Moving out West

[DHerman1]

Alaska! I did it at that age, then moved back to the Rockies.

 

[String&stick]

Alaska. . .

Or Wyoming, but I know nothing about your field.

But if I was 21 right now I would be finding a job in a preferred state and renting.

Then I would talk with every family member or friend I knew and find someone with a fully paid off house willing to take a HELOC and lend me money to buy a house with cash. . .

Then I would study your chosen states foreclosure laws! There is a backlog 1.5 years worth of foreclosures that are about to hit the market whenever we quit extending the ban on evictions and foreclosures (July 30 as of now). When that happens, most cities with any sizable population are going to have some deals being bought on the courthouse steps!

If you do your homework and your lucky, you might be able to buy yourself a few hundred thousand in equity! Then refinance and pay your folks back plus 10% and everybody wins!

Just a thought anyway. . .

 

[CorbLand]

I see people always saying housing is expensive in WY, what is the avg price of a home, over $500k? Most large cities housing isn’t cheap in good areas for a decent home. Here in KC most new homes being built are in the $400k to $1 million range.

Now if you want to live in heavier crime areas, poor schools and not close to work you’ll be in $150k range. If you live in rural areas anywhere good paying jobs aren’t very common.

Its not always just the price of houses but the wages the area pays. Housing in the west jumped ~25% in 6 months but wages are staying the same. A decent house where I live was 250-275K this time last year, now they are 350-375K. If you made 60K in this town you were on the upper end of middle class, with just the housing prices now, 60K is just scratching the surface of affordability.

Even 1200-1500 square foot town homes are going for 320K plus.

 

[tdhanses]

Its not always just the price of houses but the wages the area pays. Housing in the west jumped ~25% in 6 months but wages are staying the same. A decent house where I live was 250-275K this time last year, now they are 350-375K. If you made 60K in this town you were on the upper end of middle class, with just the housing prices now, 60K is just scratching the surface of affordability.

Even 1200-1500 square foot town homes are going for 320K plus.

But for those that could work from anywhere that might be a very affordable price compared to their current location, not having to worry about local wages and jobs housing may feel affordable.

 

[HighUintas]

Not Utah, nor Wyoming. These two places suuuuuuck

 

[CorbLand]

But for those that could work from anywhere that might be a very affordable price compared to their current location, not having to worry about local wages and jobs housing may feel affordable.

Yes, if you can pull big city wages and live in a smaller town that does help but it pushes the housing prices up for those that work in the area but I am pretty sure the OP was asking about moving out west and didnt say anything being able to work from anywhere.

 

[Wildfire1550]

moved west from Illinois and never looked back. So great to live somewhere you love

 

[peterk123]

My family and I are one month into living in Livingston MT. I came from Massachusetts. I don't know where to even begin. We seriously downsized/simplified. I went from living in a town and neighborhood that had homes ranging from $750K to over a million (mine was the runt of the neighborhood by far). The average home size was 3200 sq ft (mine was 2000). We moved into one side of a duplex; 1400 feet and no basement. I also eventually ended up buying the other side where my daughter and her husband now live. I went from 1.5 acres to 7000 sq ft of land. I have mobile homes one block away and subsidized housing across the street. AND I LOVE IT!!! Our plan was to live here for a period of time, until we found our forever home and property, then use these as rentals. But now we are rethinking it all. My neighbors are great. Everyone keeps to themselves and its super quiet. The folks at the subsidized apartments are the equivalent of having twenty German shepherds guarding your home. They miss nothing.

I am two minutes to everything; restaraunts, bars, grocery, hardware, lumber, etc. I am five minutes to the Yellowstone River and into the Absarokas in ten minutes. The people everywhere are kind and polite. I sold my house in Massachusetts for way too much money and put it in the bank. We went to a PBR event last weekend. It started with a prayer, then twenty people carried out a huge American flag and then the national anthem was sung. It brought tears to my eyes because I just moved from a state where you wouldn't dare fly the American flag because it would piss half the town off.

The fishing is outstanding. The hunting will be great. We bought a raft and have floated the Yellowstone a few times already. We have seen bald eagles, goldens, cranes and a host of other animals. We hiked the national forest last weekend and encountered a moose and her calf.

My stress is completely gone. I am no longer on edge. I thought my various aches, pains and improper bodily functions were due to age; nope it was the stress of living in Massachusetts and dealing with horrible human beings.

