Dear Stephanie,

Please I recommend that you research the Lake Norman Area. However, I know that
You will feel at home in Mooresville, NC. Many New Yorkers are moving here.
This growing Town offers the best combination of highly rated schools, economic opportunity, recreational activities, and a sense of community, located close to the major metropolitan area of Charlotte but surounded by miles of shoreline on beautiful Lake Norman.

Feel free to call me at your convenience. I will be happy to answer your questions in detail.

Angelica Traub 704-881-4233

Fri Mar 28 2008, 15:25

BEST ANSWER
Hi Stephanie! I am glad to hear you are considering a move to North Carolina. Except for a few years in Tennessee, I have lived here most of my life. The pace of life is slower, but not backwoods! The cost of living is reasonable, and home prices, while not on the bottom of the chart, are still very, very reasonable here.
I am located in the Raleigh/Durham area. Raleigh is located in Wake County, which was cited on CNN last week as the 6th fastest growing county in the US. While Raleigh is certainly growing, so are the bedroom communities surrounding....and that is where I spend the majority of my time. I have access to a great supply of homes for clients...homes that have a 'country' neighborhood atmosphere but are within a 15-20 minute commute to the city. The majority of my work takes place in the area just north of Raleigh; Wake Forest, Franklin and Granville Counties. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the great communities you will find and the wide choices of homes and floor plans available to you.
Please feel free to contact me for more information at 919-906-8865, or visit my website at http:// www.mikecarswell.com .
I'd love to add you to the list of our happy homeowners!

Tue Mar 25 2008, 18:55

Stephanie,
I moved from Florida 24 years ago and love the Charlotte area. There are 2 lakes, tons of shopping, lots of options for schooling, great medical care, good weather, friendly people & just a short dirve to the mountains or the beach. There are lots of areas you could look at in that price range. I would be glad to e-mail you some homes that may be of some interest. ellisgroup@carolina.rr.com

Mon Mar 24 2008, 18:24

Hi Stephanie,
My wife and I moved to the Triangle 7 years ago from the Washington D.D. area and love it here. If you would like me to send you some available homes near us I would be happy to do so.
Michael

Mon Mar 24 2008, 09:03

Sure, Charlotte is a great area, but for the price range you mention, your choices for housing is limited. My son had to move elsewhere because he just couldn't find anything suitable within his price range. The market is still very hot there, and the prices are out of sight. I live and sell real estate in Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas, including Greensboro, High Point, etc. It is only 1 hour to the mountains, and a little over 3 hours to the coast.

Winston-Salem is a wonderful place to raise a family. And the schools are awesome. Both of my sons have done well with their foundation of education. (One of them moved to Manhattan and is a supervisor of design in the print dept. of NYU....right in your neck of the woods.....I do visit often, by the way!)

I have a beautiful brick "story book home", 2 level, plus a finished basement. I have 2,750 sq ft and nearly an acre of land in a great subdivision close to one of the largest malls in NC. And my home would bring approximately $275,000. So if you would like to see what $250k-300k would buy, by all means, give me a call: 336-408-5848 I can hook you up with a free database access of the homes for sale in the area.

Mon Mar 24 2008, 08:55

Hi Stephanie - one thing to consider in terms of towns is what kind of climate you like. Asheville is quite different in the Carolinas in that it offers mild winters and cooler summers. It still gets HOT occasionally, but generally we have delightful summers. We don't get enough snow for some people - a few days a year and it usually disappears by the next day. We are the City that so many people are escaping to for the summer from warmer places such as Florida, Texas, and cities such as Atlanta and others. Of course, if you are active there is lots to do and all kinds of things for children. I can send you links to childrens' activities if you would like. You are making a big change and it's great that you are putting the time in to find a good fit for you. If you can spare the time and the cash, it would be great to visit a couple of areas at the top of your list and see where you feel comfortable. Rowena 669 6671 rowena@pattonpropertygroup.com

Fri Mar 21 2008, 09:41

For a family, I would recommend Asheville (outdoor lifestyle), Raleigh-Durham (Cary in particular-my sister and brother-in-law love raising their 2 young girls there) or Charlotte area (where I live with 3 young children and am a Realtor). There are many great family neighborhoods throughout North Carolina, but these are the cities I am more familiar with. My husband is from NY but I'm from the South so I understand a bit of the changes you're contemplating. Best of wishes and if I can help, feel free to contact me.
Liz

Thu Mar 20 2008, 18:39

Hello Stephanie, My wife and I relocated to the Charlotte area almost 5 years ago and haven't looked back. We love it down here.
Many people have the wrong impression of Charlotte. This is a growing area with all the amenties, except good Italian bread. ;o).
With a price range of 250 to 300 you would be able to purchase a great home.
Let me know if I can help.
All the best
Rich Ferretti
Realtor/Broker ABR
704-564-0807
Rich@RichFerretti.com

Thu Mar 20 2008, 08:42

Stephanie,
North Carolina has alot to offer in many of our larger metropolitan areas. I have lived in the small and large ones. I was born and lived many years off and on in Charlotte, I have lived in Raleigh and even some of the small areas such as Asheville. The best part I find is being in between the mountains and the coast. My youngest son is 8 and in public school. North Carolina has really started to put effort and money into the public schools. I now live in the Greensboro triad area (triad referring to Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) I have plenty to do and am close to other areas in case I want to get a change of scenery or something else to do. If you like I can give you a web account that will enable you to search the triad area MLS service. For other data look at the cities chamber of commerce websites or a city government site. They can give you crime rate projections and school rankings. They will also have links to the locat entertainment venues.
If you need any help in any of these areas feel free to give me a call or drop me a line.

