[Fountainrunner]

I'm currently unemployed in the NJ/NYC metro area and my apartment lease ends soon. My family owns an empty house in Pensacola (North Hills Highlands area). The house is completely paid for and we still pay the utilities each month though no one is living there. We'd love to sell the house but the market is really bad, so it's just sitting there until things turn around. I'd like to move down for a year and clean the house up and work part time. I understand the job market is bad but things are not much better up here either. I'm just looking for a change of scenery and to take some time to get myself together for when I decide to move back to NJ in a year.

I visited the home last month and enjoyed my time there. However, visiting a place for a few days is much different from living there for 12 months. My questions are the following.

1) How safe is the North Hills Highlands area? The house is located a few blocks from Baptist Hospital and Pensacola High School on a quiet street with nice small homes.

2) Any advice on how to make friends? I don't know anyone down there. Is there a place a young person (in there twenties) can go to find folks (other than some random bar!).

3) How do employers view out-of-state applicants? I'm only looking for part-time work. Maybe something in an office setting.

[Fountainrunner]

Anyone out there?

[RMD3819]

I know little about PNS as my kid went to UWF for a year, so here goes....

I don't know about specific neighborhoods. Did your family ever live there? Or was it just an investment property?

There is the college crowd from UWF to socialize with.

In general, it is tough to find work long distance. This applies everywhere, not just PNS. Someone asking for a job in person at least shows that they are there. Have you looked in the online classifieds?

[Fountainrunner]

Hi RMD3819,

Thanks for replying. A member of the family lived in the house for about two years but moved back up here. I've checked online ads and I see some jobs I'd be interested in but I won't be applying for anything until I've settled down there first.

[BKTony]

I am from NY and lived in Pensacola when I was in the military a few years ago. You are in for a cultrue shock. Pensacola is nothing like south Florida. It is more like a deep south town like in Alabama or Mississippi. Not much to do besides the beach. Weather is alright but it does get ver hot and humid most of the year. Also it is like ground zero for Tropical storms and Hurricanes. Low cost of living though.

[Fountainrunner]

Hi BKTony,

Thanks for replying. I'm from NYC too. I've been to Pensacola and lived in the South before (mainly South and North Carolina). To me, Pensacola isn't as backwards as other places down there. However, it might depend on which section of town you're living in as each is different. I'm not going to kid myself though, I'm sure there will be times I ask myself what the heck I'm doing down there and want to quickly plan my return to city life. I still don't get Southern folk! But this is the whole point of the move, I need a change and break from the city.

Oh, and regarding Alabama. Talk about Deep South. I hate it down there.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by Fountainrunner

I'm currently unemployed in the NJ/NYC metro area and my apartment lease ends soon. My family owns an empty house in Pensacola (North Hills Highlands area). The house is completely paid for and we still pay the utilities each month though no one is living there. We'd love to sell the house but the market is really bad, so it's just sitting there until things turn around. I'd like to move down for a year and clean the house up and work part time. I understand the job market is bad but things are not much better up here either. I'm just looking for a change of scenery and to take some time to get myself together for when I decide to move back to NJ in a year.

I visited the home last month and enjoyed my time there. However, visiting a place for a few days is much different from living there for 12 months. My questions are the following.

1) How safe is the North Hills Highlands area? The house is located a few blocks from Baptist Hospital and Pensacola High School on a quiet street with nice small homes.

2) Any advice on how to make friends? I don't know anyone down there. Is there a place a young person (in there twenties) can go to find folks (other than some random bar!).

3) How do employers view out-of-state applicants? I'm only looking for part-time work. Maybe something in an office setting.

If the house is empty and not lived in it is probably not homesteaded. If you move in and homestead the property when you sell it you can walk away with the profit up to $250,000 for a single person and $500,000 for a couple tax free. You just have to live there for two years. It could be worth $50,000 to your family to homestead it depending on what the home is worth. Even if you only live there for a year it is prorated and your family will still see a big tax savings.

[matchpoint]

It sounds like you have a plan, could make a productive use of your time (managing the house and looking for part-time work).

You're in your 20s? GO SOUTH YOUNG MAN!

A year passes by very fast these days....

[RVlover]

2) Any advice on how to make friends? I don't know anyone down there. Is there a place a young person (in there twenties) can go to find folks (other than some random bar!).

REPLY: Get involved in a good, large, local Church that has a Young Adults Ministry (most larger churches do) . Youll make good friends, do activities, and grown in God at the same time. Welcome.

[beachmouse]

Making an assumption on the screen name there- McGuire's bar and grill in downtown Pensacola just east of the Civic Center has a pretty big running group of all ability levels that runs every Tuesday night out of the bar:

McGuire's Running Club

I've been in there when people were coming back in after their runs and it seemed like a very social group. There are also a couple other running and triathlon clubs in the area, and because of the Navy, they're used to people coming and going on a regular basis.