Looking at eastern tenn or Va from Montana

[suzytx]

Consider the full tax implications of whichever state you pick. That's why we struck Virginia and North Carolina off our list. While prices may cool off, I don't see that happening anytime soon. And to that, consider what inflation will do to the value of your current $400,000 budget over time..

[Serious Conversation]

A person really needs to weigh all the factors.

Like someone else mentioned, the Tri-Cities region has now been “discovered” since the pandemic. I bought a condo in Bristol in 2019. My property value has gone up about 50% in the 2.5 years I’ve had the place. Yes, there are some specifics to Bristol (casino approve/concrete opening date) to that do help, but prices are up in northeast TN across the board, even in less desirable areas like Kingsport or Hawkins County. The area is not the value it once was.

Also, I wholly agree about wages. I work in IT and am fully remote, so less impacted, but things like manufacturing and trades, and even most office jobs, do not make as much as nearby markets, even if you adjust for the cost of living. You need to do due diligence on wages if you will be dependent on the local labor market.

Southwest VA has higher property tax rates, but in general, substantially lower valuations that make ls PITI in favor of southwest VA. My girlfriend lives about twenty minutes outside of Asheville in NC in a modular home (not a trailer - permanent foundation) with three acres and wonderful Mountain Views for under $250k.

I would try to decide on what amenities and things you want, then try to fit the budget around the location. I much prefer WNC. I’d rather live there for the things I value than avoid state income taxes and have lower property prices than most of northeast TN. I’d adjust my lifestyle accordingly.

[md21722]

I think Serious Conversation summed it up well.

The only thing I can add is that from a paperwork and tax perspective NC > VA > TN.

The wifey's son recently moved from Raleigh, NC to Colorado. When he got to Colorado, he sold his car which was tagged in NC to CarMax and canceled his insurance like any reasonable person would. NC fined him for not returning the tag on a car he no longer owned before he canceled insurance. To me this is just ridiculous. This would not happen in TN or VA. NC also still has Jim Crow era laws on the books, like the pistol purchase permit designed to prevent blacks and poor whites from owning guns. In NC you have to go to he county sheriff's office to get a pistol purchase permit. In TN or VA you can just go to a gun store and they will hand you the gun/ rifle after they clear you through the instant check system. NC also assumes that you make out of state purchases and charges you an extra 0.1% rate on your income tax unless you provide receipts. NC also has 'alienation of affection' laws still on the book. If your wife leaves you for another man, you can sue that man for loss of affection. Most states got rid of that 100 years ago. However, the land and setting is second to none. You will not find it anywhere else. For many they just don't think about it, and for others, NC can seem like New Jersey with Sweet Tea.

[Cody01]

I haven't quite ruled out W VA and Penn either. Though the farther north the more winter it stays longer.

[I Luv Chins]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I much prefer WNC. I’d rather live there for the things I value than avoid state income taxes and have lower property prices than most of northeast TN. I’d adjust my lifestyle accordingly.

High insurance, both home and car. In NC, our house insurance went up by $100, one year, after a spate of hurricane damage. When I squawked at our agent, he frankly said "yeah, I know you live near Winston-Salem, but state mandates dictate we spread the pain."

The HUT (Highway Use Tax) after buying a car or bringing one in. Ridiculous taxes on everything from a landscape trailer to a scooter to an RV. Those have to be paid before you can get new tags. Vehicle inspections. High health insurance premiums under the ACA.

Property tax on dwellings - that actually wasn't so bad. Depends on the county.

All that being said - I wish we could have afforded to stay in NC. Once we retired, we had no choice but to find a way to make our $$ go farther. Choosing TN seemed to be the right thing to do. We thought "it's next door to NC, we won't feel a lurch." Except we did. Told Spouse "I'm OK living here right now; there are advantages; but I am not going to die in this damned state." I hope we can one day return to the W-S area. WNC is great for touring, but we prefer the Piedmont.

[md21722]

Originally Posted by I Luv Chins

High insurance, both home and car. In NC, our house insurance went up by $100, one year, after a spate of hurricane damage. When I squawked at our agent, he frankly said "yeah, I know you live near Winston-Salem, but state mandates dictate we spread the pain."

