Pay-cut to move to Knoxville (housing, cost of living, cost)

[fbama73]

What Decepticon and Hoosier 07 need to realize is that moving from the Indianapolis area to Knoxville, one can take a pay cut and still live better- Indiana seems to introduce a new tax every week. Then, the same leaders who try dilligently to tax us into prosperity will go on the idiot box and wail about educated people leaving Indiana. Go figure.

Indiana is broken. In six weeks, my wife will go from LPN to RN, and our house goes up for sale. Destination: Eastern TN!

[hiknapster]

At the time, Hoosier 07 ended up staying in Indiana. Really nice person.

[Decepticon]

Just so you know, I started this thread a year ago. Well my husband ended up staying with the same company and working remote from Knoxville. So we ended up not having to take a pay cut and got a little added bonus of not having to pay state income tax.

I have lived in MI and IN for many years and this was a pretty big change. I feel like everyone that complains that they don't like an area, ALWAYS seem to think that the grass is greener somewhere else. It may be, but most of the time you find something else you don't like and focus on that.

How do I feel after moving to Knoxville? I feel like it was a good move for my family overall. Some things that we didn't expect was milk to be about 5.00-5.50 a gallon at most stores. I finally found it on sale at Kroger for 3.75. Anyway, my grocery bill went from $95 a week to $145. Houses are also more expensive compared to MI and IN. The way my husband and I figured it out, you get a similar size house, much less land and no basement for about the same amount of money (I'm basing this on new construction), but most homes are all brick, compared to IN's vinyl boxes. Property taxes here are unbelievably cheap. We paid $12,000 in Northville, MI and homes that are similarly priced are about $3,000 annually, so it makes up for the difference in home prices.

In my opinion, the cost of living is no different than it is IN or MI. The online calculators are not completely accurate. The state gets their money in one way or another!!

[Eat]

Originally Posted by Decepticon

Property taxes here are unbelievably cheap. We paid $12,000 in Northville, MI and homes that are similarly priced are about $3,000 annually, so it makes up for the difference in home prices.

$3,000 must be in the Knoxville city limits. It is quite high for this area. In Loudon County outside the city limits, you would be over $650K with taxes that high, and that's without a greenbelt exemption.

[Decepticon]

We are looking in Knox County (Farragut area) and the property taxes for a 440k-500k home run about 3k/year.

[SmokyMtnGal]

We are in Maryville City and we pay $6K per year; half city and half Blount County. Living in Maryville: membership has its' privileges and its' costs.

This time next year our house will be on the market; we're heading to the county once the young'n is graduated.

[mikewu9900]

Originally Posted by Decepticon

Just wondering if anyone that moved to the area is in a similar situation to me. I was offered a position for 20K less than I currently make, but the cost of living calculators estimate the cost of living at about 10-12k less than where I currently reside now (Carmel, IN). Has anyone taken a pay cut like this and moved, only to regret it? Does Knoxville just pay less in general because they know they can have their pick of candidates? Any help would be appreciated!

all i know is a mercedes benz costs the same in new york or knoxville

[Doc. T.]

Originally Posted by Decepticon

Just wondering if anyone that moved to the area is in a similar situation to me. I was offered a position for 20K less than I currently make, but the cost of living calculators estimate the cost of living at about 10-12k less than where I currently reside now (Carmel, IN). Has anyone taken a pay cut like this and moved, only to regret it? Does Knoxville just pay less in general because they know they can have their pick of candidates? Any help would be appreciated!

Unfortunately, pay-cuts do occur. An acquaintance who was an Executive Director of a non-profit took a substantial cut for a like position. It personally diminished her sense of self worth. Thus, she quit the field, moved to a remote area in the southern part of the state and re-entered the labor market in a different position. Effectually, she attempted to match lower wages with lower cost of living and succeeded. Others, did have to leave the state. Wages and other factors were too gripping to bare. On the other hand, many are willing to do what is necessary and stay. At the risk of sounding redundant; perhaps, one of the best things you can do is adequately assess the value of your own education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. Then, determine where you may be willing to plug into this area. Hopefully, you may find something better. Realistically, you may find employment that on a percentile basis reasonably approximates your current situation. Wishing you ever success.

Originally Posted by fbama73

What Decepticon and Hoosier 07 need to realize is that moving from the Indianapolis area to Knoxville, one can take a pay cut and still live better- Indiana seems to introduce a new tax every week. Then, the same leaders who try dilligently to tax us into prosperity will go on the idiot box and wail about educated people leaving Indiana. Go figure.

Indiana is broken. In six weeks, my wife will go from LPN to RN, and our house goes up for sale. Destination: Eastern TN!

Personally, I've always had good experiences in the Indianapolis area. Enjoyed successful independent contracting. People were "easy" with which to work. Evansville has benefited from investment and the building of auto operations by Toyota. At the time, didn't notice out-migration of educated personnel or "brokeness." Perhaps, things have changed - don't know. Friends, still speak well of your area - hope, you find improvements in this region.

[fbama73]

Doc, I'm glad your friends (and others) still enjoy living here. I have nothing against them whatsoever.

And there's enough of a "brain drain" for the elected fools to complain about it in front of cameras. I'll freely admit that we've been waiting to make our move until my wife finishes her latest round of education ( Going from LPN to RN) She finishes in about a month. I'll finish my degree at UT, as Purdue is the only place in Indiana I know of offering my field of study, and UT is just a better school for forestry anyway.

I just (in the past week) found a CLASSIC example of my point about the taxes here. The state eliminated inventory tax on businesses a few years ago. When they found out how much revenue they lost, they jacked property taxes to cover it. Since then , they've raised them again- to the point where many people are being forced out of homes they have no mortgage on, simply because the property tax is so outrageous. (and I'm not referencing high-end homes, either. These are middle income family homes)

Of course, people have been up in arms since the first increase, and they recently announced that they would raise state sales tax 1% to provide some relief for the property tax debacle. That increase started yesterday (What better day than April Fools for enacting a new tax?)

And I just got a statment from the tax assessor that my property tax is going up 20% Some relief.

[Doc. T.]

Originally Posted by fbama73

Doc, I'm glad your friends (and others) still enjoy living here. I have nothing against them whatsoever.

And there's enough of a "brain drain" for the elected fools to complain about it in front of cameras. I'll freely admit that we've been waiting to make our move until my wife finishes her latest round of education ( Going from LPN to RN) She finishes in about a month. I'll finish my degree at UT, as Purdue is the only place in Indiana I know of offering my field of study, and UT is just a better school for forestry anyway.

I just (in the past week) found a CLASSIC example of my point about the taxes here. The state eliminated inventory tax on businesses a few years ago. When they found out how much revenue they lost, they jacked property taxes to cover it. Since then , they've raised them again- to the point where many people are being forced out of homes they have no mortgage on, simply because the property tax is so outrageous. (and I'm not referencing high-end homes, either. These are middle income family homes)

Of course, people have been up in arms since the first increase, and they recently announced that they would raise state sales tax 1% to provide some relief for the property tax debacle. That increase started yesterday (What better day than April Fools for enacting a new tax?)

And I just got a statment from the tax assessor that my property tax is going up 20% Some relief.

Fbama, sorry to hear of your tax dilemma. Certainly, it can be distressing. However, I tend to doubt if your increase in property taxes had to much to do with the State reducing the inventory tax. Are not your property taxes assessed by the local county assessor? Did the fair-market value of your home increase in recent years to warrant the increased assessment? If not, you must have the perogative to challenge. Conceivably, it could bring about a reduction. Tax issues are ubiquitous - they're encountered in different ways where ever one travels. Good luck to you and yours with the move.