These days so many big city dwellers are looking for a simpler lifestyle. The hustle and bustle of the city, the ridiculous income that you have to generate in order to make ends meat, the need for trees and fresh air, and the idea of spending time with your family. Whether it be moving to the country or to another area of suburbia that craving for That Simple Life is there.
Now relocating is not for everyone. There are definitely factors that need to be taken into consideration. It could be that your extended family lives where you live, or your job is hard to get in another location and is not transferrable. But if you are looking and craving to simplify your life, here are 5 reasons why you should and also why I did.
- To own a house– In many cities the cost of living is too high to reap the benefits of home ownership. When we were living in Los Angeles a house the size of ours easily went for a million dollars. That meant we had to work 3 times as hard to earn the amount of money that we have to now to pay for our house. Sure our house is a modest 1700 square feet, but that’s what a million dollars buys you in the Pasadena area, and we got our home for one fifth of the price.
- Traffic- Time became a precious commodity to us after the birth of our twins. We realized that sometimes we were spending an hour each way or more commuting back and forth to work, even though our jobs were not that far away. This was time that we didn’t get paid for, nor could we get back. So now that we live in a place with very little traffic, we can pretty much cover the whole metro area in less than a half an hour.
- Greenery– Sure we had trees in Los Angeles, but the reality is that there were not a whole lot of open spaces that weren’t within an hours drive. Here we have tons of open space, rivers, and the ocean just 2 hours away. All of this makes for some nice family day and road trips.
- The cost of living– So we already talked about housing above, but in general the cost of living is less where we live. Some of the things I have noticed is food, gas, utility cost, labor cost, etc. Now sure this means that you don’t make as much money out here as well, but it takes a lot less to get by on. One of the biggest things you should consider when moving to a lower cost of living area is practicality. This is not the time to go buy your dream Mc Mansion, but stay practical and live your life just like you did before in terms of material things. Be even simpler if at all possible. This is where you will reap the greatest rewards.
- The people– One of the biggest things we have noticed since moving is how nice the people are. Now I’m not saying that there are not nice people in the bigger cities, because there are. The problem is that everyone is caught up with the stress of the way of life. They work long hours, take care of children, keep up with their houses, and still try to have friendships. You almost feel bad asking for a favor because you know nobody has time. Here the pace is much slower, people make time for you, and even if they don’t have a lot of it, they still have time to use their manners.
So there you have it, my top 5 reasons for relocating. If you are thinking about relocating I can help. In my other life, I am a Real Estate professional. I love chatting with people about the logistics of relocating and brainstorming with them to see if relocating makes sense for their family.
