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also to add, I have learned an important lesson that someone told me .......I forgot who, but they said THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN A BIG HOUSE AND CHEAP TAXES!! AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know why - I guess because thats where everyone talks about. I personally - have never not lived on the coast. I grew up on the beaches...I don't know how I would be with out them. I have considered PA actually - hubby and I have spoken about it....quite frankly though we don't know where to start....all of the areas we know of in PA are always on the news for something violent....People being raped and shot...i'm always hearing Quakertown, Upper Darby......I can't remember more off the top of my head.....I'm sure there are nice places in PA - if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.....
Here would be a couple of questions though - when I went on realtor.com to look - it didnt seem like the houses are much less expensive then NJ - but I hear...and I'll stress the word hear - that pay is not as good - so would that even be a wise move?
Also, do you know how the schools are in comparison to NJ? Thats also very important to me.
I'll be honest, there's no way I can even read all of the posts.. I've read your replies and feel for you.
My hubby's been out of work since late October.. he fell from his car carrier, fractured a bunch of bones; the difference with us is we were buying a new house...
Pretty sure you said you live in Chesterfield.. from what I remember when looking for homes, there's new construction going up in your town. Could be why taxes are going up, more people = more money needed to improve schools, etc.
I understand what you're saying, I don't buy my kid the expensive stuff either. If she needs brands, we shop clearance and I have a limit to what I will pay for jeans & sneakers.
The problem with moving is there are different taxes they hit you with. There's a few posts at CD where people moved and were shocked at some of the taxes from what I remember. There's a post at a real estate forum I go to where the poster was looking to move to PA. From what I read, there are different "fees" there. There is also another tax if you are close to Philly. I'll DM you the link so that you can read the post & take it all in.
I know 2 people that went to NC and hated it. Both had problems finding jobs that paid decent. One has moved back, lost track of the other, she's in the nursing field and would come back to NJ for 6 months staying with friends, just so she could work.
My old neighbor went to Kentucky and likes it. I looked at the prices of houses at one point & didn't see much difference either.
If you do decide you can't make it here, please do your research. There are more then enough boards here where you could get the answers you need.
also to add, I have learned an important lesson that someone told me .......I forgot who, but they said THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN A BIG HOUSE AND CHEAP TAXES!! AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Believe me, I appreciate the interest some of you are showing in this my adventure to OK. I'll be happy to share with you what I've learned. OKC is the largest (by size) city in the US. The job market there has a 3.0% unemployment rate. Wages are lower. However my husband, who is in IT has been presented with three jobs so far in his search. One was for about $10,000 less than he's making now in Doylestown, PA, one was for $5000 more and one was for $20,000 more. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't offered these jobs, they were just presented to him by his headhunter. He has sent his resume and we're waiting to hear. I can work as a substitute teacher until I get a permanent job, and the daily rate for subs in the towns we're considering is the same rate I was paid when I substitued in Hamilton, NJ.
We are not looking for a big house (about 1400-1600 SF), but certainly a cheaper one. I have a really good realtor working with me and we've selected about 20 houses. We will view the various areas/neighborhoods before we actually pick houses to look at. All of the houses we've selected range in price from $115,000 to $135,000. Property taxes vary from a low of $786 to a high of $1200+.
Tornadoes are a concern, but from what I've learned on the internet with my new OK friends, not something everyone worries about. Most of the people I've corresponded with are in the 35-65 age range and all together have seen maybe 10-15 tornadoes in their whole lives.
On the OK board, I've been sent numerous photos of various areas, and gotten tons of advice on what to see and do while we're there. We've been told what areas to consider living in, and which areas to avoid. I've learned what school districts are good and which aren't. My daughter can go to either the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University for $6500 a year for UO and $3500 a year for OSU. I've received an invitation to dinner with a couple we met online while we're there, and lots of encouragement. BTW it seems from my correspondence that the influx of new people to OK are actually coming from So Cal. You think New Jerseyans are unhappy -- Wow! You should hear the So Cal people talk. Some of them can't even get a job without being able to speak Spanish!
Will OK be perfect? Absolutely not. But we think we will be able to give our two teenagers a better opportunity to pusue the American dream of owning a home, putting food on the table and taking a once a year vacation without stressing themselves beyond sanity. We were talking about cost of living on the board and someone said that comparing salaries, prices of groceries, etc. doesn't cut it. He asked a simple question: "Where you live, can the Cable Installer buy a house and still afford food?" If the answer is yes (which from what I was told it is in OK), then you have a good cost of living.
Sorry to ramble on so much but I'm very excited about our new adventure.
did you see anywhere where I asked anyone for their advice on my financial situation.....NO. I asked about leaving.
Ahem. In addition to asking about leaving, there were also these gems from the original post...
Quote:
We can't go out and by $150 boots for my teenage daughter or the $379 powerwheels my son wants....but they will have a nice Christmas. My question is: with a combined income of 100,000/yr - why is so hard to make ends meet? Is it only us? Is this normal?
and
Quote:
Lots of you make a lot more money - or somehow figured out how to start a savings account. So what am I doing wrong?
and
Quote:
We're trying to play catch up from a spout of unemployment this summer, so now our credit is shot........why can't I catch up? Should people who make a combined income of $100,000 be having these problems?
Some of us were attempting to answer the different parts of your question. I don't know much about North Carolina, but I do know a great deal about finances. With the facts that came out during the thread, $300k mortgage at 7.5% with recent unemployment, I feel you need financial advice more then advice about buying a new home out of state and financial advice is what I can offer. You clearly don't want that advice, so I won't offer it anymore.
