Move to NC (Nashua, Merrimack, Durham: credit, new home, employment)

[LisaTriangle NC]

Anyone up there thinking of a move to North Carolina? I am from Auburn NH have been here for a little over 2 years now, love it! I have been seeing a lot more NH license plates around the area, just wondering if anyone else was considering a move south??

[shareyourinfo]

We have been in SC this summer and have thoughts of moving south. We actually came very close to doing it but chickened out. We are very nervous about leaving home but want a better climate. Tell me what you like about the change and maybe that will help me out.
Thanks

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by shareyourinfo

We have been in SC this summer and have thoughts of moving south. We actually came very close to doing it but chickened out. We are very nervous about leaving home but want a better climate. Tell me what you like about the change and maybe that will help me out.
Thanks

It depends on what you mean by a "better" climate. South Carolina has a VERY long summer with high humidity and high temperatures for more than 4 months out of the year. Also, they really do not get 4 seasons at all and winter is very mild. Also, non-farm employment has been on a decline in the entire state over the past several years and the costal areas tend to be over-priced. Personally, I enjoy a real winter season in order to enjoy the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons more.

[Cindy2366]

We are but having a hard time selling our house here in NH. My husband could have transferred his job back in June but had to turn it down because of the house. They told him to let him know when it will be more feasible for us to move and see what is still available then. We will either be in the Raleugh/Durham are or possibly Charlotte. We cannot wait to move. We visited the area back in March and I was so excited but now the wait has gotten me down.

[swbtoo]

Originally Posted by Cindy2366

We are but having a hard time selling our house here in NH. My husband could have transferred his job back in June but had to turn it down because of the house. They told him to let him know when it will be more feasible for us to move and see what is still available then. We will either be in the Raleugh/Durham are or possibly Charlotte. We cannot wait to move. We visited the area back in March and I was so excited but now the wait has gotten me down.

Cindy, don't get discouraged. It's worth the wait. We moved to the Raleigh area (suburbs) before we sold our home in Merrimack. It's still on the market, not because there's anything wrong with it, but because the market is just plain slow, credit is tightening up and fewer people can afford it. Sometimes I think we should have waited to sell before we moved, but with everything updated and new carpets and fresh paint, I didn't want to "wear it in". I wanted the buyer to be moving into totally clean and fresh surroundings, and so we moved on and now are paying for both homes.

I think, too, that while buyers are looking for a "steal", they're not confident that they can sell THEIR home, so that's putting the brakes on moves. Overall, I don't think buyers realize that the price correction means they will be able to see a nice appreciation in their new home in a few years. I remember that happening in the Nashua area a number of years ago. It was booming, and was dubbed "the golden triangle". Some people bought at the top of the market and when the correction came, they owed more on their homes than they were valued at. When the cycle turned around (as these things always do), the prices climbed again. That's why everyone is complaining that NH home prices are so high (still). They're not really, it just looks that way compared to other parts of the country that are far more depressed primarily because the jobs have moved out. Look at Ohio, and at MI for example. But, I'm somewhat OT. Just wanted to encourage you that it will turn around.

I don't regret the move. I will always love NH because it feels so much like "home" - spent most of our married life there, raised the kids, enjoyed the scenery. It IS a good place to live. However, I enjoy this area so much more -more time for gardening and exploring plants I never knew before; veggie garden has two lives - one early, one late (fall is beautiful, winter comes much later). The winters are short, the nice seasons are so much longer. There are distinct seasons here, without the spring mud season and without the endless days of wind and driving rain in the fall. Winter is cold - very cold here, actually - but we don't get a deep freeze that lasts for weeks. Periodically things moderate and a day of warmth in the middle of winter, where you can run around with just a sweatshirt or thin windbreaker is a nice break between bundling up. 50-60 degrees with blue skies and bright sun in Dec or Jan once a week is quite pleasant.

There's so much more time to do so much more here, and really no need to hibernate the winter the way a lot of people do in NH. We aren't winter sports enthusiasts, though if you are then NH and VT are great in the winters.

And, while cost of living isn't all that much lower in NC in terms of food and merchandise and services, property taxes are a third of what they are in NH and housing is much less expensive.

I'm still waiting to explore the shore and the mountains, but haven't been able to get away for that yet. I think October and November will be beautiful in either direction. Hang in there, Cindy! When the time is right, everything will come together for you.

[NCOriolesfan]

Hey Southward Bound, you can get a beachfront room at the Days Inn in Kill Devil Hills in Nov/Dec for like $35 a night. It's really beautiful out there, especially when all the NOVA/MD people are gone. I grew up in Connecticut/Vermont and like you am not a winter person. Raleigh has suited me just fine.

[manchester]

we escaped masachusetts, you'd be surprised that NC and SC do hae 4 seasons but not as harsh, more of a mild climate in seasons

we live in northern florida and love it, here thewinter does actually still get cold and it's not uncommon to have frost unlike southern florida which is always hot

o and the fall in NC .SC ANDeastern TN around the smokies is just like NH maybe even better

good luck with everything

[swbtoo]

Originally Posted by NCOriolesfan

Hey Southward Bound, you can get a beachfront room at the Days Inn in Kill Devil Hills in Nov/Dec for like $35 a night. It's really beautiful out there, especially when all the NOVA/MD people are gone. I grew up in Connecticut/Vermont and like you am not a winter person. Raleigh has suited me just fine.

That sounds absolutely perfect! I loved the NH and Maine beaches, Nantucket, too! when all the tourists were gone. I look forward to enjoying this area when all those crazy tourists leave. "Thanks for coming, now go home" is a bumper sticker I often saw in NH. We need one other places, too!
(though, I'm so new I still feel like a tourist)

Where is this Kill Devil Hills?

[NCOriolesfan]

Originally Posted by southward bound

That sounds absolutely perfect! I loved the NH and Maine beaches, Nantucket, too! when all the tourists were gone. I look forward to enjoying this area when all those crazy tourists leave. "Thanks for coming, now go home" is a bumper sticker I often saw in NH. We need one other places, too!
(though, I'm so new I still feel like a tourist)

Where is this Kill Devil Hills?

On the Outer Banks between Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.

[lbptrucking]

I am seeing the work decline here in NH. I own two end dump trucks and am thinking of taking them south for the winter. The thought of NC appeals to me, but I want to make sure of work there. Is there any contacts there that can help me? A little help please.