Retiring Outside of California

[NewToCA]

Interesting concept.

Since you brought it up you have me curious, what did you mean by a non-traditional home base? Did you mean something like open land you could park the 5th wheel on between trips, but still live in it while home (negating the need for a separate structure)?

[KidBlue]

Simplygib.

Sounds like you work for the State too. I'm a year older than you but anxiously waiting until I'm 55 to retire. I've stayed way too long, but the State benefits are too good......

[Kingsnkali]

Actually, California itself is a good place to retire for long time Californians. The Prop 13 benefits alone beat most states when you look at their escalating taxes. And although Sacramento can get hot in the summer and foggy in the winter, the overall weather year-round beats nearly everywhere else in the country.

You could find yourself talking about that sunny day last weekend, instead of that rainy day last month. It's so easy to forget how nice our weather really is here because its so boringly pleasant day after day.

And every location has its negatives.

Has Sacramento changed? Of course. It's grown so fast. So has just about everywhere else in the country that is desirable. Unless you live in the sticks or out in the desert, growth is going to be seen all around you. The only thing that stays the same is change.

I'm still looking for my retirement area. The more I look, the harder the decision.

[simplygib]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Interesting concept.

Since you brought it up you have me curious, what did you mean by a non-traditional home base? Did you mean something like open land you could park the 5th wheel on between trips, but still live in it while home (negating the need for a separate structure)?

Very close to that. The plan is to pick up a few (hopefully 5 or more) forested acres with a house on it that will be rented out. On a secluded part of the property a nice, big shop will be built with RV hookups on both sides of it. My collaborator and I will park our rigs there (living in them) during good weather, then leave when winter moves in (or any other time we decide to). The rent from the house will cover the mortgage (if we have one - that's up in the air at this point).

Kingsncali - good points but I no longer own real estate in California so the prop 13 thing doesn't help me, which is really beside the point in my case anyway. I'm like George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" - I've always wanted to get out and travel, and although I've done some of that, one or two-week vacations just don't cut it for me. Right again on the weather - California has some of the best - but if I'm mobile I don't have to put up with the heat or the fog, or anything else that people who are anchored down have to tolerate. That is very appealing to me - however I understand it isn't for everyone. To each his own version of bliss.

Kidblue - you guessed it. And I can't get out of here soon enough...

[Ultrarunner]

Good Point Kingsnkali... Many states do not have the built in stability that California provides Home Owners in regards to Property Tax.

Western Washington is a beacon for California expatriates for a number of reasons... but low property tax is not one of them.

The amount paid may start out less because the homes are less expensive. The problem is that there is no protection against exorbitant increases and this has forced some from there homes... especially retired folks on fixed incomes.

Do your research before you move... it is easy to leave and very hard to come back.

[CADRMNDANES]

Actually if you bought your home over 10+ years ago when it was cheap you can drag your taxes over to your new home if you buy down. Let me explain, we bought a property 12 years ago in Granite Bay on 2 acres for 260k (unheard of today, try 850k+) we bought it as a rental income home. We put my stepson and his college friends in it. When we sold our lake front home we moved to the small home on the 2 acres (after we kicked everyone out). We stayed there for 2 years so we could get the capital gains. Sold it for 850k. We bought another home in Placer County which cost almost 700K. Our taxes the first year was 9k until we sold our 2 acre property. We dragged the older property taxes over after we sold it and had our new property reassessed so we will only have to pay 2500 from now on each year. There are a few counties where you can use prop 60. There are some counties where you can go from county to county - Prop 90. You can only do this one time. After that you can only do it one time for a medical reason and I think that is a Prop 110??

We are also looking at other areas & states because we are so tired of the rat race. I have lived in Sac and surrounding areas since 1976. We will be selling our dental practice next month and selling our current home next year.

I agree!!
Too many people in California
Too much traffic congestion
High property taxes
High cost of housing
Strong dislike of political climate
Rude, agressive drivers on the highways
Too many unfriendly people
More child kidnappings.
Classrooms have 30+ kids in the classrooms
Teachers are stressed out!
Kids are stressed out. I don't want them to be stuck in this area when they are older. I want them to know they can pick up and adapt to a new area.

GB used to be such a quiet rural area (over 10 yrs ago). That's why we moved here. Now it's another bay area. Houses are over priced. People are rude. Schools have more problems and drama.

[simplygib]

Very interesting, Cadrmndanes. I'd never heard of those tax options. Worth looking into for those who could benefit from that.

Totally agree with your assessment of CA and GB specifically. When I was a kid my friends and I would sometimes ride our bikes out to GB (a big excursion for us, coming from the Arden/Arcade area), and of course once I was old enough to drive I spent many a summer day out there. It was a great place back then (60's to 70's). But like you said, it's exploded and there is little to compare with what it used to be.

Good luck with your relocation research.

[CADRMNDANES]

BTW, the prop 60 is for those that are over 60 years of age (my husband).