Taking new job out of town, looking for some feedback

[sadmin]

Good Evening All -

A too good to pass-up job offer came my way and its 3 hours away. Im going to have to list my house, and although optimistic, its not going to sell anytime soon I think. I will be commuting in on Sunday evenings, then returning back on Fri. until my home sells and my wife and baby can come up so we can buy a new house.

Im nervous about this. I know its going to be stressful on my wife and I, but she recognizes it as a positive career move. Im just looking for any feedback from those that have done something similar to make a move in their job, travel, or otherwise have some advice on a this situation or likewise.

Thanks for the time, and Im apologetic ahead for saying this in front of great fellas who head out of country for extended periods away from family. I know this small potatoes in the scheme of things.

-m

[Belmont31R]

Be careful about putting your home and current job up on the block.



We had neighbors right across the street we were friends with. His company offered him a job in VA with DOD contract work. He'd been working with this company for years, and a month after they got to VA they laid him off. He uprooted his family to move there, sold their house here, and a month later was without a job. And no he didn't get fired...I was supposed to be hired there since they deal with radios, antennas, and sound equipment which is what I did in the mil. They came back with the budget for the company, dropped me, him, and several other people.

[6933]

We moved this past summer from NC to WV for wife's job. Offer too good to refuse. All set to carry house for a year if need be. Had offer in less than a month. I realize this was rare, but the principle is the same. Sometimes one has to be willing to deal with a situation because it will result in a positive end result. Here we are now far from family with an eight month old daughter. It's tough, but in the end, well worth it. You and your wife have to focus on the back end of this, not the front. Will those days and nights apart suck? Of course, but the goal you are working toward is what provides the motivation and the thought of a better life helps when someone gets the blues.

You, the husband, have to stay positive. No negativity. When she is down, you have to stay strong and remind her of why ya'll put yourselves in the situation. Common sense and logic has actually worked in this situation for me. When I hear a big dose of complaining, I stay calm and remind her of the better days to come. This is made much easier when you consistently mention that the shit ya'll are going through will lead to a better life, and opportunities, for your child. This always makes my wife feel better, even if grudgingly. I cannot stress enough the need for you to never let her hear you complain. If she is having a bad day/week and you complain, she'll feed off of it. STAY POSITIVE!

[sadmin]

Belmont - Im sorry to hear that. I am worried about my house for sure. I have about 40k in equity in it, and I dont want to take a bath on it just to move it. Luckily, I have a place for free to stay at in the other town due to a close friend. The house thing is biggest issue in my head as I dont want to accrue PMI on the next purchase.

6933 - Sage advice. I was going to have my wife sign something about how she cant collapse on me when im a month into it. She is a stay at home mother now, so its a little easier for her I think. This new town is definitely a better place to raise our 10 month old; like you, I fix my mind on that when I dont see a short turn happy ending. If anyone is curious, im leaving Conroe (N. of Houston) to Tyler, TX (East). Tyler is a good place, my wife and I are both originally from there, so its not completely uncharted territory.

Thanks guys.

[austinN4]

I have about 40k in equity in it, and I dont want to take a bath on it just to move it.
It cuts both ways. I had a similar situation in the previous housing bubble (late 80's) and had a house in Houston that took over a year to sell and when I did sell it it sold it for less than I owed so I had to write a check at closing wiping out more than just my equity.

The upside of the move, however, was so great that the substantial loss on the house was more than made up many times over in a few years after the move. So such a situation can work out both bad and, in my case, good.

Advice: Don't make you decision to move based on if you will lose money on your house or not. Make your decision on the opportunity available to you and where you would rather live, house equity be damned. Keep in mind that Tyler home prices with be more or less similarily depressed so if you are making a long term commitment to Tyler consider the home values in both cities a wash with each other.
Yes, you sell below your purchase price in Conroe, but you get to buy below maket in Tyler. If the new job opportunity and city are where you want to be then move on.

[ucrt]

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I took a transfer 5-years ago and I was pretty naive. The company offered a moving package but I didn’t really know how to take advantage of it. There were little hidden bonuses throughout the package and I didn’t have the time to study what I needed to do to get the extra monies.

I probably ended up missing out on about $7-$8K because I didn't move fast enough. But it wasn't a good time to move - 8 months after Rita/Katrina. I went from Rita struck area that recovered very well, so the market dropped off quickly to the Katrina struck area that was in a housing shortage and is still whining about recovery. So, if you have a moving package, find someone with experience to mentor you along.

I did stay in an apartment to learn the area and that worked out well. I ended up being a long way from where the realtors were trying to shoehorn me into. Couldn’t be happier where we ended up buying our house.
But you mentioned that you’re familiar with Tyler, so this may not be an issue.

I’d love to retire in Tyler one day. Just so I could make the Trade Days in Canton every month. :)

Good luck.

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