Anyone else planning to relo to MB area within the next few years? (Charleston: hotel, find a job)

[Florida bound5]

I'm so glad I found this thread! My hubby, 3 boys (13,11 &8) and I are seriously considering the area! Originally supposed to go to Pensacola area, but after our vacation there recently, we decided SC was more for us. I CANNOT wait to make the move (within the next couple of months) while we're not terribly worried about finding jobs (we are pretty much willing to do whatever )I I am worried about finding a rental without being in the area. That being said (apologies if this has already been asked) but any ideas where to look? Online newspapers, websites, etc. I have heard Craigslist can be somewhat sketchy and don't want to have problems when we get there. We are looking in the Conway area (reccomended by an aquaintence that recently moved there) even with the mild winter we have had, my boys and I CANNOT WAIT to get out of crappy Ohio!

[CTyankee54]

Unfortunately, there's not an "MLS" listing for rentals like homes for sale. When we moved here two years ago, we worked with about 5 property managers to find the right rental home. Most property managers do not list all of their properties on their web sites so you have to call them directly. Here's a few of the ones we worked with:
Our Company - Leonard Call Annual Rentals
Hart Realty & Property Management : Myrtle Beach Property Management : Property Management In Myrtle Beach : (http://www.hartrealtyonline.com/property_management.php - broken link)
Myrtle Beach Rental Connections and Real Estate Sales
And there are many others. If you look on craigslist, look for properties that have a link to a property management site and you'll have greater confidence in finding someone reputable.

Additionally, I would recommend that you pay a visit to MB in "finding an area to live in" rather than vacation mode. It's quite different when you are looking at communities to live in rather than having fun. While Conway is nice, I would encourage you to explore other areas as well. If you want to be relatively close to the beach, Conway is not ideal...traffic an time can be considerable. You should define what you want in a place to live, i.e. subdivision, farm, city, suburbs, gated, pool, etc. Then, it makes it easier to find the right place to live.

If you want some other suggestions on places to consider, you can PM me.

[canudigit]

A gentle suggestion: Before uprooting your three kids and moving across the country, you really should have employment lined up for at least one of you, be it you or your husband. You say you're "not terribly worried" about finding jobs because you are "willing to do whatever", but what if you get to MB and find that "whatever" is either nothing or something that pays minimum wage or something that is very part-time? I know you want to move to get away from winter in Ohio, because there are dozens of these threads here on C-D this time of the year, but it's no fun to move somewhere, even somewhere that you enjoyed on vacation, and then be financially stressed or unemployed. Based on all of the threads that have been posted in this forum about people seeking employment there, the consensus seems to be that there are not an overabundance of jobs in MB and many of them are low paying, service oriented, touristy jobs, such as waiting tables or working retail. Have you considered that?

I don't mean to discourage you, I know how it feels to be tired of a place and need a change, but if you go without a solid plan just to get out of "crappy Ohio", you might find yourself very sorry in the long run. Just food for thought.

Good luck.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by Florida bound5

I'm so glad I found this thread! My hubby, 3 boys (13,11 &8) and I are seriously considering the area! Originally supposed to go to Pensacola area, but after our vacation there recently, we decided SC was more for us. I CANNOT wait to make the move (within the next couple of months) while we're not terribly worried about finding jobs (we are pretty much willing to do whatever )I I am worried about finding a rental without being in the area. That being said (apologies if this has already been asked) but any ideas where to look? Online newspapers, websites, etc. I have heard Craigslist can be somewhat sketchy and don't want to have problems when we get there. We are looking in the Conway area (reccomended by an aquaintence that recently moved there) even with the mild winter we have had, my boys and I CANNOT WAIT to get out of crappy Ohio!

There is a rental right now off of 544 and it is a very nice home.
Not far from Ross and the new Target, also just 10 min. to the airport.
It was either in Glenmere or Hidden lakes kind of on the border of both.
Two nice developments to rent at.

[Florida bound5]

Thank you all for your help. While I appreciate the thoughts on moving without jobs, we have enough money savedto last us a while. Also, we know people in the area that have been keeping us up to date on jobs. CTyankee, thank you for the links on property managers. I'm looking forward to going through them. Are there other communities you would suggest? We are looking for a rental, around maybe $800( including utilities if possible) 3 bedroom, good, safe schools. Sports are also important. Baseball football ans wrestling (good youth programs/training) suburb (close to a downtown area) it sub-division. Would consider a condo of it had a pool. And would like to be within 30min give or take of the beaches. I know that seems like a lot, but none are absolute. Basically we are looking for what every other family with kids is! thanks in advance! All the help is appreciated!

[CTyankee54]

How old are your kids? Based on your questions, I would assume high school age but would be good to know for helping with schools, etc.

