<p>My son was just at his friend’s house. He told my kid that he was moving to North Carolina. The “For Sale” sign was up. They have 3 kids. Oldest is in a private college in the south, and their middle D is a senior. Their baby is a hs freshman. Parents are in the type of jobs where relocation is easy.</p>
<p>Second family I know sold their home to move to a less expensive area of NJ, so they could pay off college loans from kiddo #1. Parents are also in the type of jobs that don’t pose a problem for relocation.</p>
<p>A third family just sold to go to Georgia. Oldest D is in law school, and younger S just began at 45,000 private school.</p>
<p>All 3 families live within a mile of my NJ home. I think this becoming a trend. They feel the need to move out of this expensive area to pay for college.</p>
<p>nem-
Are they moving south for a lower cost of living or a better quality of life? I don’t mean that in a bad way… I mean you guys have been getting KILLER storms up there and, having lived in both, I’d have to say it is just a little easier to live in the south. I had a visit from a friend who lives in Michigan today. She was lamenting the poor job opportunities up there and how so many of the younger generation are moving away. I know you are in NJ, not Mich., but still, many companies are moving their facilities south. Not fair to the northerners who don’t want to move. Sorry to hear your son’s friend are moving, especially in their HS years. That is a tough thing to do.</p>
<p>The winters really have been fairly mild lately. Anyway, all 3 families have lived here since my college freshman was in kindergarten, so I am assuming that weather was not the reason. 2 of the families have a head of household who really can work anywhere. One is in a construction/craftsman type of occupation and is involved with managing projects, and the other is a type mechanic. The craftsman/manager is not moving out of state, but has moved out of comfortable commuting distance so he may be working at a different company. The 3rd family’s main wage earner is involved in banking, but has not needed to transfer for the 13 years that his son was in the school system. IMO, they are moving to find money to pay college bills. They are fortunate that they can move b/c not everyone can do necessarily do that b/c of their jobs. That is our situation.</p>
<p>nem-
It will be interesting to hear from them (when your s talks to his friends) exactly why they are moving. Perhaps their companies are transferring them. Most families don’t like to move when their kids are in HS-- pretty disruptive academically. I guess until your hear from the horses mouth the reason for their moves we are all just speculating.</p>
<p>BTW, its in the teens down here this morning. Quite unusual. Brrr!! I hear its even colder up there.</p>
<p>My mother and stepfather moved as soon as my younger sister started college, and my husband and I will likely do so after our youngest goes to college as well. Money wasn’t a factor in either decision, but waiting until the youngest graduates from high school so as not to disrupt that child’s education was.</p>
<p>But if people are moving while kids are still in high school, that’s something different.</p>
<p>I can see the rationale, though. If you can sell your house in an expensive part of the country and get an equivalent house for $100,000 less in a cheaper part of the country, that’s a nice chunk of money to put toward the college bills.</p>
<p>Taxes are unbelievable around me. We have been saving forever for retirement so we can stay in our home. Nevertheless, oldsters from the community disappear every year to new digs, condominiums, assisted living, even children’s homes. Our home means so much to us and there is so much to it with lofts, attics and too many rooms. It would take me years to clear it all out and then what would I have? I can’t rely on my head alone for memories!</p>
<p>Guess I will be one of those old biddies in the straw hat tending the garden when I’m 108.</p>
<p>This is why our neighbor, a senior citizen, has not moved out. Her kids have been out of the house for over 20 years, and she is now widowed. She tries to clean for an hour each day, but she is buried in a lifetime of accumulated “stuff”. She continues to pay her hefty property taxes, but has not kept up with home repairs for many years. I am sure this is a property that will torn down and a new mini-mansion will be built on the land at some point in the future.</p>
<p>We went to a Super Bowl Party at a friend’s house, and everyone there - with kids of a similar age to my own - was talking about moving. We already live in a fairly inexpensive area of the country. These people were just talking about down-sizing. The problem they were running into was that a new, smaller home was going to cost more than what they got for what they had already. They were desiring a simpler life-style, but were balking at the idea of paying more for less.</p>
<p>Most of our friends have kids who went to school locally, and are settling nearby. Our kids have flown further. I hate to give up the bigger house, because I like the idea of having room for everyone when they come home.</p>
<p>I can’t see selling my house and moving south to cover college costs, honestly.</p>
<p>Don’t people have a sense of history in their homes, communities, with their friends, jobs, etc? I can’t see giving all that up just to pay for college. There are other lives that are important here…not just the kids’!</p>
<p>And the housing market is in a slump— now isn’t the best time to sell, unless you have to. Even if houses are cheaper in some parts of the south, you’ll probably take a bigger hit selling in the north. And winter is a tough time to sell.</p>
<p>Expensive or no, a reason to move out of NJ could reasonably be better odds at college admissions in the NE. (LOL, I thought you were going to say that at first.)</p>
<p>Epiphany, I know that 2 of these 3 families have not involved themselves so much with the college process that they are using this stradegy in admissions. The 3rd family is aware of this, but their kid was able to gain admission to some very good schools without relocating during his hs years. He had been sent to SAT prep classes since 4th grade! The parents were trying to get him ready for an Ivy, but he was rejected. He is now at NYU, which does take some money, as we all know. They have a D who went to another expensive private, and is now in law school.</p>
<p>We have had a lot of people moving from our neighborhood- once people start families they often move to the burbs-or simply looking for more affordable cost of living.</p>
<p>The houses on either side of us have been vacant for several months- one for two months, one for three. The owners of one of the houses just live up the street, but they haven’t been able to get it together to get ready to rent again.( they have gone through a divorce & to cover those expenses they have raised the rental cost way above what is reasonable- why the last family moved out actually)The other house will be put up for sale, but since it is a just a little house and housing is in a slowdown, I think it will be a while on the market-.</p>
<p>The house that is kitty-corner from us, has also been vacant for a few years, the retired owner is apparently still paying the taxes, but it is in severe disrepair-although someone comes by a few times a year to trim the hedges. However the * squatters* that sometimes camp in the backyard and all the dead cars and trucks give my across the street elderly neighbor the willies :(</p>
<p>Nobody that has moved out in our neighborhood to pay for college costs though- although I do know those who have sold their house and moved to a condo when their kids go to college. Our neighborhood, families move out when their kids are still in early elementary. The schools aren’t so great some percieve & some families want more than 1000sq ft to raise their 2.5 kids
( hey in Japan this house would be * huge!*)</p>
<p>My h. grew up overseas, the youngest of 3. hen he left for college his dad retired and they relocated back to the states, but literally had severals mos were they were not able to be reached. Its the old “as soon as they leave the house- move and don’t leave a forwarding address” scenario, but this was for real!</p>
<p>I know of several families who have relocated to the NC area - 2 to GA - and yes - for college purposes specifically. They either moved in the students senior year or once accepted to a NC state school/one of the UNC’s - and pay OOS tuition for a short time - then revert to in-state tuition.</p>
<p>I can sure understand their reasoning - especially with a UNC school student in our house who just graduated - the difference in costs is well worth it for some - not us tho - in New England we shall be staying :)</p>
<p>jeepmom, I completely understand. I know that the New England area can be as expensive as our area. This is a new pattern that I am beginning to notice.</p>
- in New England we shall be staying :)</p>