Big family considering Asheville (Greenville, Statesville: credit, house, buying)

[Gillseeker]

Hi everyone! My wife and I are looking for CHANGE! (credit given to Obama)

We have looked around and considered Asheville as a place for us. Here is our profile and maybe we can get some input from you guys and gals up there:

Happily married with seven children, 4 girls and 3 boys. Very much into outdoors activites. I like to fly fish and the oldest son like to mountainboard and snowboard. Wife likes to shop and sight see.

I sell Lamborghinis for a living but am working to get a degree in web design. Wife is a home maker and is a full time college student. We are devout Catholics and attend Mass every Sunday. I would probably try and get a job at a local automobile dealership in Asheville and my wife would continue her studies online.

Here in Atlanta, I make about 85K per year and we get by. I made 105K last year and 108K the year before but the economy isn't going to allow me to break 100 this year.

I am a Christian Conservative, which to me isn't a typical Republican. I have some Liberal views concerning the environment but I think the Global Warming scare is complete nonsense. I support marriage between a man and a woman but I don't have a negative view towards gays and lesbians. I will shoot you dead if you enter my home but I am against the death penalty. Get the picture so far?

85K is hard to live on down here in Atlanta with 7 kids nowadays. I want to be closer to the things I love and maybe get a small town feel but close to some stuff to do.

Schools are important. I don't want to send my kids to school with a bunch of hoodlums or meth-heads, which is what we have in North Georgia Mountain areas such as Dahlonega and Blue Ridge.

OK...there you have it. Any input?

Thanks,

Dan

[boocake]

As far as working in a car dealership, there are plenty of those here, so finding a job there might not be a huge issue. I'm not sure you would make the same money though, as surely there aren't as many people buying cars in Asheville as there are in Atlanta. Also, the degree in web design -- well, let's just say there are very, very few technical jobs in this area. That isn't to say there are ZERO, but they are far and few between, do not pay ANYTHING close to what bigger cities will pay for the same work, and there is a lot of competition for the ones that are there.

Also, housing -- with that many kids I'm assuming you need a large house -- I don't know the market in Atlanta in detail, but I can't imagine it is as expensive there as it is here in Asheville, although the prices do appear to be falling just a tad here. My guess is you'll need to spend a minimum of 300k to get a house big enough for your family!

So, in short, you'll probably make less money, have few to no job prospects when you finish school, and you won't be able to find affordable housing. That's Asheville in a nutshell....and why we are moving if my house would sell

That reminds me, scratch all that - Asheville is the BOMB - would you like to buy my house?

[Gillseeker]

Any others willing to give a little advice?

[AshevilleNeighbor]

Quick take:

Income seems like the most uncertain part of your scenario. I'll agree with the previous commenter that it's a question whether you'd be able to match your Atlanta income (at least right away) with the car dealer/web design combination. So that's where I'd focus my efforts if I were you.

The other parts of your wish list all seem do-able, assuming you're not looking high-end on the housing front. I'd agree that you're probably going to be looking at close to $300K and up for a home. I'd guess that would be manageable if you have some equity in your current home.

The church, school, family and political interests you mention all have constituencies here. You'll find folks of like mind as well as many nice people of different perspectives. Good luck in your research!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by Gillseeker

Any others willing to give a little advice?

Just my 2 cents...I highly doubt you'd make the kind of money in Asheville that you currently make in Atlanta. Also, housing in Asheville is a lot more expensive. I would suggest you choose another area and just plan to visit Asheville sometimes I have two places in mind to recommend you check out - Greenville, SC and the little town of Taylorsville, NC (near enough to Statesville for job opportunities) in the little Brushy Mountains. Best of luck to you!