Location Location Location?
 

So COVID induced work from home has significantly changed expectations of me in the workplace as well as my long-distance capacity. Summary, I can be anywhere with a good internet connection.

Which is exactly what I have been desiring for years.

I got a call from a realtor friend recently. He was dialing for dollars in the Portland Metro area, but, he was living in Whitefish, MT. Case in point.

I have been wanting to have a "sun solution" for the many dreary winter months we experience in Western Oregon. Places that I have considered recently are Hood River, OR, San Juan Islands, WA. But, I think I am very much missing some great areas.

If I open up my radius I can bring in locations like Kona, HI, Flagstaff, AZ, Boulder, CO. And on and on.

Activities I enjoy: Mountain Biking, Hiking, Fly fishing. Wife enjoys photography and hiking.


Here is the question: What is a location that has a lot of sun but not a lot of heat. Phoenix and Palm Springs are repulsive to me. Just way too hot. I need some trees. Bonus if I can airbnb the location out when I am not using it. Double bonus if real estate prices are completely cheap compared to Oregon. (Example, I saw a frickin MANSION in New Mexico for what I would consider to be "affordable" for Oregon)

So I would love to tap the braintrust on this. Maybe this is only a fantasy exercise. Maybe not.

Thanks in advance!

San Diego has awesome weather, but you pay for it. More than an arm and a leg.

5 % of the worlds population gets to live by the ocean.

This is why we built a bluff top home in Baja California MX. for a pittance compared to SoCal.
My view of the Pacific Ocean is just as good if not better than Laguna Beach.

San Diego is killer. And, a budget killer! Property values make Oregon look like monopoly money. Yikes! I need to go the other way!

Baja? A perfect example. I never even considered this.

will a typical work firewall allow you to log on from a different country? i ask because i dont know.

i would go to Belize or somewhere.

With the cold ocean currents present between TJ and Ensenada I'm going to say our Baja weather is even better than San Diego.
No bad days in Baja

Ok. I asked. And then I looked a Belize. My head just exploded. In a good way.

Probably too far, too many obstacles. But I did ask. Here is what 25 seconds of searching showed me. Wow.

https://www.belizerealestate.bz/property/luxury-home-at-olde-mill-along-the-belize-river/

The main draw to areas with very high real estate prices are weather and job market. You can eliminate the latter. So, now you can look at areas that have a dismal job market with high weather desirability. Small communities will offer this if not totally bucolic living on a lake or oceanfront property. That brings the price up considerably.

You mention airbnb so it has to have something to offer to those that are looking for a place to stay while checking out the local scene. IDK much bout OR so I can't help there. San Juan Islands may be pricey but there are other areas with similar weather.

If you want to get "out there" you could think about CA high desert. Lots of sun, no visitors unless you're in proximity to Death Valley. Palm Springs is not hot in the winter. 84 today as SoCal is experiencing a 2 day heat wave. Next week PS will be in the mid 70's. For all of the next 3 months PS will be about 70, clear with chilly nights. Little to no rain. Death Valley a little cooler days and nights for comparison.

Out where Marv Evans (shoot him a PM) lives in the San Diego County rural areas you will find cool winter weather with higher elevations being cold. Not sure what draw there is unless you can connect to something about horses and that sort of experience. There are some good day trips from there.

Where I live winters are mainly mild, but we do get weather, especially in Feb and March. It's very crowded so unless you picked up a condo near the beach and marinas, nothing going on. We do get really high rents during the Grand Prix with some rentals getting a month's worth of rent in a short week. Lots to do on and about the water (ocean) and Catalina Island (which would be ideal but the real estate is dear).

Lastly, Ventura County offers a lot. You'll just have to read up on places like Ventura and Oxnard. Very picturesque. Lot of farm land of you want to get out of a city. Good golf too, just like PS.

that would be sick..except the part where everyone comes to visit you and brings you Covid19!

i would do it in a heartbeat, but i cannot work remotely all that well. but if i could..

Is this for winter months only or a permanent move - I was up most of the night making sure my basement didn't flood so my reading comprehension is low.

Winter months only there are so many incredible places to go in the USA alone I'd visit a new spot every year until I found the one.

