Should I come back? (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: crime, buying a house, transfer)

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by sparklesprinkler

To Shaley's comments on living in Seattle and missing home- I say-> I'm wit ya gurl! My family and I moved to Chattanooga, TN in December 2005 b/c of Katrina. And let me just tell you when I read what you said about the food sucking, the people having "don't get too close" signs stuck to their forheads is words right out of my mouth every other frickin' day!!!! It is the EXACT same way here. My neighbors are not nice. They have cook-outs and don't invite us. Whenever we offer anything- they say "no, thank you, we're fine". I'm like I didn't ask you how you were!!! Dammit! Why are people so closed off? WTF is wrong with all these morons across this country??? I miss my home, too!!! I lived in Metairie. I miss the food, the stores, the people.....the ability to have a new neighbor and become like family members within only a handful of months of meeting. Why are people so afraid of opening up and loving one another.... LAME ASS town I live in now. My husband and I just started to look into moving back home but the problem now is not only the inflated cost of buying a house but the insane cost of home owners insurance!!! The insurance is surely going to block us from coming back. I am so sad....I will know in a couple of days what the insurance will prolly be for a house that is around 150,000 bucks. I've been warned by my friend and agent that we should expect 4 to 5 thousand dollars a year for insurance!!!! That is an extra 4 to 5 hundred dollars per month on top of the house principal and interest payment!! *sigh* We will move back one day....just not anytime soon, I don't think....the cost of living is unreasonable for an economy that is still wounded and healing....

I don't think Louisiana Fair is even that much in Metairie for a $150K house. Consider maybe taking a high deductible, and the cost will be even less.

If you put $30K down on the house, your payments would probably be around $1100-$1150 including tax and insurance, I would guess. That's not cheap, but maybe it's better than you were thinking.

[stormweary]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

I don't think Louisiana Fair is even that much in Metairie for a $150K house. Consider maybe taking a high deductible, and the cost will be even less.

If you put $30K down on the house, your payments would probably be around $1100-$1150 including tax and insurance, I would guess. That's not cheap, but maybe it's better than you were thinking.

NOLA2: Is Louisiana Fair the state insurance program? I wondered about the insurance myself. Are there any companies writing policies for the area? I guess it depends on where you buy? I've started looking on realtor.com at houses in the area.......

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by stormweary

NOLA2: Is Louisiana Fair the state insurance program? I wondered about the insurance myself. Are there any companies writing policies for the area? I guess it depends on where you buy? I've started looking on realtor.com at houses in the area.......

Yes, it is the state run homeowners' insurance program. I think they call it Audubon, too, but it's the same thing.

As far as I know, no other insurance companies are writing new policies in the New Orleans area, but ask your realtor.

When I bought my present house in 2002, I had to go with Louisiana Fair since I had no prior homeowners' insurance record in Louisiana. You obtain Louisiana Fair through your insurance company, so I went through Allstate. After I had it for a year, and had paid regularly, Allstate offered me their homeowners' insurance which was (if I recall correctly?) maybe half the price or a little more. That is what I have now.

Don't let insurance keep you from buying a home, if you can afford to do so! Insurers stop writing now and then but it never stays this way.

Also, do get flood insurance through your insurer. Flood insurance is done by the federal government, they never stop writing it, and it is CHEAP in comparison with homeowners'. Anybody in Orleans or Jefferson Parish should have it, in my opinion. Even if you aren't in a flood zone, you never know what will happen.

An interesting bit of trivia is that even when insurers are writing homeowners' insurance policies in this area, they suspend writing policies any time when there is a named storm (hurricane) in the Gulf. Then you have to delay closing.

