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I'm going back home to the South. I hate all the politics, idiots, crazy religious churchy crap there as much as anyone (TRUST ME), but you can easily avoid that, which so many people don't understand.
I won't and wouldn't ever compare a small city like Knoxville to a place like Los Angeles, but, at the end of the day, I was FARRRRRR happier there. I'll always hold fond memories of being here and you can't put a price on me being able to tell grandkids years down the road that I lived a block from Santa Monica Blvd, but yes, I miss home and am ready to go. I value homeownership and financial security over saying I live somewhere cool. It's an experience I'll never forget, for sure.
I drove 7 mins to work down an uncrowded highway, my husband left for work at 8 and came home at 5 (as opposed to him waking up at 4:45 just to come home after 6 and be in bed two hours later because of the exhaustion from spending all day commuting), I took my boat out on the lake every day I had off, or went to the mountains. I had a 30k job SERVING working 25 hrs at a restaurant there and felt MORE than comfortable $ wise. I could have bought a house on that pay there. It's that cheap to live there.
Now that our income is substantially more, it's just impossible to NOT think about what kind of ridiculously bad-a$$ house we could own back home.
Sorry, as someone who lived in LA for many years(and now back in LA) and lived in the south a few years, I was taken aback at how often people brought up their political and religious views. I'm talking strangers in stores. When there was no real reason for it.
I was used to talking to people in stores in LA, in line, might discuss the weather, or something about the store. Down south I had total strangers make comments about Obama(now I'm not crazy about him, but that's not the point), guns being brought up and people telling you they had one of them, and was once told by someone who was a 7th Day Adventist how my religion(Catholic) wasn't a real religion, now I'm not even a practicing Catholic, but who says things like that?
I constantly was amazed, and would say to myself, "this conversation wouldn't happen in LA"....LOL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJT123
I HATE winters also, but they're not bad in The South. Just annoying more than anything. I'd put my boat in the water second weekend of March and take it out at the end of October. Summers are nice and long there.
Summers are hot and humid there. I guess it depends on what you like, I find the current humidity in LA right now to be sticky and uncomfortable, but it's still a cakewalk compared to the south and the east coast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeParfait
I'll never understand the compulsion to own a giant house on a massive plot of land away from cities. It's so much work to maintain, there's always wasted space in giant suburban homes and McMansions, you're far from amenities but close to yokels, etc. However much you're saving month to month you're sacrificing more in time, convenience and amenities.
I'll also never understand why everyone thinks owning a home is a prerequisite to happiness or financial security.
It is a lot to maintain, I have a cousin back east, divorced, kids have been out of the house a few years, lovely home in suburban NJ, 5 bedrooms on an acre. She is going to sell it and go into a condo, it's too much to maintain, and who needs all that room?
Well best of luck to you, but if you're making a 100K a year(and especially if you're single) you're doing something wrong.
Everyone has different views of what is important, but do you really need a 3 to 4,000 square foot house unless you're married with 3 or 4 kids?
Why not a nice condo/townhouse that you should have no problem paying for?
Exactly, it usually comes out later on they have a high end car for a car note for $700 a month and credit card debt, child support, etc.
Not saying that is the case with the OP, but there have so many threads, more recently the guy making $60K a year and can only afford to sleep on a friend's couch? Come on. Something else is going on but it's easier to blame it all on LA.
It's about my money. I'm not doing anything wrong. I want that 100k to end up 10 million dollars one day.
I totally understand where you're coming from, as a native. Home is home.
Knoxville must be a lot different than Nashville.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nashville Boi
Here in Tn, we do not have anything but bad weather, football, and church. I was born and raised here and I have seen so many transplants from California move here. My first question is...
This OP is done. I came on here with utmost respect and peacefulness to say goodbye with a heavy heart and it's turned into a war.
I'm being called a troll because I responded to someone indirectly telling me I'm an idiot because I want a home with a yard to take care of and more than 700 square feet of living space. The same person who is telling us that we'd better not ever own a home, and that I shouldn't want to own a home, because the Government will come take it from us.
To everyone productive in this conversation, thank you.
It's about my money. I'm not doing anything wrong. I want that 100k to end up 10 million dollars one day.
That just won't happen here.
i bought a house less than 5 years ago for $500k in the valley that I could conservatively sell for $700k now. while the house is not that big, it serves its purpose well for my family and the financial gain it has provided is fantastic. because knoxville is not a global city like LA, you probably don't see the type of demand for housing that would give you a 40% increase in value in such a short time. and because my down payment was not big, my actual ROI is something like 500%. my point is that if you can afford to own property in LA then there is a lot of upside potential that a place like knoxville probably can't match.
Most definitely. My $ went alot further in Pa. but, I could NEVER EVER do the winters again after being out here for years now. Ive accepted to live off of less. The weather here alone is exceptional supplemental income for me. Couldnt imagine leaving here but, to each his own.
