tax, insurance, and health care questions for conway or charleston area (Myrtle Beach: 2013, renters)

[jennijns]

OK, i have been reading so many threads about the conway area.

My name is Jen, im 30, married, and we have four children and we live in Manchester NH.

We do not have a good quality of life here so we have spent the last 3 years saving and searching the country for a better life for us.

we have narrowed it down to the Conway area or Charleston. We have vacationed here and are going back this august for our anniversary to look more closely at both areas.

So the questions i have aren't ones I've seen asked yet in forums.

1) healthcare for both areas, hospitals and primary care doctors. is there going to be a long wait time to get a new patient in for check ups? (we have that issue here) and are there hospitals in both areas?

2) taxes. we have one vehicle. its a 2012 Dodge Journey. is their a way to check in advance what registration fees might look like? will we need to pay taxes on it?

3) we plan on renting at first, but we have renters insurance now and plan to keep it. what types of coverage should we have? (i know insurance companies can be tricky and say "it was wind damage, not storm surge" and so on) example would be hurricane, wind, flood and so on.

and my last question I have seen asked, but Ill ask again because different people have different view points :-) here in Manchester, for a decent neighborhood, you're looking at paying around $1,200 to $1,500 with no utilities included, but i don't really know the neighborhoods in either area, so could someone give me a price range of what the average cost would be for a 3 bedroom? and whether utilities are generally included or not included in rent price?

thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help answer my questions :-)

[bsd650]

I'll try and answer some of your questions:

1) Yes Conway does have a hospital. Conway Medical Center. It gets both good and bad comments. We also have Grand Strand Hospital which is in Myrtle Beach, which I prefer. They have a great heart hospital and are a Trauma Center and generally my family has been satisfied with Grand Strands service. Primary care doctors are hit and miss. There are some really good ones and not so good ones. I'm still looking for one I'm really happy with and I've been here 12 years.

Charleston has MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) a great teaching hospital all around. I have never been, but do have close friends who received the best care possible there.

2)As far as taxes on your car. In SC you'll pay Personal Property Tax on your vehicle. I currently have a 2013 Dodge Journey and pay about $365.00 per year. It does drop some each year. Registration is paid every other year and is added into your Personal Property Tax.

3) Insurance will depend on where you end up living. I'M not real familiar with Renters insurance since I have a home and carry a Homeowners Policy that includes Wind and Hail deductible. I do not carry flood insurance but many do.

Rent will depend again on which area you end up in. I'm in the Carolina Forest area of Myrtle Beach and homes that are renting in my sub division are between $1550 and $1700 for a 3 bedroom/2 bath home and that does not include electric, water or sewer. It usually does cover garbage pick up, HOA fees and sometimes Lawn Care. Conway has some really bad areas and some really nice ones. Be very careful where you decide to rent. I would suggest checking with the local Conway Police when you narrow down your area. Also ride by the home a few times at different times of the day and night.

Do your research on School Systems as well if your planning on enrolling your kids. Some are much better then others.

I hope this info is somewhat helpful to you.

Good Luck with your decision.