Looking to move out of Florida....need some advise (Greensboro: sale, apartment)

[jessepatty]

Originally Posted by silverwing

RE - property taxes on vehicles. I hate 'em, too, but mind that they decrease each year with the value of the vehicle. This thread came at the time I do my year-end personal accounting. I've tracked our vehicle taxes for the last several years.

We have a 2005 Toyota Scion xB, a 2000 Chevy Silverado, and a 12x6 hauling trailer. The middle figure is the value with the number on the right side denoting the tax bill. Keep in mind: that expense is tax deductible. The value of vehicles decrease steadily each year. In fact, it gets to be a little ridiculous. Soon our trailer will probably be taxable in cents rather than dollars (maybe at some point it hasn't enough value to taxed. I'd have to look that up). If you don't have a fancy vehicle, or drive yours till they die, like we do, the tax burden isn't as onerous.

2005
Toyota Scion ........ 13190 -- 80.46
Chevy Silverado ... 13280 -- 76.72
Trailer ................. 1264 -- 7.71

2006
Toyota 12050 -- 73.51
Trailer 1113 ----- 7.35
Chevy 11220 --- 74.05

2007
Toyota 11840 --- 78.15
Trailer 1002 ------ 6.61
Chevy 10160 ---- 67.05

2008
Toyota 11420 ---- 75.37
Trailer 902 ------- 5.59
Chevy 8750 ------ 57.75

If you want to be anal (like me ) and look at it from a numeric POV, it might take hours. No income tax in TN, vs higher sales tax. Well, I guess you'd have to have a round figure on what your average purchases are per year, then compare that to how much you'd be saving in income tax. Then look at things like the cost of housing and insurance. Those are higher in some states than others.

IMO, I think I'd look at quality of life, first. You can't put a $$ amount on that.

As far as NC, people have already pointed out that the mountain areas offer a slim chance at providing an income. But, if you live anywhere near the I-77 corridor, which will give you several choices, you'll just be a skip from the mountains for weekend stuff. That's what many of us who transplanted here over the last few decades have done. I live in the Winston-Salem area (haven't paid much attention to the job scene except to be worried about my Wachovia-employed spouse's future ), and would love to live in the mountains. If we'd been smart 20 years ago, we would have bought some land and at least had a weekend home. Forget that now But, at least we can hop on our motorcycles and be up in the foothills in little over an hour.

Good luck on your search. I remember just a few years ago on this board, people were bragging about selling their homes for obscene amounts in places like California, Florida and the NE and making a killing here on a new one. Seems that things have really done a 180. That's very sad to read. The only thing we all can to do is tighten our belts and ride it out.

Thank you, that is very insightful

We don't have any high dollar cars by any means.... (2006 Dodge Ram ThunderRoad, 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis and a 1997 Ford Expedition) so your post eases my mind on those taxes.

I don't even use the Ram very often so it sits parked most of the time.

I currently pay $46 for the Ram, $36 for the Mercury and $46 for the Expedition YEARLY.... Florida bases your renewal on the vehicles weight...not value.

So do they go by the KBB value or do they inspect the vehicle?
I mean my Ram for example has less then 20K on it even tho it is three years old now.

Well I can tell you nobody is selling anything right now in terms of property (Except new home builders) and they are having to give them away to move them.... the old way of a builder building 10 or 15 spec homes and knowing they will sell right away has gone to the wayside now.... They are now building one or two and waiting for them to sell before building more.

I'm literally giving my home away at the price I'm offering it at... I'm currently $60K below everything for sale in my neighborhood. No killing is going to be made here.

[jessepatty]

Originally Posted by Web B. Rowser

Little Lake Wales is busy and crowded now? Wow! I didnt know Polk Co was booming.

Uh, Yeah, lol

Little Lake Wales is no longer little.... It will soon resemble Winter Haven

[goingreene]

Originally Posted by CarolinaLand

I moved to the Western Part of North Carolina a few years ago and I have never wanted for a job!!! Jobs are here if you look and are willing to re-train your self and wife.

Also the cost of living is much less ... much less... I live on 20 acres with a 3 bed 3 bath 1500 square foot home and a 20x40 shop and pay only $1,300 per year in taxes.

Jobs are NOT here, atleast not ones you can support a family on or ones that you could consider stable ( with the exception of healthcare and education).Most of the factories are gone, the housing market is at a complete stand still which effects numerous other industries.I know people that have been looking for a job for months and have found nothing.And I'm not talking high dollar jobs either.My cousin finally found a part time job at Ingles and is lucky to get 8 hours a week.Unless you are related to someone, the good jobs, are few and far between. Not trying to offend anyone, just speakin the truth.The job situation here is bleak, at best!!

