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We are a new family in our early 30's and we want to live the American dream - home ownership!!! We also want a traditional life where I can be a stay at home mom. Both things that are nearly impossible to accomplish in CA. We thought about AZ about two years ago, waited and as the other person stated, got priced out of there!!! We figured this time no more talking - we just need to do it. Believe it or not, we discovered NC on the internet. We started searching for another state with affordable housing, jobs, nice people, family values, etc and NC kept popping up. We decided to go for it almost blind, we are flying out for a week next month to interview and then driving ourselves out there by the end of summer. No more being scared or nervous. This forum has helped me gain a better insight about what to expect and has eased most of my fears. Every now and then someone will say something that will give me a wave of doubt, then I just remember we are doing what is best for our family and every new place takes time to adjust.
There is one thing I find, well, let's say "interesting". Ok, so more than a few of you have said you are moving here to escape high costs of living and that you have essentialy been priced out of where you live now... the example that's sticking in my mind most is Arizona. Was it not only a few years ago that Arizona was considered one of the most affordable and liveable places in the country? Were people not flocking there in droves just as they are in NC now, for cheap houses, warm weather, and a more laid back lifestyle? Am I the only one who notices a pattern that will very likely repeat here? I don't mean to detur (sp?) you all from moving here, but it just seems that we are going to keep doing this until there's noplace left to go!
Enlighten me you shouldn't have waited to move to Az. You would have made a fortune. Then you could have cashed out and had a house built in NC half paid for already. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
i'minformed, I appreciate reading your point of views. What you say is correct.. That's why, DH and I have the full expectation than in a couple of years, NC is going to be the next FL.
It's what happens as people keep immigrating to this country, changing the dynamics of the neighborhoods, overpopulating and creating congestion. We would've liked staying in our neighborhood, however, it is insane over here now, not to say anything about the kind of neighbors we now have.. If we can at least get 4 or five years of peace in a semi-rural area of NC before they find us again, then we accomplished what we went there for, which is to get ahead a little those years that we'll be mortgage free and move on.
You need to also remember, that we all try to look at the possitives of where we're moving to.. You need to numb the fear of the jump.. lol.. . I think everyone on this board is well aware of the increasing growth of the areas over there, but are willing to risk it for the same reasons we are.
If we can at least get 4 or five years of peace in a semi-rural area of NC before they find us again, then we accomplished what we went there for, which is to get ahead a little those years that we'll be mortgage free and move on.
Heh, Spouse and I sometimes view ourselves as putting a whammy on the communities we've moved to We lived in Concord when it was definitely not cool. The realtor warned us: no big Walmart, shopping centers, eateries, or subdivisions. We said "that's what we are looking for!" Within 5 years, everyone else had found the town and started moving in, demanding the things we didn't feel were important and ruining what we liked about the area We moved to Davie county and at least had peace for a space of almost 10 years. Now, a big Walmart has moved in, along with the fast food places, the subdivisions are filling the former sweeping pastures, and we're becoming disgusted with the area. We're committed to our homeplace for another 10 years, until we reach retirement, then .. who knows. We have an 1800 sq ft house on almost 5 acres. Lord knows what kind of obscene profit we might realize on it; we certainly scored a bundle when we moved from Concord
Informed-- why did you move there when you did? Just curious...
We're moving for a lot of the same reasons that other folks have but also because our town here has financial troubles. School is losing accredidation, taxes are almost 6k a year on a 2k sq ft home. More taxes increases are on the way. This isn't our total deciding factor. Others are the weather, the current affordability of housing and of course the relatively lower taxes.
Like others we can cash out here and be in a much better financial situation for ourselves and our childrens future. There are many states that actually fit this profile but the current growth there is interestiing plus it's only 900 miles from where we are, a 1.5 hour flight.
Just an example... Where we are now, my wife and I are both totally and utterly bound to having to make so much money per year. It really limits what you can do with your life and the choices you can make. Neither one of us could really change careers or do something that we really loved unless it paid us the salary we require, so in other words we're stuck.
We take a couple of vacations a year (and probably still will after moving), but we always head down south.. Myrtle, orlando, miami, San juan, always somewhere south. We love going there. Where we've spent half of our lives here and spend 6 months a year indoors just what if we love living in a more temperate climate more than here? Once we're there we could have wished made the move years ago. We're willing to take a chance now while we can to see if it's something we should have done years ago, like yourself, if we don't like it we can move back..
As far as being the promised land or a magic bullet of some type, don't think so. What it really is is an opportunity for some personal choice in our lives, that if we hate our jobs we can do something else. If one of us becomes sick then we aren't hurting so bad financially that we have to sell our current home to survive.
There are also other opportunites for our children down there. Schools, as hot of a topic as they are, are actually better than a lot of schools up here. Colleges are more affordable and within traveling distance. Sure our kids may want dorm life but then again they may not..
Last reason for me personally, green is my favorite color, and it's around a lot longer per year in NC then it is in MA
When I read about just how unaffordable it is where so many of you live it makes me count my blessings...about 10 fold.
If I were in your situation, I would do the very same thing.
Being a native of the south it has been hard watching it change, and change it has, very quickly. My resolve of being so hard nosed about all the northern transplants coming in (because of so much rudeness I've witnessed with those that have come before you) has taken a turn to more compassion for all of you. I will have to say that the people seeking advice on this forum have been so very nice and have really tried to assure us that the very thing that you are escaping other than the high cost of living is the same rudeness that we have witnessed here by a lot of the northern transplants.
Good luck to all of you in your move, and I hope your quality of life greatly improves when you get here. It is a wonderful state as is all the southern states and maybe, just maybe, we will all benefit by learning from each other.
There is one thing I find, well, let's say "interesting". Ok, so more than a few of you have said you are moving here to escape high costs of living and that you have essentialy been priced out of where you live now... the example that's sticking in my mind most is Arizona. Was it not only a few years ago that Arizona was considered one of the most affordable and liveable places in the country? Were people not flocking there in droves just as they are in NC now, for cheap houses, warm weather, and a more laid back lifestyle? Am I the only one who notices a pattern that will very likely repeat here? I don't mean to detur (sp?) you all from moving here, but it just seems that we are going to keep doing this until there's noplace left to go!
I'm not so sure that you could'nt look at just about any area in the country and find the people are moving their "in droves". In my opinion, it has much more to do with getting away from something, than it does going to something.
For us, we don't have to escape. But there are things about NC and/or GA that would make our lives better. We've lived in crowded, snobby, SUV-burbia. We've lived in the city. We've lived in the mountains. We've lived where it's staunchly homogenous and we've lived where it was uniquely diverse. For now, NC (or GA) will suit our purposes just fine.
[In the interest of honest disclosure, though, we'd go back to California if money were no object. But like most people, once you leave, you can't afford to go back.]
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. I think everyone on this board is well aware of the increasing growth of the areas over there, but are willing to risk it for the same reasons we are.
We lived in Concord when it was definitely not cool. The realtor warned us: no big Walmart, shopping centers, eateries, or subdivisions. We said "that's what we are looking for!" Within 5 years, everyone else had found the town and started moving in, demanding the things we didn't feel were important and ruining what we liked about the area 
We moved to Davie county and at least had peace for a space of almost 10 years. Now, a big Walmart has moved in, along with the fast food places, the subdivisions are filling the former sweeping pastures, and we're becoming disgusted with the area. We're committed to our homeplace for another 10 years, until we reach retirement, then .. who knows. We have an 1800 sq ft house on almost 5 acres. Lord knows what kind of obscene profit we might realize on it; we certainly scored a bundle when we moved from Concord 
