Retirement (Kansas City, Springfield, Branson: relocation, property taxes, housing)

[SassyGirl2]

Originally Posted by malo

Hi everyone

...This is my first post. I've been checking out the retirement forum to see how others are planning their retirements. My wife and I are considering Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon as possible places to retire ..so that's why I'm posting here.

IMHO - Just my personal opinion, of course - of your selections I would opt for southern Missouri (just leave something for the rest of us trying so desperately to get there first) or northern Arkansas, which you did not mention. Just remember, you may choose an area to live in, but the government is ruled at the state level so check out what issues the majority of politicians support.

I am not a resident, yet, of either state although I have many, many relatives in Missouri. There are many more qualified people in this forum who can make more informative recommendations and/or provide specific data for you.

Didn't help you much but I guess it will give you a little "fat to chew on", as we southerners say.

Oh, I do have relatives in Washington, Oregan and Tennessee as well so I have a little exposure to their lifestyles in forming my opinions.

[texangelwings]

I found the cost of living stats online for MO and other States for the first quarter of 2007. Thought this might be good for preparing to retirement.
Cost of Living 1st Quarter 2007

[mrschilicook]

There are lots of websites that compare the cost of living, (taxes, ins. etc.) like Sperlings that you may want to check out. Be aware, however, that the stat's are not always accurate, but they will give you a good feel for cost of living, demographics, weather etc...Plus the City-Data stat's themselves are pretty good.

But for the lowdown, we moved here from northern CA (Pleasanton) after a brief stay in Las Vegas while we were looking for utopia (it didn't exist) in retirement.. We compared most of the states you have mentioned for mostly for tax reasons (no income tax or no sales tax). We looked in the SW MO area only because we were familiar with it 'cause my Dad lives out here.

TN and WA have no income tax. Depending on "the where" in those states, property tax and/or housing costs can be more or they can be less than here in SW MO. We looked in Nashville where the housing was a bit more and property tax much more. We looked in Fairfield Glade TN where property tax was much less, but housing more but TN has no income tax. But FGG got lots of rain and nothing to do unless you played golf. WA tends to have higher housing costs just about everywhere but no income tax. Property taxes were all over the place but generally 1% or a bit more. Then there is the rain if your on the coast. Inland less rain, but more snow. Ditto for Oregon plus you have the hippy politics (no insult intended here..) and very high property taxes.

We have friends who live in Alabama near one of the lakes closer to Georgia...they love it. The house was a bit pricey (on the lake) but their property taxes are ridiculousy low. They, however, hate the humidity levels. (They are originally from St. Louis & they think the humidity is much worse than MO). Plus they have had damage a couple of times from the leading winds of hurricanes hitting the coast.

Housing prices here are low compared to CA, WA, and Oregon. Pretty comparable to TN depending on the where. Property taxes, in most of the states your looking at, are NOT state-wide taxes like CA. They are different from county to county. Many are pretty low (Taney County) and some are high (St. Louis county) relative to CA's 1% plus bonds. HOWEVER, you pay much MUCH less for a house so your still ahead of the game for years to come.

Missouri no longer taxes social secuity (up to 150K for a couple) but they do have income tax on all other types of income. They have no senior or retirement exemptions unless your in a poverty income level. Cost of living in general is considered fairly low. Health insurance is lower than it was in CA or NV, but still expensive before age 65. If you are interested I can share some of our insurance stuff with you if you send me a private message.

The weather is fairly mild here. We own property out on the lake and have been coming here for 25 years or so and have never experienced a lot of snow (a few inches gone in a day or two) or unbearable heat (but remember we have lived in Las Vegas where hot takes on a whole new meaning). It can get hot & humid, but it's not daily and your body adjusts to the humidity after a couple of summers. Plus with A/C it's not the problem it was back when our folks were young. There are more bugs than in CA, NV, or WA. But bug spray service takes care of that for the most part. Where we are mosquito's are not much of a problem..many areas around the lakes areas near/around Branson are fairly mosquito free (one of the science wonders).

Lots of stuff to do here. Fishing, boating, shows, golf, restaurants, sports (Harmon Field hosts the Springfield Cardinals which is the AA team for the St. Louis Cardinals), hiking, and just plain ol' sightseeing.

