Moving to a new place, employment transition strategy

Wayne02 · #1 09/11/07, 10:44 AM

We are beginning work on developing our rural property which is in another county 3 hours away from our current residence. Right now the property is not developed other than a culvert off the road onto the property. We have started some of the bulldozer work but that is about it so far.

The plan is to put in some of the utilities and move a travel trailer onto the property for us to live in on the weekends as we build the house and finish development of the property. Which will take a couple years as we will only be working on the place on the weekends and we have the equipment and the skills to do much of the work ourselves.

One of our dilemmas is I would greatly prefer to obtain employment at our new place before actually moving down there. Rather than moving there and hoping to find employment. However, I don't know that employers are going to like the idea of hiring somebody who is not a "permanent resident" of the county. Somewhat of a catch 22, move and hope you can find employment or attempt to find employment while residing out of county. Transferring from current employment situation is not an option, this will have to be net-new employment.

So, I'm wondering about a strategy to deal with the situation and was wondering if others have been through the same thing? Some random thoughts...

- Put the trailer on the property for weekend living (which we will do anyway), pull a house number for the trailer and call that my "residence". Not sure how one actually gets an address? Assume through the post office I guess? Can you even pull a house number for a camping trailer, do they even check, do the even care??? I would then use this address on job apps and use my cell phone number as the contact number.

- Can one be a resident of two county's at the same time? For that matter, what makes a person a "resident" of a county? Just having an address? Voting registration?? [shrug]

- Pull a P/O box in the new county and use that on job apps with cell # for contact. Don't mention anything about current full time residence on app unless asked about it in interview (which will probably happen I suppose).

- Use current out of county address on job apps and explain situation. I.E. intend to move to new county, developing land, maybe site the pulling of one of the building permits (maybe power or septic or something) as evidence, and then just state that work is "ongoing"...

- Other ideas????????

I'm quite sure we are not the first to go through this transition process so I thought I'd throw this out for some ideas.

Thanks

Windy in Kansas · #2 09/11/07, 11:29 AM

Where I live the county assigns house numbers to correspond with where a home will be sited on a lot or property. They want to keep the numbers in proper sequence should the area ever be in-filled with other homes.

Also where I live one cannot live in a camping trailer while building a home UNLESS the home can be constructed in a certain number of weeks. It is considered permanent living if longer than a short period and camper living is forbidden unless in proper RV park. I'd check to see if it is allowed where you will be building.

Janis Sauncy · #3 09/11/07, 11:38 AM

Wayne02:

I know you and I currently live in the same county so I'm trying to guess which county you're moving to that's three hours away......Klickitat? Skamania?

Before I moved here, I was trying to move to Klickitat but it didn't work out. If it weren't for moving the remaining two school-age kids (again) to a new school, I'd still be considering it (not that I'm unhappy with my current location; it's just that I think my heart is somewhere else).

Janis

logbuilder · #4 09/11/07, 12:05 PM

Wayne,

I'm familiar with building in Skagit county (north of Snohomish county) if that helps. Where is your new place?

Robert

Wayne02 · #5 09/11/07, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janis Sauncy

Wayne02:

I know you and I currently live in the same county so I'm trying to guess which county you're moving to that's three hours away......Klickitat? Skamania?

Before I moved here, I was trying to move to Klickitat but it didn't work out. If it weren't for moving the remaining two school-age kids (again) to a new school, I'd still be considering it (not that I'm unhappy with my current location; it's just that I think my heart is somewhere else).
Janis

Hi Janis,

Actually we currently live in Snohomish county, but our other property is in Lewis.

Wayne02 · #6 09/11/07, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by logbuilder

Wayne,

I'm familiar with building in Skagit county (north of Snohomish county) if that helps. Where is your new place?

Robert

Lewis county

homesteadmama · #7 09/11/07, 08:10 PM

I just went through the process of getting an address to my property in Grays Harbor County--and I did go through the county to have it provided for me. I had PUD come out and measure where to put the electrical lines, but haven't put them in yet, and as part of that process had to apply for an address. I put up a mailbox so that I could use that address for job applications, and it has worked for me there. I was able to find part time work fairly quickly, and it is only a 30 minute drive to there from where I am here in Thurston County. There is a travel trailer out there now that I stay in on the weekends while I work at a nursing home at that area, then come " home" to my regular house and job during the week. I know that when I make the permanent move I will have established myself at work and be able to move into a fulltime shift without much problem--but meanwhile be able to get all the fencing up, well and electric in, etc. etc., as well, before I move there for good. There are many places that are interested in hiring parttime help--especially on the weekends! I especially appreciate that I am then out there before and after work, so that I get many more projects done, than I would just trying to run out there a time or two during the week. I hadn't ever attempted anything like this before and was somewhat surprised at how easily it came together--Good Luck with your plans! Lynn

Liese · #8 09/12/07, 05:01 AM

When we relocated to the NC/VA area from Fla it was without a job established and we lived in our travel trailer at a camp ground, being on the stateline we did use a PO box for jobs out of NC and the campground address for VA. Bob found that he wasn't getting responses from NC co's until he used a NC address - we think it was just that co's use different screening aspects and these were "weeding" his computer apps. He was using Monster and Career Builder. Good luck with your plans.

GoldCountryGal · #9 09/12/07, 10:48 AM

One thought on the cell phone - try to get a cell phone that has the same area code as the county you are interested. I have been looking for employment in the county where our property is, but my cell phone has a "big city" area code... Folks don't want to call because they may get a long distance charge, also it clearly marks you as from outside the area.

Marilyn · #10 09/12/07, 12:10 PM

What if you get an offer before you are ready to move? 3 hours x2 is one heck of a commute.

Have you considered just being upfront with HR people in your chosen field? You might tell them that you are planning to move, but right now you would like to know what the job market (and potential salaries) are like in this area.