Potentially moving from NH to Houston (Pearland: rentals, home, transfer)

[Jim603]

I am putting some serious thought into moving to the Houston area from New Hampshire. One of my closest lifelong friends lives there and I have visited numerous times over the years and have made other friends through them. My friend's husband is high up in a company and has offered me a job to at least get me to move down and somewhat established.. In NH I own a plumbing and heating business which is doing well, but I absolutely hate living here. My marriage is failing and if the final steps happen, then I will be making a move.

Has anyone else here moved from New England to Houston and if so, do you regret it at all?

I would look to get my licensing transferred into the state so that I could do plumbing and HVAC locally, so for those who know, how is the market for HVAC guys? Is the stereotype true with regards to being very cheap labor because of the unlicensed folks conducting business from the back of their 1985 Toyota pickup?

One thing that is absolutely so hard to find in New Hampshire is someone who actually wants to work and get their hands dirty (Blue collar) My latest hire was a 61 year old guy who worked for me for one year until his social security came through. I am a one man shop that wants to hire an apprentice, but no one wants to work. It's pathetic and sad... It's also one of the discouraging factors for me to want to stay here.

As previously mentioned, I am currently in a failing marriage. How is the dating scene for a early 30's guy with no kids, but would still like to have a couple? I have seen other friends divorce at this age and they have found it difficult to find a woman who doesn't already have 2-3 kids and no job... Up here though, it's almost the norm to have children out of wed-lock and be a stay at home mom, living on the system...

The areas that my friends live in are Cypress/Pearland/Southern Houston communities, so I would look to live in the same area.

Also, i would be an incoming Patriots fan that could possibly support the Texans, but never the Cowboys!

[aero100]

I can only speak from the consumer end on residential HVAC but while there are plenty of unlicensed guys running around, it does not dominate the market. There are plenty of customers (like me) who won't touch an operation like that, especially in the wealthier areas of town like the ones you mention. If you have a problem with AC between May and October, life literally stops until it is fixed and I'm not paying for a guy to install Goodman without a permit that I won't be able to find in July.

There are a lot of operations, including companies, that take (legal) shortcuts to help get their volume up, especially in the summer when they are tearing through lots of changeouts. Not running a manual J, for example.

From what I've read prices on a residential system changeout are on par with the rest of the country +/- 20% so it's not radically out of line.

Again as a consumer, in Houston it can be difficult finding a person/company in the trades that does quality work that you can trust. There's a lot of building activity here and at times my (trusted) plumber has said "I'm pretty busy for that smaller job, maybe you should find someone else". This could be a good angle for you to work when establishing yourself. That and be ready to work a LOT in the summer.

Good luck to you, nice to see someone taking control of things and finding new opportunities. Houston is a good place for that.

[Failed Engineer]

I use 3 HVAC guys I trust for rentals and each of them turns down work, and a lot of it! Houston is a city where even the bad HVAC guys stay busy.

And the above point about working a LOT in the summer is very true. 2 of the guys I use take a sabbatical from work from Thanksgiving to Easter every year, both because they are exhausted and they've made enough money in the rest of the year.

[TallGreengrass]

Houston is the air conditioning capital of the world.