Challenge: find a nicer house than this (real estate, to buy)

[Gaylord_Focker]

under 400k, in a top 50 metro:

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Alpharetta...9udW1iZXI9Mg==

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

under 400k, in a top 50 metro:

Bottom line is it boils down to location which is the fundamental principle of real estate valuation. I could take that same house and drop it into 100 different locations and get 100 different values. That's why you have to pick a location or several first and then go from there. If you're ok with living in the south, that opens up many other states and cities where land is cheaper including TX, FL, NC, SC, GA, TN, et al. Compare that to the midwest and southwest and you'll get even more options.

Most important consideration is this. Do you have anything else keeping you in the PNW such as:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Preferred climate
4. Preferred natural environment
5. Proximity to work
etc...

If none of those apply and its simply a matter of finding a better deal on a house, then the south, midwest or southwest will get you more house for the money. We have several members here who moved to WA from the south or own homes in both places. I've also lived in CO where its cheaper. There are pros/cons in every location. You just have to pick those which work for you and your families' preferences. Most importantly, you have to be brutally honest with yourself. What looks good on paper can be a whole different thing is terms of overall QOL experience once actually living somewhere else. The grass always being greener is a real thing which we can sometimes fool ourselves or family about for a time.

BTW, a friend of mine moved to Atlanta from the west coast for similar reasons - low lost housing. He eventually moved back after a couple of years because he realized he liked living on the west coast so much more. So he sold his big, cheap(er) Atlanta house and bought a smaller, more expensive home in SoCal.

I recommend posting this same question in the general US forum here: https://www.city-data.com/forum/general-u-s/. I guarentee you'll get multiple answers depending on people's preferences for location.

Derek

[texasdiver]

3300 square ft new construction with pool in gated community in Oklahoma City:

https://www.zillow.com/community/res...90749698_zpid/

or

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...71240928_zpid/

Or you could move to the tony Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights and buy this 3300 sf historic brick colonial built in 1923

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...33685091_zpid/

[cyberous]

One look at the state, and no thank you.

Plenty of nice places in the south but the culture is not for me. Have been there way too much for work, and there is a reason why people flock to the coasts.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by cyberous

One look at the state, and no thank you.

Plenty of nice places in the south but the culture is not for me. Have been there way too much for work, and there is a reason why people flock to the coasts.

We spent a decade in Texas (hence my handle here which I don't know how to change). It can be a good place to get ahead and make a good start on a career because the cost of living is low and career opportunities abound. But after a while you look around take stock, and say: "what are we still doing here?"

My wife had more opportunities to climb during the early years in her medical career in Texas than she would have in the Northwest. And it was so much easier to buy a house and live on a budget than here. But eventually you start asking if that is where you really want to spend the rest of your life and if you really want to raise your kids to become little Texans.

There are other non-coastal states that are pretty nice. I can see living in some of the Rocky Mountain states like CO or NM. Or in the some of the great lakes states like MN. But the south? Not for me either.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

We spent a decade in Texas (hence my handle here which I don't know how to change). It can be a good place to get ahead and make a good start on a career because the cost of living is low and career opportunities abound. But after a while you look around take stock, and say: "what are we still doing here?"

My wife had more opportunities to climb during the early years in her medical career in Texas than she would have in the Northwest. And it was so much easier to buy a house and live on a budget than here. But eventually you start asking if that is where you really want to spend the rest of your life and if you really want to raise your kids to become little Texans.

There are other non-coastal states that are pretty nice. I can see living in some of the Rocky Mountain states like CO or NM. Or in the some of the great lakes states like MN. But the south? Not for me either.

There really are lots of options depending on preferences. CO isn't that bad of a place to call home. The Rockies are certainly beautiful offering lots of outdoor activities. If I didn't love the coast so much, we probably could have remained there as did some of our friends and family who migrated from the west coast.

I've spent some time in the south on business and can see the appeal as well as trade-offs. Lot's of west coast folks moving back and forth between those states. I would love being on the coast but miss the mountains over here too much. I also prefer cooler weather to the heat and humidity of the south. But some make the transition and end up staying. 10 years is a lot of time to live in TX. You lasted longer than others who go only to discover its not for them longer term.

I know I don't regret our move to CO even though it didn't work out long term. Sometimes it good to go out and explore other parts of the country and experience different cultures. It can be good for a season of life which can help with one's career. Or it can simply provide a chance to live in another place which helps one ultimately discover what's really important for them and their family longer term.

Derek

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

There really are lots of options depending on preferences. CO isn't that bad of a place to call home. The Rockies are certainly beautiful offering lots of outdoor activities. If I didn't love the coast so much, we probably could have remained there as did some of our friends and family who migrated from the west coast.

I've spent some time in the south on business and can see the appeal as well as trade-offs. Lot's of west coast folks moving back and forth between those states. I would love being on the coast but miss the mountains over here too much. I also prefer cooler weather to the heat and humidity of the south. But some make the transition and end up staying. 10 years is a lot of time to live in TX. You lasted longer than others who go only to discover its not for them longer term.

I know I don't regret our move to CO even though it didn't work out long term. Sometimes it good to go out and explore other parts of the country and experience different cultures. It can be good for a season of life which can help with one's career. Or it can simply provide a chance to live in another place which helps one ultimately discover what's really important for them and their family longer term.

Life happens before you know it. We originally went to TX for my wife’s medical residency which you don’t really pick. You get matched and the program was one of the top in the country and best match for her. The alternatives at the time with offers were in Vegas, Phoenix, and some big city hospitals in Chicago and Detroit. So we made the obvious choice.

After she graduated we made a recruiting trip back through the Northwest and she interviewed for jobs in Portland and Salem and Spokane but nothing looked really perfect. Then she was offered a prestigious faculty teaching job in TX for more money and benefits anything in OR and I had just started a new teaching job so we decided to stay there for a few more years. By the time we decided we were about done with TX the oldest was in HS and struggling a bit to find her way so we decided to wait out her HS career so she could graduate with her friends before leaving. We closed on the house the day after her graduation and hit the road for Camas a day later. Ten years can go by in a flash. It was a good place to raise the kids. We had good schools and a nice suburban home with a pool. TX has lots of great kids museums and zoos and that sort of thing so it is fairly kid friendly. There just isn’t much to do outdoors unless you want to bass fish. We did most of our local holidays on the gulf coast. Either South Padre or Destin FL which are both nice.

The politics, heat, religion, and lack of outdoor space finally did me in and wore me out. Also the endless car centric suburban sprawl.

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

under 400k, in a top 50 metro:

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Alpharetta...9udW1iZXI9Mg==

Having lived in the Atlanta area, a 1980's stucco exterior would be a no-go for me. It might be fine, but a lot of them weren't.

[MtnSurfer]

I think I found Gaylord's forever home. My brother-in-law used to live on Gaylord St.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...6_M17334-39672

Derek

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

under 400k, in a top 50 metro:

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Alpharetta...9udW1iZXI9Mg==

Why would I want to live in hot, fetid, swamp-like conditions at any price? Show me a property like that in an area with a moderate climate at that price. Then we can talk.