to relocate or not to relocate?

[bonnielisabeth]

While I am originally from Hampton Roads, I have lived all over the south. The only place I have lived that had houses in the 70K range was in rural Georgia--those were usually the not-so-nice houses/trailers in rural neighborhoods, and the prices have gone up since I left several years ago. Many of my neighbors had mean dogs to keep the criminal element away. The schools were not very good and some folks were not really friendly to "yankees." Just a warning -- I knew one person who moved _back_ to upstate NY from GA because the prices were cheaper and the wages were higher in NY.

I have been considering moving back to Hampton Roads (which is why I'm reading this forum) but we have almost decided not to because prices for housing have gone up quite a bit for what you get there--in terms of the house and also your tax money. You probably wouldn't even find decent 70k houses in the swamp or in the slum areas. I agree with the poster that you will probably only find those sorts of house prices in the mid-west.

[EMERALDGIRL]

$70,000..............what?? Good luck with that one. Not even in a bad area are you going to find a home for that price......anywhere! If you know of an area that has housing that cheap........please let me know!

In most cases, you make less in relation to the cost of living in HR....just my opinion.

[lilangelbaby0099]

well.. in my area.. shickshinny pa near wilkes barre and scranton pa.. you can get homes for 70 100,000 will by you a beautiful house and anything more than that will get you a huge home and huge land... its really cheap where i live. I am moving to hr.. and it seems so expenisve.. i am wondering how people make it down there??? Mostly homes i saw down in this area are decent but over 100,000 for a decent home. How do people afford to live in hamton roads and such? My husbands parents are quite well off, but i am going to regent and going to work full time.. well if you looking for a nice area.. shickshinny pa.. is beautiful, but there are not alot of jobs. I commute 30 minuets a day, and love every min of it.

[In Ilion, NY]

Ilion is located in Central NY, the nearest "city" is Utica, 13 miles away. heading west.
Next is Syracuse, one hour away (also west) and our state capital Albany, one hour, heading east. Our claim to fame here is "Remington Arms" one of the oldest sporting firearms makers in the US. And I live right across the street from it. PLease folks, I'm not putting down our area/state, but it is becoming harder to raise a family unless you have a truly excellent job here. They are becoming fewer and farther between. Sorry to get off topic, our home is around 70k for the party of town we live in. There are much nicer homes here that are decidedly more expensive, but the taxes on them are just as high. I'll keep reading you posts, and taking in your info, you're a great bunch of people. Thanks.

[pbehson]

Originally Posted by In Ilion, NY

Ilion is located in Central NY, the nearest "city" is Utica, 13 miles away. heading west.
Next is Syracuse, one hour away (also west) and our state capital Albany, one hour, heading east. Our claim to fame here is "Remington Arms" one of the oldest sporting firearms makers in the US. And I live right across the street from it. PLease folks, I'm not putting down our area/state, but it is becoming harder to raise a family unless you have a truly excellent job here. They are becoming fewer and farther between. Sorry to get off topic, our home is around 70k for the party of town we live in. There are much nicer homes here that are decidedly more expensive, but the taxes on them are just as high. I'll keep reading you posts, and taking in your info, you're a great bunch of people. Thanks.

Do you have any equity in your current home? If you were to purchase a $200,000 home here with 20% down you would need to earn $50 - $60 thousand a year (give or take) to afford a $160k mortgage. From my experience, if you have a marketable skill, it's not too difficult for two working adults to earn that in Hampton Roads, perhaps one might be part time. It's worth a try.

Housing is somewhat expensive here b/c people want to live here and there are plenty of jobs. I'm from the north as well, having grown up in the NY/NJ/PA region and lived in NY State for 5 years. I can't say that Hampton Roads is a LOT better, but there are more jobs, a vibrant economy, great weather, and a lot to do. What more could you ask for?

[Ambunny1126]

Originally Posted by In Ilion, NY

Thank you all for your honest replies, we are still researching the area, how does one pay for the homes down there? Is the cost of living, ie:, job wages make it possible for you folks to afford such places? In our travels there we had seen the cost of homes, and some were quite expensive but in all honesty did not think that it is the standard across the board. Or is the reality that you have people working multiple jobs to maintain their current housing? ( Our house is appraised at 70,000 and its a decent place. ) With ourselves, we're looking for a change, warmer climate, a safe place to raise our children, and decent paying jobs in our fields. (I'm Cardiac Tech. and my Wife is a case worker and is currently in a non-for -profit agency. Thanks again everyone, please keep us informed we appreciate it.

I think the thing that makes the difference here is taxes....I am from Western New York, and we are looking to relocate as well...However....We have an almost 6 figure combined income and can only afford a 110K house in NY...It seems the minimum for a decent house in this area is 200K...But look at the taxes. Our mortgage is 1100/month on 110K because our taxes are 4500/year....Nobody knows how to tax like NY....You caould probably get a 200K house for close to the same monthly payment because takes are 1/3 of that! At least that is how I am figuring it all works out in the wash...But we haven't actually done it yet!

[hrguru]

Hello! I am was born and raised in Upstate NY (Cortland) and moved to Northern Virginia to go to school. After graduation I moved permanently to Hampton Roads. Housing here is way more expensive than upstate NY. You could possibly move to the western part of the state where you can find houses in the $80,000 range that is more comparable to the houses you find up north. My mom just moved to Rock Hill SC from Cortland and her house sold for $90K in NY (Prime location and great yard, 4 bedrooms, very nice house) and bought a brand new home in Rock Hill (slightly smaller, no real yard to speak of) and paid $128K 2 years ago. The wages there are more in line with what you see in NY. Hampton Roads does pay well in certain fields, but the cost of living compared to salaries are way off. Just look at the jobs posted on the local job boards 757JobsNow.com - Hampton Roads Jobs including, Chesapeake Jobs, Norfolk Jobs, Portsmouth Jobs, Virginia Beach Jobs, Hampton Jobs, Newport News Jobs, Williamsburg Jobs and surrounding area jobs. or www.careerconnection,com (broken link) to get a better feel of what you can earn. Unfortunately non-profit entities here grossly underpay their employees. Many companies still pay $8 - $10 for admins! The best of luck to you and your family!

[cobste]

I moved here two months ago from NC. We could NOT find a decent home in a good area with decent schools under 250,000. We decided to rent. We rent a home that has lost 60,000 in value in the past year. DO NOT MOVE HERE>