[jdljr]

I lived in Johnson City (TN) for about a year and a half before moving over to Boone (NC) in Nov 2007. I liked the tri-cities, it's at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, has an airport served by several airlines, and was close to major interstates. Additionally as people have said, there was no state income tax. Yes, the sales tax was higher to compensate but you could always buy things across the border in VA if the extra 2% bothered you that much. Further, TN does not require inspections on your vehicles and does not charge a vehicle tax. It cost me $24 to renew my vehicle registration on my 2002 Honda Civic (vehicle registration costs vary by county, but Washington County and Carter County - (where Johnson City is located) were among the cheapest in the state). AND, gas is cheaper in much of TN than in NC because, as I understand it, NC has the 2nd highest gas tax in the country.

When I lived in TN I thought it was a bargain. I didn't own property, though, so not sure about the property taxes. But sometimes I wondered why more people didn't live there. Great location in the rolling hills of East TN, PLENTY of chain stores in Johnson City (Wal Mart, K Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels (craft store), Old Navy, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kohls, JC Penney, Belk, Sears, Sams Club, Pier 1, Barnes and Noble, plus many many other commonly known stores including FedEx Kinkos, UPS Store, Dollar General, Honeybaked Ham store, Blockbuster, etc, etc, etc ...plus many chain restaurants - Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, Smoky Bones, Red Lobster, Johnny Carinos, Carrabas, Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, Texas Roadhouse, Cheddars, Ryans, Golden Corral, Logan's Roadhouse, - and other local eateries and many fast food places). You'll find all the drug store chains and all the car dealership chains. You name it, Johnson City likely has it (or something similar) - and with a population of around 50,000. But it still has a very rural feel.

You've also got ETSU (East Tennessee State University), the Bristol Motor Speedway (NASCAR), and a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. There are also, I think, two trauma centers within the Tri-Cities region.

There's a nice lake nearby for recreation, and if you want to ski or have fun in the mountains, you can hop in the car and drive the 60 miles to the area where I now live in NC.

You could live in town, or travel out of town by just 5 minutes and be in a country setting. And there's no rush hour, either. Just minutes outside Johnson City is a town called Jonesborough which is Tennessee's oldest town. They still have the old west style main street.

To me, East Tennessee (Tri Cities - Johnson City area) is a great place. Even though I now live in the Boone (NC) area, just 60 miles from Johnson City, Johnson City was where I chose to relocate after living in Northern CA for 35 years.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by jdljr

I lived in Johnson City (TN) for about a year and a half before moving over to Boone (NC) in Nov 2007. I liked the tri-cities, it's at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, has an airport served by several airlines, and was close to major interstates. Additionally as people have said, there was no state income tax. Yes, the sales tax was higher to compensate but you could always buy things across the border in VA if the extra 2% bothered you that much. Further, TN does not require inspections on your vehicles and does not charge a vehicle tax. It cost me $24 to renew my vehicle registration on my 2002 Honda Civic (vehicle registration costs vary by county, but Washington County and Carter County - (where Johnson City is located) were among the cheapest in the state). AND, gas is cheaper in much of TN than in NC because, as I understand it, NC has the 2nd highest gas tax in the country.

When I lived in TN I thought it was a bargain. I didn't own property, though, so not sure about the property taxes. But sometimes I wondered why more people didn't live there. Great location in the rolling hills of East TN, PLENTY of chain stores in Johnson City (Wal Mart, K Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels (craft store), Old Navy, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kohls, JC Penney, Belk, Sears, Sams Club, Pier 1, Barnes and Noble, plus many many other commonly known stores including FedEx Kinkos, UPS Store, Dollar General, Honeybaked Ham store, Blockbuster, etc, etc, etc ...plus many chain restaurants - Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, Smoky Bones, Red Lobster, Johnny Carinos, Carrabas, Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, Texas Roadhouse, Cheddars, Ryans, Golden Corral, Logan's Roadhouse, - and other local eateries and many fast food places). You'll find all the drug store chains and all the car dealership chains. You name it, Johnson City likely has it (or something similar) - and with a population of around 50,000. But it still has a very rural feel.

You've also got ETSU (East Tennessee State University), the Bristol Motor Speedway (NASCAR), and a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. There are also, I think, two trauma centers within the Tri-Cities region.

There's a nice lake nearby for recreation, and if you want to ski or have fun in the mountains, you can hop in the car and drive the 60 miles to the area where I now live in NC.

