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Hi, I am planning to move from St. Louis, MO to Tampa, FL this summer. I have some questions about this process.
I am going to need to sell my house, so I thought I would put it on the market, and start looking for a job, and if I don’t find it remotely, then move and look for a job locally. I have 20 years of experience in a high demand area of IT, so I am not anticipating any problems with finding a job, but it may still take some time to find something that I like.
But then I realized that packing/donating stuff, making house repairs before the sale, staging it and selling it, while working full time and taking care of two kids, might not leave time for a job search. So I decided to sell the house, move to a short term rental, and then look for a job. That way I’d have time to prepare for interviews, and not have to rush it. I think I really need to try to find a job before moving, because as a single mom I really don’t want to be without an income and a health insurance (although I could for a few months if I really had to). I am not sure if it will work out, I never looked for a job remotely, so I don’t know if employers are willing to deal with non-local candidates. Any thoughts?
I think it would be a good idea to move to a rental before putting the house on the market, as I really don’t see how I could keep the house presentable while living in it (piles of laundry, toys everywhere, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, etc.). But I don’t know how I could move to an apartment if I need all my furniture for staging? I guess I could live in a hotel for a while, but I don’t know how long this process will take, so it might get expensive. How do you do it? This will be my first time selling a house, so I would appreciate any ideas.
Get the job first, and before you do anything, make sure there are IT jobs that you want to do in Tampa.
IT folks I know complain that the salaries are too low to off-set the warmer weather. I know one who is moving to Des Moines from Clearwater (FL) next month and will nearly double his pay. He's originally from IL, so he knows what he is getting into weather-wise.
Get the job first. It will be a lot easier to rent a place short term once you know exactly where you'll be working than jump in and buy something you end up regretting. Getting the job first will give you a lot of information about where you might want to live (commuting, COL in various areas, focus your home search), what you can or cannot afford to buy or rent, and in turn, what you'll need to take along or buy once you arrive.
Make sure you can afford to continue paying the mortgage on your current place even after you move. No predicting how long it might take to sell your home.
Get the job first, and before you do anything, make sure there are IT jobs that you want to do in Tampa.
IT folks I know complain that the salaries are too low to off-set the warmer weather. I know one who is moving to Des Moines from Clearwater (FL) next month and will nearly double his pay. He's originally from IL, so he knows what he is getting into weather-wise.
I am moving FOR the warmer weather, so I don't need to off-set it. And yes, I did check that there are jobs that I want.
I used salary.com to compare salaries between the two cities, and it looks like the average for my position is a few thousands lower in Tampa, but that's OK.
it looks like the average for my position is a few thousands lower in Tampa, but that's OK.
The COL in Tampa is not especially cheap. I understand how warmer weather can seem appealing, but over time, may IT workers bail. Who wants to struggle with thorny problems for months on end and only make peanuts?
That's what I'm hearing. Perhaps you'll buck that trend.
In any case, secure the job first. They may even offer a relocation package.
First, clear your house of everything you can live without. Don't worry about "staging" because that's nice but not always necessary. Rent a pod to keep it in, and that'll be packed and ready when your house is sold.
No one is going to rent to you if you don't have a job.
Find an IT recruiter. My hubby works in IT and that was the best route. Accept that you might have to work as a contractor for one of the recruiting companies before landing full time direct hire work.
COST OF LIVING CALCULATORS LIE. I would say our expenses are 20% higher here than where we lived, even though the calculators said otherwise. Insurance is insane (DON'T buy in a flood zone). Food is more expensive. Housing is very expensive. The older the home the less efficient so you'll pay more in utilities than you can imagine.
Having said that, if you have the desirable IT skills you can do well here. Hubby left a $75k job in KY and he now makes $120k. Just know that here, as pretty much everywhere else, the IT people work to death - long hours and over the top expectations.
Thank you for your reply! I will not need a pod, as I will be purging most of my stuff, and will be sending the small stuff in boxes, either by Amtrak or Greyhound.
I know I can't rent without a job, that's why I am planning to rent in St. Louis, while having the old job, and look for a new one. Was your husband able to find a job before moving?
Hi, I am planning to move from St. Louis, MO to Tampa, FL this summer. I have some questions about this process.
I am going to need to sell my house, so I thought I would put it on the market, and start looking for a job, and if I don’t find it remotely, then move and look for a job locally. I have 20 years of experience in a high demand area of IT, so I am not anticipating any problems with finding a job, but it may still take some time to find something that I like.
But then I realized that packing/donating stuff, making house repairs before the sale, staging it and selling it, while working full time and taking care of two kids, might not leave time for a job search. So I decided to sell the house, move to a short term rental, and then look for a job. That way I’d have time to prepare for interviews, and not have to rush it. I think I really need to try to find a job before moving, because as a single mom I really don’t want to be without an income and a health insurance (although I could for a few months if I really had to). I am not sure if it will work out, I never looked for a job remotely, so I don’t know if employers are willing to deal with non-local candidates. Any thoughts?
I think it would be a good idea to move to a rental before putting the house on the market, as I really don’t see how I could keep the house presentable while living in it (piles of laundry, toys everywhere, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, etc.). But I don’t know how I could move to an apartment if I need all my furniture for staging? I guess I could live in a hotel for a while, but I don’t know how long this process will take, so it might get expensive. How do you do it? This will be my first time selling a house, so I would appreciate any ideas.
Well if you quit you still are entitled to get COBRA, if you can afford it. That would cover you medically; however, I do agree to look before you move. You may need to sell a house before you can buy a new one; however, you may just want to wait to put it on the market until you actually have a job in Tampa and then rent until your house sells. There are furnished apartments, but you don't have to stage. Empty houses sell too. Being without a job and two kids unless you have money on reserve is not a good thing to do IMO.
Thank you for your reply! I will not need a pod, as I will be purging most of my stuff, and will be sending the small stuff in boxes, either by Amtrak or Greyhound.
I know I can't rent without a job, that's why I am planning to rent in St. Louis, while having the old job, and look for a new one. Was your husband able to find a job before moving?
Yes, but he came down here and had several interviews to do it. He told them when he would be available and found a job. He was a contractor for over a year before finding a direct hire job.
Check into subletting a furnished place for a few months
Find a job first, then move and clear the house. It certainly be vacant on the market; staging is not that important.
Live in the house while its for sale and just have lots of bins laundry baskets to quickly throw stuff into (and put in garage) when you need a quick pickup. Try it for a month or two — maybe the house will sell fine.
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