The HUT (Highway Use Tax) after buying a car or bringing one in. Ridiculous taxes on everything from a landscape trailer to a scooter to an RV. Those have to be paid before you can get new tags. Vehicle inspections. High health insurance premiums under the ACA.

Property tax on dwellings - that actually wasn't so bad. Depends on the county.

All that being said - I wish we could have afforded to stay in NC. Once we retired, we had no choice but to find a way to make our $$ go farther. Choosing TN seemed to be the right thing to do. We thought "it's next door to NC, we won't feel a lurch." Except we did. Told Spouse "I'm OK living here right now; there are advantages; but I am not going to die in this damned state." I hope we can one day return to the W-S area. WNC is great for touring, but we prefer the Piedmont.

The HUT is not that bad relative to other states.

https://www.ncdot.gov/about-us/how-w...-edition-3.pdf

The numbers in that PDF are actually wrong for TN; the tax is $80-88 more depending on where you live.

The original poster is coming from Montana which has:
- income tax
- no sales tax
- among the highest vehicle insurance rates in the U.S. (more than 2x NC)
- high vehicle registration fees

The difference between TN and many surrounding states is that TN charges you a lot to buy a vehicle but then cheap to maintain ownership. Other states give you a break on the purchase tax and charge a yearly personal property tax that can be hundreds of dollars.

[Page2]

Originally Posted by Cody01

Oh, that is a concern. I do know a lot of locals in Montana go to Arizona for better air. We are just so windy here. I can't produce natural tears because they are basically sealed off so I am constantly using eye drops. It is annoying. Last thing I do at night, first thing in the morning, and throughout the day I wettening my eyes. Our nonstop wind really makes it a lot worse.

I spent some time in SW Montana area before working my way here. If you have allergies issues you might want to double-check the local situation. We've been under a high pollen alert for several days and people with allergies have issues here.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by I Luv Chins

High insurance, both home and car. In NC, our house insurance went up by $100, one year, after a spate of hurricane damage. When I squawked at our agent, he frankly said "yeah, I know you live near Winston-Salem, but state mandates dictate we spread the pain."

The HUT (Highway Use Tax) after buying a car or bringing one in. Ridiculous taxes on everything from a landscape trailer to a scooter to an RV. Those have to be paid before you can get new tags. Vehicle inspections. High health insurance premiums under the ACA.

Property tax on dwellings - that actually wasn't so bad. Depends on the county.

All that being said - I wish we could have afforded to stay in NC. Once we retired, we had no choice but to find a way to make our $$ go farther. Choosing TN seemed to be the right thing to do. We thought "it's next door to NC, we won't feel a lurch." Except we did. Told Spouse "I'm OK living here right now; there are advantages; but I am not going to die in this damned state." I hope we can one day return to the W-S area. WNC is great for touring, but we prefer the Piedmont.

Since this got moved out of the local forum, I'll be more frank.

I'm originally from the Tri-Cities, but have lived in the suburbs outside of Des Moines, IA and Indianapolis, IN. I've also spent around a year total living in metro Boston on business. The Tri-Cities holds little appeal, IMO.

Five years ago, a person could move to the Tri-Cities and get a reasonably updated, nice home, zoned to good schools in Johnson City for $200k-$250k. A bit less in Kingsport or Bristol, much less in rural areas. A huge appeal of the area was that some areas were nice, but still much cheaper than Nashville or even Knoxville. You kept the state income tax savings. Wages, while low, somewhat tracked the local housing market.

That's no longer the case at all. My property in Bristol has gone up 50% in 2.5 years. I could probably sell it, given that I have a new heat pump and a slightly more updated unit, for 60% more than I bought it for. Wages aren't going up like that. Nothing has fundamentally changed in the local economy. We have some out of area remote/retiree interest, but nothing like Asheville. Personally, outside of JC and maybe Bristol, I don't see the local real estate boom as sustainable.

Even if the "tax delta" between NC/TN is 10%, I'd rather live in NC. It's a nicer place IMO.