Also see:
- Come in Houston, er, Dallas: Buying a House and a Move Toward FIRE
- In Closing: My Experience Buying a House
- Why I Bought a Car With Credit Cards
It begins: my last month as an official New York City resident.
Movers are booked.
The date is set to wake up and start driving away, all my things loaded in my new Subaru Forester – including the pup!
This little guy has spent his whole life in Brooklyn!
My dog will be 6 this year, and he’s never known much outside of New York. He’s gonna shed SO MUCH in Texas.
My house is sitting there, waiting to be lived in. I even went ahead and joined a gym in Dallas (and got a sweet discount thanks to FoundersCard).
The house
It’s a condo, really. I just call it “the house” colloquially.
Looking forward to decorating, and doing little things, like caulking the shower and hanging blinds. Adding my touches. Being in it. Since I closed in December, it’s kind of been… empty.
Here are some pics:
Living room
Kitchen
Bed
I’ll have a dishwasher. And a king-size bed (for the first time in my life).
Oh and one of these contraptions:
Novel for a New Yorker
I also can’t wait to trick out my balcony with lights and outdoor furniture and a little doghouse.
Balcony
Where future Out and Out posts will be written 🙂
All-in-all, I’m super excited and looking forward to switching things up.
This next month will be a crazy time, but I’ll do my best to write here throughout.
Not a magic bullet
I’ve moved around a lot in my life. Enough to know it’s not a cure for problems.
Because you’re still you, no matter where you are. And I’m aware nothing’s accomplished by “running away.”
In short, I’m approaching this move with realistic expectations. Not looking for a magic bullet to change my life or my situation.
It’s time, though, for a change. I’ve been in New York for a sum total of ~11 years. It’s given me a lot. It’s taken a lot.
But before I start pontificating on the trials and joys of leaving New York, I’ll leave it to other (better) writers who’ve already covered the topic in deep detail.
I’m hoping to slow down a bit, get started with real estate investing, and simply experience a change of scenery. I also love the Dallas/Fort Worth airport (and the fact that I can fly non-stop to Tokyo from there!).
Plus, everything’s temporary if you give it enough time.
Bottom line
The move to Dallas will be good for me, and by extension, for Out and Out. I’m looking forward to the new travel opportunities that’ll be there – an American Airlines hub, lots of non-stop flights to new destinations, and super close to where I’ll be living in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas.
I’ll also be in Southwest and Virgin America hubs, which will be interesting as the merger with Alaska Airlines nears – especially given that I’m newly interested in earning elite status with Alaska.
Changes are afoot, and things are wrapping up quickly here in NYC. A month, my god. It’s going to fly.
Thanks to you all for sticking around. Looking forward to the next chapter!
Stay Scrappy
Stay scrappy out there!
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Cute pooch! Best of luck with the move… I wish you an uneventful one. 🙂
Thank you! Uneventful indeed, I’ll take it! Thank you! 🙂
As a fellow out guy in Dallas, welcome to our great city!
Thanks, Joe! I’ll be only 2 blocks away from Cedar Springs – really looking forward to it!
Nice. I’m there a few times a month. Live in Addison. Good luck with the move, and maybe I’ll see you around at a bar!
That would be awesome – please say hello! 🙂
Hey Harlan, do you plan to continue with your Airbnb business in Dallas?
Absolutely! I’m going down to 2, though. And might start it up again in Dallas.
Good for you, H. If I am not mistaken, Dallas is so much more friendly to Airbnb hosts than NYC… unless they pull a Portland, OR, later this or next year… then that would be ugly. In case you’re not sure what Portland did about 9 months or so ago… one of the many rules for Airbnb hosts is… the host must live in that property he/she rents out for a minimum of 270 days a year! On the bright side, if a host only rents out a bedroom or a couch, then it won’t matter much… still, the host must get a permit, have his property inspected, inform his neighbors he is renting his property out short-term, etc., etc. May I interest you in a property in Portland, OR? 🙂 Seriously, please update your dear readers about life in Dallas once you are ready. As for me, I’d also love to know how the Airbnb market is in Dallas compared to NYC. Have a great weekend!
I’ll pass on Portland lol 🙂
I’ve been meaning to do a “status of bnbs” update for a while – lots of things in flux at the moment. But soon – only 2 weeks left in NYC!
Dallas is MUCH friendlier to Airbnb hosts – I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what it’s like down there.
HBU, did you ever dip your toe into the Airbnb world? Would love to hear your progress!
XOXO
Actually, I’m still licking my wounds from the Portland Airbnb experience, we flew there, stayed in hotels while hunting for apartments to lease for our Airbnb business, paid application fees for credit/background checks, paid deposit to reserve the apartments we wanted, shop for furniture, beds, etc. then only found a bunch of new regulations – which last summer weren’t there at all! To add insult to injury, a 2-year-old online article even mentioned how friendly the city of Portland is to Airbnb hosts!