Relocatting to Charlotte over the next two months (Indian Trail, Weddington: to rent, wedding)
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Jack, you know I love ya, but I find your comments extremely insulting to the realtors here on this board, especially those in your last post you directed to southcharlotte&union in particular.
In the first place, the realtors I personally know who hang out here do so to be helpful, not to scare up business
It's no secret that for any realtor there is no living to be made in dealing with rentals (unless you work in property management).
That doesn't mean, however, that any realtor who mentions the difficulties of trying to rent a family home in Charlotte right now is trying to convince someone they should only buy. They are simply sharing good info.
I think the general public is astute enough to know that realtors sell or help clients buy homes.
Would you go to a chiropractor for cancer? Anyone wanting a home is going to look for a good realtor. Most looking to rent a home are going to go to a good property management firm.
Realtors here like southcharlotte&union who recommend buying as opposed to renting, do so because they understand the realities of the current rental market in Charlotte and the value of actually buying property right now at such low low mortgage rates when there is so much good inventory to choose from.
This board functions best when there is a variety of good info shared with those in need of solid info.
While you are factually correct that realtors would get paid substantially less for working with renters, the reality is many are happy to do that anyway because they know if they make the renter happy and comfortable with their level of expertise, that renter will eventually come back to them when they are ready to buy.
So please, no more comments insinuating that realtors here are doing something wrong.
Loves, I understand that SC&U is a very good realtor and yes, there are some out there that do give unbiased info. The problem is like any field where your salary is based on what you sell, the majority of people in the field will not always have the public's unbiased best interest in heart. Since 2007 when I first started posting on CD, there have been plenty of realtors who just by there posts did not have the public's best interest at heart. Sorry if I'm a little skeptical but it is what it is!
That I know will make some people angry (because most likely they have a relative or close friend who is in the industry), but if you replace "realtor" with say "mechanic" or "Life insurance salesman", it is no different. You and me may have personal ties to some realtors but that should not cloud our judgement of an entire industry.....point is to be caveat emptor.
I know these last posts were somewhat going off the rails of the OP, however I did not mean any personal offense to SC&U. My point was to give the "third side of the coin" to the OP and sit back and think of ALL options thouroughly for this big decision.
HI! I have been reading the forum for the last month or so and have found some great information. My husband is being transferred to Fort Mill, asap. His office will be just north of downtown FM. We'll have about one week to look at houses, if we're lucky. Renting is not an option for me, as we have four kids, 8,6,5,2. Our budget is around 400K.
I have narrowed my search to FM and the Union County area (Waxhaw, Weddington....). Can anyone help me make the most of my trip down in June.
On paper I like: Baxter, Springfield, Hollister, BridgeMill, Chimneys of Marvin, Lake Forest, and a few others.
How will the commute be from FM to the Waxhaw area during rush hour? Most of the communities are around 20 miles from his office and that concerns my husband.
Where would you move and what do you think is the best area for someone coming from MI. I can't wait to come down!!!
Thanks!
WE moved from Michigan (southeast Michigan to be more exact) We love it here! Anyway we choose Union county for the school system, but my children are older so we factored in college things too, like in-state versus out-of-state tutition. Anyway we focused on neighborhoods that seems full of kids the same age of our kids. It has worked well for us. If you would like some specifics you could dm me and I can try to answer.
Anyway, welcome to the area! My kids all 3 have said we should have moved here long ago..hope your family feels the same
Adding: I will say that in coming from the AA area of Michigan I am wondering if your expectations are to have things close to you like you have in Michigan. I thought that through before our move too. Some places look good on paper and the feel isn't really the same as to what you think when you get here. I guess I don't know how to explain it but we found Union county closer to the Ballantyne area to have things we wanted. Yes Waxhaw may look far from things, but it really isn't if you don't live in the downtoan area. I will say there are parts of Waxhaw I would have felt are "too far out" (not where we picked) but yet I don't mind driving to places. The biggest change in getting from place a to place B is the speed limit down here and how no one drives as fast as they did in Michigan.
Seriously if you have any other question DM me, I will try to help
Loves, I understand that SC&U is a very good realtor and yes, there are some out there that do give unbiased info. The problem is like any field where your salary is based on what you sell, the majority of people in the field will not always have the public's unbiased best interest in heart. Since 2007 when I first started posting on CD, there have been plenty of realtors who just by there posts did not have the public's best interest at heart. Sorry if I'm a little skeptical but it is what it is!
That I know will make some people angry (because most likely they have a relative or close friend who is in the industry), but if you replace "realtor" with say "mechanic" or "Life insurance salesman", it is no different. You and me may have personal ties to some realtors but that should not cloud our judgement of an entire industry.....point is to be caveat emptor.
I know these last posts were somewhat going off the rails of the OP, however I did not mean any personal offense to SC&U. My point was to give the "third side of the coin" to the OP and sit back and think of ALL options thouroughly for this big decision.
Yes Jack, it is true that my income is based on the houses I sell. But I also have to sleep at night. I have built my business on serving my customers, and believe it or not (and I will say that sometimes my husband just shakes his head and says "Why?") there have been times when I have advised people to rent rather than buy. Again, it is based on the situation of that individual person or family. Often parents with school age children do not want to move twice in two years.
