Moving back to Indianapolis and need answers?

Question

My husband is a finish/trim carpenter. I am a freight agent and can work from home. My boys are 18 and 13. We are moving to Greenwood. Can anyone tell me what the going hourly wage is for my husband's type of work? He has 20+ yrs exp. He can do it all. From building to remodeling. Does anyone know about where to look for his type of work? I am very scared because I have lived in Florida for almost 20 yrs now and moving back because there are no jobs here for my husband. Any help on where he can look and what he should say when they ask him for salary requirements would be appreciated. Thank you so much. I have another question, but I will wait and see if anyone can answer this one.

Answer 1

I realize that the Florida real estate market is in the tank, but things are not exactly booming around here either.  And without a strong real estate market, there are not a lot of opportunities for carpenters in this area.  While Greenwood seems to be doing a bit better than some other markets, all that means is that the market here is less weak than it is elsewhere.  There are still many more sellers than buyers.  The average time to sell an existing house is more than 120 days.  That's poor, and there is no way around it.  You can get more information here:

http://www.househuntnews.com/mr.php?c=in...

The next link I have for you is for the (very few) job ads for carpenters that have appeared recently in the Indianapolis Star.  For someone with your husband's skills and experience, I think people should be embarrassed to be offering pay rates that are so low.  But the fact that there are only 4 listings, and those were apparently published 3 weeks ago, says a lot about how bad it is right now:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/J...

I assume you have family or other ties that point you towards Indiana, but you need to be realistic.  This is not the best place to move to if you don't already have something lined up.  

There are cities where housing is strong, and if it is ONLY the job prospects that are motivating your move, you might want to give those place some thoughts.  Texas is doing very well right now, mainly because of the boom in oil prices.  Other (relatively) hot spots are Raleigh, NC, San Francisco, Denver, and Baltimore.  Here is Yahoo's list of the 10 strongest real estate markets:

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/best-c...

I hate to throw cold water on your idea.  I know that it can't be easy to pull up stakes and move a long way.  But if it were my family that was being uprooted, I would go first to look for a job, then move the family up when I found something.  You will have to make your own choice, but be prepared for a situation that is as nearly as tough here as it is where you are now.

I hope you have very good luck.  I just wish I could be more positive.

Answer 2

I live in Indpls - here's a link to the local carpenter's union - maybe they can help?

http://yellowpages.theindychannel.com/Ca...

Answer 3

I live around Indy its a great place to live I also spent time  Florida, St. Augustine so I believe Greenwood would be a great place to live its very up and coming place all kinds of shopping and Iam glad your hubby got a job. You will be fine where ever you go if you all work together and make the best of everything and I know you will be happy good luck dottie