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If you're Asian, you'll probably want to live in a city or town that has a good Asian supermarket.
If you're Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish, or even Eastern Orthodox Christian, you might want to live in a community where there is a temple, synagogue or denominational church you can worship in and become part of that community.
If you're part of the LGBT community you'll want to be near a place that has an LGBT Community Center or organization or business where you can socialize with other LGBT people.
If you have a particular medical issue you definitely would want to be not too far from a place with a good medical infrastructure - hospitals, specialists, etc.
So, it's not just about climate and taxes.
I think many larger metro areas have the things you mention. I know we have most of them. Although sometimes you have to dig a little to find them (e.g., our largest Asian grocery store doesn't advertise - it's mostly "word of mouth"). Robyn
I'm just as confused as ever. However- Hubbie and I will have SS each and each of us a NYS pension (mine is real small, only slightly more than $500/ month- I'm already retired. Took early retirement to run our goat dairy a few years back). I like the idea of no state income tax. We are currently paying about $9000K in property taxes, and a little over $1000/ month for a Mortgage (just P & I). My whole SS and pension currently just goes for the house. I feel there has to be something better than that. We are looking for only a tiny house- a bed and a bowl- sort of thing in a good area (approx. 800-900 sf). I would like to stay under $150K for a house , preferably under $100K, or about, so we can buy it for cash. We have 6 dogs so we don't want a condo or anything like that. Right now we are strongest in liking the St Augustine or Ormond Beach, Fla areas. Any ideas/ imput? Thanks.
Will you be raising goats? Some of the rural areas of St. Augustine/St. Johns county might suit you (we once went on a farm tour there and some people had a goat dairy). Although the smaller parcels are probably disappearing (they're either gobbled up by subdivisions to the east or large farms to the west). Those that remain probably aren't cheap either. I would be surprised if there is anything in your price range (although it never hurts to look). Also - in these rural areas - well you will get "rural behavior". Like people doing target practice in their yards. So you have to be very much "live and let live".
Ormond Beach (Volusia County) is probably as pricey as these parts of St. Johns County - if not more so. What about Flagler County (in the middle and less developed?). Only problem with Flagler County is it's a hike to the JAX metro area to the north or a hike to the Daytona Beach area to the south (or to Orlando).
I would also take a look at parts of northside/western Duval County (Jacksonville - the city limits are the same as the county limits). Parts of Nassau County. Clay County too. Perhaps some more rural counties in the area - like Baker County.
I am not sure what you mean by "a good area". There are "good areas" in these places in the sense that they're safe. But they do tend to be on the lower end of the income scale ($100-150k isn't going to buy you much in most parts of Florida). And some are pretty southern and rednecky. I suggest picking a large brokerage firm that has local offices in all these areas - talking with brokers and getting a sense of what's what. Then - when you get the time - I would come down here for a few weeks. Spend a lot of time driving around (because I'm talking about a very large geographical area) - and see what you like (if anything). Although I live in this part of the world - and have been in most of these areas at least once - I have never looked at them with an eye toward moving there.
BTW - We have a 5 dog/pet maximum in St. Johns County in areas that are zoned "residential". To keep 6 dogs - you will need property that is zoned "open rural" or similar. I suspect other Florida counties have similar laws. If the dogs are essential to you - that might narrow your options a whole lot. Robyn
Thanks Robyn 55. No we will not have anymore goats- don't have them now. Had to re-home them due to medical problems with hubby and me Thanks for the info about dogs. Getting rid of 1 dog is not an option. One dog is old (14) but she may live for yrs yet. Moving to Florida would not be an option if it meant re-homing a pet.
I live in Florida, and the no-state-income tax really helped me out when I moved here for a great job (which I am still working at) in the early years of my professional life.
But insurance costs have gone up every year and are now the equivalent of a state income tax. The sales tax is also relatively high in FL. 7%? I am not sure but around there. The cost of housing where I live in Boca Raton has gone through the roof.
I will move in a few years when I retire (if all goes as planned). I may stay in Florida, but I would prefer to move back nearer to family in Maine, Mass and RI. Though I have a house (I am really addressing a few different things in this thread!) there is a strong possibility of a sinkhole under it, so it will be a teardown/sale for land deal. I am not going to lie to someone else about this, as I was lied to.
It would all be so much easier if I could count on equity in my home, but that is not going to happen. I guess I can hope that land values will continue to make a comeback from the 2007+ meltdown. I don't have too much of a mortgage left, so I won't lose money. I may even have a downpayment on a new house, but probably not enough unless I stay in FL.
The plan is to visit around Sarasota and see how it seems. I also quite like the theme parks in the Orlando area and the col and also cost of housing can be OK there--crime is a problem in a lot of areas, though.
FL sales tax burden is still below the national average.
Here in Indiana, we actually pay MORE in sales taxes, as well as having a state level income tax, and a county level income tax, and we're thought of as a low tax state.
Thanks Robyn 55. No we will not have anymore goats- don't have them now. Had to re-home them due to medical problems with hubby and me Thanks for the info about dogs. Getting rid of 1 dog is not an option. One dog is old (14) but she may live for yrs yet. Moving to Florida would not be an option if it meant re-homing a pet.
Then you'll have to look at pet rules - county by county (or city by city). The counties in Florida that limit pets (which is probably most of them) limit them in areas with certain types of zoning (e.g., "residential" areas). Areas that are zoned rural or agricultural usually don't have similar limits. So your dogs may not be ok in parts of a county - ok in others. Robyn
Our Medical Costs in retirement are covered using Medicare. We are relatively healthy (knock wood) at this time, I use a Medicare Advantage plan with premiums deducted from my pension check. It's less than $50 per month.
That is great!
I take Part B and Part D, and Supplement (much more expensive!). I thought this is what everybody does...
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