When is it Wise to Move?

[Ryan&Amber2013]

So, we are trying to be as wise as we can. Here is our situation: We live in south Florida, we are in a good church, I have a stable job, and most of our family lives here. Here's the downside: it's almost impossible for us to buy a home at an affordable price. A mediocre 3/2 here in this area will cost us at least $175,000.

We were looking online where my wife's brother lives in Macon, Georgia, and for about $110,000 we would be able to get a home that would be just right for us. This is within our budget, and with my job I am able to apply anywhere in North America.

If there is a good church in that area, if I was able to find work, and we were able to buy a home and live within our means, would it be wise to do so?

Any help would be great, as there are pros and cons to either direction. Thank you so much!

 

[Joshua]

When is it Wise to Move?

I'd suggest during daylight hours.

 

[Parakaleo]

Yes, it is wise to provide affordable housing for your family at a level where you would not cripple yourself financially with a too-large mortgage. At one time, we thought we had to have a four-bedroom house, but I realized later that our mortgage was really too large for us. We now live in a two-bedroom trailer home and like it just fine.

If you move to Macon, move to the northern end. The Free Church (Continuing) has a congregation in Snellville, GA. It may be over an hour from Macon, but I think it would be worth the travel.

Or, you could move to our area, north of Winston-Salem, NC and join us in the Presbyterian Reformed Church here!

 

[fredtgreco]

I would be careful here. If you are happy, have a good church, and are near family (all big pluses) are you really willing to sacrifice that for $200 per month? That is the difference between a mortgage on a $110,000 home and a $175,000 home. My guess is that you would spend about $1000 of that $2500 "savings" just traveling back to see family. And I say this as someone who has lived 1,500 miles from family for 15+ years.

 

[arapahoepark]

A mediocre 3/2 here in this area will cost us at least $175,000.

Really? That's cheap! Count your blessings. However, I cannot speak to your wages or savings.
I agree with Rev. Greco.

 

[Jake]

If you are serious about middle Georgia, there is a group trying to get an OPC started just NW of the Macon area. Might want to reach out https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/greetings-from-zebulon-georgia.91529/

Church options can be a little slim around that area, but there are several PCA churches of various types.

 

[ValleyofVision]

we just experienced this when we moved to Virginia. We were supposed to move to North Carolina but the house fell through. It is definitely a transition once you move from family (not sure how much impact they have on you and your children) but we have now realized that we took for granted the Sunday dinners, worship, etc. that we shared with our immediate family back home.

For the price range you are looking at, I have got to say based on the prices we saw and even here in Virginia that we see now, $175k doesn't sound that bad- and really haven't seen much lower than that even around here. Is there a rush to your move? Do you live in an apartment complex now and your wanting a house? or renting somewhere that you have to be out by? I am not an expert on the real estate market but could there be a potential drop in prices (any realtors out there?) that you could hold off a little longer for in the area your looking at in South Florida?

 

[Jack K]

A house is both a place to live and an investment. So don't make the mistake of thinking you are getting more house for your money in Georgia. You may be getting more living space, but you are not getting a bigger investment.

If you can find a way to make it work financially for the first few years, a house in Florida will end up being a good investment and not a waste of money. If you like living where you are, see if there's any way you can make house-buying work there before you decide to look elsewhere. I gasped when we moved from North Carolina and I saw Colorado house prices. But we rearranged some assets and bought a house here even though it seemed way overpriced, and now we own a valuable piece of property.

 

[ZackF]

We now live in a two-bedroom trailer home and like it just fine.

That's good of you to pipe up and admit it. For all of the jokes and social stigmas attached to living in a trailer, they can be a good deal. I spent some years in my childhood living in one on the Great Plains of Kansas! The tornado alley of tornado alley. I'm no worse off for it.

Vanity is expensive. I remember a few years ago reading Gary North (I know, I know..but he can be good on some things) advise a retired to couple to buy a late model trailer to make their retirement funds stretch. They could get dependable living space for 15-20 years for a small fraction of the cost of a traditional home or even renting an apartment. If we didn't live in a lower cost area of the country, I'd be looking at trailers more closely.

 

[Herald]

I'd suggest during daylight hours.

Joshua, the PB resident comedian.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Is there a rush to your move? Do you live in an apartment complex now and your wanting a house? or renting somewhere that you have to be out by? I am not an expert on the real estate market but could there be a potential drop in prices (any realtors out there?) that you could hold off a little longer for in the area your looking at in South Florida?

There is no rush, but we've been renting for four years now. We are in a good situation but we are ready to invest in a home and spend our money towards owning one. I just heard from our friend's dad who is a realtor that prices are about to go up 20% this year. I'm not sure how true this is though.

 

[bookslover]

Here in southern California, a decent 3/2 in a decent neighborhood would probably cost you about $400,000 and up.

 

[VictorBravo]

How does your rent compare to a mortgage payment? Around here, in backwater Washington, rents are high enough that, if you qualified for a loan, you could finance a better house for an equivalent amount (leaving aside maintenance, perhaps)

Just a quick example:

2 bedroom apartment, moderately good shape: 900 per month.
3 bedroom 1 and 1/2 bath house on lot, moderately good condition: 179,000 at approximately $926 per month (including tax and insurance).

Your circumstances might vary, but I've seen a lot of situations over the past 7 years where cash flow favored buying unless you were planning to move in the near future.

And as Fred said, consider the usually forgotten costs of moving. Not just disruption to family ties, not just moving costs, but the disruptions to your life and social network. It can take a toll.

 

[Edward]

in Macon, Georgia, and for about $110,000 we would be able to get a home that would be just right for us.

Yes, but it would be in Macon.

