Move to ATL without a job? (Atlanta, White: real estate market, 2015, for rent)

[k374]

thanks Beyond, that is encouraging. Yes, I would never move there without a job IF NOT for me being in the IT industry which I know is generally very strong everywhere but especially so in hubs in Silicon Valley, SoCal and ATL.

I have not started my search but I actually got a few solicitations from recruiters by email for jobs in ATL so who knows I may land one even before moving.

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by k374

thanks Beyond, that is encouraging. Yes, I would never move there without a job IF NOT for me being in the IT industry which I know is generally very strong everywhere but especially so in hubs in Silicon Valley, SoCal and ATL.

I have not started my search but I actually got a few solicitations from recruiters by email for jobs in ATL so who knows I may land one even before moving.

Good luck to you no matter your decision.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by k374

I have about quarter million dollars in savings, I think I should be fine with the risk.

Good for you. Most folks squander their could-be savings on expenses that are ephemeral at best. I think you'd like Johns Creek or one of the other northern communities. While having lived in the JC area only a few years, I think it is a good community with plenty of amenities.

[noah]

Its all depends on what one wants in life. Some would gladly trade a bigger house for what they deem a high quality of life in say San Fran or Seattle while others could care less about some of the quality of life factors in those locations and value the nice house etc more. Stuff is nice but it doesn't make most of us happy by itself. Of course those houses over a decade or two have appreciated 10 times greater in those cities then places like Atlanta, like you have pointed out its all about location.

Originally Posted by k374

the thing is I don't think people elsewhere in the country even realize what the situation is in places like Los Angeles. Here, virtually nobody who isn't stinking rich can even dream of owning anything bigger than a micro shack. 800 sqft micro shacks are selling for half million dollars... while the prevailing salaries in my profession are almost the same as in ATL. So, yes, LA has great weather and some other great things but that is like saying ok, this Toyota Corolla has some nice leather so pay $300,000 for it LMAO! You see how asinine it has become?

Now some people say fine I will pay $300,000 for the Toyota Corolla with leather but of course for some of us more rational it's time to move on to places that have some semblance of logic left in terms of home valuations with relation to income levels

Rather than take on debt at 10 times income like a huge number of people in LA are doing I would rather just spend the traditional 3 times income in another place. There was a recent documentary on people in Southern California trying to outbid investors and then making comments like "Oh! I got the house after outbidding the investor but now I have to eat Ramen noodles for the next 10 years" WTF? People here have just become insane I think. But that is how it is. Maybe it's mad cow disease from the UK I don't quite know what it is...

[kasuga888]

To OP,

You are set to move without a job.
Massive Savings - check
Software Eng moving to another Tech city - check

The only thing is for finding an apartment, they might ask for employment verification. Not sure what are the tactics around that A nice apt should run you around the 1-1.2k mark. If you are money conscious, you should easily get buy burning less than 3k a month to exist.

Besides that, cities like LA, DC etc are unfortunately geared more for 2 high income earners to buy a house. You fit that profile. If you have not done so, you should visit Atlanta and the suburban areas you think you want to buy a house before making the decision.

[lovely40]

FYI - I considered a move to Atlanta without a job 2 years ago and did a ton of research on renting apartments in the Perimeter area (my fav) w/o a job. I learned that besides great credit & rental history, they required 3x's the rent (standard), times the lease term. So, to qualify for a 12-month lease @ $1000. You'd need to have $36,000 in disposable income. OP's has it covered, but I wanted to share for others.

[UKWildcat1981]

We got a troll on hands people.. lol

[kasuga888]

Originally Posted by UKWildcat1981

We got a troll on hands people.. lol

Who is the troll? The op got almost 3k post

[plucas001]

Something is wrong if you can't secure a role before moving. I too am a Sr. Software Engineer in the area. I recently accepted a role with two offers in hand just this month. Yes, the market is very hot here, especially for Java/Spring/Hibernate, ect...

Seems like you've got me on the years of experience, so it should be a cinch for you to snag a good role before moving. A good agency that I've worked with is Veredus. They have great clients and great service to their consultants....

Good luck !

[afdinatl]

Do what I do when I want a job. After I apply for the position I try to find the recruiter for that position and then I sell myself to them