This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Lisa Miller, 36, a photographer and content material creator who lately moved from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Brooklyn, New York, together with her husband and three kids. It has been edited for size and readability.
My husband was born and raised in Tennessee. He’d by no means lived wherever else. However I’ve lived everywhere. I am initially from Detroit and have lived in Virginia and Georgia. I moved to Tennessee after I was 19, and we lived in Knoxville and Nashville.
I stayed there due to my husband and our household close by. However nothing was maintaining me in Tennessee aside from it is simply the place we might lived for thus lengthy.
I am a artistic individual, and I work as a photographer. My children simply so occur to all be artistic individuals and artists in some type. My daughter’s a dancer, my center son is a filmmaker and an artist, and my youngest son is an artist and a pianist. Nevertheless, there is a main lack of alternatives within the arts in Tennessee.
My daughter determined to cease doing aggressive dance and go after this pre-professional dream as a young person. She simply turned 15 final summer time and utilized to a few dance packages. She auditioned for Joffrey Ballet’s summer time intensive, and she or he received it and spent three weeks of her summer time in New York in 2023. I might additionally gotten revealed in Flanelle Journal for a vogue editorial.
Our life saved taking us to New York for her dance and my profession alternatives. So, we began to speak about the potential of dwelling within the metropolis.
We fell in love with Park Slope, Brooklyn
Lisa Miller
My littlest is on the autism spectrum, and he’s obsessive about all issues New York and the Statue of Liberty. That impressed us to go to New York in 2022, and we determined to remain out of Manhattan and get an Airbnb in Brooklyn.
I simply occurred to return throughout Park Slope. It has a household vibe. All the things is walkable and accessible, like in Manhattan, however only a bit quieter.
We fell in love with the world. It was a great match, nevertheless it wasn’t till a few yr later that we determined to think about it significantly.
I introduced up shifting when my daughter had formally determined to not do aggressive dance. We thought, “What if we have a look at some alternatives for her that are not in Tennessee?” As a result of if she needs to go that pre-professional route, she will be able to’t try this there.
They’ve choices for dancers to dwell in New York Metropolis, however we had been unwilling to do this. We’re a tight-knit household. So we could not think about letting her go alone.
In September 2023, we began trying into some alternatives, and she or he joined a pre-professional program. We determined if she’s going to have this chance, why do not we promote our home and go?
We rapidly bought our home in Tennessee and located the proper Brooklyn condo
The market is nice within the Knoxville neighborhood we lived in. We purchased our home earlier than the market was nuts, and we talked to an agent and discovered what we might get for it. We had three bedrooms and a couple of.5 baths, however we additionally used our bonus room as a bed room. Plus, we transformed our storage right into a studio.
We thought, “If we are able to make this occur rapidly and get the revenue off of our home that we expect we are able to, this is able to be an important nest egg for us and provides us that safety to start out over in a really costly metropolis.”
We put our home in the marketplace, and it went rapidly. We listed our dwelling on October 6, and it was underneath contract by October 8.
Our lease in Park Slope began in November as a result of we discovered the proper condo.
We regarded on StreetEasy, and I arrange loads of search parameters that it will electronic mail me when one thing got here in the marketplace. We had been considering we might find yourself in a three-bedroom.
A buddy I made on a Fb group native to our neighborhood despatched me a list for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom condo. We initially deliberate for my boys to share as a result of they’re solely 14 months aside, however then we discovered this place in our value vary.
We jumped on it after a digital tour. We talked to the agent, and two days later, that they had our cash, and our lease was signed.
Lisa Miller
I used to be completely nervous about it, however the agent did a great job of strolling me by means of the property. I requested loads of questions. We spoke to the owner. With the ability to depend on somebody who was once a dealer in New York, knew the neighborhood, and will affirm the condo was on a great road additionally made me really feel higher about it.
Dwelling in an condo was a bit of bit terrifying at first, however now we like it
My husband and I went to New York at Thanksgiving and had all the things moved in. We had the condo arrange, and we had been simply able to get to our routine and get to our stuff and unpack.
We anticipated downsizing as a result of now we have 5 individuals and loads of stuff. We had an acre and a half in Tennessee, and we had a shed out again for storage and a crawl house. Our Brooklyn condo has the identical variety of bedrooms however a few third of the house.
So earlier than we moved, we bought loads of our stuff. We solely saved our sofa, which we love, and a few dressers and kitchen stuff. Promoting our stuff helped fund our transfer.
We formally moved on December 26. The children and I flew to New York, and my husband drove. We had two vehicles however did not want our massive SUV, so we bought it.
