Help me move to Boston (apartment, to rent, buying a house)

[linlin270]

I swear, if I am stuck here (Morganfield, KY) one more day, I think I am going to go crazy. I WANT OUT! So, my question is, is my dream too far fetched? I want to move to Boston with my fiance and our two dogs. We don't have children, and do not plan on it. Right now, he is working as a coal miner, making $26.00 an hour, and I do not work. If we were to move, he would have to quit his job, and move.. How hard is it to find jobs in Boston? Is it impossible? I have considered going back to school. We are still fairly young, (24 & 20) so I have thought about finishing school. We have no money saved thus far, but if we intend on moving, we could probably save a nice chunk of change to get there. We have 2 vehicles, a Mitsi. Eclipse, and a Dodge Ram (gas guzzler). I would probably try to sell my car, and get some of our debts payed down before we decided to move. So, I guess the major question is, should we move without having jobs lined up? How hard would it to find a job? We are thinking of buying our own home, so I wouldn't think rent would be an issue. Help me!

[mmyk72]

Originally Posted by linlin270

So, I guess the major question is, should we move without having jobs lined up?

No.



Getting a job isn't exactly hard.... I often see job openings for supermarket cashier, wait staff, etc. Question is can you find a job that pays well enough to cover rent in a place that you like to live in or house payment for something you end up buying, food and other essentials and still have a comfortable leftover for fun, savings and emergencies. And in the meantime that you're looking, are you willing to dwindle your savings ..... It's not hard to do that here as the cost of living is one of the top in the country (Probably just behind NY and CA).

[tediousjo]

Buying a house remotely is REALLY REALLY difficult, especially with today's market and having to prove income, etc. I've tried it.

You will especially want to rent for a while first, since neighborhoods in Boston can be unsafe block-by-block, and you'll want to get a feel for them firsthand. Income from one person, in my experience, isn't enough to cover rent in a place like Boston; at least not anywhere worth living. Hopefully you and your fiance have some marketable skills and you can both get jobs lined up, find an apartment (look at previous threads here for some good places to live) and save up for your house.

It will be tricky, but not impossible. Good luck!

[ogre]

Be very careful about this. I can tell you from tough experience that it's usually a bad idea to jump at what you think is a good possibility because you can't stand your current situation and desperately want out. In such circumstances there is a risk that in your desperation to get away from where you are as quickly as possible, you won't think clearly about all the issues related to the move you plan to make as your way out of the situation you want to escape. This makes it likely that you'll be making a move that will just get you into another bad situation. I'm not saying you definitely should not move to Boston, just that you need to give a lot of thought to whether it's the right move.

Pay close attention to Mmyk72's post. Everything in that post is correct. Boston has one of the highest costs of living of any city in the country. It's a bad idea to move to Boston thinking you're going to live on any old job you might be able to pick up. To make it here financially you'd need a sound plan for how to have solidly paying emploment lined up before arriving here. Either that or save a LOT of money beforehand.

One big question I have is why you want to move to Boston in particular. There are many places that would be a change from Morganfield, KY. Why do you want to find that change in Boston? Answering that question for yourself could be a good first step toward really examining this idea for a move in a rational manner that will help you avoid jumping blindly from the proverbial frying pan, only to find yourself roasting in the proverbial fire.

[Cantabridgienne]

Have you researched the cost of living here and the cost of housing? I'm all for dreams, but they need to be grounded in reality to come true.

Unless you have a lot of money saved up (like over 20k) I wouldn't recommend miving here withouta degree.

[beth98]

Moving someplace without a job is difficult at best. I would want to attempt it without being debt free and having 6 months living expenses saved up. If I were going to try to do it I would suggest one person move and rent a cheap room while they find a job and the other person stay behind and work to help support the person who moved to the new city. Then once the person who moved has a steady job, the other person can follow.

I think you may be in for some sticker shock when you look for homes outside of Kentucky. You aren't going to find any homes for 50k in Boston (or the vast majority of Massachusetts for that matter).

Jobs are more plentiful here than other parts of the country, but jobs for unskilled laborers that start at $26/hour are going to be impossible to find.

Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the country so moving here could be a big jump. Why not consider some other cities that have a more moderate cost of living. Cities where you have a friend or family member that would let you stay with them while you found a job should move to the top of the list.

I don't want you to feel like moving here is hopeless because if you are really committed to it, I'm certain you can make it work. It just may be a longer term plan, but you're 20 so you have loads of time. If you are able I would suggest you get a job to start saving money. If you are able to find a job waiting tables, I would do that. It's a great skill to have when you move since server jobs tend to be plentiful in major cities.

[Nehlybel1984]

I know exactly how you feel! I hate living in East TN and yearn for a more exciting, diverse city like Boston. My advise is to do what I'm doing...finish college in KY because tuition in Boston (and the Northeast in general) seems to be very expensive since most are private colleges. Use your school's directory service to connect with alumni who may be in the Boston area (this is especially helpful for finding a decent job in your field). And you probably don't want to have a car in Boston...the subways and buses are more than enough to get you where you need to go. I wish you the best of luck!

[RC1981]

If your other half has a 50k a year job then stay put. He's not going to get anything even close to that in Boston without a Master's Degree and eons of experience. Probably not going to get anything better than that anywhere right in the country now in this economy.