Should I move out of state for lower cost of living even though have good job?
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I would say that based on all yr info you two have to sacrifice on something. If he loves his job then he may need to put up with a commute in order to buy a little farther out. Dang, I thought CA real estate was outrageous! What are you looking at mini mansions for almost a million??? Always keep in mind that your very first property may have to be a starter home as they are referred to. Meaning that it may not be yr dream house with everything you can imagine but it will get u into the real estate game and improve yr asset portfolio. Then you work yr way up to yr dream home.
That's the thing--here in DC, the $1 million places are what most people would consider "starter homes." These are not mansions in any sense of the word. They're very modest, small houses that aren't very nice and need a lot of work. Outdated kitchens, small rooms, no yard. For $400K you can get a condo. For SFH, the cost is much more.
If your DH is truly in high demand, I'd explore other career options so you can buy a single family home, start a family, and get on with your lives. I've had lots of jobs and there were things to love about all of them. I'm sure he'll land on his feet. I can tell you that here in the Midwest you can get an awesome house (4 bedroom/2bath/three car garage/half acre lot/basement) in a wonderful, safe, walkable neighborhood with good schools for under $300,000. Best wishes!
If your DH is truly in high demand, I'd explore other career options so you can buy a single family home, start a family, and get on with your lives. I've had lots of jobs and there were things to love about all of them. I'm sure he'll land on his feet. I can tell you that here in the Midwest you can get an awesome house (4 bedroom/2bath/three car garage/half acre lot/basement) in a wonderful, safe, walkable neighborhood with good schools for under $300,000. Best wishes!
I know the midwest has great real estate options that are well-priced. We are looking into the midwest, but we're concerned about the fact that there's not much to drive to around there. We love the fact that on the East Coast there's so much to do within a short drive: from DC we can go to the Atlantic beaches, NYC, Philly, the Poconos, any number of interesting towns for weekend getaways--Charlottesville, Annapolis, etc. In a place like Indianapolis, Columbus, Cleveland, etc.--there's not a whole lot in terms of that. That's our only qualm about moving to the midwest.
My husband, daughter and I just moved from the DC area 2 years ago to Charlotte b/c we could no longer afford it, (after I didn't work for a year while pregnant - long story). We knew that we could move to Charlotte and actually have a house. It's not all that it's cracked up to be. While in the DC area, we rented, and then bought a townhouse.
Like you and your husband, we were tired of living in such close quarters, and were initially excited when we moved and were able to have our house builtm (something we would have never been able to do in DC). We've been in our house for 1 year, and now our excitment is gone. We're planning to move back to DC in the next 2 years. If you are just moving to buy a house, and your husband has a great job - it's not worth it. Now we have to keep up the yard, fix things ourselves around the house, cut our grass when the neighbors cut their grass, etc.
I would think about moving out to Columbia, Laurel, Fairfax, or other places where it's not as expensive as living so close to DC itself.
If we had to do it all over again - we would have made better financial choices, found ways to earn extra income, and stayed!! Moving for material reasons was not a very smart choice for us at all!!!
I know the midwest has great real estate options that are well-priced. We are looking into the midwest, but we're concerned about the fact that there's not much to drive to around there. We love the fact that on the East Coast there's so much to do within a short drive: from DC we can go to the Atlantic beaches, NYC, Philly, the Poconos, any number of interesting towns for weekend getaways--Charlottesville, Annapolis, etc. In a place like Indianapolis, Columbus, Cleveland, etc.--there's not a whole lot in terms of that. That's our only qualm about moving to the midwest.
There are a lot of weekend getaway drives from Cleveland. It's not like Cleveland is in the middle of no where like some midwestern towns.
Chicago, Detroit, Windsor, Erie, and Amish country are all pretty close. I'm sure you would find plenty of things to explore if you moved to Northeast Ohio.
I am not a realtor but you're going to think I am one. You stated that you have gone to open houses and only seen "crap" houses. Have you thought about working with a good realtor and letting them find you a non-crap house that would work with your hubby's current job? The best houses never make it to an Open House! You never know, your dream home might be near you right now and in your price range PLUS your hubby could keep his awesome job! Just a thought.
I am not a realtor but you're going to think I am one. You stated that you have gone to open houses and only seen "crap" houses. Have you thought about working with a good realtor and letting them find you a non-crap house that would work with your hubby's current job? The best houses never make it to an Open House! You never know, your dream home might be near you right now and in your price range PLUS your hubby could keep his awesome job! Just a thought.
Yes, we do have a realtor. We haven't looked at any houses with him yet, but I get weekly emails listing all the newest listings with photos, etc. Everything so far is either too far away, way too expensive, or crap. We are going to keep looking here, b/c hubby does have a great job and we love the area.
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