Hey Guys!
Thanks for your concern/advice! The problem, of course, is that I need the money from the house sale to get up to Alaska and have any sort of reasonable lifestyle! Actually, we know a lot of friends/family who would like to buy our place, but they don't have the money! I don't know where the people who DO have the money are hiding. We just lowered the price about a week ago, maybe that will help!
It's a nice house (2800+ SF), BUT it is on over 40 acres, which makes it an unusual property for the area. The county is fairly rural, but the average lot size is more like 3 acres, people who want land seem to be satisfied with that, or think they are land barons if they go out on a limb and get 10 acres. So, it's hard to find comparables (what is it really worth?) and it seems for the price range, people would rather have an even bigger, newer house than all the extra land. We've had a lot of fun on the land. I used to show horses (jumpers), and then after I decided that was too dangerous!, switched to mountain biking. We have a ton of mountain bike trails on the property, but I'm not sure that's a selling point for a lot of people. Good hunting too (deer, squirrel, rabbit, turkey, geese, etc. - no bears or moose though!). Quite frankly, I would think land would be even more desirable to own here as opposed to Alaska even, just because we have so little public land. For example, there are ZERO parks in our county that have trails that you can mountain bike on. ZERO parks in the adjacent county that allow mountain biking. We either use our own trails, or drive at least 1.5 hours for adequate trails, 2.5+ hours for anything good. ZERO places you can backpack in all of Northeast Ohio. ZERO places for public hunting in Northeast Ohio. You get the picture. I'm justifying - why wouldn't someone want to buy my house and all this lovely land? (Probably because Ohio is full of couch potatoes!!! - other Ohio posters on mtbr excluded, of course!)
We don't have jobs lined up; we don't know what we want to be when we grow up
Actually, between selling the house and a buyout my husband got from his previous employer, as well as other savings, we shouldn't have to work too much - unless we want to. We're trying to simplify our lives and spend more time enjoying ourselves! Although, who knows? It depends how much money we decide we need/want to have, and what opportunities present themselves once we get up there. My husband is an electrical engineer by training who spent 15+ years in the chemical industry, eventually working up to a plant manager position (actually, he has been thinking about applying for jobs in the oil industry, as it looks like there is some activity now, and if he got something with relocation benefits, maybe they could help us get rid of the house. Not sure though; my husband has been unemployed for 6 months now and I'm not sure how he feels about committing to full time, high pressure work again!) I'm a software engineer (actually, I'm supposed to be writing software right now, instead of posting this reply!), but I also have an MBA. Might try to find a computer related position, or try to get into banking/financial services instead, as that has always intrigued me.
So, what does the economy look like up there? Any hope at good jobs, or will I have to become a part-time waitress?
Can't be any worse than here - my sister is even thinking of moving to New Jersey, of all places, for better opportunity! (Although, I'm moving up more for the whole Alaska experience, it just makes it easier knowing that there isn't much I'm leaving behind economically here.)
I know, I know, at this rate, I may not make it up to Anchorage this fall *sigh*. I don't really feel like driving the Alcan in the winter, so I think what we will do if we don't sell soon, is spend the winter as ski bums someplace in the lower 48 (Colorado maybe?) and then come up in the spring. So, I WILL get there eventually!!!!!
Of course, if I don't sell soon enough to be a ski bum even, I'm going to get really cranky!
Kristine
Anchorage-bound Buckeye (really! I am going to get there!)
