Also looking at Asheville...

Hi, Ive been looking for someplace to relocate to. I do like the snow and mild temps in summer, but the cost of housing really surprised me. Are there any homes in decent areas under 100,000??Someone said heat was high, how high? Hows the crime rate?

I moved here to Asheville about 6 months ago. I thought I had done a lot of research and was really excited about the move. While Asheville is a beautiful place and I am still thrilled to be here, the cost of living here is far beyond what I originally expected. The sad part is that the pay here is not even close to meeting the cost of living. As far as housing, I have spent the last 3 months with my real estate agent, looking at properties. My budget was about $150,000, but it looks like in order to get anything decent here in Asheville, you need to spend greater than $180,000. Now, if you decided that you want to live close to Asheville and purchase a home in one of the bedroom communities (i.e. Madison or Yancy County), the cost is much more reasonable and you can get a nice house.

This is obviously our first winter here .... we moved from Florida. The heating cost have been very high (of course, my perspective may be a bit jaded as I have not paid a gas bill in forever). My gas costs were over $180.00 per month and my electric was over $150.00 per month.

I am not sure where you are moving from, but I think Asheville is a pretty safe community. There is crime, much like any community, but I think overall it appears safe to me.

Have you considered where you might like to work? Good luck with your move decision. :balloons: