A view of our sky Summer 2009

A couple of posts back Mikey and I talked about Relocating. We did some preliminary research and have pretty much come up with…not much.

Challenge 1: We live in a subsidized co-op Mikey bought 15 years ago in cash. There is no mortgage. This co-op has no taxes because its funded by a housing program. Maintenance is based on income of occupants. So the good news is that our maintenance is a pittance. It’s a pittance for any city.  And there is no mortgage and no taxes. The bad news: We gain no equity. If we move , Mikey gets back only what she bought for the place which was less than 8k.  Anywhere we move means actually adding on a mortgage and taxes to expenses

ETA: Our co-op is in a not great neighborhood that is not going to gentrify anytime soon, it is poorly maintained and the kitchen is something out of the 50’s. And remember we could pour a ton of money into this apt but if we move , we get no equity. And its a 1 bedroom. So if a child comes in we’ll be in a 1br in a not great neighborhood and not great schools.

Challenge 2: Whatever we gain in a cheaper standard of living elsewhere we’ll lose in housing costs, car costs, and moving expenses

Challenge 3: We are not the Homo Depot kind of queers and Mikey’s age and physical limits would mean a townhouse or condo with little to no maintenance. Mikey is going to drive for the first time in her 50’s and I hate driving.  That combined has ruled out anyplace where extreme cold can happen. So no New England, Mid Atlantic or the Midwest.

Challenge 4: California is out because their social work laws are more stringent than NY and I don’t want to deal with having to go back to classes to meet their requirements.

So that leaves NC and FL and thanks to  some feedback, Atlanta. A friend is working on moving to Phoenix for school and being the endearing codependent that he is he wants us to move out there. I told him he was crazy for us to even think  of going to such a Red state. The only reason FL is still in the works is because Maribelle’s family is there and happens to live in the purple spots of Ft. Lauderdale/Miami.

So who knows. It won’t happen anytime soon until IVF III is done because if we had a child we need to get our legal stuff in order before moving out of the protective bubble we live in.