SFR A decision has been made-big move coming

Sorta fishing-related

Gary Knowels

Hack of all trades
Forum Supporter
Topline news: I'm moving to Pittsburgh before the end of the year.

The Mrs. earned admissions to the University of Pittsburgh's nursing school and will be starting classes in January. There are a million decisions to be made between now and then but we've decided to go for it. We're targeting an October-November move. When she originally applied, it was for fall admissions and we would have been informed in May and moved over the summer. Pitt delayed their notifications because they received an overwhelming number of applications. They liked her profile when they got to it that they wanted to offer admission, but had filled all the slots for Fall already.

I'm excited and nervous for what's to come. By the time we move, I'll have spent all 40 of my living years within 100 miles of my birthplace here in Western WA. I'm really excited to experience living in a different place and exploring the experiences that are available there. I've already spent too many hours reading about hiking trails and fishing opportunities. I'm looking forward to experiencing seasons and deciduous trees in the fall.

I'm nervous about a job. Being a high school teacher, my schedule has been driven by the academic calendar for a long time. The timing of this has the potential to make things difficult. My last paycheck from this school year arrives at the end of August and I'll need to find income. I'm currently looking for remote corporate jobs that my biomedical research and teaching backgrounds might translate well to. There are some really interesting instructional design job postings out that that I think I would thrive in so I'm aiming for those, but I've worked solely in academia since graduating from college. That would enable me to do the job from either place. Barring that, I will have to scramble, maybe sub here in the fall combined with online tutoring until we move then do the same in Pitt, perhaps find a long-term leave replacement teaching position.

Then there is the decision to either rent out or sell our home.

Advice, input, and encouragement are welcome on all fronts: cross country move, jobs, housing, and of course recreation in the Pittsburgh area.
 
Topline news: I'm moving to Pittsburgh before the end of the year.

The Mrs. earned admissions to the University of Pittsburgh's nursing school and will be starting classes in January. There are a million decisions to be made between now and then but we've decided to go for it. We're targeting an October-November move. When she originally applied, it was for fall admissions and we would have been informed in May and moved over the summer. Pitt delayed their notifications because they received an overwhelming number of applications. They liked her profile when they got to it that they wanted to offer admission, but had filled all the slots for Fall already.

I'm excited and nervous for what's to come. By the time we move, I'll have spent all 40 of my living years within 100 miles of my birthplace here in Western WA. I'm really excited to experience living in a different place and exploring the experiences that are available there. I've already spent too many hours reading about hiking trails and fishing opportunities. I'm looking forward to experiencing seasons and deciduous trees in the fall.

I'm nervous about a job. Being a high school teacher, my schedule has been driven by the academic calendar for a long time. The timing of this has the potential to make things difficult. My last paycheck from this school year arrives at the end of August and I'll need to find income. I'm currently looking for remote corporate jobs that my biomedical research and teaching backgrounds might translate well to. There are some really interesting instructional design job postings out that that I think I would thrive in so I'm aiming for those, but I've worked solely in academia since graduating from college. That would enable me to do the job from either place. Barring that, I will have to scramble, maybe sub here in the fall combined with online tutoring until we move then do the same in Pitt, perhaps find a long-term leave replacement teaching position.

Then there is the decision to either rent out or sell our home.

Advice, input, and encouragement are welcome on all fronts: cross country move, jobs, housing, and of course recreation in the Pittsburgh area.
Well that's exciting! I recommend either renting a U haul/Penske truck and moving your stuff yourself, or using one of the Pod systems. If you hire a moving company, vet them carefully. I had a horrible experience with a moving company when we moved cross country out here.

I bet the selling price on your home in Western Washington will get you a really nice place back east!
 
Regarding your residence, look at the financial impacts of your choices. Look at housing costs in Pitt. Long distance rental, unless professionally managed, should be taken into account. Rentals cost money for up keep and even more between renters for freshing up. Rental payments are income. It will not be rented 100% of the time.

Washington real estate may have hit a peak. Sales are taking longer too.

Maybe talk with a professional for some help and guidance.
 
Regarding your residence, look at the financial impacts of your choices. Look at housing costs in Pitt. Long distance rental, unless professionally managed, should be taken into account. Rentals cost money for up keep and even more between renters for freshing up. Rental payments are income. It will not be rented 100% of the time.

Washington real estate may have hit a peak. Sales are taking longer too.

Maybe talk with a professional for some help and guidance.
We are considering both and taking the risks seriously. Our plan is to get the input of 3 real estate professionals for both rental and sales prior to making a choice. We've got one already, a second should be in by end of week.

We have a really great mortgage, 3% interest and about $1000/mo less than rent would be. We owe about 60% of the projected sale value.
 
Well that's exciting! I recommend either renting a U haul/Penske truck and moving your stuff yourself, or using one of the Pod systems. If you hire a moving company, vet them carefully. I had a horrible experience with a moving company when we moved cross country out here.

I bet the selling price on your home in Western Washington will get you a really nice place back east!
We plan to rent in Pittsburgh. She's doing the ABSN program which takes 12 months and then decide what we want to do at that point. She's interested in doing some travel nursing to explore more parts of the country.

Right now we're thinking pod shipping situation, with plenty of downsizing and a local storage unit for things we want to keep but won't need or perhaps have space for.
 
