[TexasRoadkill]

Since my retirement, my wife and I have seriously been considering moving to Hot Springs as our final home.
We really don't want to live in the Hot Springs Village with all the other retirees. However, we have come to realize that homes in our price range are either north of Bathhouse row near the national park or south in the city near the new casino.
The Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort was not built yet the last time we vacationed in Hot Springs, so my question is how bad is the traffic, noise or crime in the neighborhoods surrounding the casino?

Some of the houses in those neighborhoods are quite nice and reasonably priced but is there a reason?

Thanks

[btoverdrive]

You may want to give the village a look unless you have already done so. Since covid and with all of the other crazy stuff happening in our country now there is no place that I would want to live than here. We have our minor issues like anywhere but there is no traffic and since the new bypass opened last year, getting to Hot Springs from here is a breeze.

If you are set on moving to Hot Springs, since the resort opened the racing season has expanded from February to April to December to May. It will be over after the Derby this weekend. That is almost 6 months of horse racing so you will see considerable traffic in that area every weekend. We go the the races a few times a year, it is good, cheap entertainment unless you go crazy betting. We are not casino people but the new resort is very nice with good restaurants.

Where ever you decide to move I think you will be satisfied with Arkansas although I am a little biased since I am a native.

[stephenMM]

Take it from someone who has moved a lot. Rent first. Then if you like it, think about buying. I'm in Little Rock, and while Arkansas is a beautiful state it has some drawbacks just like any place (the weather is a big one for me). If I had known what I know now I would have moved to Columbia, SC. That was a city that was on my short list, but I decided on Little Rock. 1 1/2 years later, now I am moving to Columbia in July.

And when I say rent first, I mean for a couple of months at least. It honestly takes that much time or longer for the newness and shiny-new-thing glow to fade. Then you see things as they are. If you decide it's not for you it's no big deal. But if you buy, and no one has a crystal ball to know what the housing market is going to do, then it's a lot different. Like the old stock market saying, past performance is no guarantee of future performance. I remember the housing crash of 2008 as if it were yesterday.

Having lived many years on the Big Island of Hawaii, we would see the same pattern often repeated. People would come over for vacation, and the next time you saw them they had moved there. Oh, they loved the water, the beach, it was paradise! Then 2 years later (or sooner) they were headed back to the mainland, complaining about the different culture, the food they missed, the property taxes, the crazy cost of everything, etc. FWIW, I lived near the casinos in Reno. It wasn't all roses. They make their money from people who lose money, and it can attract a different sort of crowd..

[TexasRoadkill]

Originally Posted by btoverdrive

You may want to give the village a look unless you have already done so. Since covid and with all of the other crazy stuff happening in our country now there is no place that I would want to live than here. We have our minor issues like anywhere but there is no traffic and since the new bypass opened last year, getting to Hot Springs from here is a breeze.

If you are set on moving to Hot Springs, since the resort opened the racing season has expanded from February to April to December to May. It will be over after the Derby this weekend. That is almost 6 months of horse racing so you will see considerable traffic in that area every weekend. We go the the races a few times a year, it is good, cheap entertainment unless you go crazy betting. We are not casino people but the new resort is very nice with good restaurants.

Where ever you decide to move I think you will be satisfied with Arkansas although I am a little biased since I am a native.

Thanks for the advice, but we have looked at the village. The homes there don't have the same character as those in Hot Springs and sine we are retired and plan to buy a home outright, I don't like the idea of a monthly HOA in perpetuity.

[latunafish]

As has been mentioned, live racing season ends this Sunday. Yeah, traffic does subside some after that.

While I have never rented before I bought a property, I would agree it is a good idea. The problem being the availability of rental in a neighborhood you plan to buy in. I don’t think the 24/7, 365 casino is a detriment to the area near it. I know several people who live close to the track and have for decades, they aren’t selling out and moving.

The town in general is a great place in my opinion. I have had a weekend place there for decades. Never had any crime issues and never been scared to go to Kroger or Walmart after 9 pm.

[TexasRoadkill]

My wife and I are considering moving to Hot Springs Village. We are looking a modest 2-bedroom / 2-bath homes. I understand that the HOA is $110/month but what can we expect as reoccurring utilities costs?

Electricity - Water -Gas - Trash - Internet ??

What does the HOA exactly cover?

[btoverdrive]

Originally Posted by TexasRoadkill

My wife and I are considering moving to Hot Springs Village. We are looking a modest 2-bedroom / 2-bath homes. I understand that the HOA is $110/month but what can we expect as reoccurring utilities costs?

Electricity - Water -Gas - Trash - Internet ??

What does the HOA exactly cover?

The $110 per month is mainly for amenity maintenance, ie roads, golf courses, pickleball courts, dog park, Woodlands center, Coronado center, etc.

I have a 2800 sq ft home on the east side, I have grass and a sprinkler system. The utility bills are for two months and not using the sprinkler my bill averages $200. The utility bill includes water, sewer, sanitation, ambulance fee and street lights. For the months I use the sprinkler, my bill is larger.

There are two electric companies, Entergy and First Electric. Whichever one you use depends on where you live. I am on First Electric and on levelized billing and my bill averages $200 per month.

There is no natural gas in the village, if you would want gas appliances you would need propane. You are allowed to bury a large tank if you would need that much propane. I only have propane for my fireplace and my grill on the patio and have two 100lb tanks behind my garage.

There are two main internet providers, ATT and Optimum. First Electric is in the process of offering it's customers fiber optic internet and are currently laying lines. It is called Connect2First and I am already on it. I am paying $70 for 500 mbps. You can always get satellite internet but I have never heard many good things about it.

If you haven't looked at the website, look at https://www.explorethevillage.com/

You could also have the weekly village digest sent to your email to get an idea of what goes on here.

Hope that helps.