Going Broke in NJ -- Looking to Transfer to PHX Metro. Can it be done? (Phoenix: for sale, real estate)

[moxiefox]

Early 40's couple with 15 year old living the american dream in NJ with a whopping mortgage that's too expensive to afford anymore.

- lost the big job and now sell cars for peanuts.
- (The big job included 20 yrs of sales mgmt/customer service/advertising mgmt/Luxury outerwear Retail)
- spouse runs a home biz (tele/internet sales) at about $30K

[IF] we can sell and liquidate our NJ home at the new low value and buy something in PHX Metro for CASH and assume that property taxes are around $2K-$3K then can we survive?

I could possibly work with spouse and increase sales (need to find healthcare) -or- find a local job that offers healthcare. Not looking for a big job though - there aren't any!

Are there [any] full time or part time jobs that offer healthcare benefits?

looking at East Valley....

[kdog]

If you're running a web-based business, why live in Phoenix metro? Instead, live out in country REALLY cheaply, have cleaner air, cooler temps, no traffic and better lifestyle. Well, better lifestyle as long as you don't need immediate access to the arts, big malls and fine restaurants and the like. We can get to all that stuff when we need it. But for day to day living, you can't beat a small town.

BTW, we moved here from Rockland County, NY.

[moxiefox]

Originally Posted by kdog

If you're running a web-based business, why live in Phoenix metro? Instead, live out in country REALLY cheaply, have cleaner air, cooler temps, no traffic and better lifestyle. Well, better lifestyle as long as you don't need immediate access to the arts, big malls and fine restaurants and the like. We can get to all that stuff when we need it. But for day to day living, you can't beat a small town.

BTW, we moved here from Rockland County, NY.

Great thought! Certainly won't rule it out.

Although, spouse is legally blind. Therefore my spouse is unable to drive and feels "stranded" if too far away from neighbors and downtown areas where socializing ocurrs. Public transportation [could] be an issue, too, depending on how the town is set up. Other than that we are open to other small towns where there are cooler temps in AZ.. Which "other" towns could we check out with really low prices for nice homes like we are finding in East Valley?

[kdog]

Ah, well that does paint a slightly different picture. I'm thinking now possibly Prescott. I would recommend Kingman, but we don't really have a vibrant downtown here, and your spouse would probably get tired of the one coffee shop.

I'm sure other folks will chime in with suggestions as well. Right folks?

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by moxiefox

Early 40's couple with 15 year old living the american dream in NJ with a whopping mortgage that's too expensive to afford anymore.

- lost the big job and now sell cars for peanuts.
- (The big job included 20 yrs of sales mgmt/customer service/advertising mgmt/Luxury outerwear Retail)
- spouse runs a home biz (tele/internet sales) at about $30K

[IF] we can sell and liquidate our NJ home at the new low value and buy something in PHX Metro for CASH and assume that property taxes are around $2K-$3K then can we survive?

I could possibly work with spouse and increase sales (need to find healthcare) -or- find a local job that offers healthcare. Not looking for a big job though - there aren't any!

Are there [any] full time or part time jobs that offer healthcare benefits?

looking at East Valley....

Formerly Garden State Parkway Exit 105 here ...

If you are able to buy a house for cash and don't need a palace, yes, you could probably live on the amount of money you make now. Here's what your problems will be:
-You're correct that you will have a difficult time finding a job, especially if you are over 45.
-If any job you find has health insurance, coverage will be quite limited. The only people I know personally who have decent health insurance are corporate execs, medical personnel, teachers, government workers, and one woman I know who is a long-time Safeway employee and is in a union (very unusual out here). I don't personally know any part-time workers who have insurance. I have heard that Macy's and Starbucks part-timers are insured nationwide, but I don't know that to be a fact in Arizona.
-Phoenix is a completely car-dependent culture.
-You'll need to be very careful in choosing a home in a school district where your child can get a decent education. Public education in Arizona is abysmal.
-The libertarian nature of Arizona means that government-supported social services for people in your wife's situation are all but non-existent.
-And in considering "country living," please understand that the country in Arizona bears no resemblance to the country in New Jersey and I'm not talking about the topography.

The good news: If you can stand the heat, the lack of erratic weather will no doubt make your wife's life simpler. The cost of almost everything is cheaper in Arizona (e.g. air conditioning vs. heat). People complain about taxes here constantly, but they pay less than almost everyone in the country. If you are considering joining your wife's home-based business, have you thought about Las Vegas? Jobs and education are terrible there, too, but you will pay no state income tax, so you'd keep more of what you make. Henderson might be a possibility. Check out LV C-D, their fave topics are real estate and school districts.

