I'm looking at boise to relocate? (Horseshoe Bend, Hope: sales, real estate market, mortgage) - Idaho (ID) - City-Data Forum

winger17 · 06-08-2008, 10:02 PM

I"m going to visit the garden city area in july a cousin of my wife just moved there@8 months ago. they have a couple kids and really love it! they moved from so. california. how are the prospects for work in the construction trades? I"ve got electrical maintainance exp. and am currently a building inspector. I love the outdoors fishing and hiking. I"m concerned about how I"m going to be able to afford to retire in so. cal. I can just about pay for a modest home in boise with a small mortgage payment. I have searched the mls on the internet and I like the look of the eagle and NE boise area foothills. any other suggestions for areas to look at would be welcome. close to fishing would be nice.!

MrGerardo · 06-08-2008, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winger17

I"m going to visit the garden city area in july a cousin of my wife just moved there@8 months ago. they have a couple kids and really love it! they moved from so. california. how are the prospects for work in the construction trades? I"ve got electrical maintainance exp. and am currently a building inspector. I love the outdoors fishing and hiking. I"m concerned about how I"m going to be able to afford to retire in so. cal. I can just about pay for a modest home in boise with a small mortgage payment. I have searched the mls on the internet and I like the look of the eagle and NE boise area foothills. any other suggestions for areas to look at would be welcome. close to fishing would be nice.!

I was thinking of anywhere in the Pacific Northwest for years, mainly Idaho, Montana, even as far east as Colorado, but more towards Idaho. Boise is a big city anyway and it won't shock me as much considering I currently live in Chicago.

YanquiUXO · 06-08-2008, 11:57 PM

If construction is your trade then be very, very careful about coming to Boise.

This particular industry is hurting, and hurting bad. It would be best to come with a job in hand. Call around and see what the hiring is like. I do know that many of my friends have been laid off in the past few months as construction has slowed tremendously.

winger17 · 06-09-2008, 07:24 PM

hey, thanks for the heads up! I'll also check at hospitals and maufacturing for maintaince positions or possibly schools. Is the drive from horseshoe bend to boise a long drive if your commuting daily ? it looks like a two lane road ? lots of snow? ice?

Torrie · 06-09-2008, 07:40 PM

The drive from Horseshoe Bend takes about 45 min. In the winter it can be treacherous with ice, so not the best commute. With the cost of fuel rising you'd be better served to live closer where you work. You can fish the Boise River for something close and then as you get settled, explore further outside the metro area.

winger17 · 06-09-2008, 08:17 PM

torrie, you are an agent I see. my wife has a national notary signing service and was wondering if there is much need for that service there? also some reverse mortgage business also. is this something you see as a healthy home business there?

BoiseTiler · 06-09-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winger17

I"m going to visit the garden city area in july a cousin of my wife just moved there@8 months ago. they have a couple kids and really love it! they moved from so. california. how are the prospects for work in the construction trades? I"ve got electrical maintainance exp. and am currently a building inspector. I love the outdoors fishing and hiking. I"m concerned about how I"m going to be able to afford to retire in so. cal. I can just about pay for a modest home in boise with a small mortgage payment. I have searched the mls on the internet and I like the look of the eagle and NE boise area foothills. any other suggestions for areas to look at would be welcome. close to fishing would be nice.!

Hey there, I am a Tile,Stone and Hardwood subcontractor and have lived here for 20+ years....
This is a grand place to live and you will especially enjoy the fishing here. No matter where you live around here you can fish in probably 10 min's. I live on the foothills in NW Boise and just moved from eagle about 9 months ago. (Both are wonderful places to live)Both have hiking,biking and fishing at every turn.
The best place to look for a job is "Boise Job service" They will actually e-mail or call with jobs posted that fit your needs. There is also a lot of Temp agencies that are very good at finding any job you want. They find you the job and make a certain amount of your wage (like a dollar or so an hour) until you hire on full time so their is definatley work if you want it.

https://labor.idaho.gov/es/signon/login.aspx?returnurl=/es/jobtools/default.aspx&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 (broken link)

Also craigslist is a good place. The jobs are here it just takes diligence. I have noticed the electricians are getting busy too. There is also always work in painting, roofing and flooring around the valley.
[MOD CUT]
Here are some pics of our backyard from this last week. Good Luck

Jeff
Boise

Oh and here is a link to a local fishing forum

Fishing Forum : Idaho Fishing Forum: General Discusion

winger17 · 06-09-2008, 09:11 PM

jeff, thanks for the info, those shots of your yard are pretty sweet! I'll show my wife that. she is in the loan signing side of things these days. But both of us wont sit to long without some income coming in. I'll probably do just about any job if I cant find what I'm looking for. but I could fish a little bit while looking!!

ryansdad · 06-10-2008, 12:41 AM

There are some industries that are hurting here, with many people out of work, businesses going under.

Construction industry here has been severely hurting, and this has severely affected the real estate market. Many real estate agents here are having to sell used cars to stay afloat.

Banking has been affected too. We know of many previously successful bankers/loan officers who are out of jobs.

Dentists are hurting. Many, including dental specialists (Orthodontists, etc) are leaving town, or going out of business. Our dentist friends have heard of at least 10 fire sales (newer dental offices). [MOD CUT]

Also, dental PPO fees are low, and currently, the new dentists cannot fill even one day with Medicaid, as many, many offices are accepting Medicaid now.

The majority of jobs in Boise are service oriented jobs that dont' way a living wage, or offer benefits. This was in the paper/news about a year ago.

We know many people who moved here from S. Cal, when they sold their home for a good price (2004-2006) and were able to buy a home & investment property here. Most of them finally had to get a job that pays half (or less) of what they were used to making.

Boise is a great place to raise a family though! It's a great town! Lots of restaurants (Restaurant business here is very competitive!!!!) and lots of outdoor things to do.

Good luck with your transition! Wish we had gotten the scoop before moving here.

ryansdad · 06-10-2008, 12:48 AM

Forgot to mention, there is still a big need for physicians in Boise. Our physician friends are all doing very well, and not accepting new patients. There was an article in the paper last year, that there are not enough specialists. Just call around to recommended internists, they aren't accepting new pts.

Hope that helps!