My issues is opposite yours. I hate the summers here. The rest of the three seasons are great...Zone 7 love, so I am doing the reverse:cool:

The big Island has some pretty affordable areas in south kona and Puna district.
Some are pretty close to the volcano, others are well distance from it.

Might be worth a look.

Cheers Richard

^^^Seahawk. I will confess, summer in the Pacific NW is about perfect. This year we didn't crack 100 and humidity is always low. Seattle, for example, has very little air conditioning. Why?
It isn't needed! Most places don't have bugs, either.

Other than a couple weeks of LUNG KILLING FOREST FIRES this was an amazing summer.

Flagstaff...

Oh, I get it. I grew up on the West Coast and had no freaking idea what humidity was all about.

So, winter months only or permanent move?

Winter months only opens up geographic goodness.

West Michigan....Grand Haven or Holland area.
Nothing better than four distinct seasons.
Lake Michigan looks the same as an ocean..but not salty!

Not permanent. My people died on the Oregon Trail in the 1840's. I am pretty attached to Oregon and need to stay here with at least a townhome or similar. Did I mention the summers???

Family is a big reason most people live where they do. Weather is certainly important to everyone. My nephew grew up in Montgomery, AL. He moved to Colorado for the snow and he loves the mountains and snow. I told him he is nuts, as I hate snow, and I don't want snow to ever visit me again. If for some insane reason I want to see snow I will go to the mountains and visit the snow.

I guess other people can have tastes different than mine. ;)

If you have to keep working, dont forget about the time change if that matters.

Hawaii would be cool but if you expected to be working at 8am west coast, that could make for early mornings...on the other hand, you'd have from 2pm on to do what you like!

It sounds like you're looking for a snowbird home where you can wait out the bad weather months before returning home. Your situation is similar to ours. Summers here are glorious but winters are as bad as summers are good. We plan to rent for the first few years before settling in and buying anything. I'd suggest doing that. Is state income tax a consideration? You may be able to claim state income in your winter home for the months you work there, but you already knew that. Just something else to think about.

Places we've considered include Corpus Christi and Galveston, Texas. They would have a lot of the activities you list. The drawback there is that the gulf water is brown because the wind and waves wash sediment into that part of the coastline. Florida beaches have clear blue water because all the sediment blows west into the Texas coast.

How warm do you need the winters to be? If not too warm, the northeast half of Florida might also be an option for you. My sister has been trying to sell us on something in the Palm Coast area. From pictures it looks beautiful. Apparently this is one of the last sections of Florida not to be overrun by snowbirds and tourists, so it retains it's Old Florida charm and affordability. St. Augustine regularly tops lists of "best" places to live.

If you don't need to live close to the ocean or gulf, but want to live be the water and fish, central Florida might be attractive. No mountains, but there are lakes the size of oceans, and prices inland are very reasonable. You could fly into Orlando and inside of an hour be on a lake in the middle of nowhere that looks as untouched as a scene from Jurassic Park.

A place on the west coast that I just stumbled on is Crystal River, Florida. It's an hour or so north of Clearwater/St. Pete. It is on the coast and has good access for salt water activities but doesn't have a lot of beaches, so it's not touristy. The river flows into the Gulf at that point, so there is fresh and brackish water for as far as you care to explore. Real estate is much more reasonable than in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area.

If you do consider an OUS location, rent before you buy. The expat life is not for everyone. I don't like it. I'd love to rent a villa for the season in pretty much any country in Europe, but I would never settle down as an expat again. Other people love it, so YMMV.

Why would you even CONSIDER Boulder?

F that, there are way better cities and towns in CO that do not have the Boulder cost of living and insanely progressive mindset.

Yes. Boulder is not on the list. I went to Grad School there for a short while. LOVED the climate and location.

Weird Boulder thing? In 1988 there was a surf shop in Boulder. Didn't know where the water was?

Ventura is nice as is inland Ojai, or a bit North Carpinteria, but certainly not a bargain $$. The sky high prices in SB area have extended a ways both North and South. Lompoc, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Pismo, San Luis Obispo, all nice places to outside city. Also remember Carp/Ventura/Oxnard WERE "low income" just 25 years ago so which neighborhood you end up buying would be especially important. Picture a nice renovated home on a street where neighboring homes have dirt yards and blankets for window coverings...

