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Hey justfarr, I do know what you mean, believe me. My next door neighbor and her husband here on the UWS relocated to Charlotte two years ago. She was originally from Ohio, he from Long Island. She was 6 months pregnant (they were a recently married couple). One day she told me that they were relocating even though they both had great white collar jobs in Manhattan (she was an NBC producer).
Guess why they decided to move? Housing! She said that they just couldn't deal with/afford the tiny co-ops/condos/houses in NYC. The husband whipped out a photo of the house in Charlotte that they were getting for $200k only! A mansion!
So I know where you're coming from. I have my eyes on the South too but I'll be taking my chances with the hurricanes in Florida and hopefully still be able to have something in NYC. I still love, and always will love all of our five fabulous boroughs.
Hey, we're both talking many, many years from now...
2 of my aunt's and her daughter (my cousin) all moved down at the same time last year from East NY, Brooklyn each with their own houses not TOO far from each other. Man, I gotta post pics of their houses (I have to get them from my dad). You going to be like . My other aunt and my father are next. If I stick to my financial plan I will purchase a home within 5 years down there (though I won't live there) and even possibly rent it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miles
so don't think you're getting off easy, you're still ducking my posts, and showing up after midnight to post a feeble response when you know I'm asleep!
Really?
Thanks for the reply, I'm just curious. Are you basing this on the numbers or just your impression of me via my posts??
It's mostly a gut feeling about what you've posted so far.
Also, the tone of your posts remind me of the sentiment of another guy who posted on here for awhile. He ultimately decided to leave, or maybe he wasn't even living here to begin with. I can't remember. I think that you are really hung up on how much money you'd be "losing" if you came here. That's what you have in common with this other poster I was thinking of.
The difference between the two of you and the rest of the people who tend to come on here asking questions is that the other people are asking "how can I make this work? What are some good outer borough neighborhoods to live in where I'm not spending all my money on rent?" etc.
You, however, are looking at this from a "glass half empty" point of view. You're also looking at things without much creativity or insight, and if that's how you see NY--as a screenshot on your standard of living calculator-- (even though you've already spent time here and maybe should be able to see things with a wider lens) then IMHO you shouldn't come.
So if you're coming for sure, you'll know in 2 months.
To those of us who put up with all the BS you must to live here, it's because we've been elsewhere and know it's like being half-dead. But if it's mainly a financial equation for ya, it is kind of pointless, no doubt! Still, whatever people do here, almost always they make about twice as much at it here as they would anywhere else, so it balances out. If that's not the case for you, it'll be tougher, seeing how your co-workers will be living much larger elsewhere!
That's good advice. I do feel like all the suburbs are HALF DEAD, IE: cities that are not NYC. Every time I leave NYC I hate it cause it's a city full of BS, but when I think about the good times, I miss NYC.
the ONLY thing that is really making this a hard decision now are these two items:
1. I work from home, so working out of a shoebox is going to be really hard and may effect my performance.
2. I don't get any more compensation for living in a more expensive area...
I'm hoping during my 2 months, I run into a "sign"
Maybe a reall hott rich girl will pick me up, we'll date, and she'll let me move into her place. Then I can marry rich and forget about paying city taxes, and high rent.
It's mostly a gut feeling about what you've posted so far.
Also, the tone of your posts remind me of the sentiment of another guy who posted on here for awhile. He ultimately decided to leave, or maybe he wasn't even living here to begin with. I can't remember. I think that you are really hung up on how much money you'd be "losing" if you came here. That's what you have in common with this other poster I was thinking of.
The difference between the two of you and the rest of the people who tend to come on here asking questions is that the other people are asking "how can I make this work? What are some good outer borough neighborhoods to live in where I'm not spending all my money on rent?" etc.
You, however, are looking at this from a "glass half empty" point of view. You're also looking at things without much creativity or insight, and if that's how you see NY--as a screenshot on your standard of living calculator-- (even though you've already spent time here and maybe should be able to see things with a wider lens) then IMHO you shouldn't come.
I see your point, I'm just looking for more opinions, view points etc.. I'm all screwed up from this 100% travel that I have been doing. not having a home and traveling the world has made me addicted to saving money, and has shown me all these cities. I'm having a tough time picking one, and I'm having a tough time finding the "RIGHT" one.
I don't HAVE to make NYC work, ( since I work from home) so it is a true statement that I am clearly comparing NYC to other Cities and not "trying to make it work"
How could I look at this with more creativity or insight?
- I really appreciate your response, thanks for taking the time.
I see your point, I'm just looking for more opinions, view points etc.. I'm all screwed up from this 100% travel that I have been doing. not having a home and traveling the world has made me addicted to saving money, and has shown me all these cities. I'm having a tough time picking one, and I'm having a tough time finding the "RIGHT" one.
I don't HAVE to make NYC work, ( since I work from home) so it is a true statement that I am clearly comparing NYC to other Cities and not "trying to make it work"
How could I look at this with more creativity or insight?
- I really appreciate your response, thanks for taking the time.
It seems you've already proven to yourself that you'd be a loser (literally, you'd be losing) if you came here. Does it make sense to move somewhere to be more of a loser? Probably not.
You're overanalyzing everything! You like NYC? Do you have lovvveeeee for New York? Then move! There are many, many people who live in NYC with a 150k income that are happy.
Who cares how much money you'll loose every month? Houston, Florida = horrid.
Seriously, at least she might help you enjoy spending your loot. It's funny, when I was 30, SAVING money was the last thing I thought about! Still is down the list a little ... in the end, to get all philosophical and whatnot, everything you build will come a tumblin' down.
I think it's also a phase of life thing. It's a lot easier to "struggle" in your twenties than your thirties. The people who come for their 1 year stint (which, IMO, is EXACTLY what ruins this city) don't mind blowing every dollar they make because they know their real, adult life will start when they leave NYC again. It's a no brainer to move here when you want to party every night. You have to put a little more thought into it when you want to really build your life here. Your two months will be perfect.
The reason a lot of people who were raised in NY and don't leave? I don't know. It's a very, very hard place to get out of. It just feels like you can't go anywhere else and you won't fit in. It took me sooo long to move and I still work in the city.
If you consider Tampa or Houston to be viable alternatives to Manhattan, you probably won't be happy with the sacrifices necessary to live here. You have to give up so much (in space and money) that you have to be head-over-heels-in-love with the city for it to be worthwhile. I don't sense that kind of passion in your post.
Even if you're settlling down, it seems that you'll still be traveling extensively. It's a lot of money to pay for an empty apartment.
For $30,000 you could rent a $250 hotel room for 120 days (cheap for New York, but if you were staying that frequently you could probably get a discount). Jet Blue has a major hub at JFK and the flights to Florida are very cheap. You could spend 10 days a month in the city and still come out about even.
I think everyone here is right on the money - I don't think that you will see spending 30K on renting a smallish apartment worth while. Here is my assessment - if you are single in your 20's there is no better place to be than NYC, but if you are married and have children (IMO) this not the place to be. I'm not sure what point your life you are at, but if kids and family are anywhere in the immediate future then, I would not think that this is the place for you. Good luck with figuring out where to go.
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