A waste of time for realtors?

[Brandon Hoffman]

Actually, the tours are the best way to learn if you want to live somewhere or not. I've done those educational tours myself for relocation clients considering Columbia with the understanding coming in the buyer may or may not choose Columbia and think they are great. As long as you're up front about it with the agent there should be no problems. Find a Realtor you like and stick with them. Focus on locations and neighborhoods and not looking at houses. It will make the whole process much easier.

I'm actually in Columbia, just had one of my sellers move to G-ville and he liked his agent there. If you need info just let me know. I went to Clemson University not far from G-ville and I can tell you both cities are very nice. I did a summer in Rock Hill (or Rock Thrill or Rock Vegas) as a college intern and it's great too. I spent 5 years near Charleston in the Lowcountry and it's really laid back. Can't help much with Augusta.

[dgfurman]

@BH - Thanks for the advice! I think looking at neighborhoods is definately the way to go. Do Columbia realtors also show Lexington/Irmo/Northeast etc or just Columbia itself? One community I found like something that we may like is SummerLake in Lexington, but it's hard to tell from just looking online. We also like the Lake Carolina idea, but it seems like the homes are real close together and more pricey per sqft (which I suppose is b/c you're paying to be in Lake Carolina). But I think you're right with the idea to look at the areas rather than individual homes to see if that "feels" right.

@THL - Great advice. We moved from San Antonio (which I REALLY miss now) and unfort. we can't move back due to relocation rules. We loved it there tho...

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by dgfurman

@BH - Thanks for the advice! I think looking at neighborhoods is definately the way to go. Do Columbia realtors also show Lexington/Irmo/Northeast etc or just Columbia itself? One community I found like something that we may like is SummerLake in Lexington, but it's hard to tell from just looking online. We also like the Lake Carolina idea, but it seems like the homes are real close together and more pricey per sqft (which I suppose is b/c you're paying to be in Lake Carolina). But I think you're right with the idea to look at the areas rather than individual homes to see if that "feels" right.

@THL - Great advice. We moved from San Antonio (which I REALLY miss now) and unfort. we can't move back due to relocation rules. We loved it there tho...

It's all considered the Greater Columbia area (Lexington/Irmo/Columbia/Chapin/Elgin..) I'll be in San Antonio next March for a week, looking forward to it. Some agents know the whole area, some don't. A good agent should be able to show you all of the areas of interest you asked about around Columabi and know them well.

[dgfurman]

@bh - Thanks - that'll make it simpler! I'll start looking at some realtor's websites (incl. yours, of course )