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Charleston area relocation thread


krazeeboi

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  • 2 weeks later...

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With the amount of people moving to and interested in moving to the Lowcountry I can't believe that this thread is so quiet. To those who are considering this area please feel free to posts any questions or concerns and those of us who either live in Charleston or are familiar with the area will be happy to assist in anyway possible. :shades:

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With the amount of people moving to and interested in moving to the Lowcountry I can't believe that this thread is so quiet. To those who are considering this area please feel free to posts any questions or concerns and those of us who either live in Charleston or are familiar with the area will be happy to assist in anyway possible. :shades:

Charleston is a lovely area. However seems like the Insurance companies want to or are increasing rates substantially in Hurricane risk areas such as Mount Pleasant and the coastal areas.

Does anyone have more details on the trend?

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Charleston is a lovely area. However seems like the Insurance companies want to or are increasing rates substantially in Hurricane risk areas such as Mount Pleasant and the coastal areas.

Does anyone have more details on the trend?

I know that Allstate in particular must have new guidlines becuase they dropped many people from their insurance for various reasons this year. I'm guessing most of them are doing risk management which is currently not under any stipulation from the government.

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Welcome to Urban Planet Jhone! It is true that insurance for the coastal areas of South Carolina have increased and as Knightrider said, some insurers have dropped homeowners. In addition to the threat of hurricanes, it seems that rates also went up after 911, this holds true not only for Charleston but for all coastal cities. That being said, the rates must not be prohibitively high because the current trend involves northerners who move to Florida only to discover the higher risk of hurricanes and the associated costs(including homeowners insurance) and decide to "halfback" that is, to move up to the Carolinas and their coastal cities to take advantage of lower insurance costs. As a final measure for those unable to obtain insurance through a commercial insurer, the Federal government offers an insurance package for high risk coastal dwellers (defined in Mt. Pleasant and Charleston as "all areas north of the City of Charleston which are east of the west bank of the intracoastal waterway.") if I'm not mistaken and a definite is the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association which I heard is fairly expensive. Looking at these definitions, insurance costs should not price you out of the market for a home here as long as you stay far enough from the ocean.

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  • 3 months later...

My husband and I are relocating to Charleston in mid-November for his job at C of C. We are from the DC area and are looking to buy a house in the $400,000 range. We like older, established, artsy neighborhoods within walking distance (if possible) to shops, restaurants, etc. Any advice on where to look (I know we may be asking for a lot--it's hard to find those types of neighborhoods anywhere)? How about James Island's Riverland Terrace? It's hard to tell online, but it looks like a neat neighborhood.

We don't have children yet, but are planning to start a family. I've heard good things about Mt. Pleasant, but we do like the older neighborhoods so not sure if we'd find that there. We'll be heading down to Charleston this summer to start looking at homes.

Everything in Charleston looks so nice, but we are just looking for some feedback on specific neighborhoods within our price range and not too far from downtown. I appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks a lot! :)

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I would suggest some of the neighborhoods on the upper peninsula, such as Wagener Terrace. It is an older (though not historic) neighborhood that is close in and very much within the urban fabric of Charleston. If you are looking off of the peninsula, then I would suggest Windermere or Byrnes Down just across the Ashley River in the area of town know as West Ashley. Riverland Terrace on James Island is also a good established neighborhood, but it is more suburban feeling the first two areas I mentioned. Good luck and welcome to the Lowcountry.

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I would suggest some of the neighborhoods on the upper peninsula, such as Wagener Terrace. It is an older (though not historic) neighborhood that is close in and very much within the urban fabric of Charleston. If you are looking off of the peninsula, then I would suggest Windermere or Byrnes Down just across the Ashley River in the area of town know as West Ashley. Riverland Terrace on James Island is also a good established neighborhood, but it is more suburban feeling the first two areas I mentioned. Good luck and welcome to the Lowcountry.

Thank you so much for your input--I really appreciate it! I'm looking forward to living in Charleston.

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Thank you so much for your input--I really appreciate it! I'm looking forward to living in Charleston.

