I moved from Charlotte to Indianapolis because I wanted to be closer to family — Chicago was too far, Knoxville wasn’t quite right for me, and Indy felt like a good “in between.” I actually tried to buy a house there before I’d ever lived in the city. On paper it made sense: affordable, rentable, a starter place I could live in for a bit and eventually turn into an investment. But once I did the full inspection (which I highly recommend — it saved me), a bunch of hidden issues came up that would have been mine to solve the minute I closed. So I walked away. Which left me with two weeks to find a place, and I ended up in Carmel. It was adorable and convenient, but not the right fit for my actual lifestyle — I didn’t sleep for three months because of the highway noise. That season became my “city proof of concept.” I realized I was spending more time in Chicago than in Indy, and the more I paid attention to my real rhythms and how I wanted to feel day-to-day, the clearer it became that I needed to go home. So I moved again — and I don’t regret the detour. I just wish I’d known then that no matter how good a city looks on paper, you can’t choose a place until you’ve lived your life in it, even briefly. Here are some lessons I learned... - I should have asked more questions when the apartment complex said 'close to the highway' - (List out things you wish you would have researched or asked more questions around)