Moving to Michigan (Caro: apartment, travel, jobs)

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by darstar

No , its in Mexico !

Touche! I meant above the border, of course.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by magellan

Looking237[/b], just caught your post back a few. Humidity in Michigan is pretty high from June through early September. Much more than you'll be used to coming from Texas. We run the air conditioning starting in late May and run it through September, but keep it at about 76 or 77 just to take the humidity out of the house. You might find quite a few nights in the Summer when you can leave your windows open (which we love). The upper part of the lower Peninsula of Michigan is covered in wetlands, forests, lakes and streams, which make for a much greener environment but a lot more humid. Not quite Georgia Summer heat and humidity, but close. Mosquitos can get pretty nasty at times in wooded areas. Other than that, Michigan Summers are fantastic, especially along the Western shoreline areas. Hope that helps.

Having lived in Texas, and now living in Michigan, I have to respectfully disagree about the humidity. Then again, it probably depends on where you live in Texas or Michigan. I know for me, we lived near Matagorda Bay, south of Houston and right by the Gulf of Mexico. There is NO comparison to that type of humidity here in Michigan, at least from what I've experienced. Maybe the humidity is worse up north, but if so, the heat isn't nearly as bad as ANYWHERE in Texas! Mosquitos can get bad here, but again, Texas had that beat too. Northerners, I implore you to appreciate what you've got here! The heat is, to me, unbearable in the south, and the mosquitos are large enought to carry off children and small animals!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Touche! I meant above the border, of course.

I know !.........interesting it has been my experience ,that the best SW food ,( and that is what everyone is talking about in one way or another ) comes from New Mexico, then Ca. and then AZ. and finally TX. A lot depends on weather its " boarder food" or not , that you are looking for...........Mexico City , has some of the best French cuisine on the planet !

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by darstar

I know !.........interesting it has been my experience ,that the best SW food ,( and that is what everyone is talking about in one way or another ) comes from New Mexico, then Ca. and then AZ. and finally TX. A lot depends on weather its " boarder food" or not , that you are looking for...........Mexico City , has some of the best French cuisine on the planet !

Yeah, I pretty much agree here! Not to make anyone mad, but I've just never cared for Tex-Mex. I like the real stuff better.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Having lived in Texas, and now living in Michigan, I have to respectfully disagree about the humidity. Then again, it probably depends on where you live in Texas or Michigan. I know for me, we lived near Matagorda Bay, south of Houston and right by the Gulf of Mexico. There is NO comparison to that type of humidity here in Michigan, at least from what I've experienced. Maybe the humidity is worse up north, but if so, the heat isn't nearly as bad as ANYWHERE in Texas! Mosquitos can get bad here, but again, Texas had that beat too. Northerners, I implore you to appreciate what you've got here! The heat is, to me, unbearable in the south, and the mosquitos are large enought to carry off children and small animals!

I agree, been to Houston, spent a week there one nite.without AC, and have no reason, or wish, to return.......except maybe in the mid winter months, and then , only for a week or so............

[magellan]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Having lived in Texas, and now living in Michigan, I have to respectfully disagree about the humidity. Then again, it probably depends on where you live in Texas or Michigan. I know for me, we lived near Matagorda Bay, south of Houston and right by the Gulf of Mexico. There is NO comparison to that type of humidity here in Michigan, at least from what I've experienced. Maybe the humidity is worse up north, but if so, the heat isn't nearly as bad as ANYWHERE in Texas! Mosquitos can get bad here, but again, Texas had that beat too. Northerners, I implore you to appreciate what you've got here! The heat is, to me, unbearable in the south, and the mosquitos are large enought to carry off children and small animals!

You'd know better than me then Jeff. I have family near the Texas/Arkansas border and we visited once when I was much younger. It seemed to be a much drier heat than here, but I'm getting old and my memory may be failing.

darstar, I wasn't blaming the housing market on illegal immigrants at all. Reread my post. There are a lot of people now saying that the immigration crack-down is starting to hurt the economy, and especially the housing market. There are quite a few articles out recently right here in West Michigan about farmers having to BURN their crops because many of the migrant workers are being kept out of the States (and Americans think they are too good to pick radishes).

