Just Finished Building Pool, Got a Job Offer Across Country

[Neto]

I am not sure how I am feeling right now, but I am really having a mix of emotions...... We just build an 18k gallon pool and I have received another job offer that is really hard to pass.... It is closer to all my family, weather is in the 70-90 year round and cost of living is less than where I am at but income is about the same. It is more convenient for me and my family to move...

Has anyone been in this situation before?

 

[bdavis466]

Sounds like an easy decision... now that you're a pool building veteran you can build your next one even better.

Not many people get that kind of opportunity. Good luck with the decision?

I built my dream house and pool, the only problem is that wasn't the dream for my wife.... now it's someone else's dream?

 

[kimkats]

I have just the person for you to talk to @Rattus Suffocatus I will give him a heads up about this thread. He may prefer to take it to PM.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Hmm. From MD to where? My issues with Arizona were basically the schools. Coming from the Midwest, the culture on the left coast is different... Things move slower here which might really annoy someone from the east coast even more so than being from the Midwest. Yes you can build a pool again. You can try to negotiate a little more of a sign on to help with the sting of the pool as well.

Being closer to the family is a bonus.. We are farther away but they have this miracle of modern technology called airplanes and the internet too.

It sounds like a plan to me, honestly. MD winters aren't horrible but I would even be happy about moving away from those. It was horrible in the Midwest last winter. I don't miss that at all. You will use your pool longer in a warmer climate. We moved from the #48 state for pools to the #1 state... I would not even be here if it weren't for that...

 

[Neto]

Hmm. From MD to where? My issues with Arizona were basically the schools. Coming from the Midwest, the culture on the left coast is different... Things move slower here which might really annoy someone from the east coast even more so than being from the Midwest. Yes you can build a pool again. You can try to negotiate a little more of a sign on to help with the sting of the pool as well. I would need to buy another house there because my current house is far from the workplace but that would be ok since that house is rented and if i pay it off, it would be a source of income.

Being closer to the family is a bonus.. We are farther away but they have this miracle of modern technology called airplanes and the internet too.

It sounds like a plan to me, honestly. MD winters aren't horrible but I would even be happy about moving away from those. It was horrible in the Midwest last winter. I don't miss that at all. You will use your pool longer in a warmer climate. We moved from the #48 state for pools to the #1 state... I would not even be here if it weren't for that...

From MD to Puerto Rico, not a state but a commonwealth of US. All of our family lives there currently, pay will be about the same considering federal tax is not required and wife might get a full time work from home. The move is huge, physically and mentally. With the sale of my house here i can pay off my existing house in PR and have enough money left over after paying all other items (move, realtor fees and pool).

We have two kids and one is on the way, their grandmas, cousins, uncles, etc are living in PR. The funny thing is that we said that we where going to get settled here in MD (11 years) since going back and maintaining our lifestyles was near impossible, we decided to build the pool.

I would be working as a software developer for company that builds aerospace devices.

 

[Neemer]

Easy decision. Real easy.

 

[PoolGate]

Wow big news! I certainly wouldn't let the pool get in the way. Think long and hard why you left and make the right decision. Good luck whatever you decide.

Btw: if you've not installed that Aqualink system yet don't and sell it separate. It won't add a nickel to your home price.

 

[Katodude]

You know what, redo’s are a great thing to have. We live in our forever home in a place we love. We redid our pool and deck and outdoor kitchen 2 years ago and love it. However, learned a bunch of lessons and made a bunch of mistakes. I would love a chance at a redo.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Yeah, that's a no Brainer, honestly. Tropical climates are pretty awesome, it sounds like you are native Puerto Rican anyway. The only downside is hurricanes but that would not stop me from moving to there or Florida.

It's sad but we had a 64F day on Friday with 30 MPH winds and I about froze to death. That would have been a freaking heat wave in the upper Midwest...

The pace of life there will be a lot better too. DC area was just not a place I could ever move to. And I had a couple of good opportunities, trust me. So yeah I have some bias there. You'd be moving to paradise, or at least as close as possible. Good luck. Expect it to suck for about a year and a half. Maybe less because you will have the support network.

 

[Neto]

Wow big news! I certainly wouldn't let the pool get in the way. Think long and hard why you left and make the right decision. Good luck whatever you decide.

Btw: if you've not installed that Aqualink system yet don't and sell it separate. It won't add a nickel to your home price.

Thanks, I wont let the pool get in the way for sure and I wont add the automation to the pool, I am taking all that stuff with me and see what would be my status over if PR if I decide to take the Job.

 

[Neto]

How would I value a house with a brand new pool? I mean I know that I probably wont get 100% of my investment (unfortunately). We would definitely hire a realtor but I would just get sick if he/she tells me that it added 0 value.. I did my own travertine deck around the pool and we spent in the upper 60s for the entire project. I did save $15k in doing my own decking because I got quoted $35 / sq ft for a travertine deck with a concrete base.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I'm in a totally different market, but I've heard here you get $1 back for every $7 you spend on your pool. Thats a horrible investment, but it could also be the tie breaker if the buyer is looking at several homes.

