Want to move to Indiana (Indianapolis, Bloomington: to rent, home, neighborhood)

[30apples]

Dan and Carmella: i'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was saying. I was suggesting the - possibility- that there could be a mold-free place in the area you already live in. I know people who have become sick w/ various types of mold and so know how horrible and serious it is. it's debilitating, though not everyone is aware of that. Some people think if it doesn't bother them, it's not a problem.
More importantly, I wanted to alert you to check any new dwelling in the southwest you may find, as sometimes, not most of the time but sometimes, a given place may have a mold problem for one reason. But w/ that caution, I think you'll find the southwest is your answer for good health.

[domergurl]

interesting responses to my thread ...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/house...saga-mold.html

[SK85]

I spent the first 36 years of my life in Indiana and finally made the move out to Boulder City, Nevada. It was the best decision I've ever made. No state income taxes and a healthy economy. I would not recommend Indiana. It is very cold in the winter and the gloomy days are endless. Even during the spring, summer, and fall, you never know what type of weather you're going to get, but it's mostly crappy. It's nearly impossible to find real estate that is going to appreciate. If anything, it will decrease in value. If you like warm weather, I would highly suggest looking at southern Nevada. The housing prices are higher than Indiana, but it is a good investment. There is nearly nothing exciting to do in Indiana. There are very few gloomy days in Southern Nevada. It is awesome!

[ihatefonddulac]

We lived in Osceola for two years back in 2001-2003. It's about 10-20 minutes from South Bend. That area got A LOT of lake effect snow from Lake Michigan. I don't remember it being terribly cold, though (being from MN originally) just very snowy. I do remember the cost of living being very cheap. We lived in two other places after that and are now back in MN, and we had the most disposable income when we were in IN. We lived in a nice newer subdivision, and our 4 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage house was only $103,000. I also remember we ate out a lot because the quality of the food in the grocery stores was not very good. I don't remember people being too terribly friendly, either. Also, we found out after we moved there that the area was a huge KKK meeting place. All in all, it wasn't too terrible a place to live. We lived in South Carolina after that and then we moved to Fond du Lac, WI. Fond du Lac is the WORST place we ever lived.

[hoosier07]

SK85, it feels like you did not explore very well the 36 years you spent in Indiana, sorry to say that and I'm glad that you find your space now. You know, what would be of the color "green" if evebody liked "blue" ?

Because "YOU" didn't like Indiana, doesn't mean others will not. I'm living here for only 4 years and we always have things to do and a very confortable life. My house is getting the standard 3-4% appreciation rate which is the normal rule around here, lots of restaurants and national / state parks, Indianapolis has a clean and safe downtown, Broad Ripple is fun, greenways to ride bicycle or jogging, a great Children's Museum (by the way, my wife is there right now with our 3 year old son).

The big plus is the house pricing (I paid $175,000 for a new 4 bedroom home in a nice subdvision in Greenwood with 2,300 sq. feet). A word of advice, don't go crazy with options (marble kitchen top, stainless steel appliances, state of the art pool, etc. ) if you're not sure you will stay for at least 5 years, as I said, if you take good care of your home and bought in a good location you should get around 3 to 4% yearly of appreciation.

With affordable housing, you have more cash to spend on other things.

Schools are also good, we love it here. Again, I'm glad you found your space now but don't criticize a place that others love (we DO!).

[SK85]

I guess I needed to be more specific and say I did not prefer north eastern Indiana. That's just my opinion. The homes are not appreciating there. I am sure Indianapolis is different. It is true that you get more bang for your buck in the housing market in regard to size of home, than we do in Nevada. However, in the midwest a bigger house is needed because people spend a lot more time in them. In Nevada, where the weather is more desirable, we spend very little time indoors. In southern Nevada housing is a great investment method. Also, I didn't find the public schools in the Fort Wayne area desirable. Wasn't criticizing, just giving my opinion and that's what this site is all about - right?

[timincal]

Originally Posted by Dan and Carmella

I cannot give you any comparrisions, but I can give you a very important warning if you suffer from allergies... Stay away from Indiana!!! My family and I are packing up and getting ready to head to New Mexico. The mold here in Indiana is HORRIBLE!!! We lived in a moldy house for 5 years and we are now all very sick all the time and have so many health problems, that most days we cannot even go outside. It really is horrible here if you are an allergy suffer. I would have given most anything if someone would have told us how dangerous molds are before we moved to this town where you can smell the fungus the minute you get off the interstate. Do a google search on toxic mold and read some of the articles it pulls up, many are written by doctors.

Sorry to throw out the bad news here, but it is serious and will destroy your whole families life, and worse! I just cannot sit back any longer and watch peopple dieing from this horrible cancerous thing that is running rampunt through the midwest.

Carmella

Hun, thats not mold you smelled that was mushrooms!!! LOL!

[timincal]

Originally Posted by SK85

I spent the first 36 years of my life in Indiana and finally made the move out to Boulder City, Nevada. It was the best decision I've ever made. No state income taxes and a healthy economy. I would not recommend Indiana. It is very cold in the winter and the gloomy days are endless. Even during the spring, summer, and fall, you never know what type of weather you're going to get, but it's mostly crappy. It's nearly impossible to find real estate that is going to appreciate. If anything, it will decrease in value. If you like warm weather, I would highly suggest looking at southern Nevada. The housing prices are higher than Indiana, but it is a good investment. There is nearly nothing exciting to do in Indiana. There are very few gloomy days in Southern Nevada. It is awesome!

Place has smelled better since you left.

[SK85]

Thanks for making my point.

[domergurl]

I was born, grew up and was educated in this state. The minute I had my master's degree, I bolted for Chicago and was happy there for almost 10 years. But when we had our first child, my husband and I (he too is a native hoosier) came back to Indiana and haven't regretted it at all. It's not the most exciting place, but to be able to raise our now 3 kids in a safe environment, send them to good schools, but yet have the ability to bolt when we need to, this is a great place to live. Plus ... wow, you can actually save money living here!