saulsx
In the Brooder
- Jun 7, 2016
- 37
- 5
- 34
Hello all,
I am new here - I was directed here from the sister site SS. MY fiancé and I need to find a home in upstate South Carolina, and we only have 14 weeks to do so (long story). We currently live in the Lehigh Valley Area of PA. We know very little about the area in SC except what I have been able to obtain from researching online. We have been looking in Greenville, Union, and Lancaster counties. I have done some house hunting online, and the northeastern corridor seems like the best fit for us.
Does anyone know anything about these areas (or upstate SC in general) from personal experience? We are hoping to find a rural property with a modest home to start a hobby farm (20-50+ acres) - so a mixture of pasture and wooded land is what we are looking for. I tried to find information about property taxes and restricted versus non-restricted zoning in those areas (for animals and such), but didn't find much helpful information.
I did a google search for a map of the water resources in SC (lakes, rivers, creeks, etc), as we would like to have a water source on or near our property. Based on that information, it seems like we are looking in the right area. As of right now, the search area is very large. We thought that would make it easier to find what we were looking for. However, it has posed a challenge for finding a buyers agent.
If someone could perhaps recommend some sites that I am missing for additional research, that would be very much appreciated! Any personal recommendations are also helpful! Thanks everyone
Hey, I don't know if I can point you to anywhere, but my family and I have lived in Lancaster for a couple of years, Rock Hill for a few years before buying our house out here. Personal experience... depends on where you are in Lancaster county, but there isn't a whole lot around here and it's kind of far-removed from everything. If you're on the side closer to Fort Mill and Indian Land, then things are easier to access, and Charlotte is a lot easier to get to. We're on the opposite side.
Fort Mill is nicer. There's definitely a lot more to do there and it's closer to Charlotte, but it's more expensive all-around. So maybe Lancaster county near Fort Mill would be an option?
There's a very, very small art scene, and very little culture, in Lancaster. If you have kids and depending on your lifestyle, there aren't very many opportunities here. Lancaster county schools aren't necessarily terrible but aren't all that great either (about in the middle). We homeschool for various reasons, but public school is definitely out for us here, since the school we're zoned for is not very good. There's a single charter school here that has a long wait list, and a couple of expensive private schools.
If those aren't factors and you have a decent budget, land is reasonable and taxes are fairly low here compared to nearby counties. From what I understand, things seem fairly relaxed, especially when you get outside city limits. There don't seem to be a lot of strict regulations concerning zoning for AG. Here's the county's regulations on keeping farm animals, just to give you an idea http://www.mylancastersc.org/index....0EA7-675C-4727-BE0D-06B0FF8B83AB&Type=B_BASIC
We got a good deal on an old house and 3 acres just outside city limits, about a mile from the reservoir (good for fishing) and a few miles from downtown. Catawba river is nearby. Plenty enough for us to have a big garden, a small orchard, chickens, and keep the kids busy and pursuing some of their interests.
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