Where to Move (Settle Down) to

[Wil Ferch]

Hi guys......

....been a long time since I posted within this Pelican Parts forum. Was a frequent contributor and listener when I still had my pristine 85 Carrera a few years back, but that car went to a German collector in Hamburg, Germany, and I've dropped mostly out from posting since (time for another story... the buyer and I became good friends and I've visited "my" car whenever I'm in Germany !!!).

Anyway, I'm currently a resident of New York State (extreme western end near Buffalo, where Ohio and PA meet). At this late stage of my career and nearing retirement (whatever THAT means !)....I'm very seriously thinking of relocating to another state. Somewhere where they don't have 6 months of winter (like here)....don't have predominantly "blue" state politics (like here), and definitely want lower cost of living, especially from a house real-estate taxation perspective. Being "gun friendly" is a big plus too. Needing to watch $$.....hoping to get a smaller home that is still in a nice neighborhood, and priced close to what I'm seeing in Buffalo would be additional "bonus points". Any other financial "perks" such as getting special Social Security breaks or Homestead Act breaks would be good too.

So I come to this group as a trusted source of information. From research, it looks like I'm focusing in the greater area around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to include nearby towns like Conway, Loris, and Longs (but not necessarily limited to these towns). I currently am an independent consultant for industry and can do my business from anywhere as long as I have computer access and am reasonably close to an airport.
As part of the questioning, can someone tell me why closely-packed towns like Conway, Loris and Longs show large swings in the apparent "crime" rate ?( ex: Conway stands out as 2X the rate as the other neighboring towns). Wrong?...a statistical aberration?

I welcome any commentary from folks with knowledge or direct experience living in this area of the world.....thanks in advance for any suggestions, recommendations, or guidance.....

[stevej37]

Conway attracts a lot of people that work in Myrtle Beach, but want a cheaper place to live.
North Carolina would be a great choice also.

Also...Welcome Back!

[scottmandue]

Would you consider moving west or are you only interested in the east coast?

We are looking at Washington state.

[masraum]

How about Texas, you can skip the cold almost entirely, cheap, gun friendly, not blue, no income tax, potentially low cost of living, can be pretty in areas.

[Wil Ferch]

As to considering NC vs SC....look here ( as only one reference point, I know)..... comparing NC to SC on the aspects I mention are important to me. Seems SC has the advantage.

State retirement guides

The same chart and stats can be used to do point-by-point financial comparisons to other states...like Washington. I'm kinda focused on the SE......

[rattlsnak]

I grew up in Tonawanda and moved to the ATL suburbs after a few years in NOLA. Wouldn't go back up north if you paid me. I have found this area to be quite nice with a great mixture of the seasons and mountains, lakes and beaches all close by.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by masraum

How about Texas, you can skip the cold almost entirely, cheap, gun friendly, not blue, no income tax, potentially low cost of living, can be pretty in areas.

...and has its own grid. So I've read.

[pwd72s]

A friend moved to Sarasota, Florida some years ago. Loves it. He's a retired American Airlines pilot who lived in many places during his working days...might be worth a peek.

[Wil Ferch]

Yeah, I guess Texas can work too.....once visited Tyler area that was surprisingly "green".... nice area.

For all these areas, we need to consider this other point that maybe I didn't stress. I'm selling a home in Buffalo ( on a nationwide basis, at a low price)...so I cannot "cash out" and go to a considerably higher home price area...even if other cost of living aspects are good. People coming *to* Buffalo often make out like bandits on this point....where they sell (say) a California home for $3MM and can get a comparable home here for maybe 1/10 the cost. Going in the other direction like I am, on the home-to-home comparison..... is a killer. Going further, I pay $10,000 / yr in property taxes here in NYS...and the smaller place I have in mind in SC has property taxes of maybe $600-$900/yr. Yet the home prices are fairly comparable between these SC areas and suburbs of Buffalo...odd. Also newer construction in SC.

To keep this thread on topic....I will certainly entertain other areas....but as a first pass or core question to get some answers to.... would love to hear from some of the SC folks for the areas I mention, to compare and contrast some of the towns mentioned. That said, no problem talking about other areas...who knows, there may be expanded interest in this topic question, from other people's perspective and their areas of interest.

[Seahawk]

I spent last Thursday and Friday in Columbia, SC, met up with an old friend of mine in Sumter Saturday for lunch then drove to Myrtle Beach that afternoon.

