Growing Vegetables and a few other ?s

[Just Plain Al]

Try this for the fishing thing...
Coastal Outdoors -> Fishing
...or just surf the whole board.

De Nada...

[gaflsc]

Originally Posted by paxquest

How difficult is it to grow veggies on Savannah's Dutch Island, Isle of Hope or Wilmington Island vs Bluffton, SC area?

As an aside, I would imagine there would be restrictions against outdoor vegetable gardens on Dutch Island, as well as certain neighborhoods in the other locations. Gotta love restrictive covenants & HOA's!

[Just Plain Al]

Originally Posted by gaflsc

As an aside...
... Gotta love restrictive covenants & HOA's!

I pray that was sarcasm?
You don't strike me as the type to deal with that kinda stuff.
Or do you?

[paxquest]

All great info. Thanks!

I was worried about the HOA rules so would have to check that for sure.

GAFLSC, I gather you've lived in all 3. There's about 125 mi between NE FL and Savannah area. Any comparisons you care to share?

We lived 20 miles north of St Augustine for a few years. Coastal breeze made afternoon heat more bearable. Not much trouble with mosquitos or gnats which seems a fairly common complaint on this forum, but high insurance cost, high property tax made us relocate. It's too cold where we are now so we'd prefer to settle in your general vicinity. Thoughts????

[gaflsc]

Al, that was definate sarcasm!

Pax, you do get more afternoon breezes in N FL for sure. It is buggier here in Ga & SC (can't wait to show you our lovely sand gnats!).

You'll pay less for insurance in this area for sure, and the pace here is slower, but this area is not Jacksonville, so keep that in mind. Overall, there really is little difference, as N FL is the southernmost reach of SE Ga!

[bellhead]

Have you looked at the landings? Gated Island community. Quick access to town. Very natural. Also filled with transplants.

[Just Plain Al]

Gated community.
Restrictive covenants and HOAs.
How many reg's on this bored would be willing to live like that?
Don't bother gaflsc, you and I are on the same page on this one.

Just curious, is all.

[bgnzsavnh]

Tax accessments are based on the purchace price then basicly remain fixed until the property is sold or enlarged. My taxable value has not changed since 1991! The current assessed value has increased to 3x the 1991 appraisal. The city of Savannah and school board can only raise the tax by CPI each year. The county and other municipalities can not raise the value. No matter how high the homestead is accessed the taxable value remains the same...........
They must raise the tax rate % to increase your tax
Board of Assessors Welcome Page
go to Facts every taxpayer should know
Stephens Day exemptions

[paxquest]

Thanks for the link, bgnzsavannah. Realtors have told me to plan on taxation of about 1% of purchase price prior to any qualifying exemptions. Homestead exemption rules pretty much limit the purchase to anytime prior to November in order to apply in December. When I checked the assessor's site, it seems that the senior school exemption is much harder to qualify for than in some locations we've explored near Atlanta. Do you know if it is it still true that GA state taxation is favorable to seniors with an income exemption up to $90k? Sites usually indicate PA and TN are senior-tax friendly, but if the $90k protection is accurate than GA sure seems like a good choice. After the melt-down of the last six months, we need a safe haven on all fronts.

What is appealing about the Savannah area is availability of fresh seafood, unique culture, semi-tropical natural beauty and slightly reduced risk of natural disasters, but are there nearby areas that are even more senior tax friendly we should consider?

I read where some travel to Augusta for medical care. How good is the Savannah medical facilities and quality of specialists?

Many thanks to everyone who takes the time to provide insight.

[Padgett2]

Savannah has excellent hospitals. Memorial Medical Univerity Hospital is conected with The Mercer School of Medicine. St Joseph/Candler is planning to be associated with the Medical College of Georgia in the near future.

Yes, some do go to Augusta. But not as many as once did. That's where the Medical College of Georgia is located. That's for the real extra, unusual treatments. It's also the site of the Burn Center.

I think the Senior exemption on the local property taxes is very good. I guess it would depend, but it's based on your Federal Income Tax. It's been a while since we applied and I may have forgotten exactly how it works, but it's based on your reported net Federal income amount. Our home is in a very desirable section and we get a Senior discount because of age and then, we get an additional discount because our reported Federal Income is below a certain level.....in other words, we qualify for a very generous "low" income status.

....( an aside to that. As a taxpayer, I think that low income exemption is unfair to the average taxpayer, because it allows too many like us to get a reduced rate when we actually could easily pay more.)