[shaley]

Originally Posted by sparklesprinkler

To Shaley's comments on living in Seattle and missing home- I say-> I'm wit ya gurl! My family and I moved to Chattanooga, TN in December 2005 b/c of Katrina. And let me just tell you when I read what you said about the food sucking, the people having "don't get too close" signs stuck to their forheads is words right out of my mouth every other frickin' day!!!! It is the EXACT same way here. My neighbors are not nice. They have cook-outs and don't invite us. Whenever we offer anything- they say "no, thank you, we're fine". I'm like I didn't ask you how you were!!! Dammit! Why are people so closed off? WTF is wrong with all these morons across this country??? I miss my home, too!!! I lived in Metairie. I miss the food, the stores, the people.....the ability to have a new neighbor and become like family members within only a handful of months of meeting. Why are people so afraid of opening up and loving one another.... LAME ASS town I live in now. My husband and I just started to look into moving back home but the problem now is not only the inflated cost of buying a house but the insane cost of home owners insurance!!! The insurance is surely going to block us from coming back. I am so sad....I will know in a couple of days what the insurance will prolly be for a house that is around 150,000 bucks. I've been warned by my friend and agent that we should expect 4 to 5 thousand dollars a year for insurance!!!! That is an extra 4 to 5 hundred dollars per month on top of the house principal and interest payment!! *sigh* We will move back one day....just not anytime soon, I don't think....the cost of living is unreasonable for an economy that is still wounded and healing....

sparkles:
I'm really surprised! You're having that problem in TN? I would think the south would be more accomadating. Seattle is known for it's inhospitality to outsiders, in fact, there's even a well-known saying here. It's called the "Seattle freeze". It stems from the fact that although the locals seem friendly on the surface, they freeze up if you try to get too close. There was an entire writeup in the local paper once about it. Isn't that just plain sad??
My first year here was almost unbearable. Now, I seem to be getting used to it, and that scares me. I DO NOT want to become like that. But like I stated earlier, I'm tired of trying.
I'm also worried about the cost of homeowner's insurance. We rented when we lived there, and the cost of that is a worry also. If my husband can get a transfer, he'll be paid the same there as here, so that's some consolation. The cost of living is now about the same in both places-which is hard to believe! Seattle is one of the highest places to live in the US.
Good luck to everyone--we're all going to need it!

[dazui]

I think you can stay.Maybe there are some problems at the beginning.But you'll be accustomed to live there.You'll be make new friends there.And so many thing make you happy!+

[stormweary]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

Yes, it is the state run homeowners' insurance program. I think they call it Audubon, too, but it's the same thing.

As far as I know, no other insurance companies are writing new policies in the New Orleans area, but ask your realtor.

When I bought my present house in 2002, I had to go with Louisiana Fair since I had no prior homeowners' insurance record in Louisiana. You obtain Louisiana Fair through your insurance company, so I went through Allstate. After I had it for a year, and had paid regularly, Allstate offered me their homeowners' insurance which was (if I recall correctly?) maybe half the price or a little more. That is what I have now.

Don't let insurance keep you from buying a home, if you can afford to do so! Insurers stop writing now and then but it never stays this way.

Also, do get flood insurance through your insurer. Flood insurance is done by the federal government, they never stop writing it, and it is CHEAP in comparison with homeowners'. Anybody in Orleans or Jefferson Parish should have it, in my opinion. Even if you aren't in a flood zone, you never know what will happen.

An interesting bit of trivia is that even when insurers are writing homeowners' insurance policies in this area, they suspend writing policies any time when there is a named storm (hurricane) in the Gulf. Then you have to delay closing.

thanks nola2sgf!
I Did once own a home in the city but moved before the storm. And yes! I had flood insurance too. It was fairly cheap compared to everything else. My insurance company has stopped writing new policies here in Fl. so I doubt they would in new orleans but I had them before the storm so who knows? My plan is to look in the areas that did not flood in the city and in Metairie and see what I can find. I may have to rent but from what I understand it is getting a little better in finding rentals? I have until the end of the year here so I can take some time.
And yes, I know about the delay with closing as I sold my house in September and my realtor was anxious about that but we had no problem!!