The only thing we miss here is great seafood, fresh fish, and Trade Joe's...but there are a few of us ex-Cali's that trek up to St. Louis (about 3 1/2 hours) to stock up once every few months.

Your retirement income will go a long way out here. If I do the math correctly you'll be in great shape relative to many folks who retire out here. If there is anything we can share with you, let me know.

[Zoltani]

Originally Posted by malo

Hi everyone

...This is my first post. I've been checking out the retirement forum to see how others are planning their retirements. My wife and I are considering Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon as possible places to retire ..so that's why I'm posting here. I've got about ten years before I'm ready to leave my job ..but could possibly transfer with my company before retirement (very large international company). I've been maxing out on 401k for a while but will have to cut back if we decide to purchase retirement property before retirement (possibly land first -then build after selling California house). I will have a small pension of about $1100, SS appox. $1200, draw from $401k $2,000 (4% of bal.), draw from other investments $800 (4% of bal.). Wife's retirement will kick in 5 yrs. later ..no pension, SS appox. $800, draw from 401k $200. I will have to provide health insurance as my employer does not offer that with my retirement package.

Would appreciate *advice on health ins. and *it's cost for retirees, the *pros and cons of living in above mentioned states and cost to live in said states, and *other recommended places to retire. We prefer not to deal with extreme weather. We are in Northern California now. I see this post is better fitted for the retirement forum, but this site isn't allowing copy and paste ...so I'll post and then try to somehow get this message over to the retirement area. I am very interested in Missouri and would still appreciate feedback from this forum. We were in Southeast Missouri a few weeks ago to watch my son play football and visited Branson while there. We really liked the area and think we could find a good fit somewhere near Springfield and Branson. Thanks for any help.

"Californa expatriates" - Just closed on a lot in Saddlebrooke, MO. Beautiful new development between Ozark and Branson West. 3,500 pristine pastural acres with two Ozark spring-fed crystal-clear creeks meandering throughout the development. It seems that there are many people from all over the U.S. who have moved, or are moving, to SW Missouri. We plan to build within 12-18 months and will fly into the area June, 2008 for the annual Parade of Homes; during which time, we plan to interview prospective home builders and tour some houses to determine construction quality, options, and obtain home-building quotes.

We looked at several planned developments and made the decision that we wanted CCR to protect property values, underground city/public utilites, and we preferred to minimize our exposure to tourist traffic and have easy access to a major highway. Highway 65 allows for quick travel to Branson West, the new Regional Airport (scheduled to open May, 2009) south of Branson off Highway 65 and only a twenty minute drive to Springfield on the North. Another bonus is the city of Ozark (Christian County Seat) ten minutes North of Saddlebrooke. A charming little town with history and modern amenities; as well as a proportedly excellent school system. Easy decision. The website for Saddlebrooke is Saddlebrooke Missouri - Home Best wishes in your quest.

[Huckleberry3911948]

springfield missouri.

i am facinated by this post.
CD has opened up a new world for me. frorm the many posts i see.
two things people want
friendly, politeness, and safety. mean streets do not work for a lot of us.

[Zoltani]

Originally Posted by malo

Hi everyone

...This is my first post. I've been checking out the retirement forum to see how others are planning their retirements. My wife and I are considering Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon as possible places to retire ..so that's why I'm posting here. I've got about ten years before I'm ready to leave my job ..but could possibly transfer with my company before retirement (very large international company). I've been maxing out on 401k for a while but will have to cut back if we decide to purchase retirement property before retirement (possibly land first -then build after selling California house). I will have a small pension of about $1100, SS appox. $1200, draw from $401k $2,000 (4% of bal.), draw from other investments $800 (4% of bal.). Wife's retirement will kick in 5 yrs. later ..no pension, SS appox. $800, draw from 401k $200. I will have to provide health insurance as my employer does not offer that with my retirement package.

Would appreciate *advice on health ins. and *it's cost for retirees, the *pros and cons of living in above mentioned states and cost to live in said states, and *other recommended places to retire. We prefer not to deal with extreme weather. We are in Northern California now. I see this post is better fitted for the retirement forum, but this site isn't allowing copy and paste ...so I'll post and then try to somehow get this message over to the retirement area. I am very interested in Missouri and would still appreciate feedback from this forum. We were in Southeast Missouri a few weeks ago to watch my son play football and visited Branson while there. We really liked the area and think we could find a good fit somewhere near Springfield and Branson. Thanks for any help.