A 3 bedroom house @ $800 including utilities with what you are looking for is probably going to be tough. It is possible to find something but it may not be in a neighborhood where you'd like to be. A condo or townhouse at that price is probably more do-able but be sure and read online reviews of the complex before renting. We have a friend who found an apartment in MB that looked beautiful online but when she went to read the reviews, it definitely would not be a place she wanted to live due to noise and after hours activity. Renting from an individual rather than a property management company in a larger complex sometimes can save you money but you really have no idea who you're renting from and could get stuck in a place with a nightmare for a landlord. On the other hand, you can find some real gems too. When we prepared for our move here, we came down and spent an entire week just looking at housing...we probably looked at 30 places before we found what we wanted. I would be very cautious about renting something without seeing it in person first. It would be worth the expense of the trip to avoid making a mistake that you have to live with for an entire year and then have to move and uproot your family again.

We live in the Forestbrook area and just love it...close to shopping, 10 minutes to the beach, convenient to grocery stores and the two nearby high schools are rated pretty highly. There are some nice condos called Riverwalk in the Arrowhead neighborhood which might be in your price range and Flintlake also in Arrowhead. Another option might be Palmetto Pointe...there are several apartment complexes there that are nice. All three of these have pools. These are all in the south end of MB. I'm not as familiar with the north end so if that's where you want to be, perhaps someone else could suggest something.

Finally, Conway is a nice southern town and has some very nice areas. But, it has some pretty rough areas as well. Additionally, some areas around the college can be noisy and typical college crowds. If you're considering Conway, hopefully your friends can guide you.

P.S.--SC is very different than Ohio. Do your homework before deciding to move here and find out what you'll be losing and what you'll be gaining. As I said, we love it here but not everyone does. Some people vacation here and think that they'd love it but don't think about what it's like to live in an area that, once you get away from the beaches, is basically a rural county without some of the amenities that their tax dollars brought them in the north or the bigger city shopping and entertainment that was available in their home state/town. For example, the nearest IKEA is in Charlotte...4 hours away. Nearest pro sports team...Charlotte. If your family is into watching sports on TV, you'll now be watching the teams in the south...not the Ohio based or midwest teams. When we went north last summer to visit family/friends, we were reminded how deep green the trees and grass are...not like the yellow-green here. You don't have the cold winters of Ohio here but it's really hot/humid in the summer...take the 2 hottest weeks in Ohio and that's what it's like here from June to September...every day...and it's more hot/humid the further away from the beach you are. These are just some things to think about. Would I go back north...no way...but just don't look at the move with rose colored glasses.

PPS-Don't take the advise on jobs too lightly. We have friends who moved here that took two years to find jobs. They are not plentiful...especially once tourist season is over.

[newgurl]

hi I just completed a move to MB about a week ago thanks in part to help from this site. I used a combination of apartment finder, apartment fetch, hotpads (though it contains mostly Craigslist listing it has a nifty map and additional info like what schools your kid would attend if you moved to the apartment a slidey bar for price ranges and even how much higher or lower rent is for the apartment then simaler listings), and craigslist. also for me walkscore.com as im sans car you type in an address and it tells you how easy it is to run errands on foot listing your closest restaurants banks post offices shopping centers even coffee shops.

I ended up spending a night in a hotel before finding a match 4 me so if possible I would try and come early to look at things. the first place I went to told me basic move in costs but when i got there apparently that includes a 2 month security deposit(im not even sure that's legal) a months rent application fees move-in processing fees(also nvr heard of that) and 400 in pet fees oh and a pre move in apartment cleaning fee apparently i had to pay for them to clean up the last tenants mess. and the pics online wernt even of the same neighborhood. some told me they had openings over the phone when they didnt. and others wouldn't even pick up the phone.

however dont get to worried on the second day we found a great 1br full kitchen and bath at the heart of MB. i can walk to the beach grocery store and anything i need and want in 8 min and surprisingly this one was a Craigslist listing . There are some great places down here I know your looking for something larger an a bit further away but this was only 700 all inclusive and has on site maintenance. so I don't think you'll have a problem further out you may just have to look a bit longer.

If you know you wont be able to make an early trip down for research consider using orbits or something to book a just in case hotel for a few days I wish I had. also if using a Uhal be sure to get an open ended drop off so you can chose where to drop it once you get here.

[shabbycasa]

Originally Posted by Tarag

Love this post. We'll be looking for a second/retirement home in SC in the next few years. I have no idea where to start our search. 3bdrm/2ba within a 1 mile to beach.

I, too, love this! I am originally from SC and grew up in Columbia. I have great memories of summers at the beach - have been stuck in Texas for 20+ years, but will be retiring in summer 2014 and thinking about Conway, Surfside or Little River. Texas hubby (who I met/married after moving to TX), is avid fisherman and anxious to go right now!

I am learning quite a bit from this forum and won't bore you with all I love about the SC beach area - just registered and wanted to pop in and say Howdy from a Carolina gal who can't wait to get sand in her toes and eat boiled p'nuts!

[Seabass11]

Just bringing the thread back to life. Any new movers?

[KavH]

As soon as possible!