A lesson I learned the hard way in Mississippi was that a house that was cheap to buy is probably going to be hard to sell. Make sure you are in a decent school district even if you don't plan to public school.

Around here, in backwater Washington, rents are high enough that, if you qualified for a loan, you could finance a better house for an equivalent amount (leaving aside maintenance, perhaps)

We discovered the same thing in the Dallas area some years ago. A 4/3.5 house was cheaper to buy than a 3/2 house was to rent. Of course, since then, housing prices have gone crazy around here as the California refugees move in with trucks full of cash to buy everything they can while trying to turn the area into the mess they are fleeing.

---
Getting back on point. First Presbyterian in Macon (PCA) was, when I attended for a summer some years ago, a fine congregation. http://www.fpcmacon.org /new-here/what-to-expect/

 

[arapahoepark]

We discovered the same thing in the Dallas area some years ago. A 4/3.5 house was cheaper to buy than a 3/2 house was to rent. Of course, since then, housing prices have gone crazy around here as the California refugees move in with trucks full of cash to buy everything they can while trying to turn the area into the mess they are fleeing.

Bwahahaha! Exactly what is happening in Colorado.

 

[Edward]

The Free Church (Continuing) has a congregation in Snellville, GA. It may be over an hour from Macon, but I think it would be worth the travel.

I would say that that would be a very poor choice. It is virtually impossible to participate in congregational life with each activity being a 3 hour round trip. One would either need to live closer to Snellville or find a church closer to Macon. And by closer to Snellville, I would further qualify it as being north or east.

 

[BG]

Seek first the kingdom of God.

Many years ago my family and I were a part of a very good reformer church in Kokomo Indiana and then I got a good job opportunity in Chattanooga and we decided to move it was the wrong decision. I have Regretted that move for a long time.

Don't give up a sure spiritual foundation in a good church for better financial or in this case a better housing situation.

Make sure you seek the Council of your elders and other godly men in your church they will be a valuable tool to you in making this decision

 

[hammondjones]

We live in south Florida, we are in a good church, I have a stable job, and most of our family lives here.

It sounds like you might have everything you need right there. I did the exact opposite, which was to buy a more expensive house than I absolutely would have had to in order to live in the same town as my parents. I see them all the time. My children see them all the time. We eat dinner with them every weekend. They watch our (4) children for us (for free!) so we can have a night out from time to time. And my parents aren't getting any younger, either. From my perspective, it is priceless to be near your family.

 

[Pilgrim]

I would say that that would be a very poor choice. It is virtually impossible to participate in congregational life with each activity being a 3 hour round trip. One would either need to live closer to Snellville or find a church closer to Macon. And by closer to Snellville, I would further qualify it as being north or east.

We've found it somewhat difficult to really participate in congregational life with even a 35-40 minute drive, especially if some mid-week activities conflict with one's work when there might not be that conflict if the church were local.

 

[RamistThomist]

Vanity is expensive. I remember a few years ago reading Gary North (I know, I know..but he can be good on some things) advise a retired to couple to buy a late model trailer to make their retirement funds stretch.

People make fun of him for Y2K, but he didn't become a multimillionaire by being stupid.

 

[RamistThomist]

Make sure you are in a decent school district even if you don't plan to public school.

Exactly. I live in a good house and a good neighborhood. The junior high and high school public schools are pretty good; the elementary isn't bad but it isn't a big sell, either.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I agree 110% with Fred. Your financial savings would be minimal - Fred mentions the meager difference in mortgage payment between the two home prices, but he doesn't begin to discuss the effect of having to pay state income tax, GA's ridiculous vehicle registration tax... Financially it would not not actually help you to move.

But also, as Fred points out, don't underestimate the value of being close to family. Like Fred, my wife and I have been away from family most of our adult lives, and it is not fun. We wish we could be closer to family. So if you are happy, have a good church, get along with your family, and you're "making it" financially... I say you should just stay where you are.

I would be careful here. If you are happy, have a good church, and are near family (all big pluses) are you really willing to sacrifice that for $200 per month? That is the difference between a mortgage on a $110,000 home and a $175,000 home. My guess is that you would spend about $1000 of that $2500 "savings" just traveling back to see family. And I say this as someone who has lived 1,500 miles from family for 15+ years.

 

[Cymro]

Never change ships in a storm! If your perplexed stay put. Criterias dictate, church first, family next, and then school.

 

[Edward]

Don't give up a sure spiritual foundation in a good church for better financial or in this case a better housing situation.

If you haven't found a good congregation in Chattanooga, you haven't looked hard enough. Lots of places in this country where options are few. The Chattanooga area isn't one of them.

 

[Edward]

GA's ridiculous vehicle registration tax.

I recall Mississippi being a lot worse than Georgia on that.

 

[BG]

If you haven't found a good congregation in Chattanooga, you haven't looked hard enough. Lots of places in this country where options are few. The Chattanooga area isn't one of them.

I never said that there were not any good churches in Chattanooga, what I said was I regretted leaving a solid church with lots of friends and family for what I thought was a better financial situation.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Okay, so I'll make it a bit more interesting. What if we could get a home in Georgia for $20,000, and slowly put work into it to fix it up? We could live debt free Lord willing, in which we could focus more on serving the church, giving to the church, and taking vacations to see our family. What are your thoughts on this one?

 

[RamistThomist]

Okay, so I'll make it a bit more interesting. What if we could get a home in Georgia for $20,000, and slowly put work into it to fix it up? We could live debt free Lord willing, in which we could focus more on serving the church, giving to the church, and taking vacations to see our family. What are your thoughts on this one?

How much money are you going to put into it? That stuff usually takes a long time, not that there is anything wrong with that but there will be aspects of your house that won't be fixed for a while. Also depends on the house and neighborhood.