Don't know where to begin. (Knoxville, Chattanooga: extended stay, sales, real estate)

[iluvdiznee]

My husband and I are both ready to leave our home state of Florida. We have grown weary of the climate (lack of seasons) and are at a point in our lives that we can move. Our kids are out on their own now so it's just the two of us, unless my youngest decides she wants a fresh start also. We lived in Northern Georgia for 16 months and fell in love with the scenery but Georgia isn't where we want to be.
This may sound crazy but I have no idea where to begin. This move will entail us selling our house. Never sold a house before. I know it could take weeks, months or even years. I know it is best to line up work but that would be kind of tricky not knowing when the house would sale. We are both 50. My "line of profession" is administrative assistant (typically medical field). His is sales. I don't think it would take long to find something but I could be wrong. I am just overwhelmed with where to begin. We are driving up in May to visit the eastern side from Chattanooga up to Knoxville. We want to feel the vibe, see the area, talk to locals etc.
So many things run through my mind. The house sells, we pack up a moving truck and head north to the town we pick. Won't rent a place sight unseen so, We don't have a rental and no where to stay with a moving van full of our life? How do I apply for a job in Tennessee when I am still in Florida? Can you tell I am a worrier? Believe it or not, I feel like I am a bright, educated woman but this is blowing my mind a bit.
Thanks for listening. If anyone has "been there" and can offer advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

[DubbleT]

The TN forums are a good place to get info on 'where' but you might want to look through the general moving forum for the 'how' and maybe even the real estate forum for the ins and outs of timing the move with the sale of the house. Browse some of the recent posts, maybe do a search for things/topics that interest you and then ask more specific questions
//www.city-data.com/forum/general-moving-issues/
//www.city-data.com/forum/real-estate/

[iluvdiznee]

Thank you DubbleT!

[SPLIT]

WELCOME.. We moved out of central Fla in the 2006 range... We were late 50's , early retiree & tried to stay retired up here till Social Security.... I believe that region of I-75 south of Knoxville will let you see how much city , or how much rural fits your wishes... The city of Cleveland is expanding. Of course the BIG employer around the 2011 frame was the VW mfg plant and all the vendor suppliers... AMAZON came & now WACKER
silicon should ramp up the finish of their plant..
. Once you find a possible town , I would check into a church of your liking.. New friends can point ya in the direction of other employers locally.... There are town / state position Gov't agencys that do a good fit match..

[hiknapster]

We didn't have a house to sell but moved from Fort Myers to Knoxville in 2005, basically on a wing and a prayer. My husband (now ex) did have a job lined up, but that was it. I wouldn't recommend the way we did it. Everything worked out very well for us, but the economy was booming in 2005. Knox County's unemployment rate was 4.1.

According to the latest figures, Knox County is at 5 percent and Hamilton County (Chattanooga) is at 6.4 percent. For comparison, the Nashville-Murfreesboro metro area is running about 5 percent with Williamson, Wilson and Rutherford running in the 4.4 to 4.7 percent range. So I suppose that isn't horrible, either. Of course, your career path will be in direct correlation to your success.

A quick note, to respond to Split's post. It is a major undertaking to get into VW, and it is very difficult to do. Amazon is known for bad to horrible working conditions and low pay. And after these additions to the Chattanooga workforce, their unemployment rate is still higher. Chattanooga is a really fun place to visit, with the aquarium, etc. However, it will always come down to jobs and the day-to-day living experience.

Also, I would strongly urge you to stay out of rural areas. You will probably have a long commute to get to where the jobs are, not to mention your access to good healthcare. For the record, I used to live in Orlando. Knoxville and Chattanooga are much, much smaller, by comparison. Knoxville feels much more like an overgrown town. It's very friendly.

I think you're on the right track, a visit is the best thing that you can do. A couple of places that I was interested, including one that I had my heart set on, turned out to be different in person. It sometimes comes down to feel, so visiting is the first step. Make sure to do the less touristy things. Talk to people. Tennesseans will give you their opinions if you politely ask. Definitely put out feelers for jobs. For instance, if your husband is in car sales, have him visit a few dealerships.

