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Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
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Old 12-01-2013, 05:57 PM
 
190 posts, read 274,188 times
Reputation: 200

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Sorry don't know Saturfan... only trying to bring a bit of balance to the discussions. If you truly read my posts... objectively and in earnest you might note that I've given kudos to NC where deserved; criticism where I felt it helpful to the OP... I have NEVER trolled on this forum.

I've actually only stayed here for 10 yrs for 3 reasons: 1) My wife has suffered 2 bouts of stage 3+ cancer which has required much of our energy; 2) my (youngest) son is now in the 10th grade (we came here for the schools LOL); and 3) my house is taxed @ $389K but I could NEVER sell it for anything close to my purchase price of $332K nearly 10 yrs ago.

To be clear: We don't hate it here... we just don't particularly like it here... and would never frankly have moved here had we known what was to come of the Wake County school "system".
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Old 12-01-2013, 06:09 PM
 
4,266 posts, read 11,371,030 times
Reputation: 5820
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomad99 View Post
Sorry don't know Saturfan... only trying to bring a bit of balance to the discussions. If you truly read my posts... objectively and in earnest you might note that I've given kudos to NC where deserved; criticism where I felt it helpful to the OP... I have NEVER trolled on this forum.

I've actually only stayed here for 10 yrs for 3 reasons: 1) My wife has suffered 2 bouts of stage 3+ cancer which has required much of our energy; 2) my (youngest) son is now in the 10th grade (we came here for the schools LOL); and 3) my house is taxed @ $389K but I could NEVER sell it for anything close to my purchase price of $332K nearly 10 yrs ago.

To be clear: We don't hate it here... we just don't particularly like it here... and would never frankly have moved here had we known what was to come of the Wake County school "system".
OK, fair enough. I'm really sorry to hear about your wife. I work in oncology for Duke...I know cancer all too well. I wish you and family only good things.
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Old 12-03-2013, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Vero Beach, Fl.
596 posts, read 1,234,474 times
Reputation: 384
Quote:
Originally Posted by NancB View Post
My husband and I are living in Arizona and are interested in moving to North Carolina to retire.
The Cary area looks good to us, as well as the Charlotte area.
We have never been there, and are looking for the best neighborhoods to look into to retire on a limited income. Home or townhouse. Rent or buy.
Any suggestions?
We have heard there are relocated New Englanders in Cary area. True?
Thank you.
Let me put my 2 cents in by saying, please thoroughly check this place out for as long as possible, it's not a good fit for everyone, as we found out the hard way. Best of luck to you !
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Old 12-03-2013, 12:10 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
19,357 posts, read 27,562,622 times
Reputation: 35932
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomad99 View Post
I'm sorry, but why in the world would you relo from AZ to NC to retire!?! The income taxes here are among the highest in the country... nearly 2x as high as in AZ... but you get NOTHING for it here! At least in Taxachusetts or Minnesotax or Calitaxnoria you get the benefit of a reach-around LOL!

Plus you think it's hot in Phoenix/Flagstaff... wait 'till you enjoy our 95-degree, 70% humidity August days... heat index = 120 (but feels like 130 in AZ - trust me, I've been there many times)!

My simple advice... DON'T DO IT! If you have grand kids here, then suggest you visit in spring and fall as we do have that over AZ ;-)...
Nomad, I understand that you have some personal issues going on that may be affecting your outlook on the area. I am truly sympathetic, but as someone who actually lived in the Phoenix area for 25+ years, then moved to Raleigh in 2012, I have to respond to your comments.

No question that real estate, sales and state income taxes are higher in NC. Yes, we're paying more in taxes in NC than we did in AZ, but we knew that before we moved. OTOH, our homeowner's, car insurance, medical insurance and price of gasoline dropped considerably. Most importantly, the decision about where to retire is only partially based on tax and cost of living considerations. Ideally, the quality of life issues come first.

You cannot lump the climates of Phoenix and Flagstaff together. They are two different worlds, and each is very different from Raleigh.

I admit the humidity in the summer in Raleigh is no day at the park. However, that humidity lasts for 2 - 2.5 months. The rest of the year varies from lovely to acceptable. The incredible heat of Phoenix last 6-7 months. The remainder of the year is nearly perfect. Either way, you choose your preferences and utilize the a/c in BOTH places. (Or you have two homes - seriously, there is no perfect climate anyplace in the US.)