I am at the other end of the spectrum in my career, I am basically retired at 54. But my wife and I were willing to give up a healthy income to make the change. Life is funny. It is never enough, until you say it is. Easier said than done. But we did it and I have never been happier in my life.

Simplify and live where you can enjoy your life. Not many places like that left, but we found it.

BTW, Livingston MT is officially full

Pete

 

[Crusader]

Pete, that sounds awesome. Happy for you and your family!!!!

 

[Bigcat_hunter]

I would rather live in a van down by the river in the than in the big city. I went to school in Seattle and realized I'm a country boy that needs to live in the sticks for peace.

 

[hunterjmj]

Grew up in the west, spent a bunch of years in Alaska when I was young then moved to the Midwest for school. I did everything I could to finish school fast so I could get back west. Maybe it's just being familiar with where you grew up but I hated the Midwest.
I've never had an issue making a living wherever I've lived. I suppose if you want something bad enough you'll make it happen.
Get out and explore while you're young and without so much responsibility.

 

[RayG]

No ones being crotchety just the truth. More people= equals worse quality of living. Best advice so far is stay put or look at SD, WY, or AK

+1 on the truth. 30k people have moved here to the Flathead Valley of MT since Jan 2021, mostly from CA and WA. The people here are real friendly, but increasingly there have been shorter fuses, more road rage. Plate hate is a real thing here. Unfortunate, but tragic when locals are being priced out of their homes.

 

[Preston]

+1 on the truth. 30k people have moved here to the Flathead Valley of MT since Jan 2021, mostly from CA and WA. The people here are real friendly, but increasingly there have been shorter fuses, more road rage. Plate hate is a real thing here. Unfortunate, but tragic when locals are being priced out of their homes.

We lived in Kalispell for 8-9 years and have 3 rentals, which have been a great investment. A good portion of the move ins are paying way too much for property and/or rentals. Wages are relatively low, unless you have a business or construction business. It’s way different than when I visited in 1995.

 

[manitou1]

Yeah, our little community in WY suffered a 1000+ increase in population this past year. That is 25% of the population! Sad. The quaint little Western towns are becoming dinosaurs.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

A while back I would have said AZ. but now I'm just not so sure. But who knows, it might be worth a good look. I still hunt Az but I only hunt dove and quail there. I hunt in Wis. for deer and grouse and NM for Elk. Sure as hell to Cal.

 

[gabenzeke]

I am going to be graduating from college this semester with a degree in computer engineering. I have a job lined up in the midwest, close to where I grew up, with good pay. My plan right now is to work and then move out west, possibly in a year or so. I am the type of guy who likes to take a lot of time to plan and consider all recommendations. I love to fly fish, bow hunt, rifle hunt, and waterfowl hunt. If you were 21 and in my shoes, where would you move that allows you to pursue these passions?

Wyoming or Montana. That said, do it now. If you start a job you won't do it. You'll get a raise or two and before you know it you'll be handcuffed to a job because nothing out west will pay as well. The job will give you good benefits and a salary, but inside, you'll die just a little bit every day. Ask me how I know ....

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Wyoming or Montana. That said, do it now. If you start a job you won't do it. You'll get a raise or two and before you know it you'll be handcuffed to a job because nothing out west will pay as well. The job will give you good benefits and a salary, but inside, you'll die just a little bit every day. Ask me how I know ....

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

He's 110% right.

 

[JeffRaines]

Going to take the contrarian side and say there are still plenty spots out west with untapped potential that are not completely overcrowded and ruined yet.

You have to make more sacrifices now than you used to, but IMO the quality of life is unequivocally higher.

Sure I could make more money in some boring midwest town or city, but you can’t put a price tag on happiness. I wouldn’t be happy living in a humid climate with little to no high quality adventure / outdoor recreation options within a few hours.

We’re not getting any younger.

I get it - for some guys the dollar is king… they’re okay with taking one or two trips a year as long as they’re making bank… and there’s nothing wrong with that.

For some of us though, I’d sooner make less money and live somewhere where every season I can spend it in the mountains if I want to, not just a week or two out of the year. I need this shit… not trying to sound like one of those bozos on Instagram, but it’s the truth. I’d be downright miserable living back on the east coast(or Midwest, or the south) only making it west once or maybe twice a year.

