Want to relocate to Idaho Falls (transplants, foreclosure, rentals)

[mountainsr4me]

My husband and I have lived in California all our lives. I grew up in Fresno, CA and we now live in Lancaster, Ca. We were in Idaho Falls over a week ago as part of our Northwest road trip. We absolutely loved it. My husband is a driller/blaster and heavy equipment operator for a mine in Mojave, CA and I am currently a homemaker with 25 years experience in the administrative field. Would like to know what the possibility of finding work would be and what house rentals go for for a 3-4 bedroom house. We are recovering from a forecloser that occured over a year ago due to slow down in economy and would eventually like to buy so would like to know price range of homes. Other than the foreclosure, our credit is excellent. We are currently debt free and are ready to vacate California. Tired of how expensive it has become to live here and keeps getting worse.

[DESERTRYDER]

Winter time there is serious .
When we were looking at I F a wise person told me " if you like snow and blowing snow in the winter then it's for me " .

[mountainsr4me]

We get occasional snow where we live but I'm sure it's nothing like Idaho snow. We're not afraid of it though.

[NW Crow]

Idaho Falls appears to get 2 1/2 to 4 feet of snow in the city in the winter but with the low temps it probably sticks or blow around longer than in warmer spots in the southwest part of the state. The farther you move up from the Snake River, the snow will increase very rapidly.

There are some mining companies based out of Idaho Falls but the work sites might be quite a way out. Overall the unemployment rate is lower than state or national averages. Administrative work prospects might follow that or be tougher.

One report says median home price in Idaho Falls are about 25% higher than Lancaster CA but not bad. You'd have to look at specific homes to see what a certain amount will buy. Not sure about rental rates. The local paper's classifieds could give a range if you don't get an estimate from somebody here.

[cleosmom]

Okay, finally have some time to chime in on something familiar to me... two things actually as I was raised in Fresno and now live just outside of Idaho Falls.

DR kindly pointed out the winter, our winters are close to extreme as Fresno's summer. As the SJV gets intense unforgiving heat, we get snow and unforgiving temperatures during winter. Along side that are the winds, which generally run from Jan-Dec each year. Honestly, that's not too much of an exaggeration. Due to a wet and mild Spring and then the winds picking up, I have not been able to tackle lawns with weed and feed yet.

As stated our unemployment is low. I work at a small business that generally hires during summer, our staff has remained steady and this year we didn't have anything to offer. Just check online with the Post Register (newspaper), Better Idaho Falls Jobs and even the Dept. of Labor's website.

You'd be able to nose around on the Post Register's site for housing for rent and buying. If you have pets be forewarned that it's not easy finding a rental that allows them. They are out there but not very many.

[NW Crow]

Out of curiosity I checked the Post Register's site for 3-4 bedroom houses for rent. There was quite a spread. Some between $800-1000 a month but a few much higher and a few lower.

http://www.postregister.com/class/index.php

[mountainsr4me]

Well I didn't know any place could get more windy than Lancaster. We get the Santa Ana's here which go on for months at a time and living in the high desert the dirt comes with it. Anyway, thanks for the resources and your input. There is job for equipment operator in the Idaho State Journal my husband applied for. We'll see what happens.

[cleosmom]

Odd isn't it? They call Chicago "The Windy City" when I know it's windier in many other places. In fact, it's never been windy any time I've been to Chicago

[breer23]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Odd isn't it? They call Chicago "The Windy City" when I know it's windier in many other places. In fact, it's never been windy any time I've been to Chicago

I refer you to the useless bit of trivia I posted some time ago re: "The Windy City."

//www.city-data.com/forum/idaho...-i-find-2.html

As for finding a suitable house to rent, the unfortunate answer in many cases is that you need to be here and look around the area. Many homes come up for rent but never advertise in the paper or Craigslist (for reasons I can only guess) and the more desirable ones usually are rented within 2-3 days, so unless you know a few locals who can scout areas for you, or come up yourself to have a first-hand look, you might likely miss the better bargains in the area.

I'll also echo cleosmom's sentiments regarding pets vs. rentals...the pickings are VERY slim if you have pets, indoor or otherwise.

If you do find a couple of prospective areas/houses that interest you, send me a PM and I'll do my best to give an informative POV re: the area, etc. DW and I are recent transplants to SE Idaho ourselves, and certainly understand how tough it can be to get settled into an area as newbies!

[cleosmom]

Gee, nothing like a little deja' vu breer LOL Confirmed my suspicions that you and I have had this conversation before

Originally Posted by breer23

I refer you to the useless bit of trivia I posted some time ago re: "The Windy City."

//www.city-data.com/forum/idaho...-i-find-2.html

As for finding a suitable house to rent, the unfortunate answer in many cases is that you need to be here and look around the area. Many homes come up for rent but never advertise in the paper or Craigslist (for reasons I can only guess) and the more desirable ones usually are rented within 2-3 days, so unless you know a few locals who can scout areas for you, or come up yourself to have a first-hand look, you might likely miss the better bargains in the area.

I'll also echo cleosmom's sentiments regarding pets vs. rentals...the pickings are VERY slim if you have pets, indoor or otherwise.

If you do find a couple of prospective areas/houses that interest you, send me a PM and I'll do my best to give an informative POV re: the area, etc. DW and I are recent transplants to SE Idaho ourselves, and certainly understand how tough it can be to get settled into an area as newbies!