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Someone told me to move to TX because taxes are better.
If you're referring to income tax, then you should be aware that if you live in Texas (no state income tax) and work in New Mexico, you'll be obligated to pay NM income tax on your NM earnings.
Higher property taxes in Texas can potentially offset any saving on income tax.
Hobbs is only 5 miles from the Texas border, but the closest town in Texas is Seminole, which is 30 miles away. It only has 6,500 people so the rental options there are very limited. I haven't heard much about Lubbock being in the oil boom. Midland and Odessa would really be your other oil options in Texas. They're both about 100 miles from Hobbs as well, but they're experiencing a major housing shortage there.
Here's what you need to know about taxes: Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes and sales tax are higher there than in New Mexico. For example, sales tax in TX is 8.25% and in Hobbs it's about 6.825%. I believe the state income tax in NM is about 4% (vs 0% in TX). My house in Hobbs is listed in the tax roll for $100k and my property taxes are $880 a year. Property taxes vary greatly depending on where you live in TX, but they are known to have high property taxes. So, if you make a lot of money but renting, Texas is probably better. If you're going to own a house but not make a lot of money, NM is probably better tax-wise.
Not knowing your current situation, this may not help you out. NMJC is currently looking for a PT residence hall supervisor. You live in the dorms, settle roommate disputes, etc. It's part time so you might still have time to attend classes. It pays $18,000 and you get to live in the dorm for free. Like I said, not sure that's a good fit for you or how old you are or anything, but it's just a suggestion.
PT residence hall supervisor seems like a good fit for me. I'll look into it. I probably need to be a 200 pound guy or something. LOL. If it was easy to find rentals in Hobbs that are actually cheap then I would have made moves faster. I e-mailed and called a few rentals that have rentals starting at $1000. They had listings for $700 but that was quickly taken. Living on campus would still be cheaper per semester considering it starts at 1200 with a meal plan as well (5 months rent plus I get meals). That's a 3 month rent where I currently live without the meals.
Just found out I could take the courses online at NMJC which means I don't even have to be in NM to take the courses at NMJC physically. I contacted the financial aid office and they want me to come in to the office to show my U.S. citizenship certificate and my selective service letter. I was not signed up for it which is why the aid could not be processed but since I have the letter from the selective service I can show this to the financial aid office. I was completely under a rock and didn't even know what a selective service was up until I signed up for FAFSA and visited a local school that was one of my choices and they told me about it. I could still get the aid it just depends on the financial aid officer I suppose. Why wouldn't they give the free funds to a student, it's only good for me and good for the school as well that they are getting the business (it's free government money after all).
Question: How does one get financial aid if the institution is completely online? How does one physically show U.S. citizenship certificate and the selective service letter if the school is completely online? Does FAFSA even recognize online schools? NMJC does offer online courses but it is a physical school as well. Hopefully they can figure out how to get this done so I can take courses online without the need to move to the state at this time.
I used to live in Hobbs 30 years back and now still drive there a few times a year just to do it. Hobbs has changed and in my opinion is a sad, unfriendly, expensive, and crowded place. It depends on what you want from where you live. There is sadly nothing appealing or interesting to even think about retiring there for. If you really want to work in the oilfields, then you probably could start as a roustabout if you are willing to put up with it. But if you are unsure, take a ride around and see what working in the oilfields really is like. Go over to Denver City, take the cutoff on the Carlsbad highway to Artesia, drive around Monument and down to Jal, just about anywhere and you will get an impression and make your own choices. . If you prefer to work at one of the thousands of retail places, you will not get paid much and trying to afford housing on retail pay is not going to happen in Hobbs.. Realtors laugh with delight when you want to make an offer or are looking for something low cost and the shacks they were giving away in 1988 might be around 100K plus...if you can find one.
Clovis is more like a typical (very west Texas) city, with a military base, nearby colleges, and similar things. Housing is way more reasonable than in Lea County. Energy is not king here, but farming and grasslands are. A whole different way of life and feel of community, but still not much better than Hobbs for retiree appeal.
heard Portales is the better place in E NM. But thanks or the info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryCarr
I used to live in Hobbs 30 years back and now still drive there a few times a year just to do it. Hobbs has changed and in my opinion is a sad, unfriendly, expensive, and crowded place. It depends on what you want from where you live. There is sadly nothing appealing or interesting to even think about retiring there for. If you really want to work in the oilfields, then you probably could start as a roustabout if you are willing to put up with it. But if you are unsure, take a ride around and see what working in the oilfields really is like. Go over to Denver City, take the cutoff on the Carlsbad highway to Artesia, drive around Monument and down to Jal, just about anywhere and you will get an impression and make your own choices. . If you prefer to work at one of the thousands of retail places, you will not get paid much and trying to afford housing on retail pay is not going to happen in Hobbs.. Realtors laugh with delight when you want to make an offer or are looking for something low cost and the shacks they were giving away in 1988 might be around 100K plus...if you can find one.
Clovis is more like a typical (very west Texas) city, with a military base, nearby colleges, and similar things. Housing is way more reasonable than in Lea County. Energy is not king here, but farming and grasslands are. A whole different way of life and feel of community, but still not much better than Hobbs for retiree appeal.
I think the California city you're thinking of is Bakersfield.
I think the best piece of advice that I can give you is to get a CDL or call around and find out if any of the companies will pay for you to get one. Then you're guaranteed to make at least $18/hr to start. You can do the roustabout thing, but I would suggest looking at a service company like Halliburton or Baker Hughes or Schlumberger. They are more safety-conscious than rig workers, and honestly, the work isn't terrible. On cement, you get called out at all hours to go out and do a job, but they follow DOT rules which dictate how many hours you can work and then drive. You're also guaranteed a 10 hour break. On frac, you generally go out early in the morning (2am, 3am) and come home around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. If they're really busy you may go out for 5-7 days at a time and work in 12 hour shifts. Just depends on the company. There's also a lot of room for advancement in a service company. Something to think about...
Neither is particularly desirable due to crime, cost of rentals and quality of life. I'd consider West Texas instead.
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