While I'm not Deerfield either, I'll give you a little feedback... It applies only if you plan on being there for a while ( I HATE moving!!!)

I moved from MI to SC in 2000, with 2 kids at the time. Greenville's a pretty big place, although not as big as Charlotte for sure! But being completely new to the area, we didn't want to spend a wad on a house and then not like the area in a few years (also had to sell ours first anyways). Do some research for apartments on the internet, as close to your work as possible. Keep about 3 or 4 to look at and go check them out prior to moving and get one. I'd recommend a 6 month lease (or month to month). This should be plenty of time to converse with co-workers and drive around, finding the perfect area you want to be in. Like maxpower said...

Quote Originally Posted by maxpower220 View Post
First, you know where you are going. Cruise the internet for homes, check schools for where you need to be location wise, and check the crime reports for "bad areas". It is helpful if you know people who have lived there to give you pointers on good/bad areas and schools.

.... Hopefully you can be very specific about your housing needs. Plan on house hunting and set that up early with the real estate agent. I found that I needed to be rudely specific with agents. Some don't plan routes for looking at homes (which wastes your time which is probably not a lot), they show homes that don't meet your requirements, or are out of your budget restaints. You don't have time for someone who doesn't work for you and your requirement. You will also need to get pre-approved for a loan prior to going there and be prepared to submit an offer with earnest money. Have a back-up house in mind if a deal doesn't work. Also check the rental market in case you can't make a deal House hunting is a highly stressful week of your life...
While 2 moves do suck, if you just buy a house you may end up trying to move again the next couple years anyways. At least if you do the 2 moves right away, pretty much everything is still packed up and the 2nd move isnt' too bad this way. We ended up taking a year, since we couldn't find the house we wanted and ended up having one built to our specs where we wanted it. Can't do something like that if you're trying to move straight into a house in the next few months. If I ever move to a location I'm unfamiliar with again, that's what I'll do, even with the 6 more kids than last time...I'll just have to rent 2 apartments or a HUGE house. Lol.