I remember that, the night before we moved, we were both hysterical. Of course, we had little preparation and almost no money. But it all worked out. In fact, I have since learned that everything always works out, no matter what. You'll be fine.

[My_home_town]

This is an exciting time for you and your husband. So long as you do it together, you cannot fail. If you are looking at east Tennessee, certainly look at Chattanooga. A great progressive town settled down in the valley with mountains surrounding. I too agree, you should consider a city and not out in the country. As for jobs, look up the businesses in the city of your choice. Make some calls and see if there are any openings. Ask for referrals and someone might know of something. When you come up for a visit, then you can grab a paper, ask people, and look for buildings and names.

When you sell your house, it really depends on a lot of things. For one, are you in a desirable neighborhood? Is your home updated? These and many areas command price. Ultimately it's price based on the updates that sell homes quickly. Choose a realtor wisely. Don't just use a friend of a friend. Interview at least three and tell them you want complete honesty about what needs to be done to sell your home in a reasonable time frame. What's a reasonable time frame? Again, a good realtor will be able to tell you. De-clutter. What you think of as cozy may be crowded to a buyer. Minimize closets, remove family photos, paint with neutral colors, empty the garage if you have one, and fix small or obvious repairs around the house. Patch walls, fix cracks, replace rotted wood. All those things reduce the price.

I like to look as these times as adventure. Now is as good a time as any. Good luck!

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by iluvdiznee

My husband and I are both ready to leave our home state of Florida. We have grown weary of the climate (lack of seasons) and are at a point in our lives that we can move. Our kids are out on their own now so it's just the two of us, unless my youngest decides she wants a fresh start also. We lived in Northern Georgia for 16 months and fell in love with the scenery but Georgia isn't where we want to be.
This may sound crazy but I have no idea where to begin. This move will entail us selling our house. Never sold a house before. I know it could take weeks, months or even years. I know it is best to line up work but that would be kind of tricky not knowing when the house would sale. We are both 50. My "line of profession" is administrative assistant (typically medical field). His is sales. I don't think it would take long to find something but I could be wrong. I am just overwhelmed with where to begin. We are driving up in May to visit the eastern side from Chattanooga up to Knoxville. We want to feel the vibe, see the area, talk to locals etc.
So many things run through my mind. The house sells, we pack up a moving truck and head north to the town we pick. Won't rent a place sight unseen so, We don't have a rental and no where to stay with a moving van full of our life? How do I apply for a job in Tennessee when I am still in Florida? Can you tell I am a worrier? Believe it or not, I feel like I am a bright, educated woman but this is blowing my mind a bit.
Thanks for listening. If anyone has "been there" and can offer advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

Should be able to find work in the sales and medical fields, but as everyone says it is wise to line up work before you move. I would not say your a worrier as much as it sounds like you want your ducks in a row. Moving is stressful and expensive, and its much more expensive for the unprepared. As far as having no rental lined up, you can always use one of those extended stay type hotels until you find a place. One thing I noticed you said though was that you lived in North Georgia and did not like it, at least not enough to stay. North Georgia is only about 90 miles from the Knoxville area, and its just down the road from Chattanooga so this raises the question will you like it here??? North Georgia is very similar to east Tennessee. The trip your planning up here should help you figure that out.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by danielj72

North Georgia is very similar to east Tennessee.

Not necessarily. Perhaps it is similar to some of it, maybe a lot of it, but not all of it.

I have a friend that lives in North Georgia. She's done extensive research, trips, and once her house sells, she and her husband can't wait to retire to Maryville/Knoxville.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Not necessarily. Perhaps it is similar to some of it, maybe a lot of it, but not all of it.

I have a friend that lives in North Georgia. She's done extensive research, trips, and once her house sells, she and her husband can't wait to retire to Maryville/Knoxville.

There are always differences from town to town, and some difference between east TN and N Georgia but IMO not a lot of difference. Both areas have an upper south/Appalachian culture, both have a similar economic situation, similar weather etc. I just want the OP to know that they should not expect East Tennessee to be radically different than North Georgia.

[iluvdiznee]

Wow, Thank each and everyone of you. You really have put some things into perspective and that is JUST what I needed. I am really looking forward to this new adventure for us!