Bonnie Brae area (Columbia, Greenville, Taylors: low income, for sale, rentals)

[lynxpaw]

We are selling our home in Florida and moving to Greenville, Greer, Mauldin, Taylors area. We have looked at homes in the Bonnie Brae area near the golf course and find this area very nice looking, but we have noticed there are quite a few homes for sale in this area. Is there a reason for all the sales? Is it an area to perhaps stay away from for any particular reason?

[catschmidt]

The neighborhoods around that area are 'iffy.' Some of the neighborhoods can be nice and some become low income. Esp around the Donaldson Center. The area near Hwy 25 and the Donaldson Center is one that isn't that great to live in. Greenville county is trying to revitalize some of that part of the county, but you still have some of the low income neighborhoods backing up to a higher income neighborhood. Personally, I do not feel all that safe around the Donaldson Center and driving the 25 thru there. I try and go other ways when I have to. I know the Bonnie Brae golf course is nice. It's #13 on the 'Things to See in Greenville' list. That is one good piece of news for that area.

[Floridian to relocate]

lynxpaw where in fl are you moveing from and why are you moveing and why the greenville area . we are from orlando and thinking of the same areas as you

[HDL]

I checked out the Bonnie Brae area several years ago when I was looking to move to the Upstate. Unfortunately my memory is cloudy and I don't remember what I didn't like about it (darn old age LOL)!

Anyways, I want to give everyone a tip. I found a sub near Donaldson Center and was about to make an offer. Normally when you're looking at homes, you are with an agent and they normally 'chat' things up. For me, that doesn't help as I need to really focus on the good and the bad and they normally 'distract' me from that.

Well, I decided to go back to the house by myself on a Friday at noon to talk to neighbors and get a feel for the area. The house was empty and I was standing in front of it when all of a sudden I heard "Boom Boom Boom". I was like "WHAT IS THAT?" That's when a neighbor came out and I found out. There was a shooting range about a 1 1/2 miles away. Needless to say, no offer was made.

So my suggestion to all is the following:
1) Invest in a camcorder or digital camera and take lots of pics of homes you are really interested in.
2) Remember that if someone else buys the home your really wanted, that it was not meant for you and the right home is still out there
3) Go back several times by yourself and check out the neighbors and neighborhood. If there are a lot of homes for sale or resale, be aware that could mean it will be difficult for you to resale, there are nuisant factors in this neighborhood, neighborhood could turn into 'rentals', etc.
4) Read the local paper to find out what types of development are going on in the areas you wish to move to.
5) Ask the city what is planned for the open area(s) by the home you wish to buy. 6) Sorry to all you Realtors out there, but 'Never' let your Realtor or any Realtors be your guide to the market. They have too big of an interest in the housing industry to be inbiased .
7)Get good advice from people you trust.

As always, JMHO

[Micah Hall]

I agree with that advice.
Basically, you have to do your homework. Don't buy a house just because you saw it on a sunny day when the flowers were blooming, the birds were chirping, and the smell of fresh baked cookies was in the air. Drive through the neighborhood during the day, at night, and on the weekends. Ask your realtor for the recent sales history in the neighborhood (for the past few years, not months). That will give you an idea of whether or not your neighborhood is appreciating or depreciating. See how many homes are for sale and find out how long they have been on the market. I wouldn't say not to take the word of a realtor but I would say to make sure you find a realtor that you can trust. A realtor can be an invaluable help in the purchase of the home if they are someone who will work hard and can be trusted. And, this goes for realtors and anyone else who tells you something, always verify information.

[lynxpaw]

Originally Posted by Floridian to relocate

lynxpaw where in fl are you moveing from and why are you moveing and why the greenville area . we are from orlando and thinking of the same areas as you

We have visited South Carolina for a number of years with relatives being in Columbia, South Carolina and North Carolina. We were impressed with the friendliness of the area and are looking for a change of seasons. (a shorter summer) We are in the speedweeks, bike week, etc. area of Florida. The Greenville area seems to offer the best of both worlds with all the amenities of a big city with small town friendliness near by. We are both bowlers and golfers and the area offers many options for our sports choices!

[lynxpaw]

Originally Posted by happydawglady

I checked out the Bonnie Brae area several years ago when I was looking to move to the Upstate. Unfortunately my memory is cloudy and I don't remember what I didn't like about it (darn old age LOL)!

Anyways, I want to give everyone a tip. I found a sub near Donaldson Center and was about to make an offer. Normally when you're looking at homes, you are with an agent and they normally 'chat' things up. For me, that doesn't help as I need to really focus on the good and the bad and they normally 'distract' me from that.

Well, I decided to go back to the house by myself on a Friday at noon to talk to neighbors and get a feel for the area. The house was empty and I was standing in front of it when all of a sudden I heard "Boom Boom Boom". I was like "WHAT IS THAT?" That's when a neighbor came out and I found out. There was a shooting range about a 1 1/2 miles away. Needless to say, no offer was made.

So my suggestion to all is the following:
1) Invest in a camcorder or digital camera and take lots of pics of homes you are really interested in.
2) Remember that if someone else buys the home your really wanted, that it was not meant for you and the right home is still out there
3) Go back several times by yourself and check out the neighbors and neighborhood. If there are a lot of homes for sale or resale, be aware that could mean it will be difficult for you to resale, there are nuisant factors in this neighborhood, neighborhood could turn into 'rentals', etc.
4) Read the local paper to find out what types of development are going on in the areas you wish to move to.
5) Ask the city what is planned for the open area(s) by the home you wish to buy. 6) Sorry to all you Realtors out there, but 'Never' let your Realtor or any Realtors be your guide to the market. They have too big of an interest in the housing industry to be inbiased .
7)Get good advice from people you trust.

As always, JMHO

Thanks for the information. On our last visit in October we played gold at Bonnie Brae and heard the gun shots and wondered how close the range was!