I feel for you. It took me a year to find a job in Arizona. At last I got one that was commission-only and I really enjoyed it, but after two years the company went bankrupt.

[Steel Ovaries]

If you have sales management and customer service you may be able to land a Call Center manager job... they are abundant out here. They make great money, but they will work you to DEATH!!! I made 6 figures as a call center manager but worked an insane amount of hours. You might also try education sales. There are alot of online universities and trade schools based out of Phx and the online university sales departments pay very well. Most of my people made 60-70/year, with the top sales performers making almost 100K. But again, very aggressive and lots of hours including weekends. Universities have excellent benefit packages, even the online universities.

As for public transportaion... I agree with Jukesgrrl... you won't find much out here. Certainly not enough to support someone who would rely on it for their primary form of transportation.

If you don't like the idea of Nevada, you could always incorporate your business there, but still reside in Arizona (or any state for that matter). You have to appoint a lawyer in NV to act as your agent for managing correspondance and other business related items. You may have a challenge finding an Arizona bank that will allow you to open an account if you are not incorporated in Arizona. Alot of banks here used to do that, but since the fall of the banking industry, many have stopped this practice.

[gramps24]

We moved to the Phoenix area and we find everything convenient. Finding a job might be hard,but I think you will be able to find one...We lived in Union County N.J. ,we have been living down here for 6 years,we only pay about $ 1000.00 in property taxes,big difference from N.J. Good luck..

[GavinC]

Exit 105 would put you around Redbank/Asbury Park area! I am in NJ but originally from Arizona, the opposite. I'm right next to Barnegat Bay and have a sailboat in Forked River... the ocean next to me is the magnet that keeps me here.

The cost of living in NJ is off the chart compared to most places (taxes, insurance, etc.) and that is most certainly better in Arizona but in my opinion the job market situation might be a little more dismal there. Arizona has been hit pretty hard with the economic issues of recent times but using this to one's advantage might be to obtain a home there at MUCH cheaper than what you could do it for in NJ and bring PLENTY of money with you that you can ride out any sort of employment (or lack thereof) issues. That is to say that if you have substantial equity in your NJ home you could make out quite well in that dept.

I love Arizona and although I grew up there, there's little in the way of suitable employment for me along with the "personal happiness comfort factor", consisting of my sailboat... I'm too used to having an ocean to sail on. I have over 8 acres of undeveloped land in Kingman but it would cost more than I could afford to do anything with it to have a second home there. I'm barely staying afloat here in NJ!

I had a hair-brain idea some 10 years ago in which I would slap down 4 or so modular homes on this land and then have a trusted friend that I grew up with in Phoenix live in one and manage it for me, renting them out and also providing a Winter getaway for me. Modular homes are available from a place right there on Stockton Hill Rd. I noticed! I thought about it, punched the numbers into a calculator and realized that this endeavor would have me "in the hole" for about 20 years before it gained a profit and that I would have to go into serious debt to do it (provided a bank would even touch it)! To make matters worse, there is a LOT of empty homes about and it's a buyer's market... oops... make that 30 years! hahaha

No, I think I am stuck right here for now. Arizona is beautiful but I personally can't make any move that would have any possibility of financial disaster if I am already walking a financial "tight-rope". There is no taking my sailboat with me, there is no viable financial solvency assurances for me, so the best I can do is to visit once in a while. This does not mean that this is the case for you though. As I mentioned, if you have sufficient equity in your NJ home you could swing a deal that you could make out quite well (as long as you don't have a large sailboat in the equation to worry about).

My neighbor across the street has talked about moving to Arizona for several years and even put his house up for sale a few years back. It didn't sell and he's still here though although it was listed for quite a while. Okay, I have babbled like an idiot enough for one day...

[Bondurant]

My friend lives in northern Newark near Branch Brook Park. The cost of a home there is astronomical and it's Newark. I can't imagine what it's like to live in the "nicer" parts of Jersey.

Best of luck on getting to AZ. Just moved out here from PA (originally from MI). It's like everywhere else...you can find work but it probably won't be what you want. But it's better than collecting and being on welfare.

[SageCats]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

My friend lives in northern Newark near Branch Brook Park. The cost of a home there is astronomical and it's Newark. I can't imagine what it's like to live in the "nicer" parts of Jersey.

Best of luck on getting to AZ. Just moved out here from PA (originally from MI). It's like everywhere else...you can find work but it probably won't be what you want. But it's better than collecting and being on welfare.

Bondurant, North Newark near Branch Brook Park is a _terrible_ area. There is more crime there than South Phoenix. I know because I used to own a 2 family home there and paid $10000 / year in property taxes. It was the ghetto of the ghetto and Newark is called Brick City for a reason.

How do you like AZ so far? I will be making that same move from NJ to Phx shortly.