where to live in the south

[bugsy]

Looking to relocate to either virginia, NC, SC, Georgia or Florida. Looking for anyone who lives in any of these states, looking for nice area in these states that anyone would recommend. Looking for house on 1 floor inground pool and big garage. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. please pm me with state and area and or realtors in that area. thank you SYC

[TimG]

Austin, Texas, baby..... I've been here for 41 years after growing up in Chicago and going to school in Wisconsin, a job transfer brought me here when I was 26. It's hard to beat central Texas and the Hill Country. My wife is from Houston and we love visiting Wisconsin in the summers. Austin is hard to beat.

[COPO]

Suggest you give significant consideration to important location factors to narrow your search as presently it's an enormous area. These are just a few things to consider, but just the tip of the iceberg.

1) Is being in or near a large city important?

2) Is being near a large airport for convenient travel important?

3) Are nearby modern healthcare facilities important?

4) Nearby professional sports teams, museums, recreation and cultural facilities important?

5) Is being near the coast, lake, or river important?

6) Is being near the mountains important?

7) Do you want mild winters, but still 4 seasons, or warm year round like south Florida?

8) Newer home, or older home that can be improved? Adding garage and pool are easy if you find the right house and location.

9) Is being within a neighborhood important or being out in the country without neighbors to do what you want?

10) Being near existing friends and family important?

11) Income tax free states like TN, TX, and FL are popular, but often have higher property taxes to make up for it.

12) Most importantly is a budget range.

Of the states you mentioned, probably overall GA or SC is going to have the most bang for your buck if that is important and living within an hour or so of Atlanta will provide all the nearby modern conveniences of a big city, but still far enough away from issues like traffic congestion and inner city crime. I would look to the northern area of GA 60-90 minutes from Atlanta as you have beautiful country in the foothills of the mountains, but still close to great healthcare, Atlanta airport, and cultural facilities.

Real Estate agents are normally experts in a specific area of a city, so first narrowing down your search area, and then picking a top local agent will likely yield better results.

There's a million online resources available that will assist you in narrowing your search and helping to guide you as to your most important factors. Good luck.

[John Brown]

www.bestplaces.net/

[CamaroNOS]

Now that's a VERY thorough check list, all good and VERY important questions to ask yourself from COPO.

Paul

[Bill Pritchard]

Originally Posted by COPO

narrow your search as presently it's an enormous area.

That's an understatement Don't know how feasible it may be for you, but if you can, I would rent for a month or more in a couple areas that you may have under consideration. Just looking at maps and online info can never take the place of real time experience. You wouldn't want to buy a house somewhere, go to the trouble & expense of moving there, and then 6 months or a year down the road, find out it's not your cup of tea. We vacationed for many years in AZ before we knew this was the place we wanted to be.

[Xplantdad]

Originally Posted by Bill Pritchard

That's an understatement Don't know how feasible it may be for you, but if you can, I would rent for a month or more in a couple areas that you may have under consideration. Just looking at maps and online info can never take the place of real time experience. You wouldn't want to buy a house somewhere, go to the trouble & expense of moving there, and then 6 months or a year down the road, find out it's not your cup of tea. We vacationed for many years in AZ before we knew this was the place we wanted to be.

Absolutely true! We vacationed here quite a bit-including being here during the hot season, before deciding to move here

[markinnaples]

There are so many questions related to your main question, maybe answering some of the ones posted above would help. I moved south 25 years ago and other than missing my family and friends, I never regretted it. Best of luck in your decision, it's a big one.

[earntaz]

Being raised in northern Wisconsin, there are two four-letter-words I hate ... COLD & SNOW ... love south Texas!

[WILMASBOYL78]

Where your 2A rights are honored and respected...fill in the rest after that.

-wilma