Conversely, Flagstaff is lovely in the late spring/summer/early fall, which is about 5 months. The winters are brutal and early spring/late fall are uncomfortably cold for many. From Wikipedia:

Quote:
Winter nights can be very cold, with temperatures often going far below zero. With an average high of 42F and an average low of 17F in the month of January, Flagstaff is indeed the coldest city in Arizona. Despite being fewer than 150 miles (240 km) from Phoenix, the mean annual temperature is 28.8 °F (16.0 °C) cooler, due primarily to its higher elevation.[21]

The annual snowfall averages 100.3 inches (255 cm), placing Flagstaff among the snowiest incorporated cities in the United States
And while we do not have children or grandchildren, MANY people do not find it adequate to just visit them 1-2 times a year. They want to be an everyday or every week, integral part of their lives.

As a long time resident of Phoenix, and one who had significant medical issues for a period of time, I can assure you that access and quality of medical care in Raleigh/Durham FAR exceeds what we could obtain in Phoenix.

I cannot comment on "Taxachusetts or Minnesotax or Calitaxnoria you get the benefit of a reach-around LOL!" because I have no idea what you mean by 'reach-around' and I'm not personally familiar with the taxes in those states. They were not places we considered in our search for a retirement home.

Blanket statements like "why in the world would you relo from AZ to NC to retire!?!" and "DON'T DO IT" are simply over the top.
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Old 12-03-2013, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,772,505 times
Reputation: 6914
Quote:
Originally Posted by NancB View Post
My husband and I are living in Arizona and are interested in moving to North Carolina to retire.
The Cary area looks good to us, as well as the Charlotte area.
We have never been there, and are looking for the best neighborhoods to look into to retire on a limited income.
The cost of living and taxes are not really low in Cary or Charlotte, as other have said. Both are more geared to families in the working age range, with few options for retirees. You might look at the Del Webb community near Charlotte which is actually in South Carolina.

For a truly lower cost of living and lower taxes, you might look at Myrtle Beach, SC or the DelWebb community at Sun City Hilton Head, SC.
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Old 12-03-2013, 12:43 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,772,505 times
Reputation: 6914
Quote:
Originally Posted by NancB View Post
Can we rent in a 55+ community? Our figure is about $1000. to $1500 at the most.
The options for renting in the DelWebb communities in the Triangle are very limited. I have seen the questions asked before, and only one or two rentals showed up. There is a very high demand from people who want to buy in these communities. I suggest you broaden your search to other areas. For example, the Sandhills/Moore County has many communites which are primarily retirees and they are lower cost than Cary. There are often many rental homes in Carolina Trace, a gated community in Sanford, NC, and many are under $1500.

Last edited by goldenage1; 12-03-2013 at 12:53 PM..
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Old 12-03-2013, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
19,357 posts, read 27,562,622 times
Reputation: 35932
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenage1 View Post
The cost of living and taxes are not really low in Cary or Charlotte, as other have said. Both are more geared to families in the working age range, with few options for retirees. You might look at the Del Webb community near Charlotte which is actually in South Carolina.

For a truly lower cost of living and lower taxes, you might look at Myrtle Beach, SC or the DelWebb community at Sun City Hilton Head, SC.
Actually, the Sun Cities community outside of Charlotte is in Fort Mills, SC and accordingly gets all of the taxation advantages of South Carolina (read: less taxes than NC). While I'm not intimately familiar with Hilton Head, I'd imagine the cost of living in DW HH is higher than the DW Carolina Lakes.

Rentals in DW and similar communities tend to go at high prices, in part because they include all the amenities (landscaping maintenance, indoor and outdoor pools, clubhouse, classes, etc. etc. etc.). The homeowner has to go on paying the HOA/Amenity fee so it gets passed on in the monthly rental cost. Most of the rentals I've heard of get rented through CL or by word of mouth. Sometimes the sales office (if one remains) knows of current rentals.
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Old 12-03-2013, 07:16 PM
 
9,680 posts, read 27,082,704 times
Reputation: 4162
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomad99 View Post
Sorry don't know Saturfan... only trying to bring a bit of balance to the discussions. If you truly read my posts... objectively and in earnest you might note that I've given kudos to NC where deserved; criticism where I felt it helpful to the OP... I have NEVER trolled on this forum.

I've actually only stayed here for 10 yrs for 3 reasons: 1) My wife has suffered 2 bouts of stage 3+ cancer which has required much of our energy; 2) my (youngest) son is now in the 10th grade (we came here for the schools LOL); and 3) my house is taxed @ $389K but I could NEVER sell it for anything close to my purchase price of $332K nearly 10 yrs ago.

To be clear: We don't hate it here... we just don't particularly like it here... and would never frankly have moved here had we known what was to come of the Wake County school "system".
Me too. I came here from New Orleans in 1989.

As my night vision declined, I realized how the lack of good roads and adequate public transit was becoming a real issue.

We like Raleigh but wish Wake County would understand that many commuters and others cannot rely on roads for transit.

Taxes are not that low here and the income tax changes coming in 2015 will hit lower middle class taxpayers hard while reducing taxes for the highest income filers.
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