Hate Hampton Roads? Plan to Relocate? (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: real estate, credit, big home)

[pharos]

Hey MovetoFlorida, I am Living in Tappahannock and was considering moving to Gloucester Point to be closer to the beach. But i also considered moving to Florida on the southwest side (they say the water is prettier). I was told the wages are much lower but it seems the housing is cheaper althought the homeowners insurance is expensive supposedly. Any tips on the hampton roads area and the SW Florida area? i have only done minimal research in Florida. i havn't been to Tampa or Sarasota only Pensacola and Orlando. I would like to know your thoughts.

[telemonster]

Originally Posted by ChessieMom

I've lived here for over 30 years, and been in technology for just about my entire career. I'm a systems analyst for a public sector entity, but I've been doing this work for many many years. I don't consider my income "huge" (nor do I consider any of the numbers here in that category). But it's a very liveable salary for me and my son.

What if you did not purchase your residence when you did. What if you were in the market now on your salary now.

That changes everything.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by telemonster

What if you did not purchase your residence when you did. What if you were in the market now on your salary now.

That changes everything.

I make almost double what I did then (10 years ago). I think I'd be just fine.

[movetoflorida]

Originally Posted by pharos

Hey MovetoFlorida, I am Living in Tappahannock and was considering moving to Gloucester Point to be closer to the beach. But i also considered moving to Florida on the southwest side (they say the water is prettier). I was told the wages are much lower but it seems the housing is cheaper althought the homeowners insurance is expensive supposedly. Any tips on the hampton roads area and the SW Florida area? i have only done minimal research in Florida. i havn't been to Tampa or Sarasota only Pensacola and Orlando. I would like to know your thoughts.

I like the area minus crime, education and employment. Gloucester Point would be a good consideration too. I have considered it myself. I took my boat down to Fort Myers and the Caloosahatchee river recently to check it out. Water was not clear in the Gulf or the river(was better than here). Lover's Key by Fort Myers Beach had nice sand and water. Fishing was good and is year round. Water in the river and bay areas was calm even in wind unlike here(less open area for wind and tide to battle I guess) The Gulf of Mexico can get nasty though. I have become more of an inland fisherman. You would be 2-4 hours from clear water(Miami and the Keys). My in-laws live in Big Pine Key which has good fishing and diving/snorkling on the reef. My business has contracts I can transfer and my boys are home schooled, so education and employment are not issues. Crime...well I guess I will have to take some measures like keeping the 12 guage handy and stay away from the ghetto that is around down town Fort Myers. BTW, my house is for sale and it is closer to Gloucester Point than you are. Sounds like you like the water and just want change like us. Good luck!

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

Ill go second, Im a corporate accountant (a real one, not an a/p clerk claiming to be an accountant). I make 35k a year, which is about 70% of the national average for recent college grads in the field (Ive been doing it almost 4 years), and its about 50-70% of what a person with my skills and qualifications could expect in a real city. I make more money then every one in my department but the senior accountant and the CFO, and I make more then every body in my department at my last job but the CFO. On a recent report I saw interviewing actual accountants in the area, I make more then 85% of people with my job title and similiar responsibilities.

Randomdude, not trying to get personal, and please don't take this post wrong, but I better understand your hate for the area now.....I would do everything I could to leave this area if that is truly want to do or better yet find a better field to explore while you are still young......The money is out there in Hampton Roads if you look for it but it is not going to just drop in your lap.

I finished (High) school in 1977, by 1980 I was making well more then you are today and have never looked back....did I bust my butt for a number of years and take a few big risk to get where I am today.....you bet but that is what you have to do if you want to get ahead.

30 years ago working for someone else collecting a check every two weeks worked for many people, much better then it works today...But I did not want to be one of those people and went out and did my own thing........Find something that interest you and for a better lack of words....beg, borrow and steal to make a go of it.......Don't expect a great windfall to drop into your lap overnight but if you have the drive to put everything you have into making it work the odds will one day be in your favor.....I think most people would be amazed at the Federal/State grants, loans and programs that are out there today just waiting for someone to take advantage of them.......

