Relo from Vegas to Middlebury

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by uggabugga

"the paper," from goshen, is fun to check out, esp. the "Speak Out" section and classified ads.

The-Papers.com Online Publication Viewer

[click on a page to enlarge]

Ha! Thanks for the heads-up....I like the "Good Neighbors" section

[challenger70]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with this move! Thirty years ago I moved from northern California to Middlebury--and I have never been sorry at all. (I also lived in North Las Vegas, out by Nellis, for a time as well, but my experience with Las Vegas is so old it doesn't really apply.) My family all remained in California, but over the years about 1/3 of them have moved east and the other 2/3 are constantly asking, "Can you really get used to the cold?" And, of course, you can and do, and I continue to find it beautiful even as I get older. I've found this area to be everything you seem to be hoping for. As to some of your specific questions, I have well & septic so I can't address that question, and my trash removal (through the independent "Al's Trash") just went up to $54 per quarter for 2 or 3 cans. Unlike California (and maybe Nevada) you generally don't have to make an appointment at the "License Branch" (Indiana BMV); I do a lot of business there and it seldom takes more than an hour or two at the most if you're doing several transactions. You will need to go to Goshen or Elkhart to the BMV. The cost varies according to the age and original price of the vehicle. There is a website that will give you an estimate; https://secure.in.gov/apps/bmv/mybmv...QuoteHome.aspx

Depending on what you're looking for, don't rule out Michigan. It is just a few miles north of Middlebury, and there are a lot of small towns and lakes that are certainly a reasonable drive. Since we are boaters, I would like to mention that there are a great number of lakes within a 25-30 mile radius of Middlebury, with many homes in all price ranges along the lakes. If you have a specific area in mind, don't hesitate to ask and I'll be glad to let you know if I've ever heard of flooding or any other issues. In the course of purchasing 5 homes here over the years, I've investigated most areas pretty thoroughly.

Again, if you're looking for peace, quiet, and beautiful country settings and moderately priced housing, without being too removed from everything (South Bend is an hour at most; Chicago is about 2 1/2 hours away)--and the high unemployment rate doesn't scare you, I think you can't do much better than this.

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by jodyrose

If you live in town, I would need a day or so to find out what city of Middlebury's rates are. I live in the county and pay $40 per quarter for a medium large size trash can they furnish and pick up once a week. Recycling unfortunately is all up to you around here. They put bins out at various locations and its up to you to get the bottles, newspapers etc to them. If you live in the city limits, you would have water and sewer charges I believe, but most folks are on private wells and septic systems.

I lived in SW FL for 24 yrs and lets just say that I have yet to pay in heating/electricity costs for one month what I paid for AC in FL. My electric billl usually runs about $55-60 for the lights, clothes dryer and pumping water. My gas bill ranges from $25 in summer to $153 last month. I have gas water heater, cooking and heat. The gas company does do budget plans, but I prefer to see those $25 or less bills!

Hi Jody...I did get your email, however, my response was returned as non-deliverable.

Yes, we are very much looking forward to returning to the mid-west!! Vegas has nothing to offer except maybe the mild winter temperatures, however, that's not enough for us to stay. We are in our early 50's, married w/no children so we really don't need to live near party central. ;o) And yes, the tourism gets very tiring, very quickly. My summertime electric bill equals a car payment, so I am looking forward to the lower cost of living in the mid-west. From everything I've read, Middlebury and the surrounding area is exactly what we're looking for.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of on-line resources when it comes to looking for home rentals, or maybe there just aren't that many in Middlebury (Elkhart Co.), and the immediate area or - I'm just not doing a thorough search. Of course we're looking for country lifestyle with all the amenities of city life. We currently rent a 1805 sq. ft. single story home w/ 4 bdrm, 2 bath, 2 car garage, fenced yard that allows dogs (4) Our yard is postage stamp size, with the houses on top of each other, not a good thing. We need a non-smoking home w/o carpet and that is probably #1 on the list of priorities, with a liberal pet policy following!

My husband has another interview on Monday for the job in Middlebury, plus there's always the possibility that his job search could take us to other states in the mid-west. Unfortunately, when dealing with cross country job placement, it can take some time. If he gets the job though, it's going to be a quick move as production starts mid-March. Once we have a definite, I will contact you if that's ok?. I would hate for you to start investing time and energy to have it fall through. However, if something opens up that will be available w/i the next month or two, I would appreciate it if you would keep us in mind.....

Thanks, again.....
Lynn

[lmbh721]

Hi all...

My DH will be flying to SB next Tuesday for his final interview w/Meijer's in Middlebury....FINALLY! We have not yet received flight info so I did a search for the closest airport and got a listing for SB Regional Airport, would that be the closest to Middlebury? I'm assuming the car rentals are located at the airport, not off premises, is that correct?