Yeah, but don't you find the weather boring? I'm serious. I lived in Southern CA for 45 years, give or take a little. The last five years I was there, I was SO bored with the weather (and SO angry with the traffic and SO tired of living like a sardine in a can). I am NOT slamming Southern CA. In fact, I'm going through one of my "I think I'll move back there" stages (I hope I come to my senses before I actually do move back). But the only reason I'd move back there is that it is my first home, and I was there a LONG time. I love the mild changes of seasons in NM and the low cost of living, not to mention that NM is drop-dead gorgeous. We have rainbows by the dozens. The skies are almost always magnificent. The terrain is expansive and breathtaking. I have to agree with whatever poster who said that Southern CA is a better place to vacation in than to live in. But, oh gawd, am I homesick right now.
i bought a house less than 5 years ago for $500k in the valley that I could conservatively sell for $700k now. while the house is not that big, it serves its purpose well for my family and the financial gain it has provided is fantastic. because knoxville is not a global city like LA, you probably don't see the type of demand for housing that would give you a 40% increase in value in such a short time. and because my down payment was not big, my actual ROI is something like 500%. my point is that if you can afford to own property in LA then there is a lot of upside potential that a place like knoxville probably can't match.
I'm with you, I completely understand that you will make a helluva better return on a real estate investment out here, but I just mean my money, my salary, my other investments. Knoxville real estate would be great to just sorta park your funds and get a return, though of course not a SoCal return.
All I meant was 100k/yr in income goes A LOT further outside of Southern California, which is common knowledge.
And for god's sake, I never, EVER even began to turn this into a city v. city thread! We all know the obvious answer to that!
Best of luck to you, however, one thought and perspective.
Having a great big house in some location without the weather, amenities, and such is not all it's cracked up to be.
We had friends who lived in Orange County, tired of rent, move out to Colorado, bought a big beautiful home, 4000+ sqft for about the cost of rent they had on a townhome here.
At first, the loved it, said they weren't looking back. Met some nice people, loved having a big giant house, lower COL, etc.
Well, over time they grew tired of cold winters, the limitations that weather in CO had compared to freedom the perfect climate in Southern California provided.
They spent so much more time indoors because they took for granted that the perfect climate here in SoCal allows you to be comfortably outside so much of the time.
Well, they sold there home in CO and moved back to CA, bought a MUCH smaller home, MUCH smaller, in a neighborhood they like and say that with the ability to be outdoors 300+ days a year, they never feel cramped, they love having the climate, the food, the amenities of SoCal and are glad they returned.
They were gone for 8 years, so it isn't like they didn't really make a go of it. They did, they were happy at first, but the things they missed in CA just became too much over time.
Just consider that before you move away seeking big houses and lower COL.
You can live well in CA at the kind of money you are making, it just looks different than some other parts of the country.
You know I repped you so you know that I don't disagree with you. I just want to insert: I think people are most comfortable where they have spent the most years of their lives. I think that, more than anything, 'there is no place like home'. And no matter where we go (upon leaving home), the grass is not always greener on the other side. (The government backs me up: 70% of us stay in place after we retire.) I probably would have stayed in CA, if I could have afforded to live there upon retiring. I couldn't. Now things have changed, and I can afford to live there. And, you know, I think the bottom line is that I'm going to be moving back home in a year or two. As gorgeous as NM is and as much as I like it here now -- it's not home and it never will be. The No. 1 thing keeping me here right now -- you guys have no water! Get out there and rain dance! You need water, water, water! :-)
Home is home. I'm reading the posts and getting homesick as H (again). I'm just afraid that I will back there and be hit in the face with all the things I hated about it. I think I need to vacation there about a half dozen more times before I make up my mind. I also need to stay off all topics dealing with Southern CA. :-) LOLOLOLOL
Sorry, as someone who lived in LA for many years(and now back in LA) and lived in the south a few years, I was taken aback at how often people brought up their political and religious views. I'm talking strangers in stores. When there was no real reason for it.
Where exactly did you live there in the South? My husband is from upstate NY (very liberal place), moved to Knoxville (where we met) and never said a word about any culture shock or experienced any of what you're describing.
I'm by no means saying that crap doesn't happen (and I hate it just as much if not MORE than anyone), but the South is so misrepresented in general, and it's sad. I hate religion and bible-bangers as much as anyone else with half a brain.
What I'm saying is that if you go to the boonies or outside of any decent-sized city in any part of this country, Iowa, California, Tennessee, Hawaii, Arizona, etc., ANYWHERE and you're gonna find these ignorant redneck bigots.
Not saying it may not be a little more prevalent in the south, but my point is, it's very over-exaggerated and I hate how we are represented.
Redneck, ignorant bigots are everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Last edited by Mister 7; 08-06-2015 at 06:34 PM..
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