Keyan Karimi

Many Americans are looking to move: Indeed, a record 32.4% of Redfin.com users looked to move to a different metro area in January, which is up from “a previous peak of 31.5% in the first quarter of 2021 and significantly higher than before the pandemic,” the site revealed. And the data showed that San Francisco was the No. 1 destination users were looking to leave. It’s a trend that has been happening for a bit already, other research shows: The number of people leaving the Bay Area jumped 21% from March 2020 and September 2021, according to a report from University of California researchers. In this story, we talk to one of those people who left the Bay Area, and share tips on what to consider if you’re looking to move too. Check out the lowest mortgage rates you can get here now.

When 30-year-old start-up investor Keyan Karimi’s Silicon Valley office shut down due to COVID-19 in March 2020, he went to visit his parents in his hometown of Atlanta. “I was spending time with them and it made me realize something had really been missing from my life. It had been almost 10 years since I spent more than two weeks with my family since I’d gone to college out of state, worked in Dubai and then California,” says Karimi.

With work-from-home becoming the new norm, Karimi began to consider a move. A Zillow search for affordable historic homes in Atlanta didn’t reveal any promising prospects, but when Karimi zoomed out, he noticed a cluster of red dots hovering over Savannah, about 3 and a half hours away. “That led to a visit, since I’d never been there, and I started looking at houses,” says Karimi.

Though he had been renting an apartment in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood while commuting to Silicon Valley, Karimi knew he’d found his next home the minute he walked into a historical row house in downtown Savannah. “Downtown Savannah is actually quite expensive and in the last year it’s really exploded. The value of homes in my neighborhood have gone up 45%, which means my taxes have increased and my cost is actually now a little more than what I paid in rent,” says Karimi. Still, he says it’s like comparing apples to oranges, since he had a junior one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco — and he’s now in a row house duplex with a courtyard and a garage.

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What it really comes down to for Karimi is the way his life has improved since leaving the tech capital. “I love the walkability, even though San Francisco is considered a walkable place, you still have to walk from neighborhood to neighborhood. Here, it’s block to block and anywhere you want to go out or eat is all in one neighborhood,” says Karimi. This, he says, is one reason Savannah frequently lands on lists of the best cities to visit in the United States.

He was also surprised to discover how much the south had to offer businesswise. “Seeing companies relocating and starting here was really surprising. The population from all the universities has an appetite for innovation, technology and building the community up,” says Karimi. And, that’s made it easier for him to continue to work remotely. “I partnered with some entities here … try to bring an element of Silicon Valley tech as it applies to logistics, and I launched an initiative where we’re going to bring that to some of these companies,” says Karimi. Now, with these projects on his docket, he has even more of an excuse to stay in Georgia permanently.

Of course, he misses many of the people he knew in the Bay Area. “It’s just a different level in San Francisco. No matter where you are in the world, the best talent and the smartest people are drafted by companies to Silicon Valley. Living and working there is something I wouldn’t trade for anything,” says Karimi.

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SAVANNAH, Georgia (WSAV) – Roto-Rooter Plumbing of Savannah donated $ 5,000 to a nonprofit to provide local youth training opportunities in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical engineering.

Sherry Daniel, owner and CEO, presented Xcel Strategies founder Jay Thompson with a check to partially fund a new initiative, including a mobile HVAC, electrical and plumbing trailer. Xcel is a mentoring network founded in Savannah in 2012 to help young men aged 15-25 develop their life and career skills.

“Xcel Strategies is exactly the kind of organization we love to support,” said Daniel. “One of our missions at Roto-Rooter is to encourage young people to look into career opportunities in the craft sector, which can offer a challenging and rewarding career. When we heard that Xcel Strategies wanted to launch a sanitary trailer for his boys, we knew we had to support him. “

Xcel Strategies says its mission is to “empower young men with purpose,” especially boys and men at risk, by providing a network of mentors. Xcel Offers Life Skills Training; Career advice from partners in business, schools and churches; and job placement through training, internships and full-time employment.

This year, Xcel has focused on commercial jobs that are well paid and in high demand.

“A passage in a book by Booker T. Washington inspired me to make commerce mobile,” Thompson said, “to get the message right to the neighborhood.”

This year, trailers with workstations came onto the market that demonstrate practical tasks and duties in construction and vehicle repairs. Roto-Rooter is one of five donors for the upcoming HVAC, electrical and sanitary trailer.

Workshop courses with Roto-Rooter master plumbers and practical lessons are also planned.

Roto-Rooter is a vital partner in training young people in the plumbing trade and transitioning them to the job,” said Thompson.

The new HVAC, electrical and plumbing trailer is expected to be in use by the end of the year.

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