I drove from MB through Conway and other small town to Charlotte, then back to NC Sunday.

My impression of Conway was that is a nice little town with a still intact center. Pretty cool.

The problem for me is that the low country of South Carolina, away from the beaches, marshes and rivers, is as unremarkable a landscape as exists in this country.

Think about Aiken, SC. I lived there for a few years.

[devodave]

Wil,
I moved to Western New York (Hamburg first, now in Perrysburg) back in 93 for new career. The past two winters have really worn me down and I am starting to think about possible relocation in retirement. Moved here from Virginia Beach area and could see myself possibly relocating back there. I really dislike the higher humidity (the Western NY summers, although too short, are fabulous!) of the deeper South, so VA has potential. I guess it all depends on exactly what you are looking for and what your game changers are.

[Shadetree930]

Consider Greenville, SC

But Sarasota or anywhere Florida saves 7% on income tax vs SC

[motion]

Hawaii

/thread

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Wil Ferch

Yeah, I guess Texas can work too.....once visited Tyler area that was surprisingly "green".... nice area.

For all these areas, we need to consider this other point that maybe I didn't stress. I'm selling a home in Buffalo ( on a nationwide basis, at a low price)...so I cannot "cash out" and go to a considerably higher home price area...even if other cost of living aspects are good. People coming *to* Buffalo often make out like bandits on this point....where they sell (say) a California home for $3MM and can get a comparable home here for maybe 1/10 the cost. Going in the other direction like I am, on the home-to-home comparison..... is a killer. Going further, I pay $10,000 / yr in property taxes here in NYS...and the smaller place I have in mind in SC has property taxes of maybe $600-$900/yr. Yet the home prices are fairly comparable between these SC areas and suburbs of Buffalo...odd. Also newer construction in SC.

I'm just using this as a data point. I was in a home in an old neighborhood (built late 60s early 70s) with homes that were appraising for $120-135k, 1500-2000 sqft, decent front and back yards, and property taxes were, I think about $2300/yr.

I think most newer neighborhoods in the 'burbs around Houston are $200-300k, but there is stuff lower and, of course, higher. If you're retiring, I don't know if you'd want a neighborhood or not.

Houston has cheap housing and the taxes are reasonable. Not the cheapest, but, I think, compared to NY or NJ, they will have to be an improvement.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Shadetree930

Consider Greenville, SC

But Sarasota or anywhere Florida saves 7% on income tax vs SC

Yep, no state income tax in TX either, but if he's retired, how much income tax will he be paying anyway?

[Halm]

If you are serious about MB, Conway and Longs, you need to go down there during tourist season. I think you will be amazed at the congestion.

[rusnak]

The original post sounds a lot like Kalispell Montana.

[mreid]

San Antonio, Texas. Drop the mike.

[MRM]

Florida and Texas have no income tax and no estate tax. Both have places you can live cheaply if you're willing to drive a long way and live in a relatively isolated area. As far as I can tell both have places that can be pretty nice and still be reasonably priced. The panhandle of Florida is beautiful. You can buy something close to the water anywhere between Destin (expensive) and Pensacola (also expensive) with everything in between being reasonable. We have family in Ft. Walton Beach and visit every year or two and absolutely love it. It's very red because of the Air Force bases in town. Beautiful beaches, nice weather, easy access to an airport. Not a bad deal all in all. Ft. Walton Beach is about half way between Panama City and Pensacola. There's a good airport in FWB and Pensacola is about 50 miles away. Panama City is a little farther but still an easy drive. When we fly in we price FEB and Pensacola and take whatever is cheapest.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by Halm

If you are serious about MB, Conway and Longs, you need to go down there during tourist season. I think you will be amazed at the congestion.

This would be my #2 concern with that area. Depending on life style, it may or may not be an issue.

The other, being up against the coast, you get the full brunt of the big storms when they come in to land.

I'd recommend going west to the Piedmont area, beautiful woods and rolling hills. We've had a few years in a row of very mild summers from the norm, lots of "where's the global warming" jokes, but last year, it finally boiled again.

If you're into shooting, search for shoot clubs & ranges. My eyesight makes shooting a no go for me, but I know the Charlotte area and its out lying towns are dotted with them.

I'd also look at the road system in and out, lots of places in South Carolina have you driving in spirals to get around. Look at the places you travel, and how you would get there.