Big Island Hawaii Family wanting to relocate (Hilo: sales, house)

[Mona6381]

Hi to all!.. I am new here and I really need some advice. I and my family really want to move to the mainland. We can't afford to live here in Hilo Big Island HI. My husband work in a private job as a Mental Health Counselor and earned $55,000 while me is a stayed at home mom. We have 3 kids ages 8,6 and 2. Both of my girls is in public school. We really want to move in a place with 4 seasons..not too hot and not too cold. We are also concerned about him finding a job in mainland because he doesn't have a liscence yet. He has a Master's in Counseling. We searched some jobs but most of the base pay is $30- $37,000 a year. My question is, can we survive to live in mainland if my husband get that amount of salary? If so, in what place in the mainland could we possibly move to?..We are thinking upstate NY but i think we can't afford to live there either. We want to move to a place near school, parks, beach or lake.Please give me some suggestions.. Thank you in advance!!..

Mona

[Cosmo]

Try Coeur d' Alene ,Idaho. Lots of lakes for summer play and snow skiing for the winter. Great schools and plenty of medical places around or try Spokane Washington which is only 30 mile away. housing prices have gone nuts here lately but there are plenty of choices around here.

[Cosmo]

Im in the opposite position you are in and im looking to move to the big island.

[Mona6381]

Thank you Cosmo for your suggestion. The price range we can afford to buy a house is $80,000-$100,000. Then my husband's job is actually dealing with behavioral kids, Providing Intensive In-Home therapeutic services to children and families including crisis intervention and Behavior Management Plans. Providing Individual, Group and Family Counseling to students and their families; Providing clinical interventions for children and adolescents in a school setting. Can he find a job like that in Idaho?..Is it affordable to live there?..

I live near Hilo Big Island, and public schools here are not good. We can't afford private schools for our kids..It's just too much expensive to live here..

Please give me some more advice!..Thanks

[Sweetbeet]

Public schools in upstate NY are pretty good (compared to a lot of places). You can probably find a house in your price range, particularly in one of the more depressed areas like Cortland or Binghamton, or out in the country.
I don't know about job opps for your husband, but I'd think there would be something. You could live in Cortland (cheap and nice housing), work in Cortland or Ithaca or Syracuse, and go to Ithaca for fun.

BUT, are you SURE you want to deal with the weather up here? It's SO BAD that I'm going through conniption fits (not sure that's spelled correctly!), giving up a good job with great pay and great benefits, slitting my throat pension-wise, getting rid of all my stuff at deep discount, and going into debt up to my eyeballs, just to get OUT of here! To Hawaii!!

If you've never lived where it's cold (really cold - think highs below 10F some days) and snows and ices and sleets and slushes (then freezes), and is perennially cloudy, then you might want to think again. (Of course most of us here on the Hawaii forum want to be in Hawaii... maybe you should try some forums for places you are thinking of going!)

[Mona6381]

Thank you Sweetbeet for your suggestions. But I heard Binghamton don't really have jobs. I'm not sure if he can find a job in there. We are hoping to find a place that is not too cold and not too hot. I hope it exist. I will try to search in other forums. I did not know that almost here in hawaii forums wants to move here.

To kel19602003, thank you for the offer but we try not to buy a house that exceed to $120, 000. And I am not sure yet if he can find a Counseling job up there or if there is not sure if his income will be enough to provide us.

Thank you guys!

[IntoTheMystic]

Try North Carolina. Housing prices are still reasonable in many areas.
There are seasons, but they are reasonable. There's both beaches and mountains.

Good luck!

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by Mona6381

Hi to all!.. I am new here and I really need some advice. I and my family really want to move to the mainland. We can't afford to live here in Hilo Big Island HI. My husband work in a private job as a Mental Health Counselor and earned $55,000 while me is a stayed at home mom. We have 3 kids ages 8,6 and 2. Both of my girls is in public school. We really want to move in a place with 4 seasons..not too hot and not too cold. We are also concerned about him finding a job in mainland because he doesn't have a liscence yet. He has a Master's in Counseling. We searched some jobs but most of the base pay is $30- $37,000 a year. My question is, can we survive to live in mainland if my husband get that amount of salary? If so, in what place in the mainland could we possibly move to?..We are thinking upstate NY but i think we can't afford to live there either. We want to move to a place near school, parks, beach or lake.Please give me some suggestions.. Thank you in advance!!..

Mona

Try Lexington Kentucky. Beautiful rolling hills, four mild seasons, great cost of living and public schools. Plenty of lakes, forests, parks, and nature. Plus it's an awesome, friendly, college town.

[Mona6381]

Thank you IntoTheMystic and cynthia007 for your suggestions. Right now our first concern is a place where my husband can find a Mental Health Couseling job or SBBH job (he has a Master's Degree). I think that's our first priority for now. Wherever he will be accepted then we will think about it if we also like the place..

Thank you guys!

[jessiesma]

Mobile AL is on the Gulf coast, 45 min to beach moderate year round temps, cost of living still very reasonable, people very laid back and friendly, still that Southern Hospitality thing goin' on. Schools can be ok, Maybe towns of Daphne or Fairhope across Mobile Bay. I loved it there. DH didn't. The Univ. of So. AL has a big Med school there and so med. professions are good. schools don't pay a lot but you can live on it there.
We went thru Katrina there but were ok cause big parts of the county and city proper are in non-evacuation zones. Some of the more southern parts of the co. didn't do so well. It is a very pretty city with old oak trees and tons of flowers. The only neg. is that sales tax is high even on food.