Where should I move in North or South Carolina for RE investing?

Question

I've received an offer that I must decide on by Friday for an engineering job. My girlfriend is going into nursing. We will be graduating this may. I have a few cities available to me in the NC/SC states. Should I be looking to move and invest in more of a central city such as Charlotte (leaning towards this), or could I just as easily look into a coastal city such as Charleston or Wilmington? What is the better option? We are attracted to the many healthcare options in Charlotte for nursing possibilities, the fact that it seems to be growing, and its location between the ocean and the mountains to the west. We also love the idea of living right near the coast as we're both from Iowa, but are curious how big of a concern hurricanes are in coastal cities regarding RE investing? Some other cities we are looking into are: Cornelius, Greensboro, Fort Mill, Concord, and Raleigh.

Jon Puente · Answer

Hey Isaac,

You honestly cannot go wrong with any of those options.  I live in Charlotte, NC and love it.  You can get anything you want here and enjoy your time.

The reality is that if you moved here for 2 years and hate it, just pick up and relocate to another area!   I would not base any of your decisions on hurricanes.

As long as you pick a growing city/area, you will be fine long term!

Eliott Elias · Answer

Texas

Joshua Norman · Answer

Hey @Isaac Bartels love this post! So I am a Realtor as well, in the Triangle and Triad area and joining Charlotte shortly. I also wholesale deals that our company procurs direct from sellers. We cover those areas and am happy to connect with you to offer some advice and guidance. Each area has it's pros and cons and are different from each other in some ways. Let's connect!

Pat Lulewicz · Answer

I'd recommend knowing what strategy you want to pursue and if its a viable option in the city that you're looking at. Example - you're not going to do office towers in Wilmington, but you will in Charlotte. On the flip side, it would be more lucrative and generally more affordable to run a STR business out of Wilmington than Charlotte.

Once you know the strategy you want to pursue - long term rentals, STRs, wholesaling, retail, self storage, etc - you can see if that market is conducive to that type of opportunity and your lifestyle...remember, you're also going to have a new, full-time job. Keep the big picture in mind of lifestyle and the long-game of investing over 70 years, and not just the next 24 months so that you don't cap yourself and your potential, or start to hate real estate because you get frustrated.

Diana Ortega · Answer

Raleigh and Durham would be great options. There's so many investment opportunities as well as many hospitals around. Duke Hospital in Durham is one of the best and it's close to Raleigh as well. There is also a lot of Big Tech coming to Raleigh which just shows how big it's going to be in a few short years. Also, Charlotte and Wilmington are only 2-3 hours away!

Aria Corkum · Answer

I recently moved to Greensboro for a job in real estate focusing on distressed investment properties! Greensboro is located in between Charlotte and Raleigh which is nice with many options available. The Piedmont Triad is a growing area with over 20 colleges, Toyota is building a multi billion dollar factory, and many other jobs coming to the area. Charlotte and Raleigh are more developed when looking at investment, still good options. When looking at appreciation value of properties Greensboro- High Point- Winston Salem are more up and coming.

Taylor L. · Answer

I'm not sure that there are any bad options there, and it's not as though you'll be constrained to invest within a 10 minute drive from your house. Wilmington isn't necessarily close to Charlotte, but you can easily bounce from one to the other for a weekend (for example).

I'd focus more on general quality of life and where you'd rather live. You can be successful in real estate from any of those markets.

Christopher Smith · Answer

Hey Isaac,

Congrats on the job offer. I am an investor and realtor in the upstate of SC, I am about 60 mile south of Charlotte. Although I can't give you any advice on the coastal areas, I have lots of experience in the area near Charlotte. The area of Upstate SC and Charlotte area are currently booming with grow especially along the I-85 corridor from Greenville SC to Charlotte. With all the new manufacturing facilities that are coming to area we have a huge need for housing, making the investing/rental market very hot. So, although I can't tell which market is the best, I can tell you that you want to be disappointed with Charlotte. We also have a shortage of nurses in this area as well, so your girlfriend won’t have any issue finding a position in Charlotte as well. Good luck and hope to see you in sweet Caroline soon.

Amy Shutes · Answer

@Isaac Bartels

I’ve visited Charleston but did not do a lot of research in real estate while I was there.  What I did notice is a lot of very well kept historical homes.  I think that Charlotte is great for investing but I’m also a little biased because it’s where I live and work as a realtor.  Everything you mentioned about Charlotte is true.  If you do decide on Charlotte and need a realtor that is familiar with investors please let me know.  I’m happy to help any way I can.

Where should I move in North or South Carolina for RE investing?

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