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_arti...?storyid=76248

I have a good friend who is a native from Mexico and still has family there. She said when she goes and visits her Mother, all she hears lately is about people staying out of the U.S. because of the fear of being thrown out or thrown in jail. Much moreso than before. These Mexican immigrants needed housing, be it home ownership or rentals, and many times it was starter homes. If landlords can't rent their homes out, they have to sell, dumping even more homes on the market.

All I'm saying is that you can't take the biggest population gainer in the last decade (Mexican immigration), shut it off, and think it won't affect the economy.

But anyway, off topic. I used to work in the building industry, and have many friends still in it knee deep. One who moved to Sarasota who would sell 8 - 10 homes A WEEK is now getting his 1800 home community SHUT DOWN because the market completely tanked. The builder pulled up stakes and left model homes sitting with no utilities. Another guy I worked with who moved to San Diego to sell urban condos is moving back to Michigan because the company he worked for laid off about 75% of their San Diego operation. Where did the demand go?

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by darstar

I agree, been to Houston, spent a week there one nite.without AC, and have no reason, or wish, to return.......except maybe in the mid winter months, and then , only for a week or so............

Not to get into Texas or Houston bashing, but...UGH. I've lived there, and just don't get the appeal of spending 6 months of the year pooring rivers of sweat out of every pore.

To each his own! I know some people can't stand all the coldness up here either.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by magellan

You'd know better than me then Jeff. I have family near the Texas/Arkansas border and we visited once when I was much younger. It seemed to be a much drier heat than here, but I'm getting old and my memory may be failing.?

Yeah, might have been there during a dry spell. Believe me, it's humid!

Originally Posted by magellan

But anyway, off topic. I used to work in the building industry, and have many friends still in it knee deep. One who moved to Sarasota who would sell 8 - 10 homes A WEEK is now getting his 1800 home community SHUT DOWN because the market completely tanked. Another guy I worked with moved to San Diego to sell urban condos is moving back to Michigan because the company he worked for laid off about 75% of their San Diego operation. Where did the demand go?

I can't speak for everywhere, but in California, where I just moved from last year, we knew the bubble was about to burst. The prices were simply too out of reach for too many people. I mean, my in laws bought a home in 2003, with upgrades and all, for just over $400k. By spring of 2006, it appraised for just under $800k. They put it up for sale, and at that exact moment, the market tanked. They ended up barely unloading it for just over $500k.
We were looking to buy our first home, and the cheapest thing we could find (not in the ghetto) was a small, 3 bedroom condo, for around $320k. Then I moved here to Michigan and the prices of homes just about made my eyes fall out of my head.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Yeah, might have been there during a dry spell. Believe me, it's humid!




I can't speak for everywhere, but in California, where I just moved from last year, we knew the bubble was about to burst. The prices were simply too out of reach for too many people. I mean, my in laws bought a home in 2003, with upgrades and all, for just over $400k. By spring of 2006, it appraised for just under $800k. They put it up for sale, and at that exact moment, the market tanked. They ended up barely unloading it for just over $500k.
We were looking to buy our first home, and the cheapest thing we could find (not in the ghetto) was a small, 3 bedroom condo, for around $320k. Then I moved here to Michigan and the prices of homes just about made my eyes fall out of my head.

In Florida its the taxes, not the illegals, thats causing the exodus north. If we are to live in a land that cares about legal immigration then , so be it, I will pay .10 more a head of cabbage. Yes , this is off topic, however , housing is an important matter. Most of our income goes for it, second is utilities, sad case as it is these days.....I agree , the bubble has burst, don't cry to me about that !

[bluebird39]

I grew up in Louisiana, moved to Oregon, and now here. When people in LA or OR ask how I can tolerate the winter, I ask them how they tolerate the summer, or fire season. I'll take the cold over months of extreme heat and humidity. IMO, Texas is much drier than Louisiana.

I'll admit that living in the woods, the mosquitos up here in the North ARE bad. That's one thing I never took for granted in Oregon, their lack of bugs! I don't miss the dry heat either.

We've only turned on our window AC once this summer, and that was when family from Chicago was in town. We sleep with windows open every night (except the night after a bear tore down our bird feeders!!).

I don't know, Michigan's climate is pretty nice, in my book...