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Ever wonder what your life would be like in another state/ area?
I was flipping the channels and I always stop on reruns of supernanny, wife swap, etc. And for some reason they always seem to film those shows in the midwest or south where the families live in big, new houses in new developments- (guess they have to pick those kind of houses for fliming, etc)
But I always wonder what my life would be like in an area with a lower COL, in a development with all new homes, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my house and my neighborhood, but new construction homes the ones I see on these shows are hard to find around here and if you can they are close to a million dollars (seriously) We basically live in an area where if a house lists for under $500K you wonder "whats wrong with it?" and "thats gonna need a lot of work"
anyway, just rambling.......OK back to cleaning.
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Re: Ever wonder what your life would be like in another state/ area?
We live in an area where there are tons of those cookie cutter neighborhoods going up. I want to live in one SO bad. Where I live the houses are small, and built in the 50s (basically when the air force base opened, they scrambled to build homes). Only a mile or two away you can find 2000sf homes in the 100-150k range. They have community parks and pools and lots of kids. My neighborhood has lots of old people. lol You can get something huge for 500k - I mean like 4,000sf+, best neighborhoods and niiice.
But, you also have to remember that the pay and oppotunities are generally less in a LCOL area as well.
But I know what you mean about those new developments. I live in a development that was built in the mid 50s- basically the McMansions of their day- 4 or 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/2 or 1 and 1/2 bath, with living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, basement, garage, and screened porch. Back then, families 'moved up' from cape cods and ranches to our kind of house.
I LOVE my housee and I never plan on moving- I wouldn't get a piece of property this big on a new construction house in NJ even though the house would be close to $1M. Now adays they'd squeeze 3 big new houses onto a lot this size.
But I always day-dream about what it must have been like to move in here when the development was new. I am buddies with the older lady across the street and she tells me stories and shows me photos of move-in day in 1956 and the phone directory for all the people who moved into the four blocks in this development.
But I know what you mean about those new developments. I live in a development that was built in the mid 50s- basically the McMansions of their day- 4 or 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/2 or 1 and 1/2 bath, with living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, basement, garage, and screened porch. Back then, families 'moved up' from cape cods and ranches to our kind of house.
I LOVE my housee and I never plan on moving- I wouldn't get a piece of property this big on a new construction house in NJ even though the house would be close to $1M. Now adays they'd squeeze 3 big new houses onto a lot this size.
But I always day-dream about what it must have been like to move in here when the development was new. I am buddies with the older lady across the street and she tells me stories and shows me photos of move-in day in 1956 and the phone directory for all the people who moved into the four blocks in this development.
I hear ya! I would love to make the money we make here in NJ and be able to take it to a cheaper area
Yep. Every time DH contemplates a move to Florida I try and imagine living there. I always look at houses and we could seriously get so much more for so much less. It makes me sick!
There are tons upon tons of cookie cutter neighborhoods around here. DH and I are not fans.
Same for my husband...he would keep his pay rate and the CW's he has that have moved to FL say it's like getting a 16% raise because there is no state income tax.
Uh, YES, I do this a lot. I am sometimes a "grass is greener" person to a fault and always think well gee, if we moved here or there we could afford our house for half the cost or twice the house for the same cost. Things always seem better in the LCOL areas where you get a brand new home for like $300k... but I know that isn't realistic! I've become better about learning to love the great things about our terrific but very expensive area (like yours) and not covet other places and ways of life so much...
I think its normal!
It all depends on what state/city you live or have lived most of your life and where you would be going.
DH and I are from FL, moving to the midwest for a job was lets just say WOW.
Though our home here in IL is 4,000+ square feet, full basement, huge yard, lots of perks and our FL home was barely 1,000sq ft, hardly any yard, no perks, we miss most of all NOT PAYING STATE TAXES!! and the people.... I cannot get used to all the corn around here and the lack of beaches of course! the frikin snow in the winter was HORRID, though the summers are nice compare to the unbearable heat of FL and the humidity....
Also it seems that since the winters here are so long and people "hibernate" for so many months, the "heaviness" of the population is a bit impressive! In FL relatively everyone I knew was fit, went to the gym, had some sort of a structured diet... here it is so bad that even the state had to stick their nose in to regulate the obesity problem and add a candy tax to try and minimize junk consumption I guess.
Anyhow, needless to say, I'd give up my huge house, perks and state taxes in a heart beat here in IL for my little townhome, no taxes and beach back in FL....bring on the heat!!