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ctribucher - housing in seattle is getting really unnaffordable and I will probably be a stay at home mom, so we will only have one income. Living in Seattle on less than 30K/yr is going to be tough. There are other parts of the country I would consider if cost of living was not a factor (I'd love to live by the ocean in California). So, Charlotte has come up because I have family there (1 aunt) and the houing prices and weather are so much better. I am really getting down with 9 months of gray skies in Seattle, so for me, weather plays a huge part. (I have lived in mostly very warm countries growing up and I miss that). For $300K in Seattle we would get somewhere very small, way outside of the city, but it looks like we could easily find something that would accommodate us in Charlotte for $200K or so. Also, I feel like I am ready for some sort of change. I want to be able to sit outside in my yard in the evenings and relax/eat dinner. It's almost always going to be too cold to do that here... plus we will not get much of a yard in our price range anyway. I'd like to not be under so much pressure because of the high cost of living, and just feel like I can enjoy my life to a fuller extent. I am excited about getting to know my neighbors and having a more of a sense of community. Also, I like that people mention that it is a great place for families since we will be starting ours soon.
I really appreciate the responses.. Pls. keep them coming!
Hon, living in Charlotte on Less than $30,000 a year ain't going to be a picnic either! I see you were talking about a $200,000 home, which I hope you were just using as an example. If you really expect your income to be under $30,000 a year, you will probably need to rent.
Recently visited Charlotte for business, I really liked the very walk-able 10 block by 10 block downtown, quite a few excellent restaurants, including Mimosa Grill (higher-end, very nice, not cheap but worth it) and Showmar's (Excellent Southern and Greek food, cheap prices, good service) and the restaurant connected to the Dunhill hotel (forget name). Of course during a week-long business trip I didn't check up on house prices, etc. Weather was nice, cool but pleasant, while I was there. I didn't drive while there, but the roads seemed OK to me. There are 2 big lake-centered recreational areas nearby.
To me, a downside would be the high humidity, relatively speaking (no pun intended) compared to my normal Intermountain West home in Eastern Washington.
Hon, living in Charlotte on Less than $30,000 a year ain't going to be a picnic either! I see you were talking about a $200,000 home, which I hope you were just using as an example. If you really expect your income to be under $30,000 a year, you will probably need to rent.
Ummm, yeah I couldn't imagine trying to live here on a $30K a year salary??? Living here is quite expensive, atleast it is for us and we moved here from TX which was actually a lot cheaper. Here there are hidden costs as well, like the property tax you pay every year on your vehicle. I just don't think it is practical to have a very good life on $30k a year here.
sstarrx3 - we have a good sized chunk for a downpayment which would afford us a $200K house pretty nicely. It seems 30K/yr would go further in NC than in Seattle, no? I am basing $30K on being a 1 income family (assuming we have kids soon). I will most likely be a stay at home mom. I'd love it if we would make more than that but I am trying to look at things realistically. I may have to work part time to bring in extra $. Our down payment should make our mortgage very manageable.
Thanks for all responses.. I am really enjoing them.Pls keep them coming.
sstarrx3 - we have a good sized chunk for a downpayment which would afford us a $200K house pretty nicely. It seems 30K/yr would go further in NC than in Seattle, no? I am basing $30K on being a 1 income family (assuming we have kids soon). I will most likely be a stay at home mom. I'd love it if we would make more than that but I am trying to look at things realistically. I may have to work part time to bring in extra $. Our down payment should make our mortgage very manageable.
Thanks for all responses.. I am really enjoing them.Pls keep them coming.
NOt trying to sound smug here, but do you know how much having a baby costs??? There are diapers and formula and god forbid medicine and clothing, odds and ends. I don't know how anyone could manage on that salary and live a nice lifestyle these days. 10 years ago almost we had that income and we lived in a $600 a month apartment. Let me tell you it wasn't easy. And that was 10 years ago in TX where there was no state income tax. Now, food costs a lot more, we have car property tax here, income tax here, I don't want to burst your bubble but I think you would have to have 2 incomes.
sstarrx3 - we have a good sized chunk for a downpayment which would afford us a $200K house pretty nicely. It seems 30K/yr would go further in NC than in Seattle, no? I am basing $30K on being a 1 income family (assuming we have kids soon). I will most likely be a stay at home mom. I'd love it if we would make more than that but I am trying to look at things realistically. I may have to work part time to bring in extra $. Our down payment should make our mortgage very manageable.
Thanks for all responses.. I am really enjoing them.Pls keep them coming.
Is that "good sized chunk" of a down payment at least $100,000? Because to be able to live on $30,000 you need to have a house loan of no more than $100,000, preferably $90,000. $30,000 is great for a single person in Charlotte, maybe even a young couple with no kids if they live in an apartment of no more than $750 a month. But once you throw a baby into the mix $30,000 gets real tough to live on I'm afraid.
we have about $130K for a down payment, plus some savings. i do know how much a baby costs.. and income will actually probably be more like $40k/yr - I miscalculated. does that sound better?
we have about $130K for a down payment, plus some savings. i do know how much a baby costs.. and income will actually probably be more like $40k/yr - I miscalculated. does that sound better?
Better yes. And that much for a downpayment is wonderful. Wasn't trying to be in your face, matter a fact about how much a baby costs, but sometimes it surprises me still how much it costs to raise my kids and our income is higher. Just letting you know that there is always something and having to live counting pennies is just a really sad way to live. I wish you luck.
Is that "good sized chunk" of a down payment at least $100,000? Because to be able to live on $30,000 you need to have a house loan of no more than $100,000, preferably $90,000. $30,000 is great for a single person in Charlotte, maybe even a young couple with no kids if they live in an apartment of no more than $750 a month. But once you throw a baby into the mix $30,000 gets real tough to live on I'm afraid.
In all honesty, my son has friends trying to make it here on $30,000 and it is hard. They have roommates to help w/ the apt. costs. The cost of living here is not much different than anywhere else. In fact, it is a bit more than it was for us in the midwest. I know this is not true for every market, but our car insurance even increased here. Even our cable bill is higher here. Plus tax on groceries . . . we work hard to keep our grocery bill down. And altho others have told me they don't agree, eating out is more expensive here, IMHO. So on $30,000, even w/ a reasonable car loan ($225 or so a month) my son's friends are struggling here. They buy furniture off craig's list, don't eat out often, and have to be really frugal w/ buying any clothing and extras. Car maintenance, gas . . . So I don't know . . .
You should be able to find housing in that range. I had a new one 1996 built on the north side near UNC-Charlotte .campus. 3bed/2 bath,near woods nice neighbourhood. Bought it for $116,000 sold for $127,000 a couple of years ago. Can't find property like that In Forida. My son and DIL live in Seatac nr Seattle wher housing is VERy expensive and it takes 2 salaries to pay the bills.
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