Starrsville, the one thing you keep missing is the Sports for my 8 year old. He likes to go to sporting venues,wether it be big University sports or major leagues.
Guy 18 you made me laugh. The Hornets which is a basketball team, I believe moved to New Orleans. Charlotte has the bobcats now for basketball. The Braves are a baseball team.
Actually yes my son would be happy with the sports in the Atlanta area. Even though we are Met fans in which the Braves always beat us. Never heard of Bent Tree. This could be why I never thought of it. Are there many families in that area? Is that area also a good investment?

Thanks for the sports update. I'm an English teacher who tries to play the role of the effete intellectual. I'm sure that tomorrow morning I'll ask my students if there were any homeruns in tonight's superbowl.

Do a google search on "Bent Tree Jasper" and many realtors will come up. I worked with Craft. "Georgia Mountain Properties" is a good website with lots of pictures. Yes, prices are going up, not as astronomically as here in Florida, but everyone is saying they're on the cusp. Younger families seem to be moving in as well. Went on a hike over Christmas and met a nice family with kids who just moved from Jacksonville.

There's a nice lake in the center of the community--no gas motors allowed, which I like. Kayaking (if you have your own kayak) and swimming are the big lake activities. There's a golf course and a few hiking trails. Obviously, lake and golf course lots go for more money. I'm a poor teacher, so my place is way back in the woods down very winding roads. But even in my hidden part of the community, investors are coming in and buying lots for a lot more than they used to cost.

Home Depot and Krogers just came into Jasper, and everyone says they know more than anyone when a community is going to boom. What's nice about Bent Tree is that, no matter how congested the area might some day become (a long way off) we are protected behind our gates and will always be in the woods.

Let me know if I can give you any more info.

Forgot...There are also tennis courts and two swimming pools. Maintenance fees are unbelievably low ($1000 a year).

Guy,seems like everything is ala carte there. You have to pay for fishing,boating,swimming separately. Not sure about the clubhouse. Also, do you see many families? I know you mentioned one,but I mean a lot of them.
My parents were both in the school systems. My mom is 70 and still substituting. Pay was not great but their pensions are nice. They were from Jersey. I understand the Florida pensions are horrible.
Thanks for the insight,I do appreciate it.

I don't know who you'd rent your home to in Fort Mill because it isn't a vacation destination.

The fact is that coastal vacation homes are expensive everywhere.

Okay, let me see if I have it now. Two basic priorities here: proximity to sporting events and vacation home with rental income.

What in Fort Mill produces vacation/resort rental income? I just can't see why you are focusing on that area (or Charlotte in general) if you are looking for a vacation home, as opposed to just a general residential real estate investment.

As to sports, I don't know how demanding your 8 year old is, but you can find college sports and minor league baseball in Asheville, Charleston, heck, even where I live in Myrtle Beach.

I can't believe that Wilmington, NC has not been mentioned yet. This is a Southern town that is expanding and becoming a very diverse area. Wonderful Jewish community for a town this size. You have both an historic downtown and wonderful beaches. A boater's paradise. It's boundaries are the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. Just fantastic. Very social and very fun city. You better hurry, though. This is considered one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. There are some great gated communities near the beach, but also some wonderful historic homes downtown. Actually being on the beach will be very difficult without having quite a bit of money. Great if you can afford it, though. I have been to Asheville, Lake Lure, etc. These are nice towns, but Wilmington / Wrightsville Beach, NC is just a wonderful place to live. Take a drive up from Florida and see this area. You could also continue up to the New Bern, NC area. This is also an area which is growing rapidly. The best thing to do is take a drive up and stop in all the recommended places. You really have to see everything to know where you will best fit. Good luck!

I was told about an exciting community that was great for families in Ft.Mill called Baxter Village,the website is impressive with a town center a new YMCA and restaurants still close enough to Charlotte to go to games. I hope this answers that question. I understand that most on here obviously think the Mountains or Beach area are better. Just trying to keep everyone happy.

I'd think you'd be looking at college towns for a mix of less population, diversity, tolerance, cultural activities, and spectator sports, with the hope that you might be able to generate some rental income. Some place like Boone, Clemson/Lake Keowee, Chapel Hill/Lake Jordan, etc. Otherwise, I agree with some of the others here that beach cities and towns, and Asheville, represent your best bet.

