[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Economic cooperation is not a bad thing for someone who is young, single, and unattached. I can't understand why "living with parents" is any less undignified than living with a roommate? I own my house and split the mortgage with a roommate. No shame, great credit booster for a grad student (albeit a headache to try to sell in the midst of graduating).

I get along best when alone. I can be with others but not 24/7. Friends can visit me for a few hours or even spend the night then they are on their way back and I enjoy my privacy.

Exactly. What I don't understand then is why it's such a big deal for you, then? If you have NO requirements except a cheap place to live and mild weather, I'd assume you'd have found your paradise by now?

I found like 20 possible locations for me, most of the candidates are in the northeast.

What IS your internet business, by the way, if you don't mind sharing?

You have a very special situation that I don't think translates well to most people searching for housing. You have a home business, no kids, no desire for cultural or entertainment niceities. I am LOOKING where you live for professional opportunities that I feel are not as available up here where I am in my field (or too much competition, rather).

Freelance graphics designer and advertiser. Also will be working for comission, ill get a percent of the sales I make for others. Yes my situation is a bit unusual. You are looking at south FL? I can tell you right now its hard to find a job paying even $15 an hour. Youll be stuck sharing the rent with others and living in high crime. Youll sweat 10 months of the year and grow to hate the hot, humid weather. Youll have to be rich to afford a house there. Look into Texas instead!

[daniellefort]

NAH you may want to consider living in a little more populated area doing internet advertising. If you live in a rural area where the homes are so cheap, it's unlikely you'll have places to even make sales. Let alone even have internet connection available. I find most homes in TN going for $50,000 or less are way out in no where land and also internet connection is not everywhere in these rural areas. Lets see $2000 a month to live on. Even that would be tough for some no matter where you live. Let's just guess estimated monthly bills you'll encounter and i'll use myself as an example. This is considering you have all your furniture, washer/dryer, all kitchen appliances, dishes, pots/pans, glasses, silverware blah blah blah to fill that big 2 story house.

I currently have a mortgage payment of $345/month on a 996 sq/ft for a home i bought for $40,000 6 years ago (which is the amount you plan to spend) I have a 4.41% so we'll say your payment for mortgage is $600 only because nobody can get 4.41% anymore. I don't know your age but if your just starting out, you probably don't have much credit to help you out. I have a brother in law who is 46 and had no credit because he buys everything with cash and he couldn't even get a cell phone contract without the credit check.

House insurance which we only pay $645 a year is $60 a month.

My electric bill minus say 20% just for higher prices in FL would be $80.00

Water/sewer minus 20% is $40

Phone/internet/cable combined $100 (this is the all around package all over the U.S. in the same price range.

Car payment if you have one? (mines paid for)
Average say $200

Car insurance I pay $60 (with a clean record same price as up north)

Gas for you car Estimate $100 month (i work at home to but i still spend about $100 month. Thats just 2 fills ups to me)

Groceries $200 month (which is a very low estimate at 50/wk as i spend $150/week for 3 people)

Health insurance $100 month

That leaves you with $460 a month for clothing, house maintenance, repairs (which likely will be needed before you can even move in) medical/RX bills and oh any credit card debts you might have racked up to furnish that huge place. Not to mention no money left after all this to have a life and enjoy a night out once in a while or even go see a movie.

[blueoktober]

I just wanted to mention that I moved from Orlando 6 months ago to Nashville (Tennessee is my home state) and things aren' THAT much different here. There is no way you would find a house that wasnt a crack house for 50k around here. Even East Nashville which is considered the "bad" parts with lots of crime, the houses are going for well over 200k. Everyone moving here is causing the same thing as there.

I am from a small town in TN called Lawrenceburg. The houses there - you couldnt even get one for 50k there and there's less than 8k people there.

TN isn't going to be the promised land for much longer. Trust me on this one.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by blueoktober

I just wanted to mention that I moved from Orlando 6 months ago to Nashville (Tennessee is my home state) and things aren' THAT much different here. There is no way you would find a house that wasnt a crack house for 50k around here. Even East Nashville which is considered the "bad" parts with lots of crime, the houses are going for well over 200k. Everyone moving here is causing the same thing as there.

I am from a small town in TN called Lawrenceburg. The houses there - you couldnt even get one for 50k there and there's less than 8k people there.

TN isn't going to be the promised land for much longer. Trust me on this one.

