. No regrets. I'm still in the house I bought five years ago.
You might ask the mods to move this thread to the general moving section.
I think it really depends on the individual and circumstances. A retired couple may be more open to relocating to an area they are familiar with and buying right away. A young family may want to test the area and schools before taking the plunge.
We visited the area for a week, driving all over. I had never been here before, and it had been decades since my husband visited as a kid. We talked to a real estate agent and the people in the church we would attend, asking their opinions about the different areas. We consistently heard, "Steer clear of the 501." We went back home and reviewed the houses for sale over the next year, and read City Data posts about the different areas. When we came down the second time, we visited the area we thought we would like, and bought a new build. Now 9 months later we're very happy with our area decision. But we knew we wanted a quiet area close to the beach, so that's what we looked for. I think if you ask yourself what is important to you in an area, it will help you narrow in on the right place for you.
We visited several times for about 5 years and decided we wanted to live here. (It helped that we had a huge network of friends with whom we had been associated with in the Northeast for 50 years for some.)
So we built new in (closed in June 2014) and would visit our new home very six weeks, moving permanently in July 2015.
If you wait, the market may drop and you might get just what you want, for less $$$! The prices are WAY high right now.
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