I really want to be in a different part of the country from where we are. DH & I feel that the "right" spot for us is in the Research Triangle area of NC. It's been our preferred location for a few years, but the idea of moving has been put on the back burner for various reasons. I'd like to take a serious look at moving.
Here's what we have to consider. I'm curious to hear from others who've made a big move (with kids - we moved several times before kids) and others who see anything I'm leaving out.
1. DH's job - He makes significantly more than I do, so he will have to get a job. He's a systems architect, and we've found a number of listings. Health insurance is a must, though, so that's something that could slow down the process.
2. Schools - We homeschool right now, though our intention isn't to do so forever - probably through elementary school. I still have to look at NC's regulations. Our current state is pretty lax - just have to write a letter to the school board. I don't care whether the kids go to public or private schools. My ideal would be a school for gifted children, which we will assume at this point, we will be able to get into. Other than that, I'm not sure how to check out schools before we go, though the schools there have a reputation for being top-notch.
3. Expenses - I'd like to have some budget for hiring someone to help us pack, but we intend to use a self-service moving van. That's what we've always done, so I don't see any sense in paying for full service. So, what would you pay someone who was only helping load/unload the truck - maybe 4 hours tops. I'd like to hire 2 people at each end of the move, so 16 hours total. What else for moving expenses - utility turn-on costs, a budget for takeout during the moving process, new car/license registrations.
4. Our Current House - Oy vey. This one is killer. DH feels strongly that we should keep our house. I do, too, but we need to figure out how to make that work. We didn't buy the house with a down payment. (Yeah, stupid, but lesson learned...)
We don't have 20% equity built up in it. We have about 8%, so we cannot refinance until we pay down the mortgage some. I don't know that we could rent the house out for enough to cover the mortgage/insurance/taxes, but I think we could come pretty close. DH has some opposition to this plan (not sure what) and wants to pay down the mortgage to re-fi before we move. What would you do?
Here's what we have to consider. I'm curious to hear from others who've made a big move (with kids - we moved several times before kids) and others who see anything I'm leaving out.
1. DH's job - He makes significantly more than I do, so he will have to get a job. He's a systems architect, and we've found a number of listings. Health insurance is a must, though, so that's something that could slow down the process.
2. Schools - We homeschool right now, though our intention isn't to do so forever - probably through elementary school. I still have to look at NC's regulations. Our current state is pretty lax - just have to write a letter to the school board. I don't care whether the kids go to public or private schools. My ideal would be a school for gifted children, which we will assume at this point, we will be able to get into. Other than that, I'm not sure how to check out schools before we go, though the schools there have a reputation for being top-notch.
3. Expenses - I'd like to have some budget for hiring someone to help us pack, but we intend to use a self-service moving van. That's what we've always done, so I don't see any sense in paying for full service. So, what would you pay someone who was only helping load/unload the truck - maybe 4 hours tops. I'd like to hire 2 people at each end of the move, so 16 hours total. What else for moving expenses - utility turn-on costs, a budget for takeout during the moving process, new car/license registrations.
4. Our Current House - Oy vey. This one is killer. DH feels strongly that we should keep our house. I do, too, but we need to figure out how to make that work. We didn't buy the house with a down payment. (Yeah, stupid, but lesson learned...)
We don't have 20% equity built up in it. We have about 8%, so we cannot refinance until we pay down the mortgage some. I don't know that we could rent the house out for enough to cover the mortgage/insurance/taxes, but I think we could come pretty close. DH has some opposition to this plan (not sure what) and wants to pay down the mortgage to re-fi before we move. What would you do?
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