TIA......

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by lmbh721

Hi all...

My DH will be flying to SB next Tuesday for his final interview w/Meijer's in Middlebury....FINALLY! We have not yet received flight info so I did a search for the closest airport and got a listing for SB Regional Airport, would that be the closest to Middlebury? I'm assuming the car rentals are located at the airport, not off premises, is that correct?

TIA......

Yep to all. I used to rent cars out of the SB airport when I trained to and from Chicago.

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Yep to all. I used to rent cars out of the SB airport when I trained to and from Chicago.

Thanks domergurl.....I found everything I needed on the SBN website...easy, easy to navigate!

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by challenger70

I'm sure you'll be very happy with this move! Thirty years ago I moved from northern California to Middlebury--and I have never been sorry at all. (I also lived in North Las Vegas, out by Nellis, for a time as well, but my experience with Las Vegas is so old it doesn't really apply.) My family all remained in California, but over the years about 1/3 of them have moved east and the other 2/3 are constantly asking, "Can you really get used to the cold?" And, of course, you can and do, and I continue to find it beautiful even as I get older. I've found this area to be everything you seem to be hoping for. As to some of your specific questions, I have well & septic so I can't address that question, and my trash removal (through the independent "Al's Trash") just went up to $54 per quarter for 2 or 3 cans. Unlike California (and maybe Nevada) you generally don't have to make an appointment at the "License Branch" (Indiana BMV); I do a lot of business there and it seldom takes more than an hour or two at the most if you're doing several transactions. You will need to go to Goshen or Elkhart to the BMV. The cost varies according to the age and original price of the vehicle. There is a website that will give you an estimate; https://secure.in.gov/apps/bmv/mybmv...QuoteHome.aspx

Depending on what you're looking for, don't rule out Michigan. It is just a few miles north of Middlebury, and there are a lot of small towns and lakes that are certainly a reasonable drive. Since we are boaters, I would like to mention that there are a great number of lakes within a 25-30 mile radius of Middlebury, with many homes in all price ranges along the lakes. If you have a specific area in mind, don't hesitate to ask and I'll be glad to let you know if I've ever heard of flooding or any other issues. In the course of purchasing 5 homes here over the years, I've investigated most areas pretty thoroughly.

Again, if you're looking for peace, quiet, and beautiful country settings and moderately priced housing, without being too removed from everything (South Bend is an hour at most; Chicago is about 2 1/2 hours away)--and the high unemployment rate doesn't scare you, I think you can't do much better than this.

Thanks challenger70! We have considered MI as it's my home state. I'm not up to date on the tax laws and was wondering if there are any issues with working in IN and living in MI? I'm thinking from what I"ve read that MI's property and state taxes are higher, yes?

TIA for any info!

[jodyrose]

Originally Posted by lmbh721

Thanks challenger70! We have considered MI as it's my home state. I'm not up to date on the tax laws and was wondering if there are any issues with working in IN and living in MI? I'm thinking from what I"ve read that MI's property and state taxes are higher, yes?

TIA for any info!

Allot depends on your actual address, value of the house and school district. Northridge (Middlebury) is one of the more desirable districts in the county and just finished building a new HUGE high school on US 20, at the outskirts of town. I am not that familiar with Michigan, but heres a link to a page from Purdue U that gives some comparison figures. How Indiana
Indiana has now passed a property tax cap, which is causing allot of grief, but it did take my property taxes down $400 this year.

Hope the husbands interview goes well!
Jody

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by jodyrose

Allot depends on your actual address, value of the house and school district. Northridge (Middlebury) is one of the more desirable districts in the county and just finished building a new HUGE high school on US 20, at the outskirts of town. I am not that familiar with Michigan, but heres a link to a page from Purdue U that gives some comparison figures. How Indiana
Indiana has now passed a property tax cap, which is causing allot of grief, but it did take my property taxes down $400 this year.

Hope the husbands interview goes well!
Jody

Thanks Jody, I'll check it out! He interviews all day Wednesday so we're hoping to know something by Friday He's already in love with Middlebury, especially since it was warmer there than in Vegas!

Will keep you posted!
Happy Hump Day!

[lmbh721]

Originally Posted by jodyrose

Allot depends on your actual address, value of the house and school district. Northridge (Middlebury) is one of the more desirable districts in the county and just finished building a new HUGE high school on US 20, at the outskirts of town. I am not that familiar with Michigan, but heres a link to a page from Purdue U that gives some comparison figures. How Indiana
Indiana has now passed a property tax cap, which is causing allot of grief, but it did take my property taxes down $400 this year.

Hope the husbands interview goes well!
Jody

Actually, it went better than well! The position was offered and tentatively accepted. OMG...there's s much to do! I have forwarded you some info....

TIA