3 months till we move to Grand Rapids... Help! (Wyoming, Marquette: relocation, houses)

[rnettesh]

My new wife and myself have decided to move from Marquette MI to the Grand Rapids area. We are really in the neeed of some good info. The main reason we are leaving Marquette is the lack of jobs. I am quite aware of Michigans econimic problems, so i could really go without the people that just want to tell me to stay far away from the state. Coming from Marquette almost any city has more has more opportunities. We have set Jan. 1st as are move date, so we are in kind of a hurry to start looking for a place. I have found a few places on various websites but we would really like to know about certain areas and what we can expect to pay. To make that even harder is that fact that we have 2 dogs and 2 cats. If anyone has any good sites, or any resources at all, on where to find good rentals i would be very thankful. We are on a very tight budget so I'm a bit concerned about finding a good place in a good quiet family neighborhood. Obviously finding work is also just as important. My wife has a ba in accounting and I have a bachlors of social work. Anyone have any thoughts on how hard it will be able to find work while being 7 hours away. We are not looking for a career right away, just something to bring some money in. This relocation is for the long haul, so we have lots of time to find our dream house and dream career. Anything that anyone has that might make this process easier would be great. Thanks in advance.

[Zmehappy]

MLive.com: Everything Michigan good place for job seeking and rentals

[magellan]

I think your wife will have a pretty good chance of finding an accounting related job pretty quickly. I think Crowe Chizek, Beene Garter and Plante & Moran are all hiring.

You can also try sites like careerbuilder:
Job Search Results on CareerBuilder.com

https://recruitmax.crowechizek.com/E...zFormat=search
Careers: Job Opportunities
Overview

Social work might be tougher, but there are a lot of Christian-run non-profits in Grand Rapids.

As far as renting with four pets, you're probably looking at renting a house. What rent/month are you thinking?

[Zmehappy]

Originally Posted by magellan

I think your wife will have a pretty good chance of finding an accounting related job pretty quickly. I think Crowe Chizek, Beene Garter and Plante & Moran are all hiring.

You can also try sites like careerbuilder:
Job Search Results on CareerBuilder.com

https://recruitmax.crowechizek.com/E...zFormat=search
Careers: Job Opportunities
Overview

Social work might be tougher, but there are a lot of Christian-run non-profits in Grand Rapids.

As far as renting with four pets, you're probably looking at renting a house. What rent/month are you thinking?

That was the other site I was trying to think of, Career Builder. Good post Mag.

Also, add to the accounting hiring Earnst Young <sp>

[suydam]

Finding rentals:
Grand Rapids Association of REALTORS®
Grand Rapids Apartments - Downtown Grand Rapids - Apartment Grand Rapids Michigan - West Michigan Apartments - Rentals Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids Rentals - Cool Places to Live - rentGR.com

[rnettesh]

Thanks for all the posts. Deffinatly some good places to start. In response to your post Magellan, we are hoping to stay around 600-750 a month. I don't know how realistic that is, and still stay in a good family nieghborhood. Deffinatly looking for a house. Also, thanks for all the accounting firms, my wife will be excited to see that. We are both pretty recently out of school so where looking at starting anywhere we can. Thanks again.

[magellan]

I also forgot to list BDO Siedman as having a GR office downtown, as well as a slew of other smaller accounting firms.

If you go to that rentgr.com site, and just click "single family homes" under property type, it will list every home they have listed for rent. You can then click on the top of the "rent" column and it will sort by price. That way you get a good feel for everything. There are a few in your rent range that looked pretty decent.

If you have a question about a particular street or neighborhood, post it here and one of us will be able to help you out.

[rnettesh]

Thanks again for all the great info. So how about if i want to be out a bit from the down town areas. What kind of low down can you give me on the surrounding towns. Places like Wyoming, Comstock Park, Kent Wood, and everywhere else around GR within about 30 min. We both love Marquette and think it will be hard to find a replacement. We are looking for that small town feel right next door to everything the city has to offer. Everyone did so great with my last round of questions i have no doubt you'll have what I'm looking for here too. Thank you again in advance.

[jeeg]

My wife and I just moved up to Marquette from the Grand Rapids area early 2006 to get away from the big city, to have a good place to raise our family, and better outdoor opportunities
Both of our families and all of our friends are still there (just got back from a visit last night in fact).
Your wife should have no problem finding an accounting job. Plenty of activity there. Your desire for using your social work degree........ well you may have to think outside of the box on that one. I have one family member and a few friends all looking to get into that field. One got her masters last year in hopes of improving her chances. Still looking.
The pets and the price range you wish to pay are going to be the problem. If the dogs are small dogs you will have an easier time (but not much). If they are over 40lbs ......... just keep the possibility of letting them stay with a family member or friend in the back of your mind, just until you get established. The last thing you want to do is move into a less then desirable neighborhood just because they'll accept pets.
My cousin rents a house on Leonard st. for $650 a month just because that is the only place he could find that would allow his larger mutt. Most people who know G.R. on here will tell you Leonard st. isn't a very family friendly place to be (and they're right).
My advice; save a little cash first. When one of you gets hired, move down and rent a studio apt. month to month somewhere (leaving your pets with a loved one to watch them) while the other spouse seriously redoubles their efforts to locate a position. Meanwhile in your spare time check out all the areas that interest you and price the rentals. Once you're both working, found a place to rent that allows animals (in an area you like)....... bring the pets on down. Unless you plan to live in the innercity region (you couldn't pay me enough) or to commute, expect to pay closer to $1000 a month. Deals are out there, they just take some digging.
Good luck!

P.S. GR isn't like Marquette where everyone wants to be close to the city for fear of winter conditions (winters there haven't been bad in decades, just an occasional storm). A large part of the G.R. workforce actually live 30, 40+ miles outside of G.R. and commute in. My wife and I owned a house in Greenville, MI and drove into G.R. everyday before moving here.

[colorado_sunshine]

You will have no problem finding a place to rent. When I lost my job last summer and had to leave Michigan, we could not believe all the houses for rent! There are houses on almost every corner to choose from and you can about set your price at this point. A lot of the houses for rent are just vacant homes that people had to leave and they are renting them while they live and work out of state.

I understand you don't want to hear the bad stuff about Michigan and frankly no one does. We lived there for 39 years (in Grand Rapids), and trust me, there are no jobs in Grand Rapids. I'm sure people here will tell you that GR is booming and there's lots of jobs, well, I am here to tell you from actual experience and know GR very well, there are not jobs. You are in a tough position there and we feel for you! Hard to leave Michigan for sure, but survival is survival and the economical landslide has only just started for Michigan. Actually, many states will suffer, but I think most true, honest advice would be to move somewhere outside of Michigan for 10-15 years. Michigan has to bounce back eventually. High tech will make it's way there once there is a major change in how the state is governed. Companies can't afford the high taxes and many companies will be forced to leave. After 10 years or so, you will see that finally turn around.

Bad bad bad situation for the folks there in Michigan and the family that we have left there is terrified right now. Some have lost their jobs recently and will be forced out eventually. You may find a company in NC, CO, or DC that will pay to move you out there. Those states are booming and you will land a job quickly.

Best of luck on your decision and I wanted you to know first hand what is going on in the GR area. Yes, there are still people working there and they will jump all over me for this, but I was one of them 18 months ago! Now I am 1200 miles away rebuilding!! It will get you when you least expect it. Just be careful who you take advice from and don't rely on this site alone. Have the GR chamber of commerce send you stats and data.