Wow - hope housing prices remain reasonable (Dayton, Kettering: house, neighborhoods)

[recycled]

OP, thanks for starting this thread. I am returning to the USA in September and have been looking for a new place to set up a home base. After spending most of the past 2 1/2 years in Germany, time for me to leave before the German tax authorities send me a note to kindly pay them roughly half of my USA retirement income.

I am originally from California, but have also lived in NJ, AZ and AL. I have been thinking about going to KY, TN or AL, but might consider southern OH as well. Lots of good suggestions in this thread. I think I could handle winter in southern OH as I got through several winters here in Germany OK. I could always leave Ohio for a few months in winter and take a trip to a warm weather destination.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I asked her and she said Middleboro is less desirable than other towns. Besides Centerville, she suggests Kettering, Springboro, Oakwood, Lebanon and Winchester. Happy hunting.

Thank you! I was asking about MiddleTOWN though, not Middleboro - both of which are towns in SW Ohio.

I am also looking in Lebanon and Kettering. Will check out the other towns as well.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Thank you! I was asking about MiddleTOWN though, not Middleboro - both of which are towns in SW Ohio.

I am also looking in Lebanon and Kettering. Will check out the other towns as well.

Sorry, I did mean Middletown.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Sorry, I did mean Middletown.

OK well thank you!

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by recycled

OP, thanks for starting this thread. I am returning to the USA in September and have been looking for a new place to set up a home base. After spending most of the past 2 1/2 years in Germany, time for me to leave before the German tax authorities send me a note to kindly pay them roughly half of my USA retirement income.

I am originally from California, but have also lived in NJ, AZ and AL. I have been thinking about going to KY, TN or AL, but might consider southern OH as well. Lots of good suggestions in this thread. I think I could handle winter in southern OH as I got through several winters here in Germany OK. I could always leave Ohio for a few months in winter and take a trip to a warm weather destination.

I love Germany! I lived there in the early 1990s (in Aschaffenburg) and my daughter lived near Stuttgart till last year when she moved to the DC area!

Good luck and keep us posted. I am considering renting for a year or so.

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Yep, people leave Ohio for weather & employment reasons leaving our housing very affordable by national standards.

The flip side is the effective penalty paid by transplants, who eventually wish to move.

Consider a person from New York City, who graduated from college in the 1980s and moved to Ohio for work. 35 or 40 years later, our hero wants to retire and move back to NYC. Selling that paid-off Ohio house, is just about enough money, for a down payment on a very modest place in a second-rate neighborhood in Brooklyn or Queens.

Low prices for newcomers to Ohio, comes at the relative expense, of persons who have been living there for decades.

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I doubt they can possibly be as high as the property taxes in Texas! I will definitely check on that though.

They're lower in absolute dollar amounts, because the housing prices are lower. But they're higher as a percentage of housing prices. My numbers may be out of date, but as of several years ago, in some suburbs of Dayton (lots of local variation, admittedly), it was typical to pay $3500/year in property tax, on a $150K house.

[216facts]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

The flip side is the effective penalty paid by transplants, who eventually wish to move.

Consider a person from New York City, who graduated from college in the 1980s and moved to Ohio for work. 35 or 40 years later, our hero wants to retire and move back to NYC. Selling that paid-off Ohio house, is just about enough money, for a down payment on a very modest place in a second-rate neighborhood in Brooklyn or Queens.

Low prices for newcomers to Ohio, comes at the relative expense, of persons who have been living there for decades.



They're lower in absolute dollar amounts, because the housing prices are lower. But they're higher as a percentage of housing prices. My numbers may be out of date, but as of several years ago, in some suburbs of Dayton (lots of local variation, admittedly), it was typical to pay $3500/year in property tax, on a $150K house.

If the NYer saved his money he could probably do it. He was saving money for 40 years by paying less real estate taxes, likely less in maintenance. Granted he was probably getting paid less, but that's up to his ability to get a good job in Ohio to balance it out. I would think he could come out ahead and then afford to move back - but it would take a lot of diligence over that 40 years, most people don't have that kind of savings ability.

[gentlearts]

Everywhere you live, the same things need to be paid for. If there is no income tax, then the property tax will be higher. We’ve been in the $2400-$3400 range for wherever we’ve lived in Ohio and Georgia. Everywhere we’ve lived, there has been excellent fire, police, water and sanitation services, as well as good schools (except GA, but we don’t care).

If you expect a certain level of excellence it will cost money. We just don’t want it wasted.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Thank you! I was asking about MiddleTOWN though, not Middleboro - both of which are towns in SW Ohio.

I am also looking in Lebanon and Kettering. Will check out the other towns as well.

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I love Germany! I lived there in the early 1990s (in Aschaffenburg)

I am considering renting for a year or so.

I lived in Düsseldorf in the late 60s and Ilvesheim in the early 70s, Ilvesheim was the nicest place I ever lived growing up as an army brat.

I have lived in Lebanon for 53 years, it used to be a nice place to live but now it’s a “boiling frog water” town. I live very close to downtown which under normal circumstances would be nice but I can’t remember the last time I needed antiques. I have 4 neighbors that I grew up with, we were all in high school together over 40 years ago and they all say the same thing “Lebanon ain’t Lebanon anymore” Warren county has been ruined by the developers and that is not going to change anytime soon. Waynesville is the last nice town left.

My wife went to high school in Kettering in the 80s typical average suburb but Centerville would be a step up.

I used to work with a few people who lived in Middletown, they had nothing good to say about it, they had their cars broken into and a lot of the people who live there could tell you how much Sudafed you can buy with the money you get from selling a stolen catalytic converter.

You should let us know more about what you are looking for, if you want sprawl poorly planned and the traffic, noise and litter that comes with it or if you want to be away somewhere with more peace and quiet.

Renting for a year or so would be an excellent idea, get to know the area really well and then commit to a place that fits you best. What one person on here thinks is the best place in the world may be a hell on earth for someone else so choose carefully.

As far as myself I am close to retirement and planning to return to downeast Maine.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by ohio_peasant

The flip side is the effective penalty paid by transplants, who eventually wish to move.

Consider a person from New York City, who graduated from college in the 1980s and moved to Ohio for work. 35 or 40 years later, our hero wants to retire and move back to NYC. Selling that paid-off Ohio house, is just about enough money, for a down payment on a very modest place in a second-rate neighborhood in Brooklyn or Queens.

Low prices for newcomers to Ohio, comes at the relative expense, of persons who have been living there for decades.



They're lower in absolute dollar amounts, because the housing prices are lower. But they're higher as a percentage of housing prices. My numbers may be out of date, but as of several years ago, in some suburbs of Dayton (lots of local variation, admittedly), it was typical to pay $3500/year in property tax, on a $150K house.

I just sent in nearly $5000 in property taxes so ugh. On a $265k house. In a fairly rural area. Looks like Texas nudges out Ohio but both states have higher than average property tax rates.

https://learn.roofstock.com/blog/cit...property-taxes
https://www.tax-rates.org/taxtables/...y-tax-by-state