Possibly moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul (house, find a job, safe neighborhood)

[HolySchmitt]

I'm considering moving to the Twin Cities in the next month and had a few questions for you guys. I'd be moving from Memphis, TN with my wife and 1 year old daughter.

How hard is it to find a 4 bedroom+ house for 200-250 in a SAFE neighborhood?
What is the cost of an average month's utilities in the winter?
My wife is a teacher - how hard is it to get into one of the better school districts?

Thanks for the help, it's a big decision but with enough info it's not so bad!

[golfgal]

It will be harder but not impossible to find a 4 bedroom house in that price range. It will most likely be a split level style house if you are ok with that. Do you have a job lined up here yet? Where are you working?

As for a teaching job for your wife, she would need to get her MN license before she could even sub here. She should start looking into that now. As for getting a job, it really depends on her field. For elementary, it is very difficult to find a job, if she is math, science, ESL or special ed, she shouldn't have a hard time at all.

[MNBill]

Housing prices have dropped here in the past year or two, there are some suburban areas where you could get a decent 4 bedroom, 2-3 bath split level for $250K or so. I'd imagine housing here is more expensive than Memphis, though. Salaries would be higher here too. I bet teachers make more here than they do in Tennessee.

As for utility costs in the winter, if you have an energy-efficient furnace, it's not too bad. My utility company (Xcel) offers average monthly billing, where your previous 12 months bills are averaged out and you pay that amount for the next 12 months, then it is adjusted up or down at the end of the year. Our bill for a 2100 sq ft house is $189 a month average. Last winter, our highest bill was about $300 (February). Summer with central A/C averages about $150, then the spring and fall months can be quite cheap if the weather is moderate and you don't need much heat or A/C.

[Cleomayline]

MN is on the money.

[Cleomayline]

Oops. Meant to say MNBill is on the money.

[Bongopercylou]

Originally Posted by HolySchmitt

How hard is it to find a 4 bedroom+ house for 200-250 in a SAFE neighborhood? No Problem.
What is the cost of an average month's utilities in the winter? This will depend on the city you choose and the size of your house. The more energy efficient your home is, the better the heating costs. Look for new windows and efficient furnace.
My wife is a teacher - how hard is it to get into one of the better school districts? The Twin Cities has excellent school districts on average and overall. It may take some time to find something she likes.

Thanks for the help, it's a big decision but with enough info it's not so bad!

Good luck to you!

[Sarah Maske]

True - no problem whatsoever in finding a 4 bedroom house in that range in "good" school district.