Okay, those of us that live here have tried to tell you that Fort Mill nor Charlotte are vacation destinations and the Charlotte real estate market has come close to its peak if it hasn't already.

You aren't going to find a house for $150,000 that you can rent out as a vacation rental and sell in five years for $500,000.

The Charlotte real estate market has been booming since the late 1980s early 1990s; you've probably missed that window of opportunity.

I think whatever we buy we would want to keep for at least 10 years. Other reason I may have originally chosen the Charlotte area is because the airports around us Sarasota and Tampa go to Atlanta,Charlotte,Raleigh. Not Asheville,Wilmington areas. We usually only get 3 to 4 days to vacation and we do not want to spend it driving a lot. Also,I know I can get to other areas if we are willing to fly with plane changes. Those of you who know what it is like with an 8 year old and a 4 year old changing planes,not fun!! So we would prefer direct flights.
This site has been great and I have gotten a lot of information to think about. I am glad I stumbled upon Fodor's. It is great to hear your thoughts and experiences,we really do appreciate it. If anyone wants to know about the Sarasota Bradenton area,I can help you out.

Add Greenville/Spartanburg to that list of airports in the Carolinas and Georgia, too. Delta flies non-stop twice a day between GSP and TPA.

A lot of places have direct flights.

The newer carriers, don't fly the hub and spoke flights the older airlines fly.

Example, Charlotte is a US Airways hub and Atlanta is a Delta hub so just about any flight you take with either you will have to switch planes in their hub.

Your children are not always going to be 8 and 4. Don't pick a home for that reason.

Check out Frontier Airlines, Spirit, Jet Blue, Hooters, Southwest, etc to find alternative direct flights.

Well, I completely skipped over the "vacation" home aspect of this. I was talking about relocation. For heavens' sake, Charlotte and Fort Mill are just not in that ballpark at all. Now I see why folks were suggesting Lake Lure, etc.
Yes, Davidson, Huntersville, etc. are very high price tag areas now, but they are still not going to be places to rent when you are not there.
A city with pro and/or college sports in a tourist area is a pretty hard find, I think. YOu might want to think about the Colorado mountains. Silverthorne, for example is about 1 1/2 hours from DIA. Lots of carriers but with a plane change. Three to 4 days vacation? This is really not making a lot of sense to me but good luck.

Go Travel. What do you mean my children will not always be 8 and 4? I don't want them to get any older.
Is the Chapell Hill area decent?

Swimming in the lake and kayaking and fishing are free. There's a fee for tennis and golf and the pools, but, if you choose not to "join," you can pay an almost negligible fee each time you make use of them (tennis and pools, that is--don't know the cost of golf).

Bent Tree is a mountain community, so it's not like kids are out in the road playing ball like in the suburbs. People are pretty much doing their own things. There's a very diverse mix of retirees, vacation homes that sit empty a lot (like mine), and full-time families. A realtor could tell you the exact ratio, but I definitely see kids at the beach and playground whenever I'm there.

Sounds to me like you have to decide what you want primarily, an investment or a vacation home.

Chapel Hill is of course a wonderful and prime area. Once again, not a tourist area.
Your children will grow up and be able to travel easier than you seem to imply they do now. I don't have that problem with my grands when flying, by the way.

Forgot to add...Chapel Hill is a great town, but not a "vacation destination." I actually went to grad school there. Again, it sounds like what you may really want is an investment opportunity, not a vacation home.

Starsville,you are way too sensitive. I do think of my kids because they are important to me. When I said 4 days I did not mean only 4 days a year. I mean 4 days a few times a year.
Everyone's input stuck with me. I just did not think you were understanding what I was getting at. Many on here have helped me. I am looking for a vacation spot as well as an investment. It is ok to have both. Again, I am not sure if you have kids but I do want them to be happy also. It is not like we would go to a game every day.
Anyway,thanks for trying. A lot of what you posted did sink in.

Bigal,,,methinks you just want to be difficult to get along with. And, I am glad you didn't like Big Canoe cause I don't want to have to socialize with you or rent your vacation home when I do go to Big Canoe.

Now, get a clue and realize if you go to Fort Mill....it's not a place that your vacation home will be paid for by renting to others.