This OP may not know much about finances but if that is not what is bothering her I would not shove advice down their throat. There are other reasons why people contemplate moving(other than $$$). You don't win any points making comments about states like OK and NC such as "I heard they have meth labs" and "I have a friend who hated it". That is just ignorant. There are many things to consider and every state has positives and negatives.
And so you should be excited! Good for you! I'm excited for you! I wish you all the best on your new adventure - Here's to meeting while on a family vacation someday! \_/ Cheers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by colleeng47
Believe me, I appreciate the interest some of you are showing in this my adventure to OK. I'll be happy to share with you what I've learned. OKC is the largest (by size) city in the US. The job market there has a 3.0% unemployment rate. Wages are lower. However my husband, who is in IT has been presented with three jobs so far in his search. One was for about $10,000 less than he's making now in Doylestown, PA, one was for $5000 more and one was for $20,000 more. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't offered these jobs, they were just presented to him by his headhunter. He has sent his resume and we're waiting to hear. I can work as a substitute teacher until I get a permanent job, and the daily rate for subs in the towns we're considering is the same rate I was paid when I substitued in Hamilton, NJ.
We are not looking for a big house (about 1400-1600 SF), but certainly a cheaper one. I have a really good realtor working with me and we've selected about 20 houses. We will view the various areas/neighborhoods before we actually pick houses to look at. All of the houses we've selected range in price from $115,000 to $135,000. Property taxes vary from a low of $786 to a high of $1200+.
Tornadoes are a concern, but from what I've learned on the internet with my new OK friends, not something everyone worries about. Most of the people I've corresponded with are in the 35-65 age range and all together have seen maybe 10-15 tornadoes in their whole lives.
On the OK board, I've been sent numerous photos of various areas, and gotten tons of advice on what to see and do while we're there. We've been told what areas to consider living in, and which areas to avoid. I've learned what school districts are good and which aren't. My daughter can go to either the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University for $6500 a year for UO and $3500 a year for OSU. I've received an invitation to dinner with a couple we met online while we're there, and lots of encouragement. BTW it seems from my correspondence that the influx of new people to OK are actually coming from So Cal. You think New Jerseyans are unhappy -- Wow! You should hear the So Cal people talk. Some of them can't even get a job without being able to speak Spanish!
Will OK be perfect? Absolutely not. But we think we will be able to give our two teenagers a better opportunity to pusue the American dream of owning a home, putting food on the table and taking a once a year vacation without stressing themselves beyond sanity. We were talking about cost of living on the board and someone said that comparing salaries, prices of groceries, etc. doesn't cut it. He asked a simple question: "Where you live, can the Cable Installer buy a house and still afford food?" If the answer is yes (which from what I was told it is in OK), then you have a good cost of living.
Sorry to ramble on so much but I'm very excited about our new adventure.
also to add, I have learned an important lesson that someone told me .......I forgot who, but they said THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN A BIG HOUSE AND CHEAP TAXES!! AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN to Your post!
One can rent a room and be happy.
I for one look at things as like part of this song lyric (paraphrasing) from the Rolling Stones which I used to listen to when I was younger - "You can't always get what You want, You get what You need."
Ok - I can see how my "so what am I doing wrong" comment could have been misunderstood. The question mark threw it off. Sorry. But honestly - I haven't heard one reasonable bit of "financial" advice. But thank you for trying, and Merry Christmas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by krusher
Ahem. In addition to asking about leaving, there were also these gems from the original post...
and
and
Some of us were attempting to answer the different parts of your question. I don't know much about North Carolina, but I do know a great deal about finances. With the facts that came out during the thread, $300k mortgage at 7.5% with recent unemployment, I feel you need financial advice more then advice about buying a new home out of state and financial advice is what I can offer. You clearly don't want that advice, so I won't offer it anymore.
Ok - I can see how my "so what am I doing wrong" comment could have been misunderstood. The question mark threw it off. Sorry. But honestly - I haven't heard one reasonable bit of "financial" advice. But thank you for trying, and Merry Christmas.
me telling you to focus on paying off your debts and getting your credit score up before you look into moving or selling your house wasn't good financial advice? and others suggesting looking into refinancing when those are taken care of isn't good advice either?
i know it's hard to not focus on the negative things ppl posted to you (it's happened to me, i know), but you HAVE received good advice, it's just getting lost in the drama.
Will OK be perfect? Absolutely not. But we think we will be able to give our two teenagers a better opportunity to pusue the American dream of owning a home, putting food on the table and taking a once a year vacation without stressing themselves beyond sanity. We were talking about cost of living on the board and someone said that comparing salaries, prices of groceries, etc. doesn't cut it. He asked a simple question: "Where you live, can the Cable Installer buy a house and still afford food?" If the answer is yes (which from what I was told it is in OK), then you have a good cost of living.
Sorry to ramble on so much but I'm very excited about our new adventure.
And you should be excited! Good luck to you and your new family with the adventure that lies ahead and from what I've read in your posts it seems you have the perfect attitude. You realize that no area is perfect, and there are pros and cons to every location. But you feel you have found the best fit for your family and that's what it's all about in my opinion.
My family and I also avoided FL even though a lot of our family have just fled to West Palm Beach. We also avoided NC because our research and visits there did not live up to the hype or reputation NC currently has. In short, it just didn't suit our family and it's needs.
So I set out to find somewhere that did. After months of looking and a few visits to other states we were surprised to find the low country in SC and Charleston fit all our family's criteria perfectly. It's not absolutely perfect, no. But over a year later, we are happy to say we feel we have the quality of life we were searching for and we consider our relocation from NJ a success.
So it can be done successfully and I wish all the best to you and your family in your new home in OK!
-Stephanie
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and others suggesting looking into refinancing when those are taken care of isn't good advice either? 
