Moving Back To Chicago (Naperville, Watson: apartment, rental, condo)

[onmywaybackhome]

Moved from Chicago when I was 12 and now I am 32 and will be ready to move back (All of my family is there) in the next couple of years with my husband and young children. My question is should we find jobs first or a place to live? (of course we will have money saved). Will be moving from California.

[JerichoHW]

It's nice to see a prior resident move back to Chicago, so welcome back. I would rent when you first get here in a neighborhood that has easy access to downtown. Once you found a rental property looking for a job will be easy, as you have an idea of the general location you can commute to. Of course once your settled, buying a house/condo will be much easier.

[JDR1837]

^^^ This guy has the right idea. Look for a place to live first, then the jobs will come easily. Looking for a job first will leave you up s**t creek if you find a good job then can't find a place to live with an easy commute.

[jessiegirl_98]

I totally disagree. Unless you have a lot of savings, you should find a job first. Then, you can always quickly find a rental and will know where you are working. You don't want to rent in Lakeview and then find out you're working in Naperville. You also don't want to be stuck in a lease if you can't find a job. Depending on what your field is, I think saying that the jobs will come easy is a bit of a stretch.

[aragx6]

I think it depends on your situation. If you are a professional, I would work on getting a job before a move. Depending on the industry of course, it's common place to hire from out of town.

If you'll be doing unskilled labor, your odds of finding a job before the move are pretty low, so I'd just try to ensure you have plenty of money saved (ideally enough to live on for 4 months or so)

[sharkylittleton]

With children involved I'm not sure I'd take that kind of jump unless I know it's a sure thing. Making the leap is risky enough as a single college grad.

[Costa Rica Chica]

Could one of you find a job first, just to make sure there is some guaranteed income? Then you could look for a place to rent close to that job and the other spouse could look in the same area. If you have kids make sure you look into what school district you want to be in, that decided where I was going to live as my kid's school was more important to me than having to commute a little to get to work.

[Ron.]

Congrats on the move back. Hurry up and get your tail back here.We have a lot of catching up to do.

As far as your question, most will probably say jobs first( Cash is King) and I agree. Get some steady gigs lined up than you can easily find a place to set up shop.

Talk to you soon


cr

Originally Posted by onmywaybackhome

Moved from Chicago when I was 12 and now I am 32 and will be ready to move back (All of my family is there) in the next couple of years with my husband and young children. My question is should we find jobs first or a place to live? (of course we will have money saved). Will be moving from California.

[ProfWatson]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I would work on getting a job before a move. Depending on the industry of course, it's common place to hire from out of town.

This is bad advice. It's not a good idea to try to find a job if you don't live in (and aren't committed) to the area. It is not at all common for employers to hire people from out of town.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by ProfWatson

This is bad advice. It's not a good idea to try to find a job if you don't live in (and aren't committed) to the area. It is not at all common for employers to hire people from out of town.

You think it's better to come unemployed and possible remain unemployed when you have children? It's so easy to find an apartment, not that easy to find a job (depending on your field). Every single one of my friends who relocated to Chicago had a job before moving. It definitely isn't impossible and is the route I would take, especially if I had children.

Now, if you have months of savings, you can take the risk of moving first, but I'd be very hesitant in today's job market.

You also will have no idea where you'll be working (north side, south side, suburb) which can then also limit the places where you would even be able to look for jobs, without risking an extremely long commute.