Have to relocate to Conway in 30 days..never even visited-any input??? (Myrtle Beach: middle-class, sale)

[Global Friend]

I'll just say one more thing about Conway because I don't want to come across as if I'm bashing it. I'm a local Realtor and I have many people come to town interested in Conway. They read about it, they research it and are also feeling like you...not sure about it. I would say 9 times out of 10 they finally come to town to buy and decide against it. There is almost nothing around here, I know it because I'm living it. You have kids and I would imagine you want the best schools around here you can, I can't comment but I'll say do your research based on that and you will not end up in Conway. It's mostly rural but if you're used to that and like it, then I guess maybe you would like it.

As far as Carolina Forest, I never heard anyone say they hate it in several years on here. I have many clients that they specifically ask for CF and love it there. My friends live there, my mother in law lives there and all love it. It's not for everyone. especially if you prefer rural but with the kids it would make your life a whole lot easier. A lot of your questions are all relative to what a person is used to. A lot of traffic to one is not a lot to another. I'm guessing your husband would sit in trafice for two mionutes if his kids were able to go to a better school? I hope so.

The sub-divions have rules and unless you don't keep your yard neat, want to park on your yard or things like that, the rules are no big deal. You are looking to rent, not buy so it's not as if you are putting an addition on the house and need approval by the HOA. Trust me, you want rules here because almost ANYTHING goes, use your imagination. I've had to call the police many times because of the crazy stuff people do and it's caused me much stress living in a neighborhood without rules. Again, it's all relative....I like my yard and neighbors yard to be nice w/o trash etc...rules mean upkept nice houses here for the most part.

[mom2riley]

Thank you Rapture- I appreciate your personal experiences with Conway. I DEFINATELY DO NOT want gas powered lawn ornamentation, weeks worth of trash, etc even though we are renting. As I said before, we have always been homeowners and would still treat our rental and neighborhood as "home". As an interior designer, I likely am more picky than most about our visual surroundings. We have always taken pride in the places we have lived. As someone living in Conway, would you say that Beaty St is one of those areas in which one would like to stay away from? As far as schools, we homeschool 2 of our children and would not be opposed tom homeschooling our son if necessary so though it does have some concern for me- perhaps it is a bit of a non issue (since we are not purchasing at this time) However, my mother is looking to purchase a little house as a 2nd home near us-she is in FL and thrilled that we are moving close enough for her to drive in a day- and for resale, that would be a concern.

[RNmom98]

I am considering taking a job @ Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach. We live in Maryland. I'm a nurse. My husband works from home and we have 3 kids. I also have an offer in Abilene, TX. I'm trying to compare/contrast the two cities and make a good decision for my family. Schools and crime rate are a big deal. I have a daughter going into 2 grade and one going into 6th. My son will most likely stay in Md to go to college in the fall. He doesn't want to leave his gf and He will be 18 and graduating HS in May. Any information as to where would be a good place to set up residence near the hospital would be greatly appreciated. I have always wanted to live on/near the beach so this would be dreamy for me. We would be renting so I also need a Realtor to help us find immediate housing.

[sunnydmb]

Carolina Forest is a nice family-oriented community. It's a hodgepodge of relocaters so you might feel more comfortable. Conway does have some questionable areas but it's a very quaint, old time community. Being from the outskirts of Columbus, i find it much like the country side of Ohio but it's definitely a close community...more farm than urban. There's really not much urban around the Myrtle Beach area though. I love it being a transplant myself. you should have an array of housing to choose from. there's been a lot of unemployment and a lot of homes in forclosure. just do your homework as far as who you are renting from.

[mom2riley]

Thank you so much to the people who were kind enough to provide us with invaluable info. We actually got new information today (Of course after we have paid an application fee for a home) that the company will be placing my husband in Florence so he can take his promotion faster- looks like we will be searching anew in the Florence area. Luckily, due to the last minute change, they are paying for everything related to the transfer....Again, I feel like I was already getting familiar w/ MB so we look forward to visiting the area frequently and if another transfer comes our way in the future, we feel well informed about MB.

[aetcas]

Florence has a nice range of housing options. I particularly like the older, more quaint neighborhoods in the center of the city, near schools like Royal Elem. If I had a choice, I would pick Florence over Conway. All the best with your move!

[mom2riley]

Florence looks lovely but I CANNOT find any rentals there...We really like the feel of the Timrod area-we LOVE older homes and quaint neighborhoods but it looks as though we may have to commute to Florence from somewhere that offers homes for rent. Tick Tock Tick Tock.....Im losing time to locate something and getting highly frustrated. Rentals in the MB area are everywhere...Nothing big enough for us in Florence and we dont want to purchase as it looks like another transfer may be coming sooner than later.....

[rrufast]

Worst case scenario... hit a local hotel/extended stay place for a week or two while you actually drive around and find a place... You'd get to actually SEE the area for yourself as opposed to having to go on 'blind faith' by what you see and are told online...

Just an opinion.. Hope it works out for you.. And Florence is only about 60 miles from the beach.. so there's still no real excuse for you not to get to know this area also..

[vrexy]

Here is one:


Florence Homes for Sales, Buying and Selling Homes in Florence SC, Florence neighborhoods, Short Sales, Florence foreclosures, Assit2Sell Buyer and Sellers Smart Choice Realty, - Featured Listing: 687 Oak Forest MLS# Non

[mom2riley]

I appreciate all of the help from everyone! I am still looking- I have enlisted help from a realtor in locating something that will be a good "fit" for us. She doesnt manage any properties but she is very familiar with the area we are interested in and said she has colleagues that may be able to locate something.We like the Timrod park area- and there are several new developments with houses that we like as well. I am a bit picky being an interior designer and I dont want to move into something that isnt equivalent to what we have now. Even though we will just be renting for now. I would consider an extended stay (actually a good idea) etc except that we have 3 children and they are currently being homeschooled via a Charter-(K12)-they dont get the luxury of not doing their work daily so we really need to be somewhere that we can have all of the computers up daily and all of their text books, desks etc. They work for about 4-5 hours a day-including experiments almost daily for Science. We are trying to work a visit into my husbands busy schedule, if even for a couple of days, to get a feel. Was really looking forward to the MB area as I have met so many wonderful people via the web and have gotten so educated about the area. We did find a lead on a home in Marion but I have heard that gangs are bad in the area and it may not be the place for us. Still pondering that one though- 3000 sq ft, 4 br, 2 baths on Evans Rd. Not too far of a commute for hubby and not too far for us to get to MB...