I would advise OP to do it sooner rather than later. As someone else mentioned, housing isn’t getting any cheaper… not to mention life happens. You meet someone, now it’s that much harder to move. You have kids, now it’s even harder to pick up and move. It’s how people get trapped.

I mean, stay out! The west is completely full!!!

 

[Okhotnik]

My family and I are one month into living in Livingston MT. I came from Massachusetts. I don't know where to even begin. We seriously downsized/simplified. I went from living in a town and neighborhood that had homes ranging from $750K to over a million (mine was the runt of the neighborhood by far). The average home size was 3200 sq ft (mine was 2000). We moved into one side of a duplex; 1400 feet and no basement. I also eventually ended up buying the other side where my daughter and her husband now live. I went from 1.5 acres to 7000 sq ft of land. I have mobile homes one block away and subsidized housing across the street. AND I LOVE IT!!! Our plan was to live here for a period of time, until we found our forever home and property, then use these as rentals. But now we are rethinking it all. My neighbors are great. Everyone keeps to themselves and its super quiet. The folks at the subsidized apartments are the equivalent of having twenty German shepherds guarding your home. They miss nothing.

I am two minutes to everything; restaraunts, bars, grocery, hardware, lumber, etc. I am five minutes to the Yellowstone River and into the Absarokas in ten minutes. The people everywhere are kind and polite. I sold my house in Massachusetts for way too much money and put it in the bank. We went to a PBR event last weekend. It started with a prayer, then twenty people carried out a huge American flag and then the national anthem was sung. It brought tears to my eyes because I just moved from a state where you wouldn't dare fly the American flag because it would piss half the town off.

The fishing is outstanding. The hunting will be great. We bought a raft and have floated the Yellowstone a few times already. We have seen bald eagles, goldens, cranes and a host of other animals. We hiked the national forest last weekend and encountered a moose and her calf.

My stress is completely gone. I am no longer on edge. I thought my various aches, pains and improper bodily functions were due to age; nope it was the stress of living in Massachusetts and dealing with horrible human beings.

I am at the other end of the spectrum in my career, I am basically retired at 54. But my wife and I were willing to give up a healthy income to make the change. Life is funny. It is never enough, until you say it is. Easier said than done. But we did it and I have never been happier in my life.

Simplify and live where you can enjoy your life. Not many places like that left, but we found it.

BTW, Livingston MT is officially full

Pete

congrats. Montana needs people like you to offset the progressives destroying the west and hunting, fishing

 

[WV Mountaineer]

You have hit the timing very well for your career choice if you intend to move to a developing area in the west. Pay rates are higher in Montana and Wyoming for computer tech heavy jobs then they’ve ever been. Sone of the nations highest on average according to google. It’s what happens to developing areas.

So, you got that in your favor. What you don’t have in your favor is that your starting salary is going to be too low to keep up with a demand driven housing market.

if you were to start a job somewhere for $75,000, you can forget about buying a house over $150,000. Because you gotta eat, drive, pay utilities, etc…. You are also going to need 20% of your mortgage amount to even set down in person to talk about a mortgage loan. That’s tough outta school for sure.

Your mortgage payment on a $150,000 is going to run you close to $1500.00. More likely $1800.00. At a salary of $75,000, your weekly take hone pay is going to be $1200 or a touch better. Depending on your witholdings. It’s going to take a pay check and a half to make the mortgage. It’s going to take the other half of that second weeks earnings to pay the insurance and taxes on that house.

So, you’ve got about $2400 left to buy a truck you can depend on. that’s going to be 3/4 of your third weeks earnings. By the time you fuel it for the month, that’s the rest of your third weeks pay. That leaves one paycheck to maintain your hone, your vehicle, it’s insurance requirements, buy food, pay utilities, save for recreation, etc…

My point in all this is to say you can make it. And, if you intend to make it out west, you are starting at a good time. Just like everyone, you will acquire financial freedom over the long haul no matter where you start out at. But, if you think you are going to roll into a lifestyle of hunting and fishing, it’s probably going to be a few years. No matter where you decide to live.

So, take the plunge. Do it. It’s called life. There are no magic spots that’s going to see you living in a nice hone, driving a nice truck, and hunting and fishing four weeks out of the year. Time off for new hires don’t work that way. Nor will the money be there to do it for a while.