My Husb. may get a job in MO...

[Inoxkeeper]

OK, you can rent for 6 months max! I concede your point but longterm owning is the way to go. IMHO of course!

[kj0702]

yall are all so great and helpful, i really appecaite it. My husb had a board meeting in 2wks in which they will discuss his raise,(or lack there of) and if were not pleased with the decision, we did decide we will be moving to MO. more than likely so I will wait the 2wks and depending on the news i will def start calling the (long list of ppl. thank you Shadow and everyone else. yall are sweet and great!

[kj0702]

lol ok, i wont rent longer than 6 mon.

[kareybear]

Originally Posted by Inoxkeeper

OK, you can rent for 6 months max! I concede your point but longterm owning is the way to go. IMHO of course!

What is IMHO??? Sourcream

[seahawksweetie]

LOL

In my honest opinion

[skeating]

What in the world are you all talking about???? I have lived in numerous areas of Missouri for 57 years and have not come across any of this nonsense. Someof the towns my family have personally experienced living in and they were and area beautiful. The pay scale varies depending on your resume qualifications. Ballwin,Chesterfield,Manchester,Washington,Villa Ridge,Imperial,St John,Pacific(St Louis area),Desoto(South of St Louis) Branson West,Branson,Cape Fair(Branson area),Highlandville,Springfield. Housing costs vary and incomes vary, depending on your capabilities. The townships have always been safe for my family. My family is huge 100's of cousins, 60+ aunts and uncles. Our family has lived in Missouri over 150 years.

[firebll31]

You didn't mention whether you currently own a car or not-that can add a lot of expense to a budget! Unfortunately, unless you live in St. Louis or KC you will have to have a car as public trans. is pretty sporadic. I know Springfield and Joplin have bus or trolley systems, but I think it's rather limited.

As to the rent-vs. buy question, routine maintenance can eat up a lot of your buying advantages. New roof, water heaters, lawn maint. pest control, furnace and AC, most would be taken care of by the landlord if renting. However, one big advantage is taking your mortgage interest off you taxes. And a well-maintained, paid for home can be a great asset in retirement years. We rented for 5 years after marriage because I was still in college and didn't want to get stuck in a "starter" home we might have trouble selling later. We were able to move directly into a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with an inground pool after I graduated. Glad not to have to wait to sell a home first.

[kareybear]

BINGO!!!!

posted by firebll31 We rented for 5 years after marriage because I was still in college and didn't want to get stuck in a "starter" home we might have trouble selling later. We were able to move directly into a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with an inground pool after I graduated. Glad not to have to wait to sell a home first.

[mrschilicook]

My husband and I spent 5 years analyzing various cities and town across the US using some of the sites that provide statistics. One thing to know is that they can be skewed, manipulated, or just plain incorrect. The best way to get to know an area is to visit it, talk to locals, and talk to the police, revenue offices, etc.

We lived in St. Louis several years ago and experience none of the crime that St. Louis is known for...it's fairly localized not widespread over the greater metropolitan area. We've been coming to the SW MO area for 25 years and have never run into any of the problems posted. Everyone has always been friendly, helpful, and trustworthy.

Every city has it's problems...you just need to do some reseach and ask lots of questions. We have friends in Pine Bluff and they seem to love it there...but they have been there for 20 years so that colors their view I'm sure.

Good luck on the search....MO is a wonderful place to live.
Even with us Cali's throwing around our ill-gotten real estate gains

[2beamissourian]

I sort of glanced through this thread...

If you want to know about an area...ask away ..thats one way to find the peoples feel for the area.

I would never buy a home until I felt I knew the area - renting would come in handy this way ..or am not sure where you are at but can you go for a week and check things out for yourself?

Pictures tell a story ..but sometimes tell only what we want them to say.. a house can look nice online but then u pull up at it and the pipes could all be busted - kwim?

I have been looking into the areas for about 3 years now ..off and on .. the first 2 years debating over a family business- that I had a "gut" feeling about and ahhhhhhhh I was right!! Anywho on the times we spent going on the weekend here and there ......... we have weeded out some towns and areas.

I live right outside of St. Louis now ... I know there are some places that are just lovely and others .. are just not well .. I dont know what to say ...
I go to St. Louis to shop .. I personally could not live there --- too many city lights too much traffic .. I like my dirt road and watching the sun go up and down.......
everyone likes different things you are the only one who can tell in the long run.

I would tell ya if you go b y med. anything .. you will get the higher end ........
I have found some fabulous homes online that were not asking too much for ... and the outcome is good... my first home we purchased .. for 40 and flipped it around ..made enough to say a profit was made ......the last one we sold we purchased our farm with ... and now were doing it again(we hope) ... and for the last time when we move to Missouri were hoping to be debt free and living in comfort!

Good Luck in your search for your piece of heaven!