The economy is still rebounding and we know it’s been rough for a lot of people. People have had to cut back on their budget, companies have had to make cuts in their budget and some even on their staff, and on top of that jobs are being exported and healthcare costs are still rising. So with all of this going on at the same time some of you may feel exhausted, tired, or maybe you’ve even given up hope. But we’re here to tell you that you shouldn’t give up hope!
Have you ever heard “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” Or maybe you’ve heard the phrase “carpe diem” from the movie “Dead Poet’s Society”? Or in college economics “buy low, sell high.” Do any of these sound familiar? In this ever-changing world it’s come to the point where we as people may have to step out of the ordinary, in times that are anything but that! Carpe diem, “seize the day!” take advantage of any free time you may have and look into something new. That could be a new job, a new house, or maybe a change of scenery altogether. For example, if you live in let’s say… California or Hawaii where the cost of living is extremely expensive. You may want to consider relocating. Now let’s not confuse anything, if your life is ok in California or Hawaii by all means stay, because we would:) We’re talking about people who need a new spark in life, or just a change in scenery altogether. I say that to say this….
Seizing the day? would be your benefit. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure? That newfound treasure is your benefit. Buying low and selling high? That could apply to stocks, housing, or any investment for that matter. When you sell for the highest value? that my friends is your benefit. We no longer live in a world where following the given path will guarantee you access to the promised land. I remember those days, where you could go to college, enjoy your youth, and by the time you graduated there was a business just salivating at the chance to add some youth to their administration. A fresh face to their faculty or just the presence of some youthful exuberance was a desire of the majority of the workplace. But times have changed and instead of a job searching for you, now more often than not YOU must search for that job! in the past 10 years, have you noticed job applications have changed from “Bachelor’s degree required” to “Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s preferred (we do not accept online degrees)”? That last statement has changed the game completely. But remember this isn’t title the land of the hopeless and weak, it’s entitled “A land of opportunity”, and this is where we’re going to switch gears…
First I’d like to state that everywhere has its problems. It may be smog, it may be landlocked, it may not have a beach, it may not even be that populated (which some people enjoy by the way), but nowhere in America is perfect. But I digress, like I stated earlier about residents in California or Hawaii that may be struggling, or even if you’re in New York or Chicago, you may want or need to adjust a few things in your life to stay afloat. Well I’m happy to tell you that there’s a place that awaits you like that job offer was awaiting that college graduate in the late 90’s! Atlanta!
Now seeing as we’re a magazine about Atlanta (which will be published in the next month!) you may think our view is a tad bias. But I’m here to guarantee you that you can’t make bias towards facts. Also know that here at The Peach Review altogether we’ve lived in 10 different states 2 countries and we all agree about the opportunity here. So with that, let’s show you what we’re talking about!
JOBS
As of right now according to “Indeed.com” there are 35, 618 jobs waiting for you as of 5:12pm today 🙂 and we aren’t just talking run of the mill jobs either. I’m seeing companies like Deloitte, UPS, and Delta just to name a few. Are you a social worker? there’s 266 jobs waiting for you! Do you need an internship? We have 600 of those spread out until December of this year calling your name. Or maybe you just need something temporary, or a 2nd job perhaps? Like something in customer service you can work a few hours per week on top of your current job? Yeah we have 14,000 of those right now. Now if you go online, every major city right now has jobs available, and we understand that. But it’s what’s OUTSIDE of that, is where Atlanta stands apart. So let’s just throw in a sample scenario ok?
You live somewhere up north, you’re tired of the cold, you hate your job, you want to live somewhere warm, got it. But first you need a job. If you’ve been looking for work with your current resume’ and haven’t found any success? Perhaps you should have it proofread by someone you normally wouldn’t ask? It can’t hurt right? I mean….if your current method was working, you wouldn’t still be looking for a job 🙂 Don’t be afraid to try something out of the norm, because these times call for just that, OUT OF THE NORM thinking, living, etc. So after you get your resume you look and find a plethora of jobs that fit your skills. So apply. If you find out the company may not cover relocation? don’t fret, it’s the south! Your 100,000 dollar loft in NY is pennies down here, and it’ll have more space. To prove this let’s continue our scenario. You’ve got a job, they’re going to pay you $35,000/yr and you need to move in the next month. Alright no sweat!
“ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE=FORECLOSURE”
This is by no means referencing disrespect to the previous owner (because a lot of people were forced into foreclosure), this is referencing the many buildings that anticipated tenants and they never came. THESE are truly treasures that are in a region where the price of living is already so inexpensive compared to most of the nation. So let’s look at this lovely gem:
This is a condominium building in the growing Castleberry Hill District of Downtown Atlanta. Now you must be thinking “downtown? everything is expensive!” “Normally” your right. But these are out-of-the-norm times remember. There is a foreclosure in this very building that’s selling for (drumroll) ………… $49,000. No that is not a typo and no there are not any zeros missing! Now if you were looking to relocate and saw this? You’d take advantage of that and “seize the day”, would you not?:) So let’s continue…
Your going to make $35,000/yr, you’ve found this steal of a condo downtown (that’s real by the way, it’s for sale right now for $49,000), but what does that mean for your pocket? Well if you use the most inexpensive method of handling this, you’d put 5% down on a $49,000 loan which would make it $46,550. So let’s do a 30yr fixed FHA loan, throw in some fees, some interest, (using mortgage calculator so there would be a little difference) but when the difference is this cheap it doesn’t matter because you get a monthly mortgage of between $209 and $233 a month. Let’s assume the condo fees are about $300, so your looking at moving into your brand new condo at roughly $509 a month.
The reason I used a condo for this example because this is a GREAT city for condominium living. Everybody is different so it may not fit your style of living, but we can use another example for those that may have a family. So here in Atlanta, the best deals on houses are found the further away you stray from Metropolitan Atlanta or inside the perimeter (ITP for you cool locals lol)
First off, I’d just like to note that 63 homes showed up on my search for houses “Under $100,000.” But at random, I’ll pick a house in between $50-$100K, let’s look at this one:
We’ll use the exact same loan option, 30yr fixed, 5% down FHA and all that jazz. It adds up to $430/month. That’s a 2,662 sq. ft. 4BR/4BA house my friends. There’s something out here for everyone, and that means living, jobs, college, recreation, all of these things. We have huge turn outs for comic conventions, parkour, beat battles, and we have plenty of music talent to boot!
I’m not bluffing about the jobs available here either, between 2005 and 2008 we saw a huge spike in our population, by about 2 million people. At the end of 2010 our population leaped to 5,475,213 (Source: Atlanta Regional Commission, 2011; Census Bureau 2009).
That’s a lot of people but there is plenty of opportunity here. With many conglomerates calling Atlanta home (Home Depot, UPS, Delta, Coca-Cola, Newell Rubbermaid, Suntrust Bank, AFLAC, First Data, and more!) there is still opportunity to boot! Maybe you’re an artist? We have lots of art galleries here and colleges which cater to such! Or maybe you draw? or animate? Well Turner calls Atlanta home as well, and guess who Turner owns? Cartoon Network. If you’re a hands-on person we have a FORD and KIA plant here that are always hiring, along with plenty of construction work available since the city is constantly expanding
From the outside looking in the only thing we’re missing is a Casino and a beach and this would be paradise 😀 But we do have other perks like “Tax free weekend” which happens 2-3 times yearly, low taxes, low gas prices compared to the national average, and if you do require some beach in your life, we’re 4 hours west of Savannah, GA and 5 hours north of beautiful Destin, FL. So if you’re looking for a change, or even if you just want to see something different, come get some Georgia in your life. We have peaches, sweet tea, and college football waiting just for you! and if you’re lucky you may even stumble upon some peach tea! 🙂
Have a great day everyone!
-TPR