Heather in WI Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 First, we were looking at Charleston. Then, Virginia Beach. Now, it looks like dh might have a job offer in Columbia, SC. What can you tell me about the area? Friendly? Safe? Best neighborhoods? We've looked a little real estate and (at least from online searches) it appears Lexington might be a nice area. The houses seem ridiculously cheap ($150,000 for a 4 bed, 2.5 bath???) and the taxes unbelievably low ($900-$1,000???). Why is this? What are we missing here? (Our current house is 3 bed, 1.5 bath, is more expensive and taxes are $4,000). We can't shake the feeling that there must be other kinds of taxes/fees we don't know about! LOL! Anything you can share would be welcome. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journeytolily Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 We lived in Florence, SC until about a year ago (now in MI - go figure!). It's about an hour or so away from Columbia, so we spent a fair amount of time there. I was hoping that DH could find a job in Columbia, and we would have bought a house in Lexington, so, yes, we really liked the area. SC has state taxes, and sales tax. The property taxes are VERY low all over the state. I believe that SC actually has the lowest property tax of any state, or they are very close to being the lowest. In Florence, our house was valued at $180,000 and our taxes were about $450/yr. Imagine our shock when we moved up here, to find that taxes are literally 10 times as much! Ouch! We had to buy a much cheaper, smaller house, but we're happy here. Crime is moderate, I'd say. I always felt safe in the greater Columbia area, but like most places, we would be sure to be careful. Lexington has lower crime rates than the city of Columbia. Lots of fun things to do - pretty parks, and cultural events. It's close to the mountains of SC/GA/NC, if you like that sort of thing. Maybe 2-4 hours, depending exactly where you want to go - you could easily do a weekend trip to the mountains or Atlanta, or a day trip to Greenville (my absolute favorite city in SC). Charleston is not terribly far, or the beaches. The people are friendly. You don't get much snow down there (a plus for many people), but it's HOT for about 6 months of the year. And, yes, you can get A LOT of house for the money. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 There are lots of gamecocks in that area so if you like to eat chicken you can have a field day...GO TIGERS!!!! On a more serious note, I haven't spent much time in Columbia in a long time, but there is a lot to do there. The zoo is a really nice zoo. Lake Murray is close by. I grew up about an hour from there. It does get really hot and humid there in the summers. It isn't uncommon to have a high of 100 degrees and 90-100% humidity. I hope things work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Camden is lovely. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Like the others have said, SC is a cheap state to live in. You really can get a lot of house for your money here. Columbia gets HOT but you're only a couple of hours from the moutains or the beach, whichever you prefer. I love it here, and it's very homeschool friendly. I can't help you on where to live, but I'd suggest renting for 6 months until you get a feel for where you'd like to be and are most comfortable. Lexington does seem to be a good place to start though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hmm, Columbia was always my least favorite place in SC. We lived in Charleston, so you have that whole historic thing plus the beaches. My IL's had a business in Chas and Columbia, and there was just no appeal in Columbia (which we went to on a regular basis for the business). It is just a city, same as many others. Yes, it has it's good things, great zoo, great Mall, some great cultural things will come to town, nice children's musuem. Moved out of SC for a while, now back in Greenville. Here we have four seasons, Mountains are an hour a way, so there is that appeal. Columbia, eeeh. Could be a town anywhere, except for the excessive humidity just seems to SIT there unlike Charleston that has some ocean breeze. There is quite a bit of crime there, in the "pockets". Personally, if one is going to live in SC, either do the Lowcountry/beach area, or get to the Upstate....but mid-state....just sitting in the deep south, humidity...but what else does it offer? I mean, if a job takes you there, so be it, I am sure there will be things to love. But if you have other options,....... I am sure others that live there will offer some pro's to the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmn Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 My sister lives there. It seems to me you get more for your money a little farther out of the city. Shes lives right in columbia and the prices are higher for housing. Also depends on the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Try Irmo, SC I am in coastal SC, but have liked what I saw in Irmo. I have heard there are good schools there as well (even if you homeschool, its good for resale). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in SWVA Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Two of my daughters live (lived) in Columbia. Both were married there. Actually, the one who still lives there is just outside of Columbia in Elgin, but she works downtown within sight of the capitol building. The one who just moved lived in Forest Acres, an older, but very nice neighborhood very close to Fort Jackson. In fact, their house is still for sale - Interested? Honestly, I would look in Forest Acres, if I was moving there. We have a lot of friends there and visit often, but not in the summer - too hot for me! (We live in the mountains.) There is a lot to do there and great cultural events and as someone else mentioned, the zoo is very nice. PM me if you have any specific questions that I might be able to answer. Susie in SWVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 Thank you, all! Just read through all your replies with dh. We very much appreciate it! We have no specific questions yet, but I'm sure we will if the job offer comes through. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smstjohn Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I know I am a bit late to this, but I have lived in Columbia my entire life, so I might be able to help a little bit. There are a lot of great areas to look in, in my opinion. Lexington is growing a lot right now and there are many new homes available there at good prices. Forest Acres is also a great place, but it is older, so the homes are generally smaller. And if you find a larger house it will probably be a lot more expensive. The Irmo/Chapin area is very large too, with a lot of newer homes there as well. I live in the Northeast becuase my husband did not want to drive from that area into town because of traffic(meaning a trip of about 45 minutes to an hour on bad days compared to the 30 minutes from where we are). There are a lot of houses out this way as well. If you need more specific advice later, I might be able to answer. I hope all that helps and wasn't too rambling! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journeytolily Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 LOVE Forest Acres! That would be my #1 choice of area to live in, but we found Lexington home prices to be more in our budget. But, neither are in the cards now....we are staying put here in MI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 All I can tell you about Columbia is that it is SO HOT during the summer!!! The zoo is great. It is convenient to travel because of the way it is located on the interstate. I have never lived there so I can't tell you about schools or crime or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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