This post is stupid long BUT SO WAS THIS NIGHTMARE so let’s relieve the trauma together 😀

Taylor got accepted to an OT program in Texas back in April or March or the Medieval Times or something. The pandemic has completely shredded my ability to recall timing of events. I do remember that the rush to find a home in Texas began immediately. Although Taylor’s classes didn’t begin until fall, the volatile housing market really put a squeeze on snapping up a place when / if it popped up.

And oh boy that squeeze felt like a chokehold by the end! The housing prices were just as obscene there as they are here in Salt Lake City, if not impossibly worse somehow. We had absolutely zero luck online finding anything, so my dad and I flew down to Austin for a weekend to tease out a living situation for me & my babies. (Technically Taylor too but I counted on him living at the school for the next few years.)

Apartment Rental Option

With Tay in school fulltime, and me home full time brushing Junior’s coat, we qualified for low income. But. Every single low income apartment in the city was unavailable. All waitlists had been shut down. Current residents were staying put. And I don’t blame them. Especially after this exchange with an apartment finder for “mid level income” units.

This apartment realtor called me into his office, promising that he had conjured up a few options. He must’ve been in the mood to stomp on people’s naivety, because there were no actual options. My dismay and embarrassment only grew as he repeatedly shook his head browsing his computer.

Realtor: See, your problem here is money.

CJ: Yes. That’s why I’m here. To put my husband through school to get a better job.

Realtor: Yeah… but you need to make $6,000 – $8,000 a month if you want a family apartment.

CJ: Honey, if I made that much money, why on earth would I even be here?

Apartment rental

House Rental Out of the City Option

Anything local was out of the question. So we checked homes outside of the city. The realtors there were just as helpful.

Realtor: I totally understand your situation. I was a stay at home mom and put my husband through graduate school too.

CJ: Oh that is SUCH a relief to hear.

Realtor: Unfortunately, things are different than how they used to be. You’re gonna need $6,000-$8,000 MINIMUM rent if you want to persuade the landlord to rent to you.

CJ: IF I MADE THAT MUCH MON-

Renting out of the city

Mobile Home Option

Although buying a mobile home usually isn’t financially sound (since their value depreciates like a car), it sounded a whole lot better than being homeless.

I would share the conversation I had with the property manager of the trailer park, except we didn’t have one. Because she straight up ghosted me.

With her knowledge, I specifically made flight arrangements to tour the park on her schedule. Upon arrival, I learned that she was not only out of office for an early weekend but she had also let the entire sales staff take an unofficial holiday. No phone call. No email. Only the cheerful receptionists remained at the front desk, asking me if I could just fly in next weekend to try again.

I’m still not convinced that we weren’t being pranked for Tiktok.

Mobile home

Purchasing a Home Option

With options dwindling as fast as our budget, my dad considered purchasing the cheapest house on the market at the time just to help out:

This house, amazingly, went under contract while we were there???

Purchasing a home

RV Option

At what some would call, “desperately grasping at straws”, we considered becoming a full time RV family:

But, it wasn’t the right option for our family either.

RV living

Quitting OT School and Staying in Utah Option

Eventually it was time to face the music: we had nowhere to live and no job to support us.

So, with a prayer and a few tears, Taylor and I came to the decision to get out of the housing chokehold and close the chapter on Occupational Therapy school for good.

It’s not all bad news! Taylor found another teaching job in Utah. And we’re grateful to stay near our families (especially with a new nephew coming soon!!) But it’s been a loss. Taylor has been disappointed in losing his dream career. I’m still pretty irritated at the housing market as a whole for letting us down, ngl. Especially for what it meant for Taylor.

But it is what it is. We’re staying in Utah for the time being.

I want to express how grateful we are for those who have tried to help us out in any way possible to make Texas work out. Your messages and resources and time spent with us discussing options has been so kind and generous. We know that no matter what our careers look or where we live, we’ll be all right as long as we take care of each other ❤

Staying home in Utah? Check.