Quiltingboard Forums - Retirement....what state and why?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by gaby4v (Post 5203845)

Let's say you are ready to retire and you have the choice to retire anywhere you want, where would you go and why? We have a few years to go, but already talking about it...considering location, weather, taxes etc......
What would be your choice???

I would go to Texas. Good weather low taxes, no state income tax and cheap housing. Tennesse has no state tax but very high sales tax. Florida has warm weather no state tax. Nevada has no state tax but not much for entertainment if you don't go gambling, That would break the bank real soon if you did that. Alaska is way too cold.
South Dakota I know little about and Washington has too wet weather. So, if I had a choice it would be Texas.I have worked in all these states except Alaska and South Dakota as a travel nurse over the last 14 years. You have time to study all of them and then make your decision. I would not buy anywhere until I lived there for a while. Just my opinon. Good Luck........

wherever you decide to go, RENT for 6 months or a year before you make a 'final' decision or buy. We learned from the experience of the people who we bought our NJ home from 30 years ago. They sold to us, then moved to their 'dream' home in their 'dream' state, and then found out their dream was a nightmare. When they decided to come back to NJ, they couldn't afford to buy a home in our neighborhood, so had to move about 