Right now in many parts of town it is financially better for many to purchase than rent, if you just look at the numbers. But as you point out, it may not be right for everyone. I have not seen a rental market like the one we have now. Some homes set out for rent are going in less than a week, with multiple applications. Larger homes that can accommodate larger families are tough to come by, and they can be very pricey.
I do like to see your insight on things, as I, too, am conservative financially. Hopefully you can see the value in my perspective from time to time.
And now, back to the thread...for this poster it sounds like buying would be the way to go. But never having met him or her it's hard to make that assessment.
Bringing this thread back to the original topic, chuckles34 is spot on. You can't go wrong with Baxter. It would an easy commute, low SC taxes, fabulous neighborhood w. amenties, tons of kids, a fabulous YMCA with waterpark in the neighborhood, good schools and just all around a great choice for those who can make the price point. I'm not expert on Union County, but I think property values have been holding up in Baxter quite a bit better due to ongoing high demand for the neighborhood - there is substantially less downside risk. One very long term item to consider in favor of living on the NC side is access to the UNC system for college, SC has nothing remotely comparable.
OP's budget is in the $400K range, so I'm going to make an assumption that they are in a good position financially, and the new job pays a good wage.
If so, consider having the husband rent a small apartment for the short term near areas under consideration. This will allow the opportunity for home buying reconnaissance missions after work and on weekends to get a better taste of what will work for the entire family.
We took this route a few years ago when I was forced to relocate. I was able to see exactly what was going on in neighborhoods and subdivisions in the evening and on weekends. Also worked out well as it allowed me to keep close tabs on the builders when our new house was being built.
Also reduces the possibility of additional school swaps after your move.
Note to OP - Indian Trail may sound far away, but it's not a bad commute for somebody used to our typical northern adventures. My 5BR/4Bath/3car side load in Brandon Oaks will be going on the market soon, I can send you a PM with details
Last edited by 89quattro; 05-18-2012 at 11:04 AM..
Thanks again for all the replies. THere have been a few good points and I now have more to think about. Right now we live in a small town about the size of FM and it's about 10 to 12 miles from the mall and major shopping. Locally, we have a few restaurants and grocery stores. So, I am accustomed to driving However, I would like to be under 10 miles from the major shopping areas and maybe under 5 miles from a Target. I know that sounds silly, but I do get a little tired of having to drive to get anything done. I just can't wait for the kids to get out of school so we can head down. We don't finish up school here in MI until the 15th of June And my husband is slated to officially start his job on August 1 --even though he will probably be commuting back and forth most of July.
I am really leaning towards a spec house, building (which probably won't work with our time frame), or a house the is just a couple years old. But, we'll see....you never know...
Just looking on line, I love the Hollister sub (in Waxhaw) by Shea homes. Is there any reason it's not built up??? Is it a crappy area or is Shea not a great builder to work with? It seems to have everything I am looking for and the homes seem like a great deal (which is what concerns me)! Anyone have any info on Hollister???
Building in Hollister by Shea began right at the time the market began to go down. For a couple of years, Shea stopped building in there, probably because they couldn't cover their costs by selling homes at a higher price. I believe then that Shea worked with the bank, renegotiating to be able to get the land at a lower price so that now they can sell the homes at a lower price than they had originally. Many of the homes are also smaller than the ones initially built as well. IMO, it is a nice neighborhood and worth a look.
I know these last posts were somewhat going off the rails of the OP, however I did not mean any personal offense to SC&U. My point was to give the "third side of the coin" to the OP and sit back and think of ALL options thouroughly for this big decision.
S.C&U is a mainstay on these boards - I've never seen a post even remotely close to what your concerns are... not to say there aren't agents like that because we both know there are...
I can't speak for FM, but Waxhaw/Marvin/Weddington has no rental inventory. It's not a matter of choosing rent vs. buy if you want to live in that area. There's simply no choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by movingtoFM
Thanks again for all the replies. THere have been a few good points and I now have more to think about. Right now we live in a small town about the size of FM and it's about 10 to 12 miles from the mall and major shopping. Locally, we have a few restaurants and grocery stores. So, I am accustomed to driving However, I would like to be under 10 miles from the major shopping areas and maybe under 5 miles from a Target. I know that sounds silly, but I do get a little tired of having to drive to get anything done. I just can't wait for the kids to get out of school so we can head down. We don't finish up school here in MI until the 15th of June And my husband is slated to officially start his job on August 1 --even though he will probably be commuting back and forth most of July.
I am really leaning towards a spec house, building (which probably won't work with our time frame), or a house the is just a couple years old. But, we'll see....you never know...
Just looking on line, I love the Hollister sub (in Waxhaw) by Shea homes. Is there any reason it's not built up??? Is it a crappy area or is Shea not a great builder to work with? It seems to have everything I am looking for and the homes seem like a great deal (which is what concerns me)! Anyone have any info on Hollister???
If you're willing to look at spec and like Shea (I think they're one of the better tract builders in the area), you should look at Barrington, too. Hollister will be Cuthbertson HS (even though it's practically across the street from Weddington HS) - Barrington is Marvin Ridge. Hollister will have bigger lots and you'll pay for it.
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And my husband is slated to officially start his job on August 1 --even though he will probably be commuting back and forth most of July. 
