Among Friends

[tarsmom]

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@spent2much wrote:

I don't know about retirement places, but my daughter & her family live in NC.  They've been there about 12 years and they LOVE it.  She's 41 and they have lived in Clayton, Garner and now Apex.  She loves NC so much, she would never consider coming back to CT.  

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Sounds like mom and dad need to move by her!  My son has been out of state for 11 years and it's been very hard - he's our only and we miss him terribly!  

[pieman]

I just want to give you the best tool you will ever use when searching for a new home, especially in the South..

www.plotscan.com

The first page will come up Titled: Hazards In Your Areas..(or something like that..

Click on that,

When you find a home that interests you, write down the full address, town and state.

Type it in, where it says and click.

It will tell you everything wrong in that area, its great!

Everything from sinkholes, to chemical hazards , tornado prone areas.

So many people/realtors will lie about the homes they are selling, mostly saying "Unknown" about so many things on the disclosures.

Its not right but they do it.

We almost purchased 2 homes that were sitting smack on sinkholes, yet the sellers played dumb...

Its takes two minutes to check out the home of your dreams, instead of ending up with a nighmare!

Good luck in your search...

[ReggieRagu]

@tarsmom

Funny you should mention medical as I thought about it after I posted. My husband & I never gave it a thought, which in retrospect, was really silly...However, we are fortunate enough to have 3  good hospitals within 30 miles and 2 of them are within 6-10 miles. The doctors and facilities that I have used here have been very good. As I said, earlier no place is perfect but we are very satisfied with our decision.

Best  of luck to you!

Reggie

[SouthFlorida321]

Thank you so much @pieman for that great tip! 

[tarsmom]

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@pieman wrote:

I just want to give you the best tool you will ever use when searching for a new home, especially in the South..

www.plotscan.com

The first page will come up Titled: Hazards In Your Areas..(or something like that..

Click on that,

When you find a home that interests you, write down the full address, town and state.

Type it in, where it says and click.

It will tell you everything wrong in that area, its great!

Everything from sinkholes, to chemical hazards , tornado prone areas.

So many people/realtors will lie about the homes they are selling, mostly saying "Unknown" about so many things on the disclosures.

Its not right but they do it.

We almost purchased 2 homes that were sitting smack on sinkholes, yet the sellers played dumb...

Its takes two minutes to check out the home of your dreams, instead of ending up with a nighmare!

Good luck in your search...

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Wow!  THanks a bunch!

[OR Director]

I have lived in NC all my life and it is great! You have access to the beach and the mountains. The weather is usually pretty good compared to some other places. Vey little snow unless you live near the Va border usually. You also have access to great healthcare if needed as we have both Duke Hospital and UNC Healthcare System. Raleigh and the surrounding area have most anything you would want and Charlotte is even larger if you want a large city. We are also home to my beloved UNC Tar Heels! Give NC a try- I think you would like what you see! Good luck!

[Drythe]

@tarsmom

No, no, no!  You do not want to move here!

Va. is very nice and cultured, Md. has lovely seafood and wonderful colonial history low humidity,  SC has beautiful southern charm.  Tenn. has great weather and prices are low.

Please, we are inundated with snowbirds.  I was fortunate to be born and raised in this beautiful state, which I love very much, but I'm beginning to feel like a stranger in my own home.  Prices & taxes keep going up, and huge first growth forests are being cut down right and left to build cookie cutter subdivisions and condos.

Partly kidding, but not totally.  If you come here do remember that our social niceties are different, our accent isn't like yours, we cook differently, drive differently, are comparatively polite, greet one another on the streets - even strangers, have a different upbringing,  (and no, I do not mean what you're likely thinking).  Our state sits way out in the Atlantic and we are hit with usually one hurricane a year, summers are HOT and HUMID, this month both the temperature and humidity have been stuck in the 90s -  make sure you can deal with that, + in the past few years politics have become regressive.  PLEASE, Do not say - well at home we did this better, or comment on our "funny" accents.

Seriously, I do wish you well in your search, but NC was "discovered" about 20 years ago.

Forgive me if I do not sound welcoming, but I've had a LONG, stressful day on the phone, email, Skype, tweet, periscope, FB, and map quest trying to be helpful to my buddies who are doing animal rescue in Texas.

Believe me, if love, dedication, bravery, toughness, and big hearts can win out those animals have a good chance.

[dooBdoo]

             I've moved a lot so I've lived in a number of states -- I have to agree that parts of NC, SC, VA, WVA, GA and TN are lovely, affordable, welcoming locales.   (In NC, Old Salem and Asheville -- I would love to return to either of those.  Wonderful arts communities.)   So much depends on personal preference, lifestyle, individual needs...    It's probably a good idea to actually make a list of your wants, needs, and also those things that are deal-breakers.    Then, after asking anyone and everyone and doing research on the internet to narrow down the choices it's probably a good idea to visit the areas and try to get a better "feel" for a good fit.    Best wishes to you, @tarsmom!

[KLm]

I live near Charlotte. Pros: weather. Hot and humid in the summer but very nice in fall, winter, and spring. There are discernable seasons.  Two hours from the mountains, three to four hours to S Carolina beaches a little more to N Carolina beaches. Excellent medical care. Arts, libraries, recreation, and education are all available.

Cons: traffic. And then there's the traffic. I should mention the traffic. County taxes are high, but nearby counties are more reasonable. Charlotte is near the S Carolina border, so it's possible to live in S Carolina and take advantage of all Charlotte offers (many do).

Asheville is lovely and artsy, but they get snow.  The coast is nice, and they get the coastal weather.

You didn't say what you were looking for so I just hit the high points.  From Charlotte, Jacksonville is a 6--7 hour drive. Charleston is about 5. Orlando 8 to 9. Depends on how you drive. And we have many small towns in NC that might be more to your liking. HTH.

[tarsmom]

Thank you, everyone for your honestly and taking time to respond.  No place is perfect I understand and we are very flexible, easy-going people.  We are not rigid, judgmental or unfriendly.  If anything, I am very sensitive and want to find a place where people are welcoming, not looking at us like "those northerners".  We come from a pretty conservative area in Michigan and are not looking for tons of nightlife.  I love nature, animals and we love to try new restaurants.  I envision myself volunteering in retirement as in my job at a credit union, I volunteered at a nursing home doing nails for the past 8 years.  I probably won't have grandkids and I miss my mom every day, so I need to keep busy helping others.  A smaller town would probably be best for us.  And we dont' have the money to live "two places".  Why do that anyway?  People that do that either have lots of money, or have family in the north that they don't want to leave.  Those two things don't apply to us and I'd rather build relationships in one place.  I can always travel back to northern Michigan for a couple of weeks in the summer if I miss it too much.  

Anyway, I'm rambling now so I'll close - THANK YOU again for helping us!  We're still open to other states, too but I like the sound of NC!