"Hell Hath No Humidity Like": The Carolinas Real Estate Tour, Part II--"Gone Away" :((P. 7 is current)

[mvp]

Let me know when you plan to make it down my way if you are still interested in a Charleston area tour.

Oh, yes. Planning on it and looking forward to it, stb! ETA right now is really fuzzy, but probably after August 7th at least. I'll do my best to figure it out so that I fit into your schedule rather than corrupting it.

[mvp]

We are actually renting, not buying. We probably won't stay in Aiken long term. I am in a pretty nice horse community so if you want I could show it to you if I am in town, PM me if you want.

Yes, please! I will PM you. I think I'll in Aiken by the middle of next week.

[jawa]

A little late to the party...BUT if you are interested in the "greater" Charlottesville area, you may want to check out some of the surrounding counties. Buckingham County, very rural, Louisa and Fluvanna Counties, also very rural, but an easier commute on I-64. I'd say that their isn't anything in the "greater" C-ville area that would be similar to S.P. or Aiken, but the pricing might allow you to buy more acreage.

[fooler]

Good luck with your "home" hunting.
DH & I have lived in Camden, SC for 20 years now. It is really hot and humid here July through mid-September. Hot being 90+ with >60h+ humidity. My BFF was here for 2 weeks and said it is worst here than at her home in East Alabama. April - June is warm with daytime highs ranging from 60-80 with a few low 90's and "low" humidity. The temps usually drop into mid-80's by 2nd half of September.
Winters are usually mild with some freezing temperatures but nothing like what you experienced in NY state.
I tell people Southern summers are like Northern winters - when it gets hot or cold it stays that way. Southern winters are like Northern summer - it seldom gets consistently cold or hot.

There are many transplants from the North and Mid-West as retirement money goes much further in SC than in their home state. Also we have a large number of snow-birds - folks who winter in SC and summer in their respective home states.

Camden does not have a lot of manufacturing, so not much local to support and grow a strong middle class. I commute to Columbia now after years of commuting to Charlotte, NC. My personal observation is the 2 main employers here are farms (horse and otherwise) plus eating establishments.

That said there are a lot of trainers of all types here, the SC Equine Park is very active plus Springdale Steeplechase facility. John Cushman's family owns The Tack Room, he was an award winning jump jockey. He is vice-chairman of the Carolina Cup Racing Association and vice chair of the SC Equine Park. His entire family are very active members of the Camden Hunt. They or the store staff can provide you with a lot of information about the area.

In other words check out the area before writing it off. You may contact if you want if you plan to stop in town.

[mvp]

Good luck with your "home" hunting.
DH & I have lived in Camden, SC for 20 years now. It is really hot and humid here July through mid-September. Hot being 90+ with >60h+ humidity. My BFF was here for 2 weeks and said it is worst here than at her home in East Alabama. April - June is warm with daytime highs ranging from 60-80 with a few low 90's and "low" humidity. The temps usually drop into mid-80's by 2nd half of September.
Winters are usually mild with some freezing temperatures but nothing like what you experienced in NY state.
I tell people Southern summers are like Northern winters - when it gets hot or cold it stays that way. Southern winters are like Northern summer - it seldom gets consistently cold or hot.

There are many transplants from the North and Mid-West as retirement money goes much further in SC than in their home state. Also we have a large number of snow-birds - folks who winter in SC and summer in their respective home states.

Camden does not have a lot of manufacturing, so not much local to support and grow a strong middle class. I commute to Columbia now after years of commuting to Charlotte, NC. My personal observation is the 2 main employers here are farms (horse and otherwise) plus eating establishments.

That said there are a lot of trainers of all types here, the SC Equine Park is very active plus Springdale Steeplechase facility. John Cushman's family owns The Tack Room, he was an award winning jump jockey. He is vice-chairman of the Carolina Cup Racing Association and vice chair of the SC Equine Park. His entire family are very active members of the Camden Hunt. They or the store staff can provide you with a lot of information about the area.

In other words check out the area before writing it off. You may contact if you want if you plan to stop in town.

Thank you, fooler! I will journey to the Mecca that is The Tack Room, and therefore check out Camden with an open mind, too. Oh, and I think HRH GHM gave a clinic there? If Camden had some barn and fleet of riders good enough for the likes of George Morris, I think I could perhaps find it a good place to do my horsing.

And when I have the Camden day picked out, I will certainly get in touch and we can hang out if you wish.

PS-- how does the SC residents paying higher property taxes on second homes work? I get that the state wants some revenue from people who live elsewhere and have vacation homes here. But if you live in SC and, say, have some rentals within the state, those properties are taxed at a higher rate? Same for commercial properties? Farms? And that's *not* true for other properties in other states for SC residents?