Dwelling in an condo was a bit of bit terrifying to me. We’ve not lived in a townhouse or an condo since we had been in our early 20s. I forgot what that life was like, and youngsters are loud. I simply felt like there can be a degree of uncomfortableness with condo dwelling.
However so many individuals dwell in an condo in New York Metropolis, and you do not even hear the noises. You are not disturbing different individuals. It is only a worry of being in an unknown setting, nevertheless it’s turn into seamless and completely regular.
It is an previous constructing. A part of my content material on TikTok is adorning it and updating it. We have invested our cash into making it what I need it to be as a result of design is one thing I’ve finished earlier than. We like it.
We’re paying about twice as a lot a month as we did in Tennessee
Our hire is a bit of over $5,000 a month, so we mainly pay thrice what we paid for our mortgage. However our utilities are a few third of what we had been paying in Tennessee as a result of our warmth and gasoline are included in our hire. We simply have my husband’s little automobile that is paid off, and we’re not spending on gasoline as a result of we’re probably not driving wherever. We do not have householders insurance coverage. Our groceries are about the identical. So we’re paying about twice as a lot a month by the point all the things is about and finished.
We name this our honeymoon part, so we’re consuming out greater than we usually would as a result of now we have all this meals at our fingertips. However for our household of 5 at a restaurant, it is sometimes a minimal of $200 to $250 versus Tennessee, the place it is perhaps $100 to $150. We all the time cooked at dwelling earlier than. We ate out some, however not almost as a lot as now we have been. We’ll get again to that.
My daughter’s dance might be comparatively near what we paid earlier than, however my boys’ extracurriculars are dearer in New York. We’re positively not saving cash on something aside from gasoline.
However we prepped for this financially, so it has shocked us that it isn’t fairly as massive of a leap as we had been even ready for.
We’ve not regarded again
It has been the most effective resolution we have ever made for our household.
I used to be nervous for my children, particularly having a center schooler and a excessive schooler. My daughter ended up at a performing arts highschool that she needed to audition for. My center college son goes to a constitution college that’s arts-focused. And getting my youngest into some type of particular ed program was seamless.
The colleges they’ve ended up in are unbelievable, and we really feel loads of assist. There’s extra give attention to social-emotional growth in New York than Tennessee colleges.
My husband and I’ve additionally had extra enjoyable than we have had in a very long time. We have spent extra time collectively than ever as a result of we’re not in vehicles, getting in reverse instructions. My husband works absolutely remotely as nicely.
We get to this point once more, which has been enjoyable. We’re each foodies, so now we have many date nights attempting new eating places.
The very best a part of the transfer is seeing my children and household thrive and feeling like we’re in an setting supporting our life-style and perception system. Whereas it has been an enormous change, now we have all adjusted a lot faster than I imagined.
And the alternatives for my work listed below are fairly thrilling. In Tennessee, my focus was initially households and youngsters after which I leaned actually into ladies’s images and boudoir.
As soon as I began coming to New York, it morphed into branding, headshots, working with fashions, and a few vogue stuff. Now that I am right here, I plan to focus extra on working with artists, creatives, branding headshots, and dancers.
We’re in the best place on the proper time
I am the happiest and really feel extra settled than I’ve ever felt. And I feel that comes with age and expertise in life, however this transfer was pivotal in me feeling like we’re in the best place on the proper time.
I had loads of fears. Transferring your loved ones so removed from all the things they know is horrifying. We did have some naysayers, nevertheless it wasn’t for nothing. Day-after-day, I get up feeling grateful for our resolution, regardless that it was an enormous leap of religion.
I do know it is a cliché quote, however I really have leaned into, “You get one life.” Individuals continuously touch upon my movies, “I so want I might do that. My child is artistic. I am artistic.” And I simply really feel like in the event you can financially make issues work, it’s a metropolis filled with alternative, particularly for individuals within the arts.
Lisa Miller
As somebody who grew up with no alternatives, it is so vital for me to supply my kids with each alternative I can. I used to be a foster child with loads of goals and abilities, and I am additionally proof that it is by no means too late to go after them.
I have been dreaming of dwelling in New York my total life. So, for me, dwelling right here at this level in my life as a mother, as a enterprise proprietor, and now as a content material creator, I am simply trying ahead to experiencing issues that I’ve by no means gotten to expertise. Whether or not it is in arts and tradition or meals or touring, I am simply in for all of it.
Not doing this is able to have been an enormous remorse. Generally, you simply should take that leap.
