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Success after IF
JillRock96
member
Feeling so stuck (long vent) -- NSAIFR
JillRock96
member
I just need to vent, and I don't know where else to do it.
I think that most people here know that we want to get back to Chicago. That is our home, and it is where most of our family is -- the girls' grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. While my mom and I have a ton of issues, we are very close to DH's family, and I do really wish my girls could be closer to my dad, too. We have applied for SO MANY jobs this spring, and haven't even gotten a nibble. I think that they are so overrun with applicants that they aren't even considering us (we both licenses to work in MA schools). So frustrating.
Plus, our house is just not right for us anymore. I love this house -- we have renovated it from top to bottom. But it is technically two bedrooms, and the area has become really not good -- bordering on unsafe (we live in the city). There are three foreclosures on our block, plus two more houses for sale. But, our property taxes have gone up so much that we really can't afford to live here anymore, and to be honest, I just don't see the point -- DH and I work ten minutes from each other, but we both commute 40 minutes each way.
So, we decided to try to do a short sale and rent a house near our schools for at least a year, while we really focus on job hunting in IL for next fall. The thought was that we would save on rent, save on gas, live in a better area, and have a place with three bedrooms that is better suited for our family. Plus, if we are able to find jobs for next fall, we would just have wait until our lease runs out, as opposed to trying to sell at that point.
The problem is that I am having a hard time finding any housing appropriate for us. Renting a house is not that cheap -- almost as much as our mortgage. And, most places will not allow pets. And I feel like it is going to be very difficult to go from owning to renting. We are so used to being able to change anything we want (DH is very handy). And, to be honest, I feel like a loser, as if we are losing our home, even though the value is $70K less than what we purchased it for 6 years ago (despite $50K+ in renovations).
I guess the point is that I'm just feeling very down. Ava calls this place "Ava's white house," and it breaks my heart to be taking her from "her" home to a place that we won't own. I just want the pieces to fall into place for once, you know? We LOVE our jobs, but don't have a good place to live or family nearby. We LOVE Chicago, but we don't have jobs. There just doesn't seem to be an answer right now. ::::sigh::::
If you could spare some "house selling/house hunting" vibes, I would appreciate it. 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Feeling so stuck (long vent) -- NSAIFR
Lots of good vibes to you!
As for pets, several girls on the Pets board have gotten rental that were "no pets" - some have made "pet resumes" that details what steps they take to ensure their pet doesn't trash the place. A lot of their landlords say no pets to screen irresponsible people out, but will reconsider if they think you are a responsible pet owner.
Good luck!
That would be so awesome. We are looking in the 'burbs mostly, anywhere from the Woodfield area to south (our families live in Lansing and Chicago Heights). If you hear of anything and could let me know, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you for this tip! I am such a rule follower that I haven't really even considered any that say no pets. This is a big help!
I'm so sorry you are going through this. I know this has been a struggle for you all for a while now and it is totally unfair.
Is it at all possible that you could just sell your house and go move to Chicago and stay with family until you both get jobs (assuming you can get licensed in IL relatively easily)? I know it is risky but I think you both have pretty good credentials that would get you jobs relatively quickly if you were local, right? And that way it might feel like less of a settle since you are actually getting to be where you need to be?
Just a thought, I know there are probably a bunch of reasons it may not work out but I really do hope you all can find a way to get back home soon, you've been making the best of your situation for so long now and deserve to catch a break.
Good luck!!
I know! I'm a rule follower too.
If you google "pet resume" or "dog resume," there are lots of examples and ideas (like a reference from your vet that you are responsible about healthcare, training class certificates, etc.). It's really just putting the landlord's mind at ease that your pet won't ruin the floors with pee, etc. If you want any specific tips, you can post on the Pets board - they have lots of good ideas. Good luck again!
This is exactly what MIL wants us to do, lol (especially since it means all of us under her roof for awhile!). The one thing that is really keeping me from this is not having health insurance. If it weren't for that, I'd probably do it. Eventually, it might come down to doing this anyway. Thanks for bringing it up -- it's good to know that I'm not crazy for thinking that it could work!
I am sure other states have the same thing, but.... You could move here, and qualify for some level of Illinois Family Care. It is medicaid based, but there are certain levels of income and guidelines for each. For example, With Gwen being a preemie, and Linc's GI issues, we looked into it because we were meeting our 8k OOP max by like March for the last 2 years. We got Family Care, and have to pay like 80 a month, but it is really great coverage for what it is. All 5 of us use it for a secondary insurance to DH's primary, but, you could use it as your only insurance until you get up and on your feet here.
Just a thought. I am so bad at telling you to stick it out there!
After 21 cycles, and severe MFI, we finally did it with IVF #1 w/ICSI! Nico arrived 12/3/08!!!
TTC for #2: IVF w/ICSI #2-4/17/10-BFN; IVF w/ICSI #3; 7/4/10-BFP!!! Beta #1- 96; Beta #2-528; Beta #3- 7371; 6w,5d-blited ovum=D&C
IUI #2 1/10/11-BFN; IUI #3 2/18/11-BFN
IVF #4 w/ICSI & PICSI ER 5/13/11, ET 5/1/118-BFP!! Natalee arrived on 1/23/12!!!!
Pregnancy Blog: Miracles Can Happen
Parenthood Blog: The Adventures of Nico & Natalee
Jill,
We are in a bit of a similar situation and just wanted to share what we are doing.
Just a bit of background, DH and I have been in our house for almost 8 years. It was just intended to be our little starter house, and we planned on staying 5 years max. Well the housing market crashed and found ourselves unable to sell. In the past year, the crime in our once nice neighborhood has increased exponentially, and now that we have Maya, it is a HUGE deal, and we are also in the middle of negotiating a short sale.
Our original plan was to do what you are doing: short sale, then rent for the 2 year mandatory wait until we can get financed again. (The house is in DH's name, and I can't get financed being a SAHM). We want to eventually end up in our forever home, but with the 2 year wait for his credit to bounce back, our plan was to rent while we wait. We have a chunk of money saved up and started realizing that it was much better for us to find a small cheap house to pay cash for. We would then own it outright, and not have a house payment for 2 years. Everything we would have paid out in mortgage, we just put back in to build our savings back up. By the end of 2 years, we would have more than built it back up, then we can either sell or rent out our little house, and use that plus our savings to put a down payment on our forever home.
We found a cute little house in a great area recently for $7k, and we are set to close on it next week. We also are negotiating the short sale on our current home too. While our new house is smaller than our current, for a short 2 years, we can make it work. Just thought I would throw another option out there for you to think about.
I'm sorry this is so hard for you.
What area of education are you looking for? I have a handful of teacher friends... I can ask them to keep their ears open.
BTW- I lived in Lansing til I was in 1st grade
I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I dont have any advice, but I know how painful it is because we are going through the same thing. We currently live in the most distressed town (most bank owned properties) in the state of Mass. If we could sell our house, it would be for $100K less than we paid for it, despite the fact that we have put $70K of renovations in it. And the crime has gone through the roof. The only solution I can find is that we rent our place, and try to save enough money out of pocket to buy a new place (which we are hoping to do late next year).
Good luck! I hope you are able to find something!!