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I'm sure there are some threads out there addressing some parts of what I'm asking but I want the information to be consolidated and current.
Why are decent (living wages) jobs and decent affordable housing so hard to find? I'd like to move here this year but it seems like it would be another wasted move and a waste of money if we can't find anywhere affordable and be able to afford to live.
This problem is made harder by having two kids and a yellow lab. Thanks for any and all input as to why you think and or have witnessed this yourself.
America is not an easily affordable place to live unless you have highly desirable job skills. And it's harder when you have kids (and a dog). Raising children costs money. Landlords don't want to take a chance on potential dog damage to their apartments or other tenants.
Anyway, in all parts of the US, where jobs are plentiful or pay well, the housing costs go up because the people are willing to pay more for the nicer houses and apartments, since houses and apartments are not uniform in quality. But if a locale is cheap to live in, then count on there being a lack of jobs or poor pay. If you want a good public school system, then local taxes will be higher to pay for it. And when more families move to use a good public school, then the taxes will keep skyrocketing higher. It's all connected.
So why are you looking at NH? What job skills do you have? From your post, NH would be a mistake for you and your family to move to.
The problem in America is lots of people don't "put the horse before the cart". You can make something happen if you have the will and fortitude in you but understand that it will not be easy. Lots of people in America now want and expect things in life to be easy for them but unfortunately thats not what God had in mind.
Some people say the "Great Recession" was a "culling of the herd". I do not believe that, but it sure is putting a heck of a strain on the hardworking Americans with good work ethics who know how to live within their means and be financially responsible.
The good paying jobs have ben sent away to reduce production costs but the housing has to pay for its long term debt. Housing takes way longer to adjust to recession than wages. Most of the good paying jobs in this area are in Boston or the surrounding high tech belts along Rt. 128 or I-495 in Massachusetts. Unfortunately that requires a costly and tiring commute.
miu from looking at listings that I have seen lower quality housing for high prices and in areas with little to no work. As for moving there I like the weather and the availability of outdoor recreation. I also have friends and family along with some family property in northwest CT. By moving to NH I'll still get good weather but I won't get the oppressive taxes and laws/over regulation that CT has to offer. According to some trip makers I will be about 8 hours away.
I know it may not help much but I'm a private person and prefer not to post my skills or education online in a public forum. I will say that I'm interested in learning to become a CNC programmer.
Know Nonsense I have to agree that you have to put in hard work. However from looking at real stats and not what the government puts out the term Great Recession is misused. When the jobs created are part time and are not real careers and if you look at the real unemployment numbers I say we were and still are in a Depression. This depression is going above culling the herd it has been culling the hardworking Americans with good work ethics.
NH costs are high (compared to wages) for a few reasons:
1) It's New England. It's scenic, and you get lots of people moving there for the geography willing to pay a premium to do so
2) Most of the state is 'commutable' to Boston/128 tech corridor. Consider that in CA people drive 2 hours into the Bay area - almost all of populated NH fits in that radius.
3) 2nd homes for Boston and even to a lesser extent NYC
And the base isn't very big. All told there are probably what, 250,000-300,000 SFH in NH? It doesn't take a lot of demand willing to pay a premium to squeeze that market.
BTW, it's not just that newly created jobs are less ideal than the old jobs that went away, there's the factor that boomers aren't leaving the workplace as fast as was projected a decade ago (for a variety of reasons), and in many cases, they're holding onto the primo jobs and the people below them can't move up. The total number of Americans over 55 working has risen by 9 million over the last decade while other age demographics have lagged or fallen.
Some dream of moving to some Idyllic Paradise - someplace other then where they are.
New Hampshire is not it unless:
1. You have a very good paying job.
2. You have a good education or a highly skilled trades license.
3. You are retired with a good pension and money in the bank.
If moving - go to where the jobs are.
"Not all states are struggling equally, however. For example, Utah’s rate of unemployment was tracked at 4.7 percent in April 2013, well below the national average. Other states doing noticeably better than the nation as a whole include Iowa (4.7), South Dakota (4.1), Vermont (4.0), Nebraska (3.7) and North Dakota (3.3)."
OP, I have to wonder what these areas with low-quality housing at high prices and little to no work are. Unless you're talking about major tourist areas and second homes, that does not make economic sense. Or, your idea of high prices is skewed and the prices you're talking about are low compared to the rest of the state (which would also make them very low compared to housing in truly desirable places elsewhere.) People get what the market will bear, and the market will not bear high prices for crappy housing in no-job areas unless there is some other draw. That was still true even at the height of the market. High prices for crappy housing in places with lots of jobs which are also otherwise very desirable - yes (say, NYC, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle.) High prices for crappy housing in areas with few to no jobs and nothing else to make the areas widely-desirable - no.
I wonder if you're looking at asking prices versus sale prices? People in my area insist on asking roughly 25-30% more than their houses actually sell for. Everyone wants to ask at least the amount the town has assessed the property to be worth, for tax purposes, when in reality, on average, houses are selling for close to 25% less than that amount.
I'm talking about rentals at the moment. It's hard to get a feel out there for jobs and housing when you only have the internet to work off of.
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