My wife and I, along with our five month old son are looking to buy a B%26amp;B in the Charleston Area. We live in upstate NY adn tired of the cold and taxes! It seems like this area is a better quality of life.
Any suggestions?
Buying a B%26amp;B in the Charleston area
Have you run one before? Have you researched it? There%26#39;s a high rate of business failure in the industry. People don%26#39;t realize the time committment.....and the money committment for upkeep. Approach cautiously. What is the location of this B %26amp; B - section of town and condition of the property are paramount. It%26#39;s a very competitive market in Charleston. Best wishes.
Buying a B%26amp;B in the Charleston area
Not to sound discouraging, but I have met several native Charlestonians online through different travel and history message boards, etc. and most of them are fed up with, if not downright hostile towards the ';Yankees'; who they perceive are ';taking over'; their fair city. I hear tales of Northerners relocating down there and supposedly trying to change the layout of the supermarkets, the style of living, even the way the newspapers are printed. Some of these folks have told me that they go out of their way to make Northerners feel unwanted and unwelcome because they resent their presence so much. I have no way of knowing if these stories are exaggerated or not, but I can tell you, beyond the shadow of a doubt that, according to the folks that I have talked to, many natives despise the influx of Northerners, especially ones who have a little money. I used to think that I would like to relocate there too when Hubby retires from his job here in a few years, but honestly, based on the attitude that I have received from some of the natives, I think it might be a big mistake. I don%26#39;t want to move somewhere where my neighbors resent me simply because I wasn%26#39;t born there. I have a feeling that Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island would probably be more receptive to Northerners, because whenever we have visited either of those places, it seems like we meet more transplanted Northerners than native Southerners.
Just speaking from experience. You sound like a nice young family and I wish you luck in whatever you do!
Hi Ryan, Brr New York! I can see why you want to move down here. My husband and I run a cabin rental business in the North Georgia Mountains. A similar business, but we are not living with the guests as you most likely would be.
Be prepared for a 24/7/375 business. We are just now getting the business to a state where we have employees we trust to run the business while we get away.
The other thought is, you mentioned a 5 year old child. It seems as if many B %26amp; B%26#39;s don%26#39;t allow young children because the guests are looking for peace and quiet. Would it be difficult to teach your son to be quiet?
You may want to try B %26amp; B sitting to see if this is the lifestyle you really want. What I mean by that is there are people who come in to an established B %26amp; B and manage it while the owners go on vacation.
I don%26#39;t know about how friendly the folks in Charleston are to ';yankees';. My opinion is that overall we southerners are quite friendly. However, life moves at a much slower pace down here and locals will not be rushed. I believe a lot of mis-communication comes about with our accents. Some northerners perceive us as dumb because of our twang, and southerners perceive northerners as rude because of their accent.
At least vacation down there and see what you think.
Good Luck!
Wherever you decide to move, it is handier to buy a going concern that has met all the area restrictions and requirements. However, it may be in some areas...if you broaden your search area...having a b%26amp;b required a %26#39;special use permit%26#39; that does not convey to any new owners, although most times the new owners are allowed to get their own %26#39;sup%26#39;. If you are buying the furnishings and business of a going concern of course the price would be higher. If you decide to start one from scratch you do need to know your area%26#39;s restrictions and requirements. Some jurisdictions require that owners also be occupants of the building itself...not even next door. Some allow only 5 guest rooms, even in an enormous mansion. In fact, even if you purchase one all ready up and going, one where you would need your own %26#39;sup%26#39;, these newer restrictions might kick in for the newer owners. Fire regulations are another one....some used to allow battery smoke alarms all over but now require hardwired smoke alarms...and some add sprinkler systems. All this so you can decide your price range.
There is a %26#39;life expectancy%26#39; for a b%26amp;b. Some say 7 years before the owners get tired of it. However, I know lots of people who regularly block out whole weeks and months of time for family time; people who have help - which can be relatively inexpensive compared to larger metropolitan areas - in the home and gardens; people who hire innsitters. Hey, you might want to test the waters that way. Hire yourselves out as innsitters. Google it. There are actually courses in it.
