Seeking Advice: Moving from CT to GA — House Hacking and Long-Term Investment Goals

[Paul Meiners]

Hello everyone,

My fiancé, our three kids, and I are preparing to relocate from Connecticut to Georgia in a couple of months. We'll be staying temporarily — and rent-free — with a family friend who was recently widowed, giving us some time to get settled while we find a home.

Currently, we're tied up with our duplex in CT (FHA loan, both of us on the title). The plan is to list the property, use the proceeds to pay off about $37K in debt, and combine our savings and any profits to start fresh in Georgia. Once everything is finalized, we anticipate having around $70K to work with.

We'll initially be in the Macon area, but ultimately aim to move closer to the Dallas, GA area (willing to commute up to 2 hours from Dallas). We have some family there, which will help with the transition.

Our goals are:

House hack a few small multifamily properties

Purchase a primary residence afterward

Eventually buy a vacation/lake house to use personally and later retire in (potentially short-term rent it in the meantime)

I’ve never been to Georgia and am unfamiliar with the local market dynamics, especially around Atlanta and its surrounding areas. If anyone has advice about:

House hacking in/around Atlanta/Dallas, GA

Navigating a big move away from immediate family

Starting out in a new market with no prior local connections

Target neighborhoods or areas to avoid

I would sincerely appreciate it. Thank you for your time and any insights you can share!

Love the BiggerPockets community!

[Nicholas L.]

@Paul Meiners

sounds like you are planning on selling the CT property to pay off debt... but, any way to keep it?  would it work as a rental once you move out?