gbucci24

Ok, here it goes. I am a young adult (29) and have a fiance (25). I currently own my own home in the Pittsburgh, PA area and I have been looking to try out a new city, specifically in the south. I have lived in Pittsburgh my whole life and my fiance is from Philly. I have a good business work background and have recently been offered a new job in Raleigh downtown. I currently make 55k a year and the job offer is for 67k, my fiance currently makes 50k and just received her CPA certification. Please read below, I am not trying to gloat, just simply stating my lifestyle, as I would like to keep it the same in the new area I move to.

We currently live in a nice, predominantly white suburb of Pittsburgh and it takes us roughly 15 mins to get to downtown. There is a very nice mall within 5 minutes, every store imaginable by it, a country club within walking distance, 2 craft brewery's down the road, grocery store at the bottom of the hill with a mini mall complex, 2 hockey rinks within 5 minutes, and 2 very good highschools within 5 minutes. I am pretty much on the boarded between the two schools. Zillow ranks them a 7 and a 9. I have an updated 1400sqft home with a relatively decent yard, I have .25 acres as the whole lot. This home cost me $125k fully updated, I can leave my front door and cars unlocked if I want to, everyone takes care of their homes, there is a park nearby and I have never heard about any crime in the area. I live with a mix of ages on the street, but the street is becoming much younger, both my neighbors are under 35yr old couples and it seems like more younger people are moving to the area and the older generation is moving out. There is a ton of things to do all within a 5 minute drive and like I said we are 15 mins away from downtown.

I am looking for the same type of neighborhood in the Raleigh area. lots to do around it, with nice shopping, lots of activities, nice up kept areas, virtually no crime, and rising home values (my home has already rose in value by 10k in less than 1 year) and most importantly good schools ( at least a 7 on Zillow).

I have a good life here in Pittsburgh and both our incomes together leave us a good amount of savings as well as the opportunity to go out a to eat 5 or so times a month, go shopping, go on 1-2 vacations a year, have a boat and 3 nicer vehicles.

What areas near Raleigh offer the same type of lifestyle and living areas that I currently have? The home must be at least 3 beds with a yard, updated and be less than 200k. Thank you.

BigRuss

Not to ding Fodors, but this is a travel site. There are websites dedicated to relocation issues. Those may be far more helpful for you.

Thinking that there are plenty of areas in and near Raleigh that fit your needs. No perfect matches, but you don't get something (20% pay raise, escape from Rust Belt weather) for nothing. Raleigh and the research triangle have been growing for years and its livability ratings do not suck.

You should also check cost of living calculators. NC's personal income tax is higher than PA's, but the cost of living is likely lower.

P.S. - she's your fiancee, you're her fiance.

garyt22

Cary NC is almost a clone of your current area, however housing may cost you more... Your combined income and new salary should cover the higher mortgage and still allow you everything you seek...

Good luck...

gbucci24

BigRuss,

Thank you for the reply, sorry if I posted on the wrong site, but saw similar posts and it seemed like a good idea to post on here. Also, thank you for the spelling error, I did not catch that.

NC's income tax is almost double that of PA's, so that posses a problem, but the cost of living is almost the same. I'm just trying to make an informed decision on where to visit, where to talk to realtors and if leaving Pittsburgh would really be worth it.

BigRuss

Nothing for you to be sorry about - just saying that you may find more and better answers elsewhere and that's for your benefit.

Couple of things that may mitigate your considerations (I'd pick NC if I were you just because (1) Pittsburgh is a Rust Belt town and lost its airline hubs - a bad commercial sign, but Raleigh is on a growth trajectory; (2) Raleigh winters will suck FAR less): (a) what will be the tax impact of your higher state income tax - remember, you do get some relief on federal taxes for state taxes (I'm in a state where I don't have to worry about that); (b) look at real apples to apples comparisons beyond the cost calculators - how much is heating, cooling, car insurance, home insurance, etc.; (c) additional job opportunities - you're not going to be in the same job forever, and declining a 20% pay hike may be a bad move; (d) what you'd expect to net from selling your house in Pittsburgh - that will go a good way toward determining how much more house you can get in NC. A 1400 square foot home is really small when you add a hobbit or two . . .

Gretchen

You need to go to Raleigh, get a real estate agent and look at places you'd like to live. Actually, you should just rent a place for probably 6 months, and find out for yourself.

SeaF

I think you sound like you have an ideal set up where you are now, but I'm originally from around there, so I'm biased....and I don't think I could take the humidity in NC.