Columbia Named in America's Best Affordable Places to Retire Article

U.S. News & World Report has named Columbia SC as one of America's Best Affordable Places to Retire!
Of course, I knew that already as a Columbia Realtor and life-long resident of Columbia.  Columbia IS a great place to live, especially for retirees.

The complete article (September 28, 2009):

America's Best Affordable Places to Retire
U.S. News & World Report worked with a data search company to seek out places with a low cost of living and reasonable housing prices that still offered access to the services and amenities that people should look for in an ideal retirement spot. Each city on the list has high-quality healthcare and elder-care facilities, as well as an abundance of educational and cultural events.

Columbia SC - Editor's Pick for Best Place for Retirement Living

Topping the list of reasons that Columbia SC was chosen as a BEST PLACE TO LIVE FOR  RETIREMENT:  low median home prices AND low owner occupied property taxes (homeowners over age 65 get even lower tax bills).  The median home sale price in 2008 was about $148,000.  Average property taxes were listed around $1,000.  Homeowners over age 65 get a $50,000 reduction on assessed tax value to further lower property tax bills.

More reasons to choose Columbia SC for affordable retirement living: 

• LOW overall cost of living
• GREAT weather - lots of sunshine and mild winters (snow is rare)
• Friendly people and Southern hospitality
• Excellent health care facilities
• Lake Murray  - one of the BEST lakes in all of the South is popular for boating, fishing and fun
• Easy access to city, regional and state parks and even a National Park close to Columbia
• THREE rivers through Columbia - Congaree, Broad and Saluda for canoeing and kayaking
• Numerous and diverse cultural activities: antebellum architecture in historic districts, excellent musuems, outdoor concerts, University of South Carolina athletic events
• Military retirees enjoy amenities and benefits provided by U.S. Army Fort Jackson and Dorn VA hospital
• Nice places to shop including several malls and special shopping districts including Five Points and Congaree Vista
• Stable economy and work force employers
• There's more, but at least the above list is a start as to why you should choose Columbia SC for your place to call home for retirement!

More Columbia SC information:

Columbia "A to Z"  |  Columbia Blog  |  Lake Murray  |  Lake Murray Blog  |  |  Lake Murray eBook  |  Columbia SC real estate  |  Search Columbia SC real estate

When you're ready for more Columbia SC real estate information, contact Mel Coker:

Office: (803) 223-6214

Mobile: (803) 318-2007

email contact form

email

Columbia SC real estate website

Mel Coker

Search for Columbia Homes For Sale

Search Columbia MLS

Want to search for Columbia SC homes for sale (also: Lake Murray, Lexington, Chapin, Irmo, Northeast Columbia)?  I've just updated my GreatColumbiaSCHomes.com website with NEW MLS SEARCH FEATURES!  Click on the website to view:
http://www.greatcolumbiaschomes.com/

I have FOUR MLS search features available with one being an embedded search feaure on the main home page.  Of course, the BEST method to search for ANY Columbia area home for sale is to contact Mel Coker.  Let me know your home search criteria and I will send you very focused MLS listings.  I have access to ALL Columbia area homes for sale.



Mel Coker
http://www.melcoker.com/
http://www.greatcolumbiaschomes.com/
Telephone: (803) 388-8011

Lake Murray websites

Mel Coker's TWO Lake Murray websites:

As a reminder, I have TWO sources of Lake Murray information on the Internet:
http://www.lakemurray-sc.com/
and, a Blog: http://www.lakemurrayblog.com/

Lake Murray is South Carolina's BEST fishing hole and a great place for fun and watersports.

Check out my NEW Lake Murray YouTube video:




Lake Murray video in HD!

Gamecocks Play Tonight!

Gamecock Football 2009 Starts Today
Wait Til Next Year is Here!

South Carolina Gamecock football starts tonight at 7:00 p.m in Raleigh against NC State. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN with NC State a slight favorite. Steve Spurrier, who has coached a national championship team, won seven Southeastern Conference titles, and won nearly three-fourths of the college games in which he has coached, begins his fifth season as head coach at the University of South Carolina.

South Carolina football website

I saw an article on the Internet yesterday about the "Top 10 College Football Entrances" in college football. The State of South Carolina really has bragging rights for this list. Out of 119 college Division 1 football teams, South Carolina has 2 in the top ten on this list!  South Carolina is number 4 and Clemson is number 2.

 South Carolina has been entering their football games to "Also Sprach Zarathustra, Opus 30" since 1983. Former Coach Joe Morrison started this tradition. The music is best recognized as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but former USC QB Tommy Suggs says the idea actually came from an Elvis concert.

Want to know the #1 entrance? Click for the article
Read about South Carolina's football entrance & see entrance on YouTube

Go Gamecocks!

Vacation DEAL at Myrtle Beach!

What a DEAL at Myrtle Beach!

Special Vacation Offer from Mel Coker

Barbara and I own a timeshare at Marriott's OceanWatch at Grande Dunes.  It's a beautiful resort in a great beach area at Myrtle Beach, SC.   We vacationed there last December and we are going again on September 11th for our 2009 vacation.   We really enjoy our Grande Dunes vacations.  The room is awesome, the beach is great and the facilities and amenities are excellent.  The location for convenience to Myrtle Beach attractions, shopping and restaurants is excellent.

TripAdvisor.com routinely rates OceanWatch at Grande Dunes as one of the top resorts/hotels in all of Myrtle Beach (over 200 rated).  It has a 4.5 star rating and 94% favorable rating.  This is top-shelf rating stuff on TripAdvisor.com

THE DEAL... As an owner, I can refer guests to stay at OceanWatch (subject to room availability) for ONLY $99 per couple for 3 days and 2 nights.  That's an incredible deal for a luxury 2 bedroom villa.  To allow me to put you in contact with a Marriott representative, please CLICK HERE to fill out my online form to request this offer.

Some of the small print and further details: Booking cannot be made within one month of initial contact to Marriott.  One offer per household. Annual income of $75,000 or more is required. Must meet other eligibility requirements.  Guests must participate in a personal 90-minute tour and sales presentation.

CLICK HERE to request a contact for your Myrtle Beach getaway at OceanWatch at Grande Dunes.

Fishing at Lake Murray

The Fishing is GREAT at Lake Murray!
CLICK for my NEW Lake Murray Fishing Web Page

Tournaments are hosted frequently on the lake, including the Forest Wood Cup at Lake Murray in August 2008. Lake Murray is known as one of the most productive lakes in the Southeast for largemouth bass and striped bass. Lake Murray state record fish include: white bass, white perch, white crappie, and white catfish.

What's on my Fishing at Lake Murray page: link to Buddy's fishing guide service, DNR fishing report, Lake Murray fish attractors, license information and link to buy online, Lake Murray weather link, order Lake Murray map or poster online and more.

Fishing at Lake Murray  |   Lake Murray website   |   Lake Murray Blog