If you could live anywhere in the U.S.

[Humblefish]

Well, this year I'm having to pay $6k in property taxes on a $200k home. My taxes have gone up over $2k in the last 5 years. Let's just say my income has not seen that kind of % increase. We will definitely do our homework before we decide where to retire.

We lived briefly in both Houston & Austin, and I noticed this as well. TX makes a big deal about not having to pay state income tax, but they just get it from you in other ways. High property & sales tax, toll roads, etc.

 

[Opus]

We lived briefly in both Houston & Austin, and I noticed this as well. TX makes a big deal about not having to pay state income tax, but they just get it from you in other ways. High property & sales tax, toll roads, etc.

I really don't understand how people afford the $400k homes with the property tax bills. I really really don't understand how the people I work with in their mid 20's are affording the $300k to $400k homes they are buying. I guess their spouses must really make the money. With Toyota coming in the housing market is crazy. During the last year, the $300k to $500k homes were only staying on the market for a few weeks. My boss finally had to put a bid in on a home before she ever saw it. She had gone to look at several homes and they sold while she was on her way to look at them.

 

[Humblefish]

I really really don't understand how the people I work with in their mid 20's are affording the $300k to $400k homes they are buying. I guess their spouses must really make the money.

Or they are just enslaving themselves to a huge mortgage payment. Putting a lot of other things on credit (repeat of 2008). I know a lot of people with $300-400k homes who basically live paycheck to paycheck; no savings for a rainy day. If anything goes wrong (unexpected layoff, accident, medical bills) - they're going to be in a lot of financial trouble. ;Sour

My boss finally had to put a bid in on a home before she ever saw it. She had gone to look at several homes and they sold while she was on her way to look at them.

I saw that in Austin too, just nuts. We are sorta running into the same thing with rental houses here in Florida - people will apply for them online, before the leasing agent will even let us do a walk through because it's "not ready to be shown yet". My wife is never going to agree to live in a house unless she can see & smell it first, so we may be living in hotels for a good while to come.

 

[Paul B]

I wanted to visit Chattanooga but we never made it over that way.

Where do you collect NSW there?

Hawaii... not sure if its affordible though

An old girlfriend of mine, really old, lives in Hawaii all the way up in the mountains in Maui. It's affordable there but far from any beaches. You look down the mountain through the clouds to see the water. If you are at least Half Hawaiian, it is almost free.

 

[Brew12]

Where do you collect NSW there?

Same place I get mine, the Tennessee River!

You just run it through some filters, add salt, and there ya have it. NSW!

 

[Humblefish]

Where do you collect NSW there?

You know me, old friend. I'd have to run it thru a UV, carbon, etc. before ever using it.

I'd kill all the little bugs in it, that you love so much about it.

 

[Paul B]

I thought you would also boil it for a couple of hours.

Brew, I started my tank with water from the East River next to Manhattan.
I took it from near here. That doesn't make me a bad person, does it!

 

[Brew12]

I thought you would also boil it for a couple of hours.

Brew, I started my tank with water from the East River next to Manhattan.
I took it from near here. That doesn't make me a bad person, does it!

You stole water from the fish?!?!?!?

 

[Humblefish]

I thought you would also boil it for a couple of hours.

Excellent suggestion! 104F for 1 hour will kill all ich tomonts & theronts.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Basically, pay $250-300k for a 4 bedroom, 2+ bathroom home with a 2 car garage. 1,800+ sq ft.

And yes, I know I just eliminated the entire west coast. And probably most of the east coast as well.

I'd be OK living in the SE U.S. somewhere, but would be open to other affordable options as well.

Las Vegas or Henderson NV. will fit in the budget and airport close. I live in Lake Havasu City Az. you can still get a home in that range lots of things to do. BUT no LFS and 1 1/2 hours to Airport in Vegas also can get super hot during the summer like 120-125 but rest of year is nice. If you made it 300-600k my choice to live would be Kauai or Hawaii and live with some inconvenience.

 

[Idoc]

I do not have a town or state picked out, but it would need the following requirements.

Small enough to feel friendly, but big enough to have all the things you need to live and close enough to a big city to be able to do the once in awhile things with out a big issue.
Have seasons without brutal summers or winters.
Be in reasonable distance to a college or university.
Have a community band.
Have some topography other than flat, without it being sever.
Reasonable cost of living, but does not have to be cheap.
Have access to outdoor stuff (hiking, camping, etc) and be friendly to cyclist.

Ruston, LA and Columbia, SC are two examples of the types of places I would like to live.

You just described Clarksville, TN.

 

[Reefbuds]

wilmington, nc

My brother lives in Wilmington, very nice city

 

[Reefbuds]

Personally, I would live in the Olypic Peninsula of Washington State. The only rainforest in North America and an absolutely stunning environment. Frigging sick dude.

 

[Humblefish]

You just described Clarksville, TN.

Clarksville is a very nice place. What gave me pause is a potential 2 hour round trip to the Nashville airport, depending upon traffic, at least once per week.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I understand no snowed in winters, no hot and humid areas. I spent most of my life in southern California close to the coast. Never thought I would live in the heat but we do not have humidity. Can walk to the lake on the Colorado river, can go riding in the desert, boating, water skiing, fishing all along the river lots of places to hike including mountains. Two hours to Vegas , easy trip to go snow skiing in winter, three hours from the Grand Canyon, five hours to Los Angeles airport six if traffic. Only 50,000 people, conservative open carry and little traffic. No gangs, no graffiti, low violent crime.

 

[Brew12]

Personally, I would live in the Olypic Peninsula of Washington State. The only rainforest in North America and an absolutely stunning environment. Frigging sick dude.

I used to live in Bangor, WA and loved hiking in the Olympics. Walking through the rain forest is amazing. The flatter areas feel like you are walking on a mattress because the vegetation deep underneath has decayed away allowing the dirt and tree debris above to flex. Almost like walking on a bog.

 

[Paul B]

Excellent suggestion! 104F for 1 hour will kill all ich tomonts & theronts.

Yes, thats why I keep my ich tomonts and theronts at a balmy 74.3 degrees which is their optimum breeding temperature because I want as many as I can get.

 

[Erica-Renee]

I would live in Louisville Kentucky.. ohh wait its where i live now...

 

[scardall]

I'm in a descent place now. Near Cocoa Beach, Florida /// 45 minutes to Orlando Airport.

 

[Humblefish]

Welp, we signed a 1 year lease on a 3 bedroom house in Navarre, FL today. My wife & I have always wanted to live near the beach, and we figured this might be our one & only chance to take advantage of the current work situation. The gameplan is to try it out for a year, see how we like it, and go from there.

I want to thank everyone for their input and suggestions, they were all good ones. Something tells me this isn't our final destination, so all the advice you have given me will probably prove useful in the future. Thanks again.