Anyone from around Charleston S.C.??

[HEW?B]

My Fi and I are considering moving to that area and have started to look at homes. Are there areas that we should focus our search. We are trying not to pay over 300,000 for a home but want to be sure that we buy in a good school district because having kids is for sure on our short list of goal. Any advice any of you have would be very appreciated.

[CarolinaGirl]

I would recommend the Mount Pleasant area (Also called East of the Cooper). It is very nice and the public schools are good - especially if you move to a neighborhood that attends Pinckney Elem and Cario Middle. It is getting hard to find a home under $300,000, but you still can. The market has started slowing down a good bit so you may be able to negotiate a good price. I would check out these neighborhoods: Park West, Dunes West, or RiverTowne. James Island is another nice area, but I don't know much about the schools there. Also, a lot of the apartment complexes have begun selling as condos and you can get a better price that way. I used to live in the area, and I miss it sooo much. I would avoid North Charleston. Just my opinion.
ETA: One thing though, about Mt. Pleasant, the traffic is getting pretty heavy - lots of people want to live there.

[PalmBch2002]

Hi there! You are going to love it here! We live about 25 min outside of Charleston in a suburb called Summerville. It's really close to everything and we love it! I would avoid North Charleston as well as it is a little more ghetto and rough. But if you are looking for a great house under 300K I would look in Hanahan (15 min), Goose Creek (20-25 min), Moncks Corner (30 min), Summerville (30 min), West Ashley (20 min). Parenthesis are travel times to Charleston. Personally I would avoid Mt. Pleasant as well as the traffic there has gotten horendous and I don't think there is much there for 300K - you could get more for your money in one of the other cities listed. If you don't care about how much you get for your money you could also look on James or John's Islands. They are pricier for less amount of space and all the ritzy people live over there. Actual Charleston is nice too and you might be about to find something for 300 but it will need some fixing and might not be in a good part of town. Most people around here live in one of the cities I listed and then travel into Charleston. Traffic gets a little heavy here but it all depends on what time you are traveling. Hope this helps! If you need anything else just let me know!! Christine

[namrodda]

We just moved to the Charleston area a few months ago so I don't know the area fantastically well but I would agree with what some of the other girls said. Summerville and Hanahan have some great, new construction homes that are definitely under 300k. North Charleston has a lot of strip malls and restaurants that are convenient to get to from other places but not the best set of houses. An area called Wescott Plantation is nice though...the prices are variable. Crowfield Plantation is up in Goose Creek and is a large collection of subdivisions in every price range. Tanner Plantation in Hanahan is all new construction within the last few years. Mt Pleasant has a lot of choices and nice homes but pricey and yes traffic is horrendous. I remember our real estate agent saying Dorchester county schools were good. The closer you get to downtown and like John's island....more character in the homes but older or at least more expensive, like they said.

[sarahh]

Hi ladies...I am hoping some of you from Charleston can answer some more questions I have.

My husband and I are considering a move in the next year or so, and Charleston is at the top of our list. As a matter of fact it is really the only place we are considering based on what we are looking for...

* Metropolitan area with a small town feel
* Friendly, polite people
* Lots of beaches
* Warm weather year round (we are used to New England winters)
* Reasonable housing cost

We think we have found all this and more in Charleston. Neither of us have EVER been though...so we are planning a trip down this fall. Anyways...I have some questions.

1) How much do you typically pay in utilities....water, gas, electric, cable, phone, internet, etc.

2) What are your property taxes like?

3) What are your favorite things to do, see , visit, etc.

4) How is the school system?

5) What's the job market like? I am in marketing/sales and would like to make at least $40k. I found a company named Blackbaud (on Daniel Island) that looks like a great place to work!

6) Does the city really live up to it's Friendliest Places to Live title?

FYI- we are thinking of looking into Summerville. Any other suggestions? We would want to spend between $150-$200k for a 3-4 bedroom home...preferably new.

[namrodda]

Sarah- I haven't lived here that long so I can't answer all of your questions but I'll try...I naturally compare everything to how it was in Virginia so its all perspective. There are LOTS of beaches. Friendly people...the long time locals have very strong accents. Gas is cheap 2.50ish right now. Our house would probably be 100k more in VA. There's 2 major interstates, downtown does not have any tall buildings, theres a fair amount of 'industry', lots of law and small businesses, very suburban feeling....as far as metropolitan goes. Its not just warm, its is HOT....at least right now...like dripping if you stand outside for 3 minutes hot. But spring is gorgeous, 75 and sunny. Winter is pleasant but I haven't lived here in the fall. There is the threat of hurricanes in the summer and the occasional tornado, but we haven't seen one or anything.