That's something i'm hearing more about is the Crack houses up there. I was on the TN forum trying to find out what everybody does for a living up in TN since it's so rural but nobody cared to answer. I only asked because i'm considering a move up there and would like to know my options of work. Makes you wonder if everyone is on disability or some kind of assistant program up there.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Freelance graphics designer and advertiser. Also will be working for comission, ill get a percent of the sales I make for others.

As in affiliate programs? I have a friend who has a part-time internet business, spends maybe 5 hours a week maintaining it and raked in over 30k last year from it.

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Yes my situation is a bit unusual. You are looking at south FL? I can tell you right now its hard to find a job paying even $15 an hour. Youll be stuck sharing the rent with others and living in high crime. Youll sweat 10 months of the year and grow to hate the hot, humid weather. Youll have to be rich to afford a house there. Look into Texas instead!

I think I've told you before that I am from the area? I know exactly what the weather is like, and Texas is certainly not my style!

And don't worry about my finding a job paying $15 hour. For new lawyers, even the government pays more than $15/hour. I will hope to make at least that, and I will rent a couple years to see what the market is going to do before buying, and to figure exactly where I would like to live.

And by the way, having lived in Jupiter for four years prior to grad school, I never was a victim of crime. You spend too much time looking at Palm Beach County "crime indexes".... the first time I was ever a victim of crime was here in Tallahassee, where my car was broken into in a nice neighborhood. Crime happens everywhere.

[blueoktober]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

That's something i'm hearing more about is the Crack houses up there. I was on the TN forum trying to find out what everybody does for a living up in TN since it's so rural but nobody cared to answer. I only asked because i'm considering a move up there and would like to know my options of work. Makes you wonder if everyone is on disability or some kind of assistant program up there.

Well I can tell you that I am an Application Specialist. I install, train and maintain software. And I make 20k less than I did in 2001! A lot of the people moving here are making a fortune off their homes in their previous state. In my neighborhood in Spring Hill, I swear the 3 immediate houses around me no one works. They are there all day and night. 2 from NJ, and one from New Orleans.
I would really love to move back to my hometown but there's no jobs other than minimum wage factory jobs.

There will be a real wake up call in the next few years here in TN.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by blueoktober

Well I can tell you that I am an Application Specialist. I install, train and maintain software. And I make 20k less than I did in 2001! A lot of the people moving here are making a fortune off their homes in their previous state. In my neighborhood in Spring Hill, I swear the 3 immediate houses around me no one works. They are there all day and night. 2 from NJ, and one from New Orleans.
I would really love to move back to my hometown but there's no jobs other than minimum wage factory jobs.

There will be a real wake up call in the next few years here in TN.

Well it's only time before it starts booming up in those areas too. TN is a poor state. i'm sure big corporations will be welcomed with open arms to help the economy. I prefer the little mom and pop stores over corporate taking over because i like to help those people just try to make a living on their own but no matter how much i'm told not to bring the state of FL with me to TN, i have no control over that and it's going to happen sooner than they think. I guess if someone moves to TN, they'll have to have enough money to buy right out a new place or have enough to live on until they find a job. I'm also repeatedly told that to get a job in TN is no easy job either. They pick their own people over newcomers. Kind of going off topic though. Sorry about that.

[blueoktober]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

Well it's only time before it starts booming up in those areas too. TN is a poor state. i'm sure big corporations will be welcomed with open arms to help the economy. I prefer the little mom and pop stores over corporate taking over because i like to help those people just try to make a living on their own but no matter how much i'm told not to bring the state of FL with me to TN, i have no control over that and it's going to happen sooner than they think. I guess if someone moves to TN, they'll have to have enough money to buy right out a new place or have enough to live on until they find a job. I'm also repeatedly told that to get a job in TN is no easy job either. TThey pick their own people over newcomers. Kind of going off topic though. Sorry about that.

You have no idea how true that is. It's a "good ole boy" mentality and it's pretty common.

[Floridasunshine]

I totally disagree, now is good time to buy and lock in your Taxes. Good income tax deduction. Prices are still rising. Just be a good shopper.

[daniellefort]

Yes we plan on doing that. In fact in March, we're going to TN to look at some property to buy and just sit on for a while. We would like to move there some day but who knows, it may turn into a good investment instead. We're comfortable living in FL right now but i do miss having the 4 seasons. We'll plan to build on the property in TN if and when we go and live in our RV on the lot during the process. Prices up there are going up and down. I've noticed some people slash their prices to make a quick sale but it's not too terribly priced right now so yes, if you can afford to buy, now is the time.