Get this......good friend of mine.....did many years as a corporate lawyer working 100 plus hours a week...raking in the big bucks.....finally burned out and walked......What is he doing today...........He is working under a Federal grant from the US fish and wildlife services........The Feds bought him a 400K motor home and he gets paid 6 figures a year to travel to National/State parks, wildlife areas, BLM land etc. to check on birds and other animals....for what you ask?...to basically do a head count to see if a certain animal should be placed or remain on the endangered species list and other stuff like that.........I don't have the whole jest of what he does but that that is pretty much it in a nutshell.......I just wanted to give an example of what is out there if you really take your time and look.....

So yes you can go my route and work for yourself and be your own boss or you can work for the man...but either way there is good money out there if you look hard enough. Sure you can argue the point about a certain city or state not paying you what you think you should be making at a certain job but I call that BS.....Kind of like you opening up a surf shop in Kansas and complaining about the poor sales of surf boards...... ..You have to make sure your talents or job skills match the needs for that certain area. If you want to remain an accountant then you might have to relocate to an area where the need is more pressing. If you want to stay in Hampton Roads then a change of field might be in your best interest.....But doing nothing but complaining will not solve the issue.......What ever you decide I wish you luck.....

[Erma]

That seems to be the big idea for many young ones, that the money will drop in their lap. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

[CosmicWizard]

Sometimes it DOES work that way Erma. I usually have a small pile of nickels, dimes, & quarters sitting on my desk. Occassionally I bump the coins with my elbow and some coins fall into my lap! I'm not making it up....this is a true strory. If I would have saved the coins every time this happens, I estimate that I would have saved enough $$$ to buy my first cup of coffee in 2012.

[Erma]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Sometimes it DOES work that way Erma. I usually have a small pile of nickels, dimes, & quarters sitting on my desk. Occassionally I bump the coins with my elbow and some coins fall into my lap! I'm not making it up....this is a true strory. If I would have saved the coins every time this happens, I estimate that I would have saved enough $$$ to buy my first cup of coffee in 2012.

See what happens when you don't save your money?

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by rtandc

Kind of like you opening up a surf shop in Kansas and complaining about the poor sales of surf boards...... ..You have to make sure your talents or job skills match the needs for that certain area. If you want to remain an accountant then you might have to relocate to an area where the need is more pressing. If you want to stay in Hampton Roads then a change of field might be in your best interest.....But doing nothing but complaining will not solve the issue.......What ever you decide I wish you luck.....

I get that. My original plan when going to school for finance was to move to New York City. I was fully aware there was nothing for me almost 8 years ago when I chose that major.

Unfortunately, half way through junior year, I came down with some unbelievable illness that caused me to lose over 1/2 of my body weight, and has yet to be identified to this day.

So, suffice it to stay, I kind of got stuck here. I could barely walk half the time, and I thought it impossible, and probably pretty damn stupid to move away from my parents. So, they bought a small house in Norfolk , and Ive been living in it, paying cut rate rent since. Ive never made enough over basic living wage that I could ever save any significant amount of money to move. Right now, Im putting away about $400-$500 a month, but it would take about 3 years of that just to save around what I figure would be a safe amount to move with.

Even if I do move though, thats not why I complain. I complain because the area gives people like me two choices, make dirt, or move. There is no reason a geographic area like Hampton Roads, with the amount of people that are here, should ever give someone those choices, especially someone in a field that is in high demand across the nation.

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Sometimes it DOES work that way Erma. I usually have a small pile of nickels, dimes, & quarters sitting on my desk. Occassionally I bump the coins with my elbow and some coins fall into my lap! I'm not making it up....this is a true strory. If I would have saved the coins every time this happens, I estimate that I would have saved enough $$$ to buy my first cup of coffee in 2012.

Hey check them coins also....a few years ago I found an old quarter and a old penny that both looked almost brand new in a pocket full of change when I tossed my change on the table one evening.....I took then to one of the local coin shops and he offered me 60 bucks just for the quarter...... I turned him down and still have both the quarter and the penny....I figured some kid much have gotten a hold of his dads coin collection and spent it on candy and I was lucky enough to get some of it in change that day from the local 7-11 store...Today I still think about that kid and the butt whipping he must of received when dad found out what he did......I guess that turned out to be an expensive candy bar or soda....LOL