Moving to PA From Washington (Allentown, Wilkes-Barre: real estate, how much, houses)

[Doctorjd23]

So the wife and I have decided now that the kids are all grown and scattered across the country we are ready to move back to her home state, Pennsylvania of course. She's originally from Drexel Hill. I have an immediate job opportunity in Langhorne but that doesn't necessarily limit me to just that area. I'm used to commuting an hour and a half daily each way. So my question is what are some nice areas centrally located between Langhorne and Wilkes-Barre where her sister now lives. I've been looking all over and seem to keep finding houses we like in Allentown. But I'd like to branch out my search to areas she might not know of or immediately think about...it's been 25 years since she lived in PA. No kids at home, 2 dogs, she works from home, I'm flexible. We don't necessarily have a firm budget but based on how much more house you can get in PA vs Seattle we'll say for our needs 350k would likely be plenty. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Also our timetable for moving is September-October. Our real Estate agent believes our house will have multiple offers immediately so this will be a couple weeks to prep and then list on Sept 1st. Moving ideally no later then mid October.

[Tweb66]

Thats a massive range, between Langhorne and Wilkes-Barre. Its a two hour + drive with everything in between. My immediate reaction would be to the Lehigh Valley but a commute to Langhorne from there is a pain. What are your priorities? For me at least, the distance to visit the in laws a couple times a month is a different conversation than a daily commute.



At 350k, you can get a lot of house in the Lehigh Valley. From a stately home in the west end of Allentown, to a nice suburban home in the burbs to a sprawling compound, you have some options. Its just a matter of what you want. I will assume that being closer to your job means more than being closer to her family, simply because of your daily commute but if thats the case, look in Northampton County or Upper Bucks.

[Wells5]

Look into Coopersburg and surrounding townships. The housing stock in the borough is old but there are new developments in the surroundings. Upping your housing budget a little will get you a new single family home.


I think that you will miss the Puget Sound area if you leave.

[Pahn]

Originally Posted by Wells5

I think that you will miss the Puget Sound area if you leave.

As somebody that moved from PA to WA and back to PA, this is certainly true. That said, the COL in WA is insane these days, and with all the fires all summer, the QOL seems to be taking a dive.

[toobusytoday]

If I were you, I would go with closer to Langhorne for now and with the thought of moving closer to Wilkes Barre after you retire. The downside to an hour commute is that our winters stink, our roads are old and traffic is bad. It looks like an hour from Langhorne to me with no traffic and I am in the very Southern part of Lehigh county.

I think a big problem you are going to have is that we are in a sellers market now. A house three doors down from me sold for a $100,000 more than it would have two years ago. Just as you will be able to sell your house quickly in the Seattle area, you may be in a bidding war for one here and pay more than you would like. I live just outside of Coopersburg.

[Jessie Mitchell]

Originally Posted by Pahn

As somebody that moved from PA to WA and back to PA, this is certainly true. That said, the COL in WA is insane these days, and with all the fires all summer, the QOL seems to be taking a dive.

We moved from beautiful southern Oregon to PA last year. I miss the big mountains and the forests and the fast rivers, but yes, the increased temperatures, the persistent drought conditions, the smoke and the threat of fires... I don't miss that. We didn't leave OR for climate reasons but I think there's no debate the quality of life has deteriorated there, at least for large parts of the year.