Moving to Pittsburg will mean a decreased cost of living around -30%. That should help your finances once you get established into a new position. If you want to maintain your option to return to the Seattle-Tacoma area, renting your house makes sense (assuming you find good tenants and line up on call service contractors).

Best of luck as you make your plans and seek new employment!
 
Once I retired from the USAF in ‘96 I became a consultant and landed several clients in Pittsburgh. Although I was at first living in Alabama then Bozeman I spent an average of 50 days annually on the road in the Pittsburgh area until the pandemic hit in ‘20. Lots to see and do. Great sports town. Great restaurant town. Classic trout fishing mid-state. Some interesting steelhead and SM to the north toward Lake Erie. Pike and musky in the Allegheny headwaters. Big water rivers down toward WVa. I believe there’s still at least two fly shops in the area. Good luck with the move. It’s not that hard as I managed 17 moves with family during my AF career. A great opportunity to downsize and unload stuff you never needed in the first place.
 
It’s been 20 years since I was stuck on the east coast but here is where I would go and camp to get my steelhead fix. There would be hardly anyone there in November and it snowed on us a couple times but great memories and steelhead as well as large browns. Caught a brown that was 28”

https://share.google/dTDwve6ZtAtskrYaM


The gunpowder was another place to find some good trout fishing.

Things have changed in the last 20 years I’m sure but a couple places you might check out.
 

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If you folks plan on returning to the area after completing the nursing program definitely keep your house.
My wife was a career nurse who had a highly interesting and varied career. Once experienced there are many options besides working in hospitals, which are always hiring nurses and paying six figure salaries to do so,
 
Gary,
Good luck with your move!
SF
 
If you folks plan on returning to the area after completing the nursing program definitely keep your house.
My wife was a career nurse who had a highly interesting and varied career. Once experienced there are many options besides working in hospitals, which are always hiring nurses and paying six figure salaries to do so,
That's where the uncertainty is: we don't know if we'll move back here. She's from Central Valley, CA and left there after high school and moved to Seattle where we met. Part of this is trying to figure out where we'd like to spend the second half of our lives.
 
Once I retired from the USAF in ‘96 I became a consultant and landed several clients in Pittsburgh. Although I was at first living in Alabama then Bozeman I spent an average of 50 days annually on the road in the Pittsburgh area until the pandemic hit in ‘20. Lots to see and do. Great sports town. Great restaurant town. Classic trout fishing mid-state. Some interesting steelhead and SM to the north toward Lake Erie. Pike and musky in the Allegheny headwaters. Big water rivers down toward WVa. I believe there’s still at least two fly shops in the area. Good luck with the move. It’s not that hard as I managed 17 moves with family during my AF career. A great opportunity to downsize and unload stuff you never needed in the first place.
Thank you for the note. Once I'm there and ready to explore would you mind if I ask you more specific questions about fishing locations in the area?
 
Pittsburg is about 2 hrs away from some great "famous" Trout streams in State College PA. Some of the waters include Spring Creek, Little Juniata, Penns Creek and many other locations. The fishing/bug life is particularly good due to water PH levels from limestone. I don't get there very often as it is about an 8 hr drive for me. There are a number of good fly shops in State College that you can contact. The one I have used is TCO.
 
That's where the uncertainty is: we don't know if we'll move back here. She's from Central Valley, CA and left there after high school and moved to Seattle where we met. Part of this is trying to figure out where we'd like to spend the second half of our lives.
being familiar with both, aside from the cost of living which is a obviously a real thing, the lifestyle between the two could not be more different.
It appears you're in 'one step at a time' mode...by the time your wife has her nursing credential and you're honing in on a desirable teaching job that meshes with her nursing search, the right thing to do will reveal itself.
Best of luck with this life transition, we've been through it several times, and it always turned out for the best.
 
Pittsburg is about 2 hrs away from some great "famous" Trout streams in State College PA. Some of the waters include Spring Creek, Little Juniata, Penns Creek and many other locations. The fishing/bug life is particularly good due to water PH levels from limestone. I don't get there very often as it is about an 8 hr drive for me. There are a number of good fly shops in State College that you can contact. The one I have used is TCO.
Also, 2 hours north in Erie County is 'Steelhead Alley', where Lake Erie fish run...more steelhead there than here these days.
 
Thank you for the note. Once I'm there and ready to explore would you mind if I ask you more specific questions about fishing locations in the area?
Sure, but not really an expert. Once you are in town, connect with: The International Angler fly shop out towards the airport. They always had a good take on what’s going on and where. Also connect with the Penn’s Woods West chapter of Trout Unlimited. I attended a few of their meetings when I was available in town and they were a very amenable bunch of folks sharing info on angling in Western PA.
 
Wow Gary, that is big news. With the mortgage you have, and renting in Pitt, it seems like renting out your Tacoma house should work well. I hear that renting can be a nightmare, but we rent out the condo since moving into our house 16 years ago. My wife uses a trusted realtor to vet new tenants, and so far that has been working very well. Good luck with your move!
 
Wow Gary, that is big news. With the mortgage you have, and renting in Pitt, it seems like renting out your Tacoma house should work well. I hear that renting can be a nightmare, but we rent out the condo since moving into our house 16 years ago. My wife uses a trusted realtor to vet new tenants, and so far that has been working very well. Good luck with your move!
We rented out our home in Vermont until we sold it, after moving here. We were lucky, great tenants and no problems.
 
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