Jobs? (Henderson: for sale, to rent, car insurance)

mommyjnny · 05-27-2008, 02:14 PM

We are currently from Illinois. Hubby is an electrician. We are considering moving to the Vegas area. Are there jobs there for hubby? He is not union here. Currently does new residential (mansions, normal sized homes) remodels, services, some commercial. What is the job market like for him? Is this a good area for kids? We have 3 kids- 4, 3, 8 months. I homeschool.

WANative · 05-28-2008, 01:08 AM

I have a good friend who is an electrician up in Seattle and is considering moving down here. He had the same concern and called up a couple home builders who both gave him the impression there was alot of work available. Even though the housing market has slowed it doesnt seem to have affected new home builders who seem to keep building.

In regards to children--Im a parent of a 10 year old (turning 11 on Sunday!). I consider Henderson to be a great place to raise children. She is in an outstanding school and is really thriving. Keep them off the strip (probably goes without saying). Too many visual rolling billboards, free magazines and mexicans handing out cards with inappropriate pictures.

desertsun41 · 05-28-2008, 01:56 AM

I have posted this info a couple times. Decent paying jobs in Vegas are scarce. Good paying jobs are almost non existant. BUT !! There is a very very strong demand for Electricians. A novice can get hired on the spot. An experienced Electrician can almost name their price.

Residential construction is almost non existant here now. One of the worst 3-4 economies in the USA right now. But commercial is doing strangely well. I dont know who is going to fill all these commercial buildings once they are built but they are building. All the strip commerical construction is up for many opinions too.

The only union construction seems to be on the strip. Anywhere off the strip is very very rare. The only ones I know right now off the strip are new school construction that are union. Normally getting into any union is difficult but there is such a demand for Electricians right now they are calling with their fists to come apply. Yes it is that bad. The Electricians union is even making large grants to local trade schools and high schools who offer electrical trades.

My opinion is we lost quite a few Electricians just after Hurricane Katrina. FEMA is or was offering very very high pay and FREE trailor to live for anyone willing to relocate. The one catch is you had to share with a complete stranger.....or bring your own travel trailor or RV. Most all of this work was line work and commercial but no residential at all. They still have not rebuilt any of that yet. The insurance companies ran with the peoples money and the government did nothing about it like they did when Allstate tried to run from Hurrican Andrew in Homestead.

Electrician??? He is in luck here. That is for sure.

redwhale · 05-28-2008, 05:52 AM

I'll throw this out here in the hopes that he's a good guy and he's good to work with...City of LV jobs. While I am not a rep of the city, nor speak for them, it is a tenuous time because of budget concerns. I will say that after working for the city for 8 months now that I enjoy many of its benefits, the people I work with, and feel comfortable in the stability it provides for my future.

Might I also toss out USA Jobs as a place to look. Just a suggestion. Best of luck to you both.

mommyjnny · 05-28-2008, 08:07 AM

Thanks all for your help!
If we were to move to the Vegas area.....where is a good place to rent? I am not sure what electricians make there compared to here ( we are paying 750 a month right now for a 2 bed/1 bath house with land), so not sure what we would spend renting there. We would then buy a year or so after living there.

BobKovacs · 05-28-2008, 08:45 AM

If he plans on doing residential new construction, he's going to get paid piece-work, not hourly. If he hustles and has a good helper, he can make $1,000 a week- if he drags his butt, he'll be lucky to make 1/2 that. IMO, the best place for an electrician is in the commercial field- it's much more technically challenging, and the companies are generally larger/more professional. He'll also get paid hourly, which is probably what he's accustomed to. As far as rates go, the local union rate was in the low $20/hour range last time I checked, so he can probably get a gauge on what the non-union wages will be by comparing the two rates where you are now. In general, I'd say you'll probably find that most guys are probably +/- $20/hour.

mommyjnny · 05-28-2008, 09:13 AM

He is at 23 an hour here and is paid the lowest of his colleagues. His partner on the job makes 40 an hour.....

BobKovacs · 05-28-2008, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommyjnny

He is at 23 an hour here and is paid the lowest of his colleagues. His partner on the job makes 40 an hour.....

I hate to say it, but he'll never make $40/hour as an electrician in LV- even union general foreman's scale isn't that high. He's likely to take a significant pay cut from the $23/hour he's at now if that's all he can get in Illinois.

mommyjnny · 05-28-2008, 11:00 AM

is the cost of living less there then? Here we are renting cheaper since we know the owner, but most homes for sale here are around 250,000....cheapest is a townhome and that is around 180,000

BobKovacs · 05-28-2008, 11:09 AM

A new car will cost the same in either place, gas is still going to be $4/gallon, and a pair of jeans will cost the same. Food is slightly more expensive than in places like Midwest, and you'll pay more to register your cars. Your car insurance will also likely be more. You will benefit from not having a state income tax, but you'll pay sales tax on clothes and some food. You can find houses for less than $250k, but most of the better places to live are at least in that price range- especially if you're concerned about safety (which I'm assuming you are based on having kids). You can rent a 3-4 br house in a decent area for probably $1200-1500/month.