Good luck in your search,
Larry Story
Coldwell Banker Triad
larry.story@coldwellbanker.com

Thu Mar 20 2008, 03:16

Hi Stephanie - I know how difficult the search can be! I have lived in DC, San Diego, and Miami Beach before settling in Asheville! Asheville continues to be voted one of the best places to live in the country in many studies. We found it to be a good mix of what you want from a small City, whilst maintaining a flavor of life that is missing in many cities. Crime is low and people are very friendly. The climate is mild and you are surrounded by gorgeous mountains almost anywhere you drive! Hope this helps. Here are a few homes under 300k so you can have a quick tour!

http://www.wncrmls.com/wnc/maildoc/b006IZ4215.html

Wed Mar 19 2008, 10:51

Hello Stephanie,
The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a great place to live and raise children.
We live in a clean environment and have a wonderful school system.
What line of work is your husband in?
I would be happy to send you a Relocation Guide for our area.
Here are a few websites to get you started - Visitors Center: http://www.outerbanks.org/index.asp and Chamber of Commerce: http://www.outerbankschamber.com/
I can also set you up with an automatic MLS email which will email you directly the newly listed homes in our area (Southern Shores, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk & Nags Head) according to your critirea.
Please email me if you are interested: nicole@seasiderealty.com or view my webpage for my current listingshttp:// www.coldwellbankerobx.com/nicolebouker
Good Luck with your search!

Wed Mar 19 2008, 10:25

Good morning Stephanie,

You just described where I live, near Charlotte to the south, with all the lifestyle amenities it offers, without
the congestion. It is a safe enviroment with excellent schools. I know first hand, as my wife is a Special
Education Coordinator in the school system.

If you would contact me by email, I will be glad to get you any other more detailed information you would like, and answer any specific questions about the area you may have. I am a life-long resident of North
Carolina, and that's longer than I like to be reminded of.

I will look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Dean Davidson,
ddavidson@kwcharlotte.com
704-661-3814

Wed Mar 19 2008, 07:17

Hi Stephanie,

I have helped several buyers, like yourself, relocate from New York, one of whom was also from Staten Island. I relocated here with 5 children and finding good schools was my top priority. I live in Matthews and my children attend Elizabeth Lane Elementary, South Charlotte Middle and Providence High School, which are located in Southeast Charlotte. I am very happy with the schools and my children are excelling. You can research the Mecklenburg County schools from a link on my website at http://www.TeresaQuinan.com. There is also a link for the Union County schools. I would suggest you research the schools to find out which area you are most interested in. There is a new high school in South Charlotte called Ardrey Kell. Myers Park is another high school you might want to research, and also Weddington High School. In my opinion if the high school meets your standards then it usually follows that the feeder schools are also excellent. Once you have pinpointed an area I would love to set you up on a personalized webpage, which will automatically keep you up to date on available properties which meet your criteria. My contact information is on my website and also some useful neighborhood links and other useful links. Please send me your contact information so that I can mail you a relocation package, full our useful information about Charlotte and the surrounding areas. I look forward to hearing from you.

Tue Mar 18 2008, 19:36

Stephanie,
Rent for a year or so, check out the area, choose a good area yourself.

Tue Mar 18 2008, 17:04

Mike,

The furniture .. don't forget the furniture.

;^)

Tue Mar 18 2008, 15:26

My wife and I relocated to Hickory NC about three years ago from New Jersey and we absolutely love it. I actually used to commute to Staten Island, so I know what you are looking for. We have two boys ages 5 and 7, so I know what you mean about good schools and recreation. The schools are great and our boys are involved in every sport imaginable at the YMCA. Hickory offers great shopping and restaurants. There is not a chain store you can name, that is not here. We also have have great museums, science centers, lovely restaurants and we are only an hour northwest of Charlotte. I would love to show you what Hickory has to offer. Feel free to visit my website for a comprehensive view of Hickory North Carolina - voted All American City 2007.

Tue Mar 18 2008, 12:33

Stephanie,

The previous answers are good choices ... but you might think about the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area ...

Great schools like Wake Forest, University Of North Carolina and 8 others ... lots of lakes, ponds and parks - and probably pound for pound, and mile for mile, the best quality golf courses this side of Denver ..

As far as homes are concerned, there's a huge abundance of different architectures .. and one of the few places you can still purchase a quality custom 3000 sq ft brick home sitting on an acre for under $350ish - or less...

Happy hunting.!

Tue Mar 18 2008, 10:45

The area I service is about 1.5 hours from Atlanta, Ashville and Chattanooga. The schools are rated very high, Look at a map, the cities in this area are Murphy and Hayesville, NC and Blairsville, Blue Ridge and Hiawassee Ga. I can be reached at 877-353-2054

Tue Mar 18 2008, 10:10