June 2009 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Poll: Cost of Living?
Where do you live? (State/metropolitan area, you dont have to be super specific)
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you?
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for?
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc)
Re: Poll: Cost of Living?
Where do you live? MN
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? Start at $300K. It really depends on the area. MSP is much higher than the rest of the state although we have had a ton of forclosures so that has brought it down some.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? We are currently looking at 2 bedrooms and decent ones in the suburbs are $850-900/month
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? Again it depends on industry but with a general business degree $30-40K
ETA: I just noticed with a few years work exp. I would say $35-50K depending on specifics.
A little explanation for the poll... DH and I are likely moving at some point in 2010 but it could literally be anywhere in the U.S. depending on his company and I'm just trying to get a feel for different areas. I think I have a pretty good idea of cost of living but wanted to see.
My answers:
Location: Louisville, KY
Normal 3-bed, 2 bath house -- $130 - $180 depending on age and location. I bought a 20 year old house in the burbs and paid $135 5 years ago, a friend bought a 50 year old same layout closer to the inner loop in town and paid $175k last year. Either way, housing here is cheap.
Rental: My knowledge is about 6 years old, but it would have cost me between $600 - $700 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment in the same part of town I live in now.
Typical salary - I would estimate around $45k - $55k for someone with a couple years experience and a 4 year degree.
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This will probably scare you...I'm sorry in advance...:
Where do you live? (State/metropolitan area, you dont have to be super specific) San Diego, California
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? Short-Sale/Foreclosures go for about $300K. Brand new is anywhere from $395-$600K.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? Depends on the neighborhood. I'd estimate between $950-$1600 (some are less, some are way more)
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc) I started at $30K at my old job, and I had a Master's Degree. I think most teachers start around $28-$32K. I'd say you could be anywhere between $25K-$45K based on what you've described.
THIS is why it's such a struggle for my DH and I to buy a house. So expensive. We like to call it the "Sunshine Tax".
Where do you live?
Northcentral PA
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you?
Just enough to be out of my grasp! $150-$200K
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for?
Ours is $550, though the bathroom is terribly outdated. A more modern apt would probably be around $750.
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc)
$30K if you're lucky
Lucy Elizabeth 10.27.12
Where do you live? (State/metropolitan area, you dont have to be super specific) Charleston suburbs
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? In our neighborhood now I think they are selling for $350-400K on the lower end, I know people are sacrificing to sell them at those prices.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? My friend has a 2BR apartment here that is $1000/month. We pay $1700/month to rent a 4 BR/4BA house in a good neighborhood with pool, playground and golf course.
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc) 35-50K
Here's something to really scare you!
I live in the Los Angeles area (now--Los Angeles is not really a cohesive city, so I will have to report on the particular neighborhoods I know. Things vary widely depending on whether you're talking about East L.A. here or Westwood).
A "normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house" in my very own neighborhood (Sherman Oaks/Valley Glen in the San Fernando Valley north of the city) start around 550,000, I would say. You could get a condo with the same number of bed/bath for a 400/450k (you could also get a really nice one, same area for $1 million), but our house was a super fixer upper and it falls in this price scale. In Hollywood, where I lived before, such a house would start around 750/800,000, Burbank probably 600,000.
Studio apartments in Hollywood (where I was a renter) went for minimum 1,000. My one-bedroom was a super-deal (8 years ago) at 1300, up to 1400 when I got a parking space with it. I would imagine renting a 2-bedroom apartment (not a house) today would cost you 2,400, and that's not a particularly family-friendly neighborhood. In my very own neighborhood, I bet you could get one for around 2,000 (maybe a little less if you're willing to live in a dump). My friend rents a 2-bedroom bungalow in Pasadena for around 2,000, I think.
Pay is a little better. I would say with a four-year degree you start around 35,000 (of course, I was a teacher so we started a little lower, maybe other industries would start at 40k) but with extra trainings, experience, etc. that goes up to 50k or 60k pretty quickly.
Good luck!
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North Shore, Boston, MA
3 bedroom, 2 bath house, 1600 square feet = $400k, decently updated. I don't know if there are any brand new constructions near me other than million dollar houses. There are, however, parcels of land for $300k that you could probably throw a $100k modular on.
My 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment is $2k a month, not including utilities. With utilities and internet/TV (FiOs), we pay about $2500.
Depending on if you work in the city or not, out of school for 3-5 years, and depending on what profession you're in, you could expect anywhere from $60-80k.
Austin area
3/2 in Austin--$200-600K (outlying areas $140-300K)
Rental in Austin--$800-1400 depending on how big, nice, etc.
Salary--really depends on what you do, but typically low, I'd say $40-50K range. Basically, the city is too popular/populated for people to be able to demand higher salaries.
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Mamie, that is outrageous! 550? I don't want to tell you what fraction of our mortgage payment that is! I am moving to PA!
And no houses here have basements. Most are one-story, too. Thought that was worth mentioning.
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Lucy Elizabeth 10.27.12
My salary is nuthin', given that I'm a grad student. Hard to decrease that. I'll be right over!
