looking for the down sides of living in south carolina

[flip9109]

I need to get out of the socialist republic of NJ. they are taxing the crap out of me. I have been looking at south carolina, they are 44th in the country for taxes, and property is reasonable. so please tell me what I don't know. What are negatives?

Thanks
Jim

 

[HennysMom]

depends on where in SC you're planning on living as to the downfalls (or anywhere you live for that matter). Do you have children? If so, consider the school systems. Do you want to live in a safe neighborhood? thats a big one there. What is the pay for the locality? I have some friends that live in different areas of SC and the pay is very low compared to where we live and what my DH makes for the same job. Cost of living is a big factor of where you live, so make sure you check it out. Remember too, just because you're paying high taxes where you are now doesnt mean it wont work out to be the same in another state - they may just tax you on different things that make the tax rates SEEM lower than where you currently are.

Whatever local you're looking at, login to their county or do a search, all the stats will be there for what the average taxes are, the safety factors, average income, average age of residences, utility costs, etc. There are even websites that have crimes in the locals as well to factor into your decision.

For us - when we moved from where we lived to where we are now - school systems were the deciding factor as we have children. If it wasnt a good solid school system, we wouldnt even bother looking.

Good luck and make sure to do your homework!