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Now that our Greenville house search is finally starting to move forward I wanted to take a look at some of the neighborhoods and areas around Greenville with available homes for sale.  We decided to start the search in the popular area of East Greenville and focus on older homes that have been remodeled or still need some love.  No surprise to Greenville on the Rise readers, the East side of town is also well known for a thriving food scene, recreation, and shopping.  So of course this made the area appealing to us.  On the other hand, the traffic and congestions is on the rise as well as the price of homes.

Perhaps one of the most established neighborhood near Greenville is Botany Woods. The community was established in the 1960s and now has over 300 homes. Styles and layouts include bungalows, estate lots, and single family mid-century ranches. It’s proximity to town and access to  schools such as Lake Forest Elementary, Abner Creek Elementary, League Academy, and Wade Hampton High School keep the community high on buyer’s list.  A quick search on various real estate sites suggest that homes range from 100k to 500k.   A closer look reveals that  most homes are now climbing over the 400K mark which could pose a barrier to entry for some younger or new home buyers.  Currently only a few homes seem to be available for sale.

If you spent any time driving on Pelham Road recently you likely noticed the evidence of Greenville’s growth from new community to more cars on the road.  On the plus side, great local restaurants like Sidewall Pizza, Bacon Bros and the Tipsy Taco are popping up close to the Pelham communities.  Some of those communities include Pelham Estates, Foxcroft. Hollyton and  Merrifield Park where you can find a wide variety in homes styles and options.  Our primary focus is on Pelham Estates where lots size range from .2 up to 1.5 acres and homes sizes from 1600 to 4000 sqf.   Available homes start in the 260s and go up to around 430K.   Ideally we could find a fixer-upper and get in at a lower price.  Homes like that in this community don’t last long however,  with an average of 20 days on the market.

Homeowners looking for a long term investment may want to consider neighborhoods like Wildair Estates near Wade Hampton Blvd. The area, like many in Greenville is growing, with businesses like Craft and Barrell and Lidl grocery recently opening. At this time mostly townhomes are available starting below 100K  with a medium price of 170k.  Keep in mind that these townhomes tend to be 2 bedrooms and on the smaller size.  There are several single family homes with 3 bedrooms or more that could go on the market.  If so, buyers could stand to make quick equity gains a recent comps show as much as a 90% increase in home values once renovation are completed.

The historic community of Overbrook, just 1.5 miles outside of the center of town, is also an area we are keeping eye on.  The community got started in early 1900’s when craftmans style homes were most frequently built.  Moving into the 1920, brick homes began to pop up and make up a large amount of the Overbrook homes today.  The most appealing aspect of this community may be it’s access to several local parks and recreation areas. Those parks include Timmons Park and Railroad Mini Park among others.  Obviously a quick car ride to  downtown makes it easy to stroll around the Saturday Farmer’s Market or catch a performance at the Peace Center.   Overbrook homes sizes are generally smaller and have smaller lots but the access to downtown can easily outway those aspects.  There are still homes in this area starting below 200K if you are ok with some sweat equity.   These typically don’t last long on the market with some homes going under contract within 48 hours of listing.

I hope you found this brief guide to some of the East side communities helpful if, you too, are looking to buy.  I’d be interested to hear from any readers who live in or recently bought homes in these neighborhoods.  How do you feel about the growth and how was your home search experience?

About the Author

Mike Swanigan is a Process Engineer for Cigna. A native of West Virginia, Mike’s family moved first Myrtle Beach in the 1980s and shortly after relocated to Charleston. He holds a B.S. in Journalism from WVU and a M.A. in IT and Digital Communication from Johns Hopkins He is an avid dog lover, amateur foodie, and long time music fan.

Check out the Rest of the “Moving up to Greenville” series by Mike Swanigan Here.

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