Help me find a new place to live.

[drrich2]

So I would have to start paying property tax on at least 600K (give or take).

Well, you'd love our housing costs in southwestern KY! I doubt this is where you'll settle, but I'll throw out some details to show what my region is like.

Our summers are hot and pretty dry; humidity can be significant but not the miserable level I recall from south-central Arkansas and we're about 3 degrees cooler on a given day. Our summers often feature highs in the upper 90's, can break 100 some days. Our winter lows tend to get into the lower 20s' and teens; seldom dips into single digits but it happens. Spring is rainy. Winter kind of off and on, not constant.

As for living out but not an episode of Survivor, some basics where I am:

1.) Our 'city' has 30 something thousand people. It's got a good dive quarry with onsite dive shop. 2 Reputable private schools for kids I know of.
2.) But with a Walmart Super Center, grocery stores, Office Max, several chain restaurants and some local ones, we don't lack for much in a world with Amazon Prime.
3.) Want a little bigger? Half-hour to a city in TN with > 150,000 and a real mall.
4.) Even bigger? 1 1/2-hours to Nashville, where the airport is.
5.) There are forested areas and lakes nearby.

Life around a large city would offer more civilized product options, but constrain me in other ways (our home is on 1.4-acres in a 'good elbow room' section of a suburban, just outside town stretch).

We don't worry about fires or earthquakes much (way back one created Reelfoot Lake, so it can happen...), but tornados are an annual fear (and tear up parts of the countryside). There's something to be afraid of everywhere.

 

[lexvil]

$500,000 is or was exempt from capitol gains and several California counties allow prop 13 tax exchange.

 

[lowwall]

Do you know there's an available exclusion of up to 500k (married, filing jointly) of capital gains for the sale of your primary residence? This became law several years ago. See: Topic No. 701 Sale of Your Home | Internal Revenue Service for details.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I did not know about the prop 13 changes. Excellent info, thanks.

 

[lexvil]

A bit more info on the tax exchange
Bill would expand property tax portability for older CA homeowners

I live in Tuolumne county, you’ll love it for the reasons I don’t I think yet property values are lower generally and you can pick desert to mountain living all in the same county! Traffic can be bad on fridays and sundays as the Bay Area crowds come and go. While most property comes with acreage you can also find “talk to the neighbor through the window” places too.

 

[tarponchik]

I did not know about the prop 13 changes. Excellent info, thanks.

Also, you don't have to sell it right away. You can rent it out for couple years.

 

[Akimbo]

I live in a rural coastal community in California that almost exclusively attracts people in the 55 plus age range. Their biggest disappointment is that healthcare is far below their expectations. Economic dynamics largely dictates that. The drive to decent healthcare in Santa Rosa is about 2 hours and 3-4 hours to world-class healthcare in the Bay Area. That doesn't sound that bad until a diagnostic and treatment regime requires a lot of repeat appointments.

The other consideration is early diagnosis is less likely in areas that can't support a diversity of specialists. Early diagnosis is often the difference between an inconvenient treatment and a miserable prolonged death for you or your loved ones. Same with ER capability. A long ambulance ride to an advanced center when the weather grounds choppers will put you outside the "golden hour".

On the other hand, there aren't many world-class medical centers that I would want to live near. Quality of life, cost of living, accessibility, economic opportunity, good diving, and great medical care are often conflicting requirements. I feel your pain.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well, you'd love our housing costs in southwestern KY! I doubt this is where you'll settle, but I'll throw out some details to show what my region is like.

Our summers are hot and pretty dry; humidity can be significant but not the miserable level I recall from south-central Arkansas and we're about 3 degrees cooler on a given day. Our summers often feature highs in the upper 90's, can break 100 some days. Our winter lows tend to get into the lower 20s' and teens; seldom dips into single digits but it happens. Spring is rainy. Winter kind of off and on, not constant.

As for living out but not an episode of Survivor, some basics where I am:

1.) Our 'city' has 30 something thousand people. It's got a good dive quarry with onsite dive shop. 2 Reputable private schools for kids I know of.
2.) But with a Walmart Super Center, grocery stores, Office Max, several chain restaurants and some local ones, we don't lack for much in a world with Amazon Prime.
3.) Want a little bigger? Half-hour to a city in TN with > 150,000 and a real mall.
4.) Even bigger? 1 1/2-hours to Nashville, where the airport is.
5.) There are forested areas and lakes nearby.

Life around a large city would offer more civilized product options, but constrain me in other ways (our home is on 1.4-acres in a 'good elbow room' section of a suburban, just outside town stretch).

We don't worry about fires or earthquakes much (way back one created Reelfoot Lake, so it can happen...), but tornados are an annual fear (and tear up parts of the countryside). There's something to be afraid of everywhere.

Have you ever s

Also, you don't have to sell it right away. You can rent it out for couple years.

I could probably turn it into a VRBO or Airbnb too since I’m pretty centrally located between several major wine growing regions and within a 30-45 min drive in a 360 degree circumference to several tourist traps and wedding venues.

 

[StefinSB]

I live in a rural coastal community in California that almost exclusively attracts people in the 55 plus age range. Their biggest disappointment is that healthcare is far below their expectations. Economic dynamics largely dictates that. The drive to decent healthcare in Santa Rosa is about 2 hours and 3-4 hours to world-class healthcare in the Bay Area. That doesn't sound that bad until a diagnostic and treatment regime requires a lot of repeat appointments.

The other consideration is early diagnosis is less likely in areas that can't support a diversity of specialists. Early diagnosis is often the difference between an inconvenient treatment and a miserable prolonged death for you or your loved ones. Same with ER capability. A long ambulance ride to an advanced center when the weather grounds choppers will put you outside the "golden hour".

On the other hand, there aren't many world-class medical centers that I would want to live near. Quality of life, cost of living, accessibility, economic opportunity, good diving, and great medical care are often conflicting requirements. I feel your pain.

The cost and availability of medical care is the only thing that scares me about retirement in the US.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The cost and availability of medical care is the only thing that scares me about retirement in the US.

The medical care in the US is great (best in the world) as long as you are super rich or super poor, or have some sort of retirement lifetime medical plan through a govt agency.
Medical care and insurance premiums in the US are taking a huge chunk of the middle class’s spending power, especially the self employed.