I totally agree with Infinite1's suggestions. I live in Wagener Terrace, and it is a fabulous neighborhood. In the $400K range, you could probably get a 1500 sqft home that needs a little work. Houses here are moving slowly (like everywhere, it seems), so you might be able to wring some concessions from the seller. Keep in mind that this is a gentrifying area, and the house you're buying for $400K may have cost less than $100K ten years ago, so if you're buying from a long-time owner (as opposed to a flipper who paid too much for it a year ago), they may be willing to lower the price.

The only drawback I can think of is if you're planning to send your kids to public schools. I think the only school on the Peninsula that isn't considering failing is Buist Academy (grades K-8), which is a very competitive magnet school. Parents in my neighborhood wring their hands over getting their kids into Buist, hoping they will not only pass the entrance exam but get selected in the subsequent lottery.

The Windermere area is nice too, but has a lot of traffic because two major highways run through it. Those neighborhoods also include Moreland and Avondale in addition to the ones Infinite1 mentioned. The school situation would probably be better in those neighborhoods though, since you would be able to send your kids to the schools in West Ashley.

Hope this helps!

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I totally agree with Infinite1's suggestions. I live in Wagener Terrace, and it is a fabulous neighborhood. In the $400K range, you could probably get a 1500 sqft home that needs a little work. Houses here are moving slowly (like everywhere, it seems), so you might be able to wring some concessions from the seller. Keep in mind that this is a gentrifying area, and the house you're buying for $400K may have cost less than $100K ten years ago, so if you're buying from a long-time owner (as opposed to a flipper who paid too much for it a year ago), they may be willing to lower the price.

The only drawback I can think of is if you're planning to send your kids to public schools. I think the only school on the Peninsula that isn't considering failing is Buist Academy (grades K-8), which is a very competitive magnet school. Parents in my neighborhood wring their hands over getting their kids into Buist, hoping they will not only pass the entrance exam but get selected in the subsequent lottery.

The Windermere area is nice too, but has a lot of traffic because two major highways run through it. Those neighborhoods also include Moreland and Avondale in addition to the ones Infinite1 mentioned. The school situation would probably be better in those neighborhoods though, since you would be able to send your kids to the schools in West Ashley.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the feedback! It's a big help. We will definitely check out Wagener Terrace.

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With the amount of people moving to and interested in moving to the Lowcountry I can't believe that this thread is so quiet. To those who are considering this area please feel free to posts any questions or concerns and those of us who either live in Charleston or are familiar with the area will be happy to assist in anyway possible. :shades:

My brother is moving to Charleston, and he has told me how great it is, I wish I had the opportunity to leave the smog of Atlanta and move there! I know I could breath better. Today was a code red smog alert.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello Charleston friends!! I'm moving to your city in the next few week. Any suggestions on places for a poor graduate student to live? Some have suggested West Ashley or James Island. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks again!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello all. This is Mike from Long Island NY. I will try to keep this short but it will be tough...lol

In short my wife & I are considering a move to the Charleston SC area or surrounding communities there. We stumbled upon Summerville and it looks good from a computer!

We are outright sick & tired of the crime, high cost of living, invasion of illegal immigrants & the overall downward spiral of good old family values in NY...the area is becoming a cesspool in every sense of the word...that being said we want to find a nice family oriented family values type town that will welcome us & our 2 daughters.

I am trying to stay in the 250k range but want to be about 30 minutes max from the coast if possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated/

Kindest regards

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I'm not too familiar with Charleston yet, but from Summerville it's about a 40 minute drive into downtown I think (during rush hour). Luckily I-26 passes through Summerville so it's a straight interstate shot into downtown. But if something goes wrong on the interstate you're kinda stuck. Based on your commute, it would be substantially less than what you're dealing with already.

One of the things about Charleston is that there are so many nice places to choose from to live.

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Hello all. This is Mike from Long Island NY. I will try to keep this short but it will be tough...lol

In short my wife & I are considering a move to the Charleston SC area or surrounding communities there. We stumbled upon Summerville and it looks good from a computer!