[stormweary]

Originally Posted by shaley

sparkles:
I'm really surprised! You're having that problem in TN? I would think the south would be more accomadating. Seattle is known for it's inhospitality to outsiders, in fact, there's even a well-known saying here. It's called the "Seattle freeze". It stems from the fact that although the locals seem friendly on the surface, they freeze up if you try to get too close. There was an entire writeup in the local paper once about it. Isn't that just plain sad??
My first year here was almost unbearable. Now, I seem to be getting used to it, and that scares me. I DO NOT want to become like that. But like I stated earlier, I'm tired of trying.
I'm also worried about the cost of homeowner's insurance. We rented when we lived there, and the cost of that is a worry also. If my husband can get a transfer, he'll be paid the same there as here, so that's some consolation. The cost of living is now about the same in both places-which is hard to believe! Seattle is one of the highest places to live in the US.
Good luck to everyone--we're all going to need it!

shaley:
From what I understand part of the problem is that alot of Califorians moved up into Oregon and Seattle when things got really expensive there. My sister lives in Portland Oregon and she said Oregonians are the same way. They don't mind you visiting just don't stay.....remember that you moved from one of the most unique places in the u.s. and our outlook on life is different from most.

[sparklesprinkler]

Originally Posted by shaley

sparkles:
I'm really surprised! You're having that problem in TN? I would think the south would be more accomadating. Seattle is known for it's inhospitality to outsiders, in fact, there's even a well-known saying here. It's called the "Seattle freeze". It stems from the fact that although the locals seem friendly on the surface, they freeze up if you try to get too close. There was an entire writeup in the local paper once about it. Isn't that just plain sad??
My first year here was almost unbearable. Now, I seem to be getting used to it, and that scares me. I DO NOT want to become like that. But like I stated earlier, I'm tired of trying.
I'm also worried about the cost of homeowner's insurance. We rented when we lived there, and the cost of that is a worry also. If my husband can get a transfer, he'll be paid the same there as here, so that's some consolation. The cost of living is now about the same in both places-which is hard to believe! Seattle is one of the highest places to live in the US.
Good luck to everyone--we're all going to need it!

HA! That is what makes me the most mad at Tennessee'ins! THIS IS NOT THE SOUTH. At least not to me....on the map of the USA, the state of Tennessee is in the middle (over to the right some) of the country. When we were in the process of buying a house here, our real estate agent would keep calling this place the south. So, finally, I told him "This is not the south! If this is the south, then what is Louisiana?" He replied, "Oh, yal are beach people." What a doofis! The reason it gets under my skin is b/c of the lack of hospitality, the lack of interest in having relationships with neighbors, etc....That is the total opposite of what N.O. and surrounding areas are about.

I'm like you in terms of "getting use to it". Yeah, I'm use to it alright. As in I know what this place and its people is all about. That is why, like you, I have quit being my usual outgoing social butterfly self. Noone likes it. So, I just wait for the day when we move. I cannot be who I am not forever. Being locked up inside myself is heartbreaking. People that are closed off don't realize just how they influence society in such a negative way.

[sparklesprinkler]

The reason homeowners insurance is so high now is this: Companies like State farm, Allstate, etc...are no longer covering "wind and hail" So, your premium stays the high rate and now you have to go to someone else to get your "wind and hail" So, add those together with flood insurance and you will be looking at four to five grand a year. My friend bought a house in Bridge City for 95,000. Her Insurance and property tax was 375 a month in addition to her principal and interest. When her insurance company quit covering "wind & hail" (few months ago) she was forced to go to another company and that company was either the only ones who would write her the policy or they were the cheapest. She always gets the lowest prices. And guess what, they were 2,000.00 per year for "wind and hail". So, now her house payment is up 166.00 per month. As in she is paying 541.00 a month for insurance. So sad. Since property tax doesn't count until after the first 75,000.00 that your house costs, and tax is only .17%, property tax isn't something to even consider b/c we're talkin' .17% on 20,000.00 for my friend. So, yes, she is paying 541.00 per month for her insurance alone....

[NOLA2SGF]

True, and by "not writing homeowners insurance", I guess I should have been more specific and said that they are "not writing standard homeowners that includes wind and hail". My mortgage company required wind and hail, so to me it is all the same.

According to Louisiana law, if you have had wind and hail coverage for three years with a claims record that meets certain criteria, insurance companies are prevented (by law) from dropping your wind and hail. Otherwise, you've probably had wind and hail coverage dropped so you probably had to switch over to Louisiana Fair.

I have had my homeowners' policy here in Metairie for five years with no claims, so on mine, Allstate did not drop the wind and hail coverage. They only increased the wind and hail deductible to 5% of my home's value. That's something I had wanted to do anyway, to lower my insurance cost, so I don't have any problem with that.