Considering move to St. George (Price, Riverside: real estate, apartment complexes, renting)

[vlender]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635193978,00.html

We have a local business here and it has become difficult finding new employees because of the cost of living. Most positions that pay 10.00 an hour cannot attract the quality of employee due to the fact that they have either required more money to sustain their living standard or they have moved out of the community. It is forcing wages up in the community but I still feel it is not enough to compensate for the cost of living. We are seeing more and more companies outsource to maintain the quality they require and control the cost. It is a touchy situation. I know many many real estate agents concerned about their future.

[FeelGood]

Now days, many folks work second jobs to get ahead. I was in 'Dixie' a week ago. Cedar City is about 55 miles up I-15 if you want a alternative.

Once the airport is open, it should help put the city on the map. One of my friends has a rental property in St. George. After I was there last week, I can see why he bought the place.

The company I work for is hiring. If you're keeping your options open, then send me a pm.

Cheers!

[NearlyNative]

The last thing I would worry about is being or not being LDS. The housing market is down now and I think will be for a while. The housing market in St. George has always been its own animal since so many people pay cash for houses and not depending so much on the national economy. Houses in the 250,000 to 300,000 dollar range sell okay. There are many homes in my neighborhood in the 500,000 dollar plus range for sale and the prices are coming down. The wages in St. George are low and have always been low. Construction jobs are in the 15 dollar an hour range. As I said in another post that if you have a CDL, you can find work. Construction, welding, light manufacturing are all possibilities. Teaching, public safety and nursing are in the 30-40K range. The biggest employers are the school district, hospital and city and county government. SkyWest employs alot of people but the starting wage is about the same. You will find many good employers but not many good paying employers. The schools are good. The high schools all have their own personalities. I would subscribe to the local paper, 'The Spectrum'. The on-line is okay, but the format is different than the paper version. The scenery is beautiful and there is many activities to do and things to see without travelling very far. There is a small group of people that commute to Las Vegas to work for various jobs. It's about 120 miles, almost all freeway driving though. Maybe an option. I hope this helps.

[Tool Shed]

Housing is gonna need to down at least 40% to make prices desirable.

[mizelle]

St. George has experienced a slump in home sales, but that should be a bonus for you. Its a great area, great schools, great college...its not 'big city' by any stretch, but there ARE places to work. There is some pretty good industry there, but its kept quiet. With your background, you should easily find work. Granted, its not a cheap place to live, but you can't beat it for scenery and outdoor activities.
There are lots of young families there, and yes, lots of retirees. I don't think you would be disappointed with it. WHile it could be true that someone didn't get hired because they weren't LDS, I would be more inclined to think that that WOULDN'T happen. Overall I think you'd be able to find a decent job and a suitable place to live....good luck!!

[Whome]

Lived here for a year now unfortunately and the members of my wife's LDS church didn't realize she was attending services there for about 3 months!!?? When we moved to St. George the LDS church/ward was notified we were coming and do ya think we even heard from the Bishop? or offered any type of help with moving? Not knocking the LDS here but as far as friendly they more clique-ish and no different from non-LDS. Went to the park and met some people that were new in town and they felt the same way about the "friendly" people here

[thompson84606]

Originally Posted by Steadykat

Does anyone else notice all the empty "new homes" for sale in Washington County? It appears that the housing boom in St George is over, baby. I have friends that work as realtors here and they aren't selling anything. The housing bubble has popped all over the U.S., Las Vegas and Phoenix being two of the worst markets. Therefore, there won't be the influx of people with cash from prior home sales that we have had in the last couple of years fueling growth. This will also put an end to one of the best paying jobs in Washington County, construction. Commercial real estate isn't much better. The School Trust development, off Exit 13, was completed over a year ago and the entire area still sits empty.
You are not going to be happy job searching in St George. Unless you work in the local Government or the Hospital you are not going to be making more that around $10.00 (or less) an hour. Most of the jobs available here are either service oriented or low paying assembly-line work.

100% TRUE, TAKE NOTE PEOPLE.

[thompson84606]

Originally Posted by jjones

My background is cost/scheduling of major projects, so that is not going to easily transfer to anything there, but I also spend some time at Delta Air Lines and I know Skywest's General Office is there, and I've worked in a clinical setting running payroll and I know IDS is there.

My only concern now is with all the increase in home prices, I think its priced me out of the market.

Skywest pays garbage, just like everyone here. The walmart distribution center pays some of the highest wages in the area and receives applications daily, they don't call back. Your best bet is production, blue bunny pays well to work in the freezer.....man it sucks here. It's good for people that have the time and money to piddle around in the red rocks all day but let me tell you after a few years you get annoyed by the red dirt everywhere, covering everything. I hate six months of summer. I got out as fast as I could and would never have come back if I couldn't live rent free in my parents house while they're out of the country...I'll be gone as soon as they get back.

[Low Roller]

Well! I was cetainly considering St. George as a retirement area - until reading much of this thread!