Don%26#39;t get discouraged. It can be disappointing to anyone who went in with too little money, too little hospitality, too little energy, too little handyman skill....but, with the blinders off, it can be better than a lot of other jobs.
I guess you have already discovered this site?
bbonline.com/innkeeper/innsale.html
Sultana is very accurate about the feelings of SC toward yankees. It seems to get worse each year, I live in Myrtle Beach, I can tell you it is the same sentiment here. The state motto should be ';come visit, but do not stay';. ';Yankees'; seem to come here with an attitude; they move south to get away from all the things they are now trying to impose on South Carolinaians. I assure you the Civil War sentiment is not dead. Yankees have driven up home prices, which in turn drove up property taxes and insurance. Yet, SC salaries have changed little. Many locals are having to move from the coast because they can no longer afford to live here. Developers, realtors and chamber of commerce are tickled to death to have northerners move in, home prices in 2 years have doubled and tripled. It pushes locals out and moves yankees in, not something anyone appreciates.
About a month ago was an article I believe MSN.com, and it followed the day in the life of a B%26amp;B owner, it was not glamorous to say the least, hard work, sometimes no income coming in for long periods, and as someone else said, it is 24/7/365. NO vacations. Then they talked about all the ';things'; they have to clean up in the bedrooms, never entered my mind, how nasty people can be. After reading that article you could not give me a B%26amp;B.
sultana and magiccat is so right. In our little coastal village here in sc we have more yankees than local southern born people. we like they money they bring in our state but the attitude has to be checked at the border. what was sc 10 years ago is no more and i really hate that.
So maybe go with another area? But don%26#39;t discount the b%26amp;b part...if, as I advised, you don%26#39;t go into it with stars in your eyes. It can be hard work, can be frustrating, can be tiring....wow....does that describe...what?....like a job maybe:) The articles wouldn%26#39;t sell if they were about anything nice....like the fact that you can actually %26#39;get paid%26#39; for all the pretty and nice things you do and for your interests...for decorating and gardening and for how nice your flower arrangements are and if one of you can play the piano during breakfast and for your hospitality, etc. And that you might have taxes frozen for about 10 years and that you can get all kinds of deductions for restoring a historic home, and that you can actually display your Civil War collections or antique dolls or whatever and hold court on the subject since guests will want to talk about shared interests, and that you can actually get involved in the historic and other volunteer things in your town (some paying too) and feel you are making a difference.
You can indeed make a good income if you choose properly...an area that gets business, college, tourism guests, needs wedding sites, etc. Also, of course you can get away...that%26#39;s what innsitters are for. Cleaning up? That%26#39;s what housekeepers would do in the motels so now they just do it in a lovely mansion...with above minimum wages to sweeten the pot. If you have an additional job with flexible hours...say teaching at a town college or community college or art museum, staffing the local children%26#39;s museum or famous historic site, etc. all the more income still with flexibility.
Hi fellow NYer,
After reading all the posts in response to your original one, You should have given up the idea of running a B%26amp;B weeks ago...Boy, you would think owning a B%26amp;B is the worst job in the world???
I have to tell you, we are from NY...born and raised for 35 years. We gave up the cold and moved our family to Williamsburg, started a b%26amp;b with 3 children and have been here for 6 years and plan to stay till we are too old to walk.
The B%26amp;B business is a wonderful thing to do with children. You can be there for your children every day! You can close and go on vacation when you want! Yes, you can go on vacation...you will not be poor, you will not be exhausted, you will have a quality of life that most people dream of.
Will you ever get rich? No...but then ';rich'; is what you make it. WE are rich in family...we vacation 3 times a year, we get to go to all of our sons baseball games, basketball games and we get to go to their schools for day events.
There is no question you will work hard, but it will be yours. It will be what you make it.
Williamsburg is a wonderful place for ';yankees';. It is a wonderful place to raise children and a wonderful tourist town.
If you ever change your mind and consider williamsburg, there are several B%26amp;B%26#39;s for sale here.
Don%26#39;t let anyone persuade you from going after a dream!!!
Excellent post retireinmaui!!
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