Is the job market/economy bad in Boise area?

[grmi66]

I know a handful of very talented, well connected people who have unfortunately had to move out of Boise in order to find work in their field. Personally I looked fruitlessly for almost 4 months and did not get so much as a nibble. Moved back to Phoenix and was working for a Fortune 500 company within 3 weeks and making $20,000 a more than my last position in Boise. If I could find a way to move back I would go in a heartbeat, of all the cities I've lived in around the country Boise was the best.

[HDL]

I'm curious how many folks that focus on buying a new home have ever owned one before? I've owned 2 new and 2 resale homes and I don't think that I will ever go back to buying new again unless I have a boatload of cash !!!

I just love my yard and my hard/soft scape too much!! It's so costly to pay a landscaper to put one in and it just takes too much time to mature and grow. I prefer someone else put in both the time and $$$$ money and I just move in and lovingly care for it and enjoy it !!

But that's just me and I respect that others have different wants and needs than mine ! Good luck Pooks1976 !

Originally Posted by Pooks1976

I am looking for a house and noticing the same thing. As an outsider, I think the problem is the new construction. People who bought high, need to sell high and new construction looks like a better deal to the buyer. Why would I pay X for used 2x4 construction, when I can pay X for new energy efficient 2x6 and get to pick everything out.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Pooks1976

I am looking for a house and noticing the same thing. As an outsider, I think the problem is the new construction. People who bought high, need to sell high and new construction looks like a better deal to the buyer. Why would I pay X for used 2x4 construction, when I can pay X for new energy efficient 2x6 and get to pick everything out.

Sometimes. How attractive a deal a new home is really depends on a lot of other factors. buying high and needing to sell high is one, for sure, but only one of many. But on the other side, a new home is…. new. Everything is still tight if it's built right, and everything works because it's new. the furnace is going to be more efficient, as will be the hot water heater and any appliances that come with the home.

One of the effects of an oversupply of new homes, when the homes are priced high enough to recoup what money is into them, is the new home sales slow down and the older home sales pick up.

Utility costs aren't a deal breaker in Boise like they can be in other areas of the state. Here in I.F., an older home with a lot of cold air leakage and a 30 year old gas furnace can add up to a lot of cost in the winter, especially if it's a cold or windy one.

But Boise is a lot milder, and doesn't get as much wind as here. Of course, the air conditioning in the summer adds up too, but when I lived there, not all that many houses had central air conditioning.

In my neck of the woods, 2x6 construction does pay off, especially in a home outside of Idaho Falls' city limits. But in Boise, 2x4 construction does fine. If an older home gets some added insulation or gets a wrap under some new siding, it can be quite snug.

Size also is important. A lot of new McMansions, with their high open ceilings, end up with a lot of hot air close to the ceiling, while the floor area gets colder. And the bigger the house, the more it takes to heat it.

There are always a lot of tradeoffs, good and bad in either.

[boiselover]

depends on your field with what you two do being an RN and a cdl driver/mover you should have no problem both fields seem to always be in demand most places and boise is no exception try to get something lined up but I imagine you could land something quickly if you didn't. Keep in mind boise has mostly low wage jobs and wages for most things are lower than elsewhere however cost of living should make up for that and even if it doesnt the quality of life will