The wife and I are preparing for a transition and now also considering 1 year lease opportunities both stateside and abroad. Would like to keep that going until our age becomes the limiting factor. We have been to Belize and though a great time vacation not on our candidate list for multiple reasons but primarily it's a very poor country and I would not want to rely on their infrastructure if something goes sideways. People are amazing and friendly though!

We are looking for more Caribbean locations, islands, with accessible diving and snorkeling, and then options in remote countryside's in Italy, France, Spain, etc...

We hope to do our final settlement back in Santa Barbara where it all started for me. But if plans go well that could be 8-10 years down the road.

Cool stuff.

There was a comment about times zones that I think is very apt: Our operations person, who worked for me in the Navy, lives in Las Vegas and she likes to get up early, thank good. She is a wonder.

I like the idea of a a regional destination. Sierra Vista, AZ, for instance. I love the high desert in the winter, Tucson is close and the outdoor opportunities are off the charts, including the local roads.

Same with Fredericksburg, TX, near Austin and San Antonio. Great countryside great small cities.

South Carolina has some really neat beach towns near Charleston with access to another small city I love.

I guess my point is that with winter rentals and Air BnBs, the options are multiple without having to commit for years. Spread the wealth :)

Pensacola is another great place for the winter.

Have fun!

Got it, I am 45 minutes from Boulder and have the same weather but not the same housing costs!

You were there in the Big 8 days.

Colorado....Western slope. Grand Junction, Montrose or Cortez are reasonable and not tourist towns.....Lots of the sun you mention....

We moved to San Diego this summer and the two houses that were also for sale on the street but needed complete renovation just sold. In the three months we've lived here our house value has increased by 11%.

It doesn't really matter because we're not selling, but it's nice to know that it wasn't a poor investment!

Paul, what is the weather in Pensacola during the winter? I’ve been there to see the Naval Air Museum many times in the summer but I have no gauge of what it’s like in the winter. If it’s warm enough, I agree that’s a special corner of paradise.

Uncle Jack lived in Pensacola across the street from the ocean, until the ocean reared up and snatched that house. He moved inland a bit and sold that lot.

PNW winter gloom has you down and depressed?

Seasonal Affective Disorder they call it.

New Mexico, far from Albequerque

For Paul and his humidity poisoning, I am thinking Montana for the summer. You will never want to leave, until Old Man Winter reaches down and slaps you

There are some really nice areas in and around Pensacola and the winter weather is generally good. Can get blustery but rarely "cold".

I lived in a house on the beach in Perdido Key for 4 months prior to flight school. I am sure that place has been scrapped a few times since then:)

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Florida/Places/pensacola-temperatures-by-month-average.php

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1605617968.jpg

Pensacola is decent in the winter, early spring, and late fall. I too spent my time prior to flight school on Perdido Key, about a mile from Florabama back in 2008/9. Walked back many a late night before beginning my flying journey.

If I recall, we even did the "Polar Bear Plunge" on January 1st and it wasn't bad at all.

I may have some hazy memories from the Flora Bama as well.:cool:

To the OP, another place I love, although I have not spent a winter there, is Hamilton, MT. A guy I ran rivers with is from there and I spent a few day on either end of trips north.

Welcome to HamiltonMontana.com | HamiltonMontana.com

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/hamilton/montana/united-states/usmt0151

On my list!

I was in MT this summer with my son catching way too many trout. It was a fantasy trip come true. I VERY much like MT. Missoula was a favorite, but I hear the winter is greyish.

There is also the consideration of who you are going to talk to. I have a friend who bought an OK place, maybe 1000 square feet on a small lot on the side of a hill, in an ex-pat community in Ajijic, Mexico. He had all the potential other English speaking friends from the US and Europe he could ask for. It was a dinner party every night (which I hated - not into idle chit chat) but it was a vibrant community.
Another friend (who owned a now-deceased hard cover car oriented quarterly magazine) had a FABULOUS place on the Baja with a picturesque native village down the street, dirt cheap servants, and one of those swimming pools where the the water flows over the edge and looks like it goes on forever. He had to practically BEG friends to come visit. I was there twice, it took 12 hours door to door to get there. It was a great place, gorgeous, but it just cost too much time and $$ to go to go visit him often.