It might not matter... except for where someone would buy/establish residency in the Tryon area... where you could be right on the border between the two states and choose your spot according to this tax thing.

ETA: I have only been in VA and I'm in the mountains (Saluda, NC) now... so I have not yet tasted any real heat and humidity. But I picked these dates on purpose, so as far as I'm concerned, the weather might as well show me what it's got now so that I can make an informed decision.

[grinanride]

On the SC tax thing - 4% owner occupied, a discount for homestead for sure, 6% commercial or non owner occupied, agricultural is very inexpensive so you would file a home on 1 acre for your homestead then the rest apply for agriculture...( % is of assessed value ) it also varies between counties ( Greenville County SC example $450K is about $2k per year owner occupied and agriculture )
Risa
HappyTrailsTrailers
BalancedRideTrailers
back side of mountain from Saluda NC!

[mvp]

A little late to the party...BUT if you are interested in the "greater" Charlottesville area, you may want to check out some of the surrounding counties. Buckingham County, very rural, Louisa and Fluvanna Counties, also very rural, but an easier commute on I-64. I'd say that their isn't anything in the "greater" C-ville area that would be similar to S.P. or Aiken, but the pricing might allow you to buy more acreage.

What would you say is the radius of the circle that counts as "greater" Charlotte? I found that I liked that little city very much AND it's apparently having a housing boom which might be good for me since I'd like to buy a rental or two.

[mvp]

On the SC tax thing - 4% owner occupied, a discount for homestead for sure, 6% commercial or non owner occupied, agricultural is very inexpensive so you would file a home on 1 acre for your homestead then the rest apply for agriculture...( % is of assessed value ) it also varies between counties ( Greenville County SC example $450K is about $2k per year owner occupied and agriculture )
Risa
HappyTrailsTrailers
BalancedRideTrailers
back side of mountain from Saluda NC!

Very helpful on both counts. Thanks!

Hehe, and which side of this mountain is the back? I'd love to stop by HappyTrailsTrailers and pay homage.

[RMJacobs]

mvp, be aware that the requirements for establishing permanent residency in SC for property tax purposes are pretty strict, at least in the county I live in (Horry County). You don't just get to say "yeah, I live here." You have to have an SC driver's license, SC plate on your car, file taxes using your SC address (which often has to be after the fact due to timing of filing tax returns), and I think we also had to show utility bills. It can also take a long time to get approved. I got lucky on the timing because the previous owner of my house had just gotten approved for the house they then sold to us. Since our documents were in order, the previous owner's approval got transferred to us for 2017. It seemed odd to me that it could be transferred as that seems to defeat the purpose, but whatever, I'll take it. It took about six months for my next door neighbor's approval.

Right when we were getting ready to register our vehicles here, we heard that a little provision in the gas tax bill increased fees for registering out of state vehicles by a huge amount. Until the effective date was imminent, there hadn't been much talk in the media about this part of the law. We heard just in time to get ours done right before the effective date of the big increase.

I'm not in a very horsey area, but if you happen to find yourself near Little River, give me a shout via PM.

Rebecca

[babyeventer23]

Hey MVP! Just seeing this, haven't been on the forums much lately. I have a small farm just south of Charlotte, in Indian Land (South Carolina! :-). If you need anything while you're in the area, don't hesitate to reach out!

[mvp]

mvp, be aware that the requirements for establishing permanent residency in SC for property tax purposes are pretty strict, at least in the county I live in (Horry County). You don't just get to say "yeah, I live here." You have to have an SC driver's license, SC plate on your car, file taxes using your SC address (which often has to be after the fact due to timing of filing tax returns), and I think we also had to show utility bills. It can also take a long time to get approved. I got lucky on the timing because the previous owner of my house had just gotten approved for the house they then sold to us. Since our documents were in order, the previous owner's approval got transferred to us for 2017. It seemed odd to me that it could be transferred as that seems to defeat the purpose, but whatever, I'll take it. It took about six months for my next door neighbor's approval.

Right when we were getting ready to register our vehicles here, we heard that a little provision in the gas tax bill increased fees for registering out of state vehicles by a huge amount. Until the effective date was imminent, there hadn't been much talk in the media about this part of the law. We heard just in time to get ours done right before the effective date of the big increase.

I'm not in a very horsey area, but if you happen to find yourself near Little River, give me a shout via PM.

Rebecca

"Get approved"? Wha,,,? I understand having to prove residency with documents and such, but besides merely having those and filing tax returns with an SC address, there's something the state has to do in order for my life to move forward? That's pretty Germany-like of 'em, don't you think?

In any case, I appreciate the clue.

Right now, I'm still in Tryon where there weather is being dishonestly nice-- cool (it rained last night) and not too humid. Not helpful for research purposes, but very enjoyable. Oh, and what loud bugs you guys have here in the woods! Cicadas and/or more, but really loud.

