First Time Renter (Move Far Away or Close to Home?)

[Skipito]

Originally Posted by jayzupp

I like you already hahaha



Very good idea, I think my mom's friend did that when moving to Sequim, Washington. She just researched the place and stayed nearby for a bit.

We really want to take advantage of the location independence of the online business if we move somewhere, but since we've never left our parent's houses it's obviously a nerve racking thought if I've learned anything in my life though, it's that doing the scary things can bring huge rewards.

Some people say to visit a place to truly see what it's like and others say to that it can all be done by researching online (and using city-data ). I obviously have no experience in moving, but feel like being there and experiencing the culture of a new place is hard to search and very personal feeling that would help.

You absolutely cannot get a "feel" for a place online. Zero chance of that happening. The AirBnb suggestions was a solid one, find a spot you can rent for a couple of weeks and just roam around. You may even find rentals that aren't posted online. there's a whole world out there that doesn't exist on the internet.

One of the best rental deals I've ever found was a couple of years ago for my daughter in college and it was just because we saw a sign in a yard and called the number while standing there. 1Br garage apartment bike distance to campus for 75% of market rent. Included utilities and wifi. It was in way better condition than all the other rentals and the LL's were two sisters that were awesome to deal with compared to the corporate property management firms.

[meo92953]

You may want to stick close to where you know, at least for the first year. That will give you knowledge of how the system works. In your planning, don't forget to add in a deposit for utilities.

You are currently close to work but you also have an on-line business. Until that takes off, you have to figure in cost of transportation.

I once moved to a nice, quaint town which I really liked, but it was 50 miles from work. Yes, it was nice in the evening and weekends but the hour to and then from work took its toll. The breaking point for me was when the road flooded and I ended up spending the night in my car and missing work the next day until the water resided and I could get home. It wasn't fun.

The suggestion to look before you leap, so to speak, is a good one. Stay overnight in the towns you're interested in and drive to work one day. This will give you an idea of the commute. See if this is something you would like to do every work day.

Good luck. We've all been there and done fine but it takes time to learn the ins and outs of anything new in life.