Leveling Up By Moving on Up

whiskey_and_oreos · 2021-05-24T23:15:32+00:00

I did! My LVX and I had slowly been working our way up but he never wanted to move to the best/coolest neighborhood in our city, so I went straight there when I left him. I didn't even consider anywhere else. It's expensive af but I can afford a cute little two bedroom rental. It's in the hipster part of town with dozens of restaurants, bars, breweries, and things to do, and a 5 minute drive to downtown proper. I've been exploring as things open up and just found an awesome little wine bar down the street.

I think it's absolutely worth trying! Worst case, you experience what the area has to offer and decide something about it isn't for you.

lifesok · 2021-05-24T23:46:17+00:00

I moved form outside of town to downtown and it has improved my life dramatically.

Pros: - 5 min walk to work (was an hour one way before), going home at lunch is an incredible benefit. - Downtown, my apartment became a hub for friends - Lower cost utilities (I’m in a new building) - No shared laundry - Building has amazing amenities and is modern/gorgeous - I don’t need a car - amazing building security plus 24 hour guard * my apartment is more expensive in rent but the savings in utilities and laundry outweighs the rent increase. - most new buildings will have rental concessions. This can dramatically decrease your monthly rent.

Cons: - downtown, there is increased crime. Even with dogs I’ve been followed a few times at night. - if I wanted a car parking is crazy expensive - you don’t get to pick you neighbors - I have dogs, living downtown takes more work/planning to care for them - it’s pretty noisy 24/7 and bright at night. There’s traffic and bar sounds all night long. Light from the street keeps my room illuminated even with curtains.

hopeful_flounder93 · 2021-05-24T23:23:53+00:00

Yes! If you can swing it (with a bit extra to save each month still) it ended up being worth the risk for me 🥰 I love living in a beautiful flat close to EVERYTHING, and have managed to find a string of lovely HVW roommies to share it with (the "rowdy" types tend to go for cheaper places here). I felt like I could focus better given I lived in such a nice place, and saved so much time commuting everywhere that it improved my financial situation to a point where I can now afford it very easily. Just all around a great choice.

I tend to avoid debt like the plague (always have), but if you can, a move like this could change several unexpected parts of your life for the better 😊

WorkaholicParty · 2021-05-25T00:07:26+00:00

Nothing has been as good for for my mental health as living in a place that had the following:

historical building in a very nice area
close to several tramways and two train stations that also had a metro
extremely safe, you could basically go out at all times of night unbothered
had two 24/7-open supermarkets
two public libraries, one gym 5 min away
most important of all a shuttle bus that stopped right below my apt that I could take to go to work (4 in the morning and evenings every 20 minutes). No need to drive, free and felt like I had a chauffeur.
several nice coffee bars and a very bougie bakery for fancy breakfasts
a huge park 40m walk/15m tramway away

Damn I miss that place. Thank you for this post, made me realise something.

List all the benefits you could gain or loose from moving. Even something like having a nice view from the balcony, if that is important to you, can provide something positive to your life. If downsizing in the future isn't too difficult, why not? For me the most important thing is being comfortable and being able to leave the house at all times, that's not possible at the moment (covid and an oppressing suburban neighborhood) and it's making me unhappy. I miss city center life.

Adventurous_River_64 · 2021-05-24T23:34:06+00:00

I found it to be worth it! But I made sure to choose a hip area where there are also lots of young, artistic people. There are tons of events going on within walking distance of my house and lots of cute hipster guys, haha. The place I lived before was affordable but the neighborhood was a dead zone. I work from home now and being able to walk to coffee shops and cute restaurants is huge for me.

thowawaywookie · 2021-05-25T02:22:15+00:00

The best thing I've ever done was move out of a very backward area. Think small town America, women marrying at 18 and having children, high school drop outs, poverty, drugs, crime, overly religious, etc. to a progressive area like PNW.

FDS-GFY · 2021-05-25T00:43:20+00:00

I work from home. When I wasn’t I loved being downtown. Now that I am I crave space -especially outdoor space, so no more downtown for me lol.

Big-Paleontologist13 · 2021-05-24T23:12:17+00:00

weigh up the other aspects, social/friendship or professional aspects? also i’ve found in the higher earning area where i’ve been living the past 1.5 years, the hvm are usually married or going through high stress divorces

LonelyWineAunt · 2021-05-24T23:55:40+00:00

That’s a tough question. I think you need to consider a variety of factors such as whether you’re buying or renting, the difference in quality between the most expensive place you can afford in each area. It also depends on how you plan to use your neighbourhood, if you have a car, proximity of your friends, proximity to work. There’s no guarantee you’ll be happier in a better off area. The difference in amenities will probably have less influence on your well-being than the size and quality of your living space and neighbours. You’ll make better contacts in a nice neighbourhood, that’s for sure, though. So many things to consider. You have to consider what makes you happy and which neighbourhood ticks off more of things on the happy list.

ShittyPianist · 2021-05-25T03:15:12+00:00

This is a mostly US-centric answer.

I've done this. I was not born into money, and I worked for the money I have today.

I've lived in a myriad of places. Rural US places, US cities, and oddly, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

From all my moves, I gotta say, it's really just what you make of it. I think you should always go and try something new if you want something different. Worst case - you hate it and can't make it work, so then you just try something new again. No harm, no foul.