[grinanride]

In Tryon / Landrum Tuesday? Where is lunch? Happy to meet for lunch if you are in the area still. Back side is SC side / other side of the water shed!
Risa

[RMJacobs]

"Get approved"? Wha,,,? I understand having to prove residency with documents and such, but besides merely having those and filing tax returns with an SC address, there's something the state has to do in order for my life to move forward? That's pretty Germany-like of 'em, don't you think?

Maybe I wasn't clear--these are the hoops you have to jump through to get the reduced permanent resident property tax rate on your primary residence. If you do nothing, you will pay the higher rate. If you jump through the hoops, it reduces your property tax bill to practically nothing. I think my yearly bill will now be around $700. I've lived in five other states and never paid such a low property tax rate before.

On the subject of weather, I am sure you are finding it humorous that we are having unseasonably cool weather right when you are trying to figure out if you can stand the heat here. It's only up to the high 70s in Little River right now, and it was about that in Loris this morning, where my horse is boarded. I usually roast out there, so today is a nice treat.

Rebecca

[mroades]

Yeah, mvp, could you come on down to SW Fla and bring that cold front with you?

[mvp]

Hey MVP! Just seeing this, haven't been on the forums much lately. I have a small farm just south of Charlotte, in Indian Land (South Carolina! :-). If you need anything while you're in the area, don't hesitate to reach out!

Thanks so much, babyeventer23. I will PM if I'm around you for long enough. But you can certainly help me by telling you how/why you are in the Charlotte area. I am impressed with that little city. It seems compact and drivable... as though people working "in the big city" have a much higher quality of life than would someone living where there is more sprawl.

[mvp]

In Tryon / Landrum Tuesday? Where is lunch? Happy to meet for lunch if you are in the area still. Back side is SC side / other side of the water shed!
Risa

Thank you for the invite! But I'm in SC now.... actually hanging out with Fox Wood Farm at her place. But! I'll try to be back close to the 15th or 16th.... when there is a horse show at TIEC and hopefully some more honest weather. Can I find you then and we'll rig something up?

Also, you Pro-Cat travelers who might need a fix because your cats are not portable, you all should know that there is a store on the main street in Landrum, SC (also very close to The Farm House tack shop)... that works for cats AND has a shop cat or two that you can pet. I stopped in for my fix and I can attest that the one cat I met was very good at his job of being nice to the public. Should you require a souvenir, you can sometimes find an adoptable kitten or two there. They have a window display.

[mvp]

Yeah, mvp, could you come on down to SW Fla and bring that cold front with you?

I probably could bring that with me! I live in Oregon and, in my absence, they are having the heatwave that I wanted to feel here. No one is served. But seriously, folks, I might have to open my mind to Ocala, so if you all have a time that you know you'll need some good weather there, I try to book it.

[nycjumper]

We're newish to Aiken having moved last October but we love it so far. The humidity was rough the last few weeks for thankfully, we have had a few days respite. We are boarding now but bought 14 acres and are in the process of clearing in order to build a farm. We LOVE the quantity and proximity of the shows - great to get miles on the babies. Happy to meet up and answer any questions if you have some

[IPEsq]

Um, MVP, are you getting Charlotte and Charlottesville mixed up? I wouldn't call Charlotte a "little city" or "drivable". LOL

I personally really like the rural Free Union area to the north of Charlottesville, though I don't know if that's out far enough to save you any money.

I've had family horsey ties to the Staunton area. That's quite different from Charlottesville. Once you get over on that side of the Shenandoah, you get into Virginia Tech country versus UVA country and a bit of a change in demographic.

I know you're going to Tryon next, but I'd suggest you do that by going south to Raleigh-Durham area then west. Are you checking out Asheville as well? If you go from RDU to Tryon without a detour to Asheville, then you're looking at at least going around Charlotte and get an idea for that traffic. But I'd suggest taking the northern Asheville way on 40, then when you go from Tryon to SP, hit up south of Charlotte. I tend to like the SC side best for horse things.

[grinanride]

Thank you for the invite! But I'm in SC now.... actually hanging out with Fox Wood Farm at her place. But! I'll try to be back close to the 15th or 16th.... when there is a horse show at TIEC and hopefully some more honest weather. Can I find you then and we'll rig something up?

Also, you Pro-Cat travelers who might need a fix because your cats are not portable, you all should know that there is a store on the main street in Landrum, SC (also very close to The Farm House tack shop)... that works for cats AND has a shop cat or two that you can pet. I stopped in for my fix and I can attest that the one cat I met was very good at his job of being nice to the public. Should you require a souvenir, you can sometimes find an adoptable kitten or two there. They have a window display.

Keep me posted, happy to meet with you if it works out to your schedule
Risa