Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Regarding contractors, as far as I know my friend's experience has been generally positive for quality of work and intelligence of the workers. He did have a complaint once with a window replacement that he said was done poorly, but it was after he had moved in the Good Sam complex, so it wasn't his responsibility to see to it that the workers did a better job.
However.... he always laughs about scheduling work around hunting season. Once hunting season begins he says all contractors disappear no matter how close they are to finishing your job. They'll come back once hunting season is over, however.
It's called operating on Ozarks time. It just comes with the territory and you have to accept it 'cause it ain't gonna change.
Since this seems to be a hot topic this week, let's look at some of the lower COL states in depth. What are the pros and cons of retiring to Arkansas, Missouri, Maine, etc.? Which communities in particular would you recommend for retirees? ...
Health care costs can easily be more than some pensions.
The COL here varies a lot. If you want to live urban [and most Mainers do] then your COL may be fairly high. But if your happy to live rural then your COL may be very low. Most of Maine is rural. So the selection of rural places to live is a large selection.
Another thing I have observed is that retirees with large pensions may be in a fairly high tax bracket. My pension is taxable, but it falls below the lowest tax bracket. So it is not taxed. The wealthy pay income taxes, the poor do not. Which is actually a theme in many states.
Property taxes here vary also over a wide range. Again it is mostly the urban to rural thing.
If you like to live in a forest, alongside a river or lake, and have a garden, then your COL can be very low.
I enjoyed the pictures. Sometimes I forget how GREEN it is in other places. Even though they are rodents, I miss the squirrels chasing about in the trees. It's been decades since I was in Arkansas.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Nevada as a low COL place to live. It's also great for pets, no fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes.
I suspect this is one of those threads that will run for quite awhile, and over time we'll get to a whole host of low COL places. At least I hope that's what happens, because then this could become a very useful resource thread.
Must be yur Left Coast roots talkin'. Either that or it's jist stinkin' thinkin'. We've found the locals to be very friendly, polite, helpful, welcoming and very shrewd in business but also very honest and reasonable.
I have to ask why you're here if you don't care to deal with the local folks? I also have to wonder how you come across to them to have received what appears to be less than satisfactory responses. Could it be the fact that you consider them stupid just might be apparent to them?
In my lifetime I've found that how you approach others determines how they respond to you in most cases.
For the most part I don't interact with them, or at least try not to. Unfortunately, there are those times when you have no choice. When we were looking for a contractor to put a roof on my mother's house we were cautioned to pay NOTHING in advance because as soon as they got enough money for a bag of weed and a tank of gas, we wouldn't see them for a week or more.
We learned early on to find people who are from "someplace else" to do our work for us. And that is exactly what we do. So far, we've had good luck with that.
And to answer your question, previously, I had the opportunity to work with local folks on a daily basis, and it was a very eye-opening experience. The best one was when the whole family called in because they had to go bail bubba out of jail. For anyone with a baby, weekly (if not nightly) visits to the ER are de riguere (coupled with the next-morning ER-hangover which precludes them from being able to work).
They get their car repossessed three weeks after blowing their $4500 tax return. They spend $10 on lunch at McDonalds every day but can't be bothered to buy any "real food" because it's too expensive. etc., etc., etc.
OP: Pick up a copy of "Nickeled and Dimed" at Amazon.com if you really want to know what living in the Ozarks is all about. LOL
You are, of course, referring to the "traditional" retirement-type places. Like those pictured in the photos previously posted.
The downside, should you choose to (or be forced to) interact with the indigenous population is that you have to deal with low-minded Oz-tards who would make the cast of Deliverance look like a meeting of Rhodes scholars.
Sadly, from time to time you MUST deal with local folks (getting a roof replaced, installing fencing, appliance repair, etc.,) at which times it makes you wish that you had chosen someplace where the minimum tooth requirement was just a tad higher.
God help you if you live in a rural area where there are few or no "transplants" from elsewhere to average out the IQ into triple digits.
For the most part I don't interact with them, or at least try not to. Unfortunately, there are those times when you have no choice. When we were looking for a contractor to put a roof on my mother's house we were cautioned to pay NOTHING in advance because as soon as they got enough money for a bag of weed and a tank of gas, we wouldn't see them for a week or more.
We learned early on to find people who are from "someplace else" to do our work for us. And that is exactly what we do. So far, we've had good luck with that.
And to answer your question, previously, I had the opportunity to work with local folks on a daily basis, and it was a very eye-opening experience. The best one was when the whole family called in because they had to go bail bubba out of jail. For anyone with a baby, weekly (if not nightly) visits to the ER are de riguere (coupled with the next-morning ER-hangover which precludes them from being able to work).
They get their car repossessed three weeks after blowing their $4500 tax return. They spend $10 on lunch at McDonalds every day but can't be bothered to buy any "real food" because it's too expensive. etc., etc., etc.
OP: Pick up a copy of "Nickeled and Dimed" at Amazon.com if you really want to know what living in the Ozarks is all about. LOL
20yrsinBranson
Yes, oh yes - me to a T. Uneducated, bucktoothed, illiterate Oz-tard. I'm a local. If that is how you perceive everyone, I'm shocked you've stayed where you are.
Really, 20 years - I'm so offended. This was such a nice, light-hearted thread.
I was warned about hiring locals for any work on the house.
I asked several neighbors and they said they could give me a long list of who not to hire, but couldn't give a positive reference to any local.
I got the reference of a former contractor from Illinois who moved down here.
Not cheap, but excellent quality work.
Perhaps it's this seemingly pervasive attitude from all too many "immigrants" that can pose difficulties for those of us who are happy to assimilate and who, by the way, get (or is that "git") along just fine out in these here Aux Arcs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