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Lucy Elizabeth 10.27.12
I'm not really suprised by any of the housing costs as that's what I expected, but I am suprised by the salary numbers in the higher cost of living areas. I knew they wouldnt go up anywhere close to proportionally but they seem really low. Maybe my idea of salaries here is skewed too... not sure.
Either way, I've decided that DH and I need to stay in the midwest... if we moved to either coast it appears we would be struggling big time. (I guess that's the one advantage to having no beach and crappy weather.) I want to stay in the midwest anyway (just the southern half of it).
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I grew up in Chicago (actually, the North Shore, typical house price 650/700,000) and I loved it. I actually really miss it and am constantly trying to talk DH into moving back there. My sister is still there, in Ravenswood (neighborhood on the north side) which is much cheaper than the burbs. I think she was looking at condos around 300/400k, maybe even less. Even if you don't live in Chicago, live near it. It is my favorite city in this country.
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I LOVE Chicago but I could never live there... its too big for me. I can't do it. I can't deal with all the people, all the traffic, etc. I grew up in a town of 3500 people and I miss the fact that everybody knew everybody, etc. I dont want to live somewhere that small again. I like Louisville's size but I dont want to go anywhere that's too much bigger.
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Be prepared to vomit up your lunch...
Where do you live? Manhattan, NYC.
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? A three bedroom? Well over a million dollars. And that million would get you a total POS, tiny three bedroom in an iffy neighborhood, with no doorman. It is ridiculous. We just got a flyer about a 1600 sq ft 2 bedroom, 3 bath for sale in our building-- asking price? 2.52 million. One of the three bedroom penthouses is on the market for a measly 4.25 million. IN A DOWN ECONOMY. FML.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? It depends on the neighborhood and the size/type of apartment. A two bedroom walk-up in an iffy neighborhood can be around 3,000. A luxury two bedroom in a doorman building? 5-7,000 depending on the neighborhood.
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? If you go into finance (which a lot of people do), you're probably making 60-80,000 plus bonus (which varies greatly). However, if you choose to work in fashion, 40-50,000 is considered a "good" paycheck. Public servants (teachers, cops, firefighters etc) do not make that much more here than anywhere else, which means most cannot afford to live in Manhattan. While these salaries may sound enticing, please look at those real estate values. There is a reason why people pay obscene rents-- they can't afford to own!
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
No kidding... San Diego doesnt seem that bad. I can't even imagine living in Manhattan or LA. I couldnt give up that much. DH and I are out of space in our 1600 sqft house on a 1/4 acre. And its just the 2 of us and the dogs. I refuse to think about downsizing when I already have to store kitchen equipment in the spare bedroom closet. I really dont think I'm spoiled but I really dont know how some of you guys do it.
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You're welcome.
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
To be honest, I get frustrated a lot. I grew up in a huge house in the burbs, so this is a completely different style of living. But when I need to put life back in perspective, I go and have a drink at one of my friends teeny, tiny apartments in a random neighborhood. When I come home to my seemingly palatial 1100 sq ft one bedroom in an awesome hood, the frustration subsides. It is silly, but it help remind me that in terms of NYC real estate, I'm very spoiled. We bought this place five years ago and it has been good to us. But you always want more...
I'm jealous of every person on this board who has space. I'm sticking my tongue out at all of you people out in cyberspace.
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
Where do you live? (State/metropolitan area, you dont have to be super specific) Just outside Chicago- my favorite city in the US
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? In our town, a 2BR, 1.5BA goes for about 250K-300K. I would guess a 3/2 would be at least 350K. In the suburb where I grew up (about 15 minutes west) you could double those prices.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? We live in a 1300 square foot 2 BR plus office and we pay $1450
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc) 40-50K? I don't know.
This is very true... its all a matter of perspective. I get that, but I have definite space issues because where I grew up all there was is space. We had open fields and distant neighbors and now I feel like my house is on top of my neighbors. Every time I think about having to move back into an apartment or condo, it seriously makes me quesy. I dont know how I could do it without going crazy.
HomemadebyHolman
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I do not wear this badge proudly. But this is where Mr. Choo wants to live, so... yeah. NYC real estate = major FML.
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I hear you. I've been itching to get out of L.A. for years. Mr. Lark loves his job. He wins. It's not like he dragged me out here anyway; I was already here so I guess you could say that's false pretenses. And the weather does agree with me...
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Where do you live? (State/metropolitan area, you dont have to be super specific) WV half way between Charleston and Huntington
What would a normal 3-bedroom, 2-bath or thereabouts, in decent shape, etc house cost you? That is what we have. It is about 1300 sq ft and we payed 68,500. Our house is a modular home on 1.5 acres that was built in 2006.
How about rental prices? Whats a 2 bedroom apartment go for? About $400.
What's a typical college graduate with a few years work experience salary expectations be? (I dont mean you just graduated with a pharmacy degree and such but something with a typical 4 year degree, teacher, accountant, etc) I would say around $40,000.
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