We are outright sick & tired of the crime, high cost of living, invasion of illegal immigrants & the overall downward spiral of good old family values in NY...the area is becoming a cesspool in every sense of the word...that being said we want to find a nice family oriented family values type town that will welcome us & our 2 daughters.

I am trying to stay in the 250k range but want to be about 30 minutes max from the coast if possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated/

Kindest regards

From what you have stated above, SUmmerville is the ideal choice. Summerville is about 30 minutes from downtown and 40 minutes or so from the beaches. $250K will get you about a 2000 SF home. WHile Summerville is a bedroom community of Charleston, it has its own quaint little downtown. It is very family oriented. There is traffic coming into Charleston via the 3 main routes (I-26, Dorchester Road, and Hwy 61). Heavy congestion is limited to rush hour commuter times with the mornings being the worst. The schools in Summerville (Dorchester 2) are the best in the area and the district is one of the best in the state.

West Ashely and James Island were mentioned. These arees are closer to downtown and to the beaches, but they are more expensive, particularly James Island. Also, the public shools in those areas are not as good as Dorch 2

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Thanls for the reply...What kind of traffic is it...morning commute traffic...beach traffic? Today my comute home was 2 hours for 60 miles. How is it in comparison to that?

I am seeing that...we are coming down soon for a look see vacation.....Todays Commute home.......2 hors 20 min!

I am so sick of this Area.

Thanks again for the replys! all of you!

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Tired, if you want to stay in the $250K range, there are many options for you on James Island, Johns Island, and West Ashley. These areas' schools are not as great as Summerville's, but they still are pretty good in comparison to the north area schools, which tend to have the most problems. Living in these areas also puts you 10-20 minutes from downtown, and about 15-20 minutes from the beaches. Actually, James Island is about 5-10 minutes from Folly Beach. You'll have quicker access to downtown shopping and dining than if you lived in Summerville. Quicker access to Citadel Mall and other major shopping areas is a plus for these areas as well, but S'ville does have quick access to major shopping in the Northwoods Mall area.

You'll definitely have to check each area out and see which one fits you the most.

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Tired, if you want to stay in the $250K range, there are many options for you on James Island, Johns Island, and West Ashley. These areas' schools are not as great as Summerville's, but they still are pretty good in comparison to the north area schools, which tend to have the most problems. Living in these areas also puts you 10-20 minutes from downtown, and about 15-20 minutes from the beaches. Actually, James Island is about 5-10 minutes from Folly Beach. You'll have quicker access to downtown shopping and dining than if you lived in Summerville. Quicker access to Citadel Mall and other major shopping areas is a plus for these areas as well, but S'ville does have quick access to major shopping in the Northwoods Mall area.

You'll definitely have to check each area out and see which one fits you the most.

^Thank you Native....I hope the reception to northerners is warm for the most part...its the northerners I need to get away from...I cant wait to visit the area.

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^ The reception from James and Johns Island residents as well as West Ashley should be very warm and welcoming. I grew up WA, and that section of the city of Chas seems to have a down-to-earth, middle class vibe. Most people WA have a tendency to love newcomers to the area, because it means more growth, better economic environment, and new, different neighbors!

I'm not as familiar with S'ville, though the people there usually have great Southern hospitality. The only section of people that tend to look negatively on northerners is downtown, south of Broad Street. Be prepared for a little "snooty-ness" when talking to people who live there.

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^ The reception from James and Johns Island residents as well as West Ashley should be very warm and welcoming. I grew up WA, and that section of the city of Chas seems to have a down-to-earth, middle class vibe. Most people WA have a tendency to love newcomers to the area, because it means more growth, better economic environment, and new, different neighbors!

I'm not as familiar with S'ville, though the people there usually have great Southern hospitality. The only section of people that tend to look negatively on northerners is downtown, south of Broad Street. Be prepared for a little "snooty-ness" when talking to people who live there.

I can handle snootieness...I am sure it better than the good ol New York Additude!

Thanks again for thre advise!

God Bless!

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