You could live in town, or travel out of town by just 5 minutes and be in a country setting. And there's no rush hour, either. Just minutes outside Johnson City is a town called Jonesborough which is Tennessee's oldest town. They still have the old west style main street.

To me, East Tennessee (Tri Cities - Johnson City area) is a great place. Even though I now live in the Boone (NC) area, just 60 miles from Johnson City, Johnson City was where I chose to relocate after living in Northern CA for 35 years.

Wow, they do have everything to offer in Johnson City! Did you live right in JC or in the suburbs?

[jdljr]

Originally Posted by beckycat

Wow, they do have everything to offer in Johnson City! Did you live right in JC or in the suburbs?

My address was Johnson City, but I lived in Carter County between Johnson City and Elizabethton. Johnson City proper is in Washington County, but some of the outlying areas considered to be Johnson City are in Carter County. The house I lived in was on some acreage and my roommate had cattle. VERY quiet and VERY dark at night, lol, but within just 10 minutes of either Johnson City or Elizabethton.

The Tri Cities are made of of three main cities - Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport (all TN). There are also a few communities within the Tri Cities that are their own municipalities like Elizabethton, Gray, Bluff City, Piney Flats, Blountville). Additionally, Bristol TN has its sister city of Bristol, VA (the states's borders of TN and VA go right through downtown Bristol). I MUCH preferred Johnson City over the other two main cities of Bristol and Kingsport. I actually worked in Bristol, VA when I lived there, and commuted the 42 miles each way. And even though I didn't live in VA, I still had to pay VA state income taxes since my income was earned there. Bummer since, if I'd've worked in TN, there was no state income tax.

Now, I don't know anything about the crime statistics or the schools (I guess that data could be found on this website, though!), but I was very impressed with what the area had to offer and it just amazed me that Johnson City could have sooo much - and that there weren't more people there to take advantage of it! I know I sound like a cheerleader for Johnson City, but it literally was one of the FEW places in the ENTIRE U.S. that I considered moving to when I was looking to move out of CA when you take into consideration the weather, the cost of living, and the charm.

[happeemommee]

Compared to Boone, how much snow did JC get? How do you like Boone compared to JC?

[jdljr]

Originally Posted by happeemommee

Compared to Boone, how much snow did JC get? How do you like Boone compared to JC?

JC did not get near as much snow as Boone. Occasionally an inch in JC, whereas this year where I live near Boone we've had 9 snowstorms since Oct 28th dumping 1-3" each storm. I believe JC is around 1500 ft elevation, and Boone is above 3000 ft elevation.

I like Boone, but believe it or not the traffic can be a bit worse than JC, and there are FAR FEWER chain stores to choose from here - we have a Wal Mart (regular, not a Super Center), a K Mart, a Lowe's Home Improvement, and Big Lots. And our very small mall has, among other mostly unnotable retailers, an Old Navy, a JC Penney and a Belk - which about rounds out the list of what we have as far as "big box" retailers. As far as chain restaurants, we have Applebees and Ruby Tuesday's. Granted, the population here is much smaller (14,000) and it's in the High Country, less accessible, and I think mainly tourist and college driven (so prices are a bit higher). We have to drive 2 hours to an airport (Charlotte or Greensboro, OR Johnson City). I don't ski, so the ski resorts are of no importance to me. But being in the High Country is nice, near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the views from some of the vistas like the Parkway and nearby Grandfather Mountain area are great. I'd call the area around Johnson City rolling (foot)hills, whereas Boone is actually IN the mountains (which seems funny to me, 3,000 ft being mountains, having come from Northern CA where 3,000 ft is considered foothills, which lead up to 7,000+ ft summits).

[mm34b]

Boone has an elevation of 3,266 feet above sea level. Johnson City is 1,635 feet.

The Southeast Regional Climate Center states that Boone averaged 35.8" of snow per year over a 51 year period, while Johnson City averaged 11.2" over a 112 year period.

[castufari]

I'd seriously consider find a job before moving here. Things are tight, construction is down, tourism is down (off season now), retail is slow. There was a job fair at the mall a few weeks ago and 2k people showed up, someone I know who is out of work ended up taking a PT job with McDonalds just to pay rent. Real estate is down (not sure the amount, one realtor told me that "now is the time to buy" and another told me that she'd call me once she left her new non realtor job). The state has frozen positions, I think Asheville/Buncombe have too. No idea about heavy equipment, I can imagine that the city has a ton of applications for all of the HE guys who are already out of a job.