Union KY?? (Covington, Florence, Newport: transplants, real estate, how much)

[julianap]

What is Union KY like? I hear about a lot of CA transplants moving there to escape high home prices and insane traffic. What are home prices like? Ameneties? People? etc.

[Wing Feathers]

That pretty much describes all of Kentucky. The smart Californians have been jumping ship to KY for years now. We are a red state, and therefore have reasonable tax levels and enough personal freedom to feel like an "American". I can't speak for Union, but Kentucky is a great place to live in general. Come on down!

[julianap]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm really interested in prices of homes in Union. How much home could you get for $400K??

[Joe 4520832257]

What made you interested in Union?

It's basically a far-suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. It's on the edge of the metro area, so you'll get a suburban and rural feel, but it's still within a reasonable drive of Cincinnati's amenities.

I don't know much more about Union, but I don't think there's much more to say. It's a rural-ish far suburb of Cincinnati if that's what you're looking for. If you want to be closer to city amenities, you can try one of the closer Northern Kentucky cities like Newport, Covington, Ft Mitchell, Ft Thomas, etc.

For $400K you could get a nice home in virtually all places in Northern Kentucky. Compared to California, you'd think they were giving real estate away. You'll actually want to be very careful about price comparisons. People from high-price markets can get "drunk" on how cheap the real estate seems ... and then overpay because they don't have a good perspective on what homes are really worth in a cheaper market.

[Wing Feathers]

Originally Posted by Joe 4520832257

People from high-price markets can get "drunk" on how cheap the real estate seems ... and then overpay because they don't have a good perspective on what homes are really worth in a cheaper market.

This is good advice! Nothing worse than buying too much of a house "because you can". That is what I did when I first moved here. Such high priced things are harder to sell off, too, when you decide to move neighborhoods or towns. Buy reasonable.

[julianap]

Thanks for the advice. We actually know of people (thru other people) who live in Union as well as Florence (I think that's nearby). Thru our friends we have heard nice things about the area. My husband and I are contemplating relocation either within CA or out of state. Additionally, my brother, wife and their 2 kids are thinking fo doing the same thing. Their budget is smaller than ours so they are leaning towards heading out of state. We know of people in CO and WA and so we've got good "insider info" there. But I don't personally know the people living in these KY areas yet I hear good things. And I'll be honest.... the cheap RE prices are a HUGE draw. Coming from southern CAL, the prices out of state are AMAZING

For me, it's important I move to an area where I can find people like me. We have family in NE, IL, and AK and so we're familiar with the midwest and soemtimes we feel so different from them. But I keep hearing lots of CA folks area heading to KY so I thought I'd ask.

Are the schools good? I've got 3 kids (under 5... yikes!) so schools are key too.

[notaBradfan]

California residents are indeed attracted to the cost of housing in Kentucky. I grew up in Kentucky and moved to south Florida in 1965. I found many more opportunities here, not the least of which was education. Like Californians, we have a cost of living standard which is well above the national average. However, the advantages more than justify that cost. My advice to anyone planning a move to another state would be; be well prepared for the enevitable change of lifestyle.

[notaBradfan]

Originally Posted by julianap

What is Union KY like? I hear about a lot of CA transplants moving there to escape high home prices and insane traffic. What are home prices like? Ameneties? People? etc.

[notaBradfan]

Research, research, research before you make a move anywhere. Google is a great source of information. Good luck

[julianap]

I do worry about the change in lifestyle... weather namely! And things to do, access to things, etc. Are there any CA transplants living in northern KY who can comment on this? Wondering if the change in lifestyle would be too great perhaps.