On a side note, I assume you have been back to the island post Hurricane Maria? Outside of any infrastructure or other lingering damage concerns, it sounds like your quality of life would be better there. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Neto]

I'm in a totally different market, but I've heard here you get $1 back for every $7 you spend on your pool. Thats a horrible investment, but it could also be the tie breaker if the buyer is looking at several homes.

On a side note, I assume you have been back to the island post Hurricane Maria? Outside of any infrastructure or other lingering damage concerns, it sounds like your quality of life would be better there. Good luck in your decision.

I have been in the island several times post hurracane maria and the island has been recovered well already from what i have seen. The majority of homes there are full concrete including roof so they are super solid. I would really like to buy a house with a pool built in but i am also open on building it myself. The only thing is that Construccion prices have increased a lot there due to the materials so i am not sure what it would take. My sister redid the plaster on her pool and a new deck with coral stone for around the pool for like $7,000 about 5 years ago.

 

[malba2366]

I would stay put and enjoy your beautiful pool. While it is great to be near family, I would think your children would have much better opportunities growing up and studying in the DC suburbs. Puerto Rico is a beautiful place, but with the current economic/political climate PR is in a cycle of unemployment and brain drain I would be very weary of raising children there.

Please don't take my suggestion the wrong way...I would say the same thing if you were moving from the DC suburbs to some small town in the deep south.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

If your family is from PR, the the school issue is something you can probably predict and handle. In the case of our daughter we are again homeschooling her. We solved their issue while the school district can continue to pat themselves on the back and give themselves awards when having actual criminal problems going on with their kids that they cover up.

I think moving or staying somewhere "for the schools" is one of the best ways you can possibly artificially limit your life. No public school is MIT, almost all teach the same curriculum now anyway. The rat race factor of DC versus PR alone will be beneficial to your kids. I am sure you will end up in a "high class area" and to assume DC area schools are better just because it is DC... Well I will stop... You will find good and bad areas anywhere (except AZ where they are all bad)

You understand the culture there and unlike a fat 50 year old fat guy like me moving to Tucson you likely fit it in. Best of luck. I think you should do it. Live is short. Carpe Diem.

By the way our careers are quite similar. Go for the less stress.

 

[Neto]

Public education in Puerto Rico sucks really bad... Like me when I grew up, if I move to PR my kids will go to very good private schools, they range from $500-$600/month per kid. Where I live now in MD, public schools are top of the line and you dont pay a cent but child care around here is $1200-$1500 per child depending on age. Heck, before and after school care is almost $500 for kids on elementary school.

I presented my new job offer to my actual supervisor yesterday and he offered me to full time work from home.... I am really having some mental challenges here..

 

[Michaelphelps2019]

I am not sure how I am feeling right now, but I am really having a mix of emotions...... We just build an 18k gallon pool and I have received another job offer that is really hard to pass.... It is closer to all my family, weather is in the 70-90 year round and cost of living is less than where I am at but income is about the same. It is more convenient for me and my family to move...

Has anyone been in this situation before?

I haven't been in this situation before but , I think the best idea for you would be to move closer to your family and pursue your new job.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Yeah, one of the most sage pieces of advice is to "never take a counter offer" because it will be the last ever and be made up for somehow later.

I moved from Iowa which has what is considered excellent schools to AZ which I think is one tick up in the rankings from PR. And they are truly are horrible here but I never thought them to be great in a high ranking state either. It appears that colleges here are above average so hopefully over time I will make that up.

Best of luck no matter what you decide.

 

[Newdude]

i dunno if any of the good/bad perceived schools matter. The IVY league colleges accept kids from every corner of the country. Heck even countries. Some kids will excel no matter what. They get admissions offers.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

i dunno if any of the good/bad perceived schools matter. The IVY league colleges accept kids from every corner of the country. Heck even countries. Some kids will excel no matter what. They get admissions offers.

I'm always afraid that I will insult Kim when posting about my problems with the schools here. But it's exactly the same situation for aviation for me, since I did work on rotation in that field for a year and a half. I love to fly, I love the engineering in the airplanes, I most like every pilot I meet, I like the mechanics I have meet-- but the airlines and the airports, especially in the US, are absolute pure evil. I dread a trip until I get in the air.

(I myself have a masters, so I am not against education at all.)

I feel that way about teachers. My oldest boy wants to be a school teacher. I'd like to discourage him because of the system (everywhere), he won't fit in... but he'd also make an excellent teacher because he's not overly academic himself, and had to work to figure out what he has learned. He needs to do it if that is his passion, however. I just want him to be certain.

So, I don't want to come off as being anti education anti teacher by any means. Anti academia and establishment, absolutely. I don't think what we have for an education system, even at the college level, in this country is sustainable.

The most important factor for success of students, especially post-academics "real-world", is parent involvement with the kids in education. Most of the teachers I know acknowledge that, except for the ones with what I personally believe harbor a socialistic ideology. Those sorts don't care about your kids anyway.

But you can help your kids to become successful no matter where you live because that is 80% of the battle, if not more. If your family and culture are from PR and you can financially thrive there, it will be better for everyone in the family. It's just the right thing to do.