Actually, I was originally thinking of Mesquite, but a friend thought I might like SG better (prettier, and perhaps - at least a little - cooler in the summer.) He said it was similar to Sedona, AZ - "Red Rocks" country.

I wouldn't have to worry about the poor job situation, but some of the other comments here have disturbed me.

One of my best friends is a Mormon, and except for trying to convert me all the time (I don't think I could stand the "garments," ) he's a great guy. So that doesn't bother me - especially since Vegas and Mesquite are so close for playing.

I would, however, like to ask about thompson's mentioning of the red dust. I have a damaged eye, and if I am in a dusty area (with a lot of wind a lot of the time,) I get it in the eye and it feels like I have gravel in there for many hours.

So I would like to ask if there is a major wind and dust problem there?

Once in awhile would be okay, as most anywhere gets like that now and then; but not dust everywhere all the time inside one's home. That would kill me. So would appreciate more comments about that if possible.

Also, anyone familiar with apartment rentals there? No way I could afford a home - at least right off.

I go to the various apartment websites and type in SG, and the site either says it has no info, or it just shows the name and address of some apts, but no info as to what the apartment complex looks like, what its rents are, etc.

I found one site that gives aerial views of the apartment complexes -and many look nice (from an eagle's perspective anyway,) but it's pretty hard to tell much else from that!

So if anyone can give me the names of some nice apartment complexes to checkout (I will be making a brief recon visit to the SG/Mesquite area in early June,) and perhaps their general rents for a 2bm unit, I would appreciate it.

How 'bout golf? I've seen one pic of a beautiful fairway, so I assume SG has at least one course. Can anyone tell me more about that (greenfees, etc?)

Mesquite has 5-6 nice courses - which is what appealed to me about it in the first place. How many does SG have?

Does SG have any hunting/fishing country nearby? Rifle range or hunting clubs? Anything like that?

Anyway, I am considering moving somewhere around the Mesquite/SG area in October, so would appreciate any and all info you may provide.

Thanks a lot!

[thompson84606]

Originally Posted by Low Roller

Well! I was cetainly considering St. George as a retirement area - until reading much of this thread!

Actually, I was originally thinking of Mesquite, but a friend thought I might like SG better (prettier, and perhaps - at least a little - cooler in the summer.) He said it was similar to Sedona, AZ - "Red Rocks" country.

I wouldn't have to worry about the poor job situation, but some of the other comments here have disturbed me.

One of my best friends is a Mormon, and except for trying to convert me all the time (I don't think I could stand the "garments," ) he's a great guy. So that doesn't bother me - especially since Vegas and Mesquite are so close for playing.

I would, however, like to ask about thompson's mentioning of the red dust. I have a damaged eye, and if I am in a dusty area (with a lot of wind a lot of the time,) I get it in the eye and it feels like I have gravel in there for many hours.

So I would like to ask if there is a major wind and dust problem there?

Once in awhile would be okay, as most anywhere gets like that now and then; but not dust everywhere all the time inside one's home. That would kill me. So would appreciate more comments about that if possible.

Also, anyone familiar with apartment rentals there? No way I could afford a home - at least right off.

I go to the various apartment websites and type in SG, and the site either says it has no info, or it just shows the name and address of some apts, but no info as to what the apartment complex looks like, what its rents are, etc.

I found one site that gives aerial views of the apartment complexes -and many look nice (from an eagle's perspective anyway,) but it's pretty hard to tell much else from that!

So if anyone can give me the names of some nice apartment complexes to checkout (I will be making a brief recon visit to the SG/Mesquite area in early June,) and perhaps their general rents for a 2bm unit, I would appreciate it.

How 'bout golf? I've seen one pic of a beautiful fairway, so I assume SG has at least one course. Can anyone tell me more about that (greenfees, etc?)

Mesquite has 5-6 nice courses - which is what appealed to me about it in the first place. How many does SG have?

Does SG have any hunting/fishing country nearby? Rifle range or hunting clubs? Anything like that?

Anyway, I am considering moving somewhere around the Mesquite/SG area in October, so would appreciate any and all info you may provide.

Thanks a lot!

I'll let you get some feedback from others about the dust but yes it is in the air all the time as well as tamarisk pollen, you'll find red dirt in your toilets if they sit for more than a few days. When you descend into st. george from cedar city it looks like the city is covered in smog but it's just dust from the constant construction throughout the area. Wind isn't a huge problem but in spring and fall dust storms can be fairly common being at a descent elevation with the winds from the mountains. There are very very few apartment complexes, mostly low income and student housing for the few we have. Rent has increased 20% over the past year and a small, old 2 bedroom apartment runs around 700 a month. There are a couple nice units one behind the mall called mesa palms and the other in the green valley area, not sure of the name but they're on dixie drive, they're newer and will run 800-900 for a 2 bdr. Good luck, most people rent old houses and condos here which is why rent is so astronomical for an idea check the spectrum newspaper site for rentals, almost all houses ($1000+).