"Californa expatriates" - Just closed on a lot in Saddlebrooke, MO. Beautiful new development between Ozark and Branson West. 3,500 pristine pastural acres with two Ozark spring-fed crystal-clear creeks meandering throughout the development. It seems that there are many people from all over the U.S. who have moved, or are moving, to SW Missouri. We plan to build within 12-18 months and will fly into the area June, 2008 for the annual Parade of Homes; during which time, we plan to interview prospective home builders and see/tour some houses to determine construction quality, options, and obtain quotes.

We looked at several planned developments and made the decision that we wanted CCR to protect property values, underground city/public utilites, and we preferred to minimize our exposure to tourist traffic and have easy access to a major highway. Highway 65 allows for quick travel to Branson West, the new Regional Airport (scheduled to open May, 2009) south of Branson off Highway 65 and only a twenty minute drive to Springfield on the North. Another bonus is the city of Ozark (Christian County Seat) ten minutes North of Saddlebrooke. A charming little town with history and modern amenities; as well as a proportedly excellent school system. Easy decision. The website for Saddlebrooke is Saddlebrooke Missouri - Home Best wishes in your quest.

[skeating]

Come on over to our area. You will love a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll. Real estate is still holding most of its value a slight downward slump but nothing like the rest of the nation. Beautiful land, water, and everything in entertainment.

This area is the new major growth for babyboomers. Springfield is North, Branson is South and Highlandville is in the middle.

You still have the country, small-town feel. Branson is growing leaps and bounds so watch moving into the Branson area. If you want to enjoy both Springfield and Branson move around Highlandville. Watch out for the little townships developing (they are new and have not proved themselves as far as how they will operate).

You can shop til you drop, party all night long, or go to sleep with the sound of the country, your choice. Wherever you pick everything is within an hours drive from Springfield to Branson. From Highlandville you can reach Springfield (north) and Branson (south) within 20 minutes.

BIG POINT TO CONSIDER: TAXES!!!! Green County is getting high, Christian County around Nixa and Ozark is very high, Branson is high. Look into the smaller towns that have been established. SaddleBrooke is a highly taxed area. All the areas are beautiful, but retirees beware on taxes in the bigger cities and new townships.

SLPK

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by Bunky39

springfield missouri.

i am facinated by this post.
CD has opened up a new world for me. frorm the many posts i see.
two things people want
friendly, politeness, and safety. mean streets do not work for a lot of us.

I'm with you, Bunky! There are a lot of people offering great tips and opinions! And I think if there was a prize to be won for friendliness, this MO forum would stand a great chance of winning! Even if we didn't, it's sure a great place to "visit"!

[SassyGirl2]

Originally Posted by Bunky39

springfield missouri.

i am facinated by this post.
CD has opened up a new world for me. frorm the many posts i see.
two things people want
friendly, politeness, and safety. mean streets do not work for a lot of us.

Originally Posted by mrsgenealogy

I'm with you, Bunky! There are a lot of people offering great tips and opinions! And I think if there was a prize to be won for friendliness, this MO forum would stand a great chance of winning! Even if we didn't, it's sure a great place to "visit"!

Not to high jack this thread, but to expound on it. This particular forum is top notch. Since I have joined, I have lurked around all over the place, other states, general forums, everything CD has to offer. I can attest, Missouri is the best. (Hoo boy, I'm a poet!) If you want to know anything, this is the place to come. There are so many knowledgeable people, kind, caring, sharing and concerned. Anyone would be well connected in this group.

BTW, guys and gals, do you realize Bunky fences? Yes, with epees. Seems to be rather good at the sport too. BUNKY - I told you I had been snooping around. Great picture of you in "uniform", if I do say so.

[northbayeric]

These fencers so totally crack me up!

Originally Posted by SassyGirl2

I can attest, Missouri is the best.

That sounds so much like Steak 'N Shake's slogan, "In Sight, It Must Be Right." I was just looking at some of the Iowa forums. They like to bicker a lot in them! Des Moines is the best! Oh no it's not! Iowa's boring! Oh yeah? Let me tell you something! It makes Lancaster, PA !!

Well you get the idea. Maybe I'm guilty of exaggerating just a little. Still, verily, I ratest Missouri the greatest.