[Deschodt]

In my case I'll tell you.... I bought a house that was 1/2 the size of what I owned in FL and in terrible condition, for more $. Fixed it... I'm still pissed off that I can change light bulbs by raising my hand instead of having to use a ladder (well technically they are LED and never need changing but I hate low ceilings)... BUT.... My kids play outside all year, no bugs, we are 20min from a beach and 3h from skiing, we have mild seasons, I have a view because I'm not at 10Ft altitude, and the property already went up 300K in about 4 years... It's all give and take. I miss my FL house, its 12ft ceilings and huge garage... I don't miss the bug guy, the AC guy, the gonzo electrical bill, and the flat land...

In summary, yes it's nuts, but it's consistently nuts where you'll almost certainly get your $ back in the end... As for retiment, I never understood the FL argument, unless you live in a shack, property tax there can be 2x that of Cali (I should know, I remember the bill - 2.2x% vs 1.1%)