There will be bad folks everywhere you go. Rich people just have problems that cost more, and they can hide it for as long as their bank account holds out. Your rich neighbor with a mansion and 3 kids and a beautiful wife might have a massive painkiller addiction that is ruining their marriage. You'd be surprised - rich folk are honestly just better at hiding it, I can promise you that. City folk aren't any more virtuous than rural folk.

You will get more opportunities in a city though. The food isn't always better either, though you will have an easier time getting to the store.

That all said, I have lived in cities and suburbs ever since I left my rural hometown. I personally like the constant hustle and bustle of it all, and I enjoy forming friendships with people who usually aim real high with their careers, much like I do.

All in all, if something is an opportunity - like a move into a better place - you should take it. :)

carmen_sandiegos_hat · 2021-05-25T01:20:46+00:00

Yes. I moved from apartments that were convenient and affordable to an apartment that was a little farther from work but in a nicer neighborhood. Best decision I could have made. The people were better, I actually ended up saving on costs because it was quieter and I didn't have to buy noise-cancelling items, plus I was closer to stores. I made better friends, liked my neighbors, and most of all, I felt comfortable here and not like I was settling. I do not have any cons big enough to make me move.

camelCaseC · 2021-05-25T04:18:51+00:00

It depends how nice the "not nice" place is. Like if it's crime ridden and there's a bunch of homeless junkies, it's worth moving. However, I've lived in the nicest part of HCOL areas, the less nice part of the same HCOL area, and the nicest part of a LCOL city, and honestly, the quality of life difference isn't that stark. One thing I'd note, though, is that being next to nature or parks or walking trails or something similar makes a huge difference. I didn't care how many nice bars I was next to if there wasn't anywhere to get fresh air.

LadyL1234 · 2021-05-24T23:43:49+00:00

Yes. However. I ended up saving money actually by decreasing my square footage. I'm in a prime zip code for my area and also joined a wonderful church in the center of it. I have a river park and so much more than I had where I previously lived. My housing costs and auto insurance all decreased enough where I'm actuallu able to live on early retirement income.

Asizella · 2021-05-25T05:28:46+00:00

I love reading these comments, they're so motivating. I'm picking up the pieces and trying to rebuild my life from nothing right now after a NVM experience helped nearly destroy it, and I know I can get to where many of you ladies are if I work hard and focus on myself.

shockingupdate · 2021-05-25T05:46:20+00:00

When my LVX dumped me I moved out of the cheap outskirts of the city to a more expensive part of town filled with great restaurants, indie bookstores, gyms, antique stores, the works. It cost a grip but I never once regretted it! And! I haven’t lived with a LVM ever since.

pickadaisy · 2021-05-25T03:18:44+00:00

Yessss! I feel safer, I have garage parking, better behaved neighbors, valet trash, location, feels nice driving around the area. I feel bougeeee and I like it.

kaoutanu · 2021-05-25T06:22:37+00:00

I lived in some really low rent areas through my university and early working days. The people were great, the cafes and bookshops and ethnic supermarkets were brilliant, and I loved having a quick commute. Downside was noise and crime. Got burgled, had my car stolen, had some sketchy flatmates.

I bought a house in a nice middle class suburb and honestly 3 out of 4 of my neighbours are the rudest, noisiest, most entitled asshats ever. Blocking driveways, running power tools at all hours of the day and night, kids ignored all day screaming with boredom and being shits to other neighbours, chopping other people's trees down, gossiping and backstabbing.. it's just so trashy. Behaviour that in a poorer suburb would result in your door mysteriously being egged or your car anonymously damaged or a "word" from the local gang member. People just don't give a F about others, especially if you don't have kids at the same school as theirs. The commute is longer. Ironically the nice neighbours are in social housing. Not much crime though.

electricpapaya593 · 2021-05-25T08:45:19+00:00

I don't usually care about "neighborhoods" I hate the suburbs. But I did live in SF for 6 years and it was divine. The best part was not needing a car at all.

likearealreptile · 2021-05-25T15:47:18+00:00

i’ve always lived in pretty sketchy neighborhoods, and moved a couple years ago into a bigger apartment with more amenities in a “nicer” part of town.

ngl, love the apartment - having my own washer and dryer is amazing. but the neighbors are as goofy as every other place i’ve lived. and i’ve only called the police because i felt unsafe once in my entire life and it was in the new “nice” neighborhood, so 🤷🏻‍♀️

ferociouslycurious · 2021-05-25T14:38:16+00:00

I would just caution that the point of diminishing returns is very real. For example, an average priced neighborhood in my city is valuable for reduced violent crime and an age of home with true quality builds and site selection/prep. Neighborhoods above average prices were built during the bubble with shoddy methods using less desirable homesites (read: downhill closer to flood areas), more bossy/controlling HOAs and bitchier neighbors. They have the same amount of nonviolent crime as my average hood (car break ins and porch pirates). Talk of schools being better is baloney, you just have kids with more expensive bad habits (drugs and fancier cars). But poorer neighborhoods have more violent crime plus more issues with older construction problems etc. (those are neighborhoods I would suggest considering moving out of). I honestly think the sweet spot for construction is early 1980s.

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