1-Our water bill is considerably higher than VA mostly because we have a sprinkler system now. If you want your grass to live you have to water it about every other day at least in the summer. So thats about 100/month. Electric and gas is 100 too with the AC on all the time but the gas is only used for hot water right now. Cable and Internet about 100. Phone for just local service plus caller ID etc is 50.

2-Property taxes vary by county...we're in Berkeley County and pay about $500 a year...however we have a bit of a cut because we're military...so I'm not sure what it would be

3-To do....walking the cobblestone streets through the market and anywhere downtown is a big thing here. Horse drawn carriages and ghost tours are a big tourist spot. Tons, tons of restaurants...lots of young people in the area. Beaches....lots of gift shops and boutiques everywhere you go. Spring and so far into summer there are festivals every weekend. (BBQ, art, air show, 10K bridge run) Boating and anything outdoors really....my husband is really into sports...there is a Single A baseball team here, the Riverdogs and thats about it for sports...except for college teams. Clemson v. USC fans are hardcore. Lots of history and if you're a "Yankee" get used to hearing about the "war of Northern Agression"....its an extremely southern city. There is a church (especially Baptist) everywhere you look. Picture guys in yellow pants and seersucker and girls in pink and lime green sundresses with flip flops....thats Charleston!

4- I really know nothing about school systems because we have a baby and will be moving long before he's in school..I do know SC has a VERY high drop out rate for high school, like highest in the nation. Thats been an issue with the current governor and I think likely to change in the coming years....

5-I'm just starting to get my feelers out on the job market as I am kinda looking myself but probably for a work from home position. Like I said lots of young people and there seem to be lots of jobs. That salary sounds reasonable for here...I wouldn't say its a high paying area like a big city but its definitely a town of "wealthy" folks. Daniel's Island is one of the most expensive yet beautiful places....along with things to do there is a professional tennis arena there.

6-It is extremely friendly. Unlike our last neighborhood I know everybody's name on our street and literally had 2 families come over with a plate of brownies and their phone numbers as we were moving in. There is some crime....where isn't there now. Traffic is pretty great compared to where we came from but it exists, esp rush hour. They need to start widening some roads to keep up I think. So there is a fair share of bad drivers...but in general I think most people are polite and any shop you go to downtown people will talk to you.

Hope that helps!

[ManteoChik]

Bumping this thread!!!! There is a possibility that we could be moving to the area. SO is entertaining a job offer, and the job would be on Kiawah Island. I'm not familiar with the area, but it seems that its near Charleston which would probably be our best bet when looking for a place to live.

The move would be for SO's job, so he would be all set. As for me, I'm a photographer so I would be on the hunt for a job. How is the market around there for photographers (wedding, family beach portraits, etc)?

Anything that I might want to know?

[akacharlotte]

Courtney-I would imagine your photographer biz would really take off in Charleston. There are so many gorgeous places to get married there and I think it is becoming a popular destination wedding locale. I loved living there and we contemplated a wedding in Charleston.

If I remember correctly Kiawah is 30-40 minutes from downtown Charleston. Kiawah is pretty ritzy. Part of the island is gated and closed off to the public, only residents or guests. I remember hearing Tara Lipinski bought a home there right after her gold medal win. I always loved the beach there. It is family oriented and kind of secluded.

James or John Island would probably be a good place to live if your SO is working on Kiawah.

Charleston is such a great city. I miss it so much.

[mamax2]

I don't live in Charleston, but have spent a lot of time there and we've owned several properties in Kiawah.

Manteo ~ If you have a chance to live there... GO!!! It's our ultimate life destination. Unfortunately, DH hasn't had luck finding an executive/upper management level position there and now that we have kids, the grandparents might flip if we moved that far! Kiawah will be pricey. Last year (Jan '06), we settled our 700 sf. 1 BR/1 BA condo for >$360k. James or John Islands would be a more reasonable option. It's a solid 30 minute drive downtown, but pleasant, so it doesn't feel too bad.

As for photography, if you have a portfolio already built, I don't think you'd have trouble jumping in the game. One of my closest friends is a former Gallery Director (now SAHM) and knows a lot of artists/photographers in town. They seem to be earning a livable wage ;) That said, there is a LOT of old money in Charleston, like you'll see really young, beautiful people who either don't work or don't work very hard - it's a trust fund kind of town (or at least moreso than any other place I've lived). It's a destination (obviously!) and has a nice artsy area, so I think you're in a career that has potential. Good luck!

[ManteoChik]

Thanks for all the great advice. It looks like our moving to Charleston could become quite real pretty soon. SO is going out of town to interview (and he's already got the job, its more like a chance for him to interview his boss) tomorrow. If all goes well he would probably start next week. We plan to give it *at least* six months for him to see how he likes it before we make a decision about moving....unless things go super great we might consider moving soon than that. I want to make sure that I get a couple of trips down to see the area and check things out.

In the meantime, any more advice is always great!