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How can Georgia possibly be a happy medium if you ski?
They used to actually have a small hill near Dillard; not sure if they still do. When I lived in Atlanta many years ago, we would do day trips to Cataloochee in NC when the weather was right. Most of the time, they had narrow little trails open that were okay for the SE but right after a big snow they would open a huge sloping meadow. It faced the wrong way and the snow wouldn't last, but a few times a year it was fun. I lived out in CO for 8 years in early adulthood and had awesome skiing, but I still can enjoy a day at a small resort.
How can Georgia possibly be a happy medium if you ski?
The far, far north does have some big hills that the locals call mountains. Some OK ski slopes, just OK. Nothing like Idaho or Colorado, for sure. You are so close to Tennessee there, really, might as well cross the border and ditch the state income tax, IMHO.
My wife and I moved to Pensacola 3 years ago (for a job) and we are currently looking to move just South of Knoxville in Tellico Village when we retire next summer. What we have found living here is that summers are truly more hot and humid than anyone can convince you of until you live it. We miss the 4 seasons (grew up in NE Oklahoma). Knoxville is close to the Smokies and close to nice lakes and streams (if you like outdoor activities). The cost of living in Tennessee is cheaper than Florida even though both have no state income tax.
I didn't realize you were from NE OK. My dad was born in the Sallisaw area and lived there for 25 years before he passed. Tellico Village gets people from all over the country. We are mostly transplants in the village, so it's easy to make friends because everyone is friendly and wants to talk.
I didn't realize you were from NE OK. My dad was born in the Sallisaw area and lived there for 25 years before he passed. Tellico Village gets people from all over the country. We are mostly transplants in the village, so it's easy to make friends because everyone is friendly and wants to talk.
After reading through this thread yesterday I spent a little time online checking out Tellico Village. I nearly fell of my chair when I looked at the property tax rates. For the same assessed value home as mine which I pay $6,000 in annual property taxes it would cost me $1,000 in Tellico Village. Also, what I did find unusual is although I know TV it is an all age community with the bulk of the population retirees, the homes currently for sale seem to be quite large and not the size of a typical retirement home. With that in mind do most residents utilize landscapers and cleaning help to maintain their homes ? The last thing I would want to do in retirement is clean a large home and maintain a large yard, or spend the money I would save in property taxes for someone else to do it.
Although the info is probably available somewhere online which I can't seem to find, it would be helpful to know what is the typical cost of home owner's insurance, heat, electric, cable, water, etc. in TV for a $250,000-$300,000 home.
There are a huge variety of home sizes and landscaping types (from impeccably groomed lawns to naturalized woods) in TV. The smallest homes are around 1300 sq feet, and more of these are currently being built for downsizers, all the way up to 6000 sq ft lakefront monsters. Many folks do use landscapers and some folks (like us) do their own. There are also many who use housekeepers, especially those with large homes, but I think most people don't except for deep cleaning or doing the windows. We have an on-line community forum where people offer their referrals and opinions on those that they have worked with. It's a great resource to find help for projects like gutter cleaning, or tree removal, etc.
Our homeowners insurance on a $350k home is around $900 per year. I'm going to shop around for a new insurer possibly next year. For cable/internet/phone you have many options. Some areas of Tellico can get Xfinity. Many use Charter Cable triple play, and some go with Direct TV, or Dish Network. A lot of folks have no land lines, but they are so cheap through Charter that we kept the landline. Rates for these are pretty much the same nationwide. Cell reception in the village is generally good, but some areas have problems due to hilly terrain. Verizon has the best coverage overall. I have AT&T and have had no problems with dead spots. You can probably find discount providers that use the big providers towers and get the same coverage. Heat and electric are highly variable based upon the home and user temperature preferences. Our home is very well insulated and we are a bit miserly with the heat and AC (67-69 degrees in winter and 77-78 degrees in summer), but we pay less than $100/ month for electric year round in a 2700 sq ft home. We have a very efficient heat pump with propane backup. We get power from Loudon Utility Board (LUB) and the kWH rate varies slightly each month, but is quite low by national standards because it comes from TVA. You can figure it to be around 11 cents per kWH. We use propane for back-up heat, oven/range, and water heater, and we use less than 500 gal per year at a rate that varies but is generally between $1.59-1.99/gal. If you own your own tank you can shop for the lowest price; if it is a leased tank, you are stuck with that provider and some are definitely higher! Happy to answer any other questions and you can feel free to PM me if you like.
edited to add: Water/sewer is based upon usage. Ours is about $70/month in summer, and lower in winter because outdoor sprinkler systems have to be shut down in winter.
Last edited by TheShadow; 11-22-2015 at 08:46 AM..
After reading through this thread yesterday I spent a little time online checking out Tellico Village. I nearly fell of my chair when I looked at the property tax rates. For the same assessed value home as mine which I pay $6,000 in annual property taxes it would cost me $1,000 in Tellico Village. Also, what I did find unusual is although I know TV it is an all age community with the bulk of the population retirees, the homes currently for sale seem to be quite large and not the size of a typical retirement home. With that in mind do most residents utilize landscapers and cleaning help to maintain their homes ? The last thing I would want to do in retirement is clean a large home and maintain a large yard, or spend the money I would save in property taxes for someone else to do it.
Thanks in advance for the info.
We have a few friends who are moving to TV from Chicago as soon as they sell their homes.
I would give you one warning. The property taxes in Tennessee are fairly low by national standards. They are downright cheap in EASTERN Tennessee. However, the property taxes in middle Tennessee in the counties around Nashville can be twice those in the eastern part of the state.
If taxes are a major consideration, you should also look at Kentucky where the property taxes are often lower than Tennessee and there is a substantial tax benefits for retirees.
Most people in retirement communities pay landscapers. You factor it into your monthly cost of housing.
Once you get to a certain age/physical condition - you're going to pay for landscaping (either directly or indirectly through HOA fees). Because you won't be able to do it anymore. My husband "retired" as our "lawn guy" 2 years ago. FWIW - "naturalized woods" can cost more to maintain than plain old grass and shrubs. Because tree work (at least when it's done by people who are properly licensed and insured) is very expensive. Still - I love my trees. So I'm willing to pay for the work the trees need.
In terms of housekeepers - I've had a housekeeper once a week since I was in my 20's and working. And don't plan to stop now . Robyn
Thank you for providing the info I requested. Aside from currently paying much more on property taxes, a little more on home owner's insurance likely being attributed to being in a hurricane zone, electric, heat, water, etc. pretty much the same. What draws me to communities like Tellico Villages and The Villages in Florida etc., are the active adult amenities these communities offer. Lots to think about and I see lots of various community visits over the next several years. Thanks again for your input.
Once you get to a certain age/physical condition - you're going to pay for landscaping (either directly or indirectly through HOA fees). Because you won't be able to do it anymore. My husband "retired" as our "lawn guy" 2 years ago. FWIW - "naturalized woods" can cost more to maintain than plain old grass and shrubs. Because tree work (at least when it's done by people who are properly licensed and insured) is very expensive. Still - I love my trees. So I'm willing to pay for the work the trees need.
In terms of housekeepers - I've had a housekeeper once a week since I was in my 20's and working. And don't plan to stop now . Robyn
Hubby currently cuts our grass on a riding mower but we do have a landscaper who does the heavy work. Matter of fact our landscaper was here today cleaning up our leaf covered yard which the $400 this service cost is pretty reasonable around here.
Robyn, would love to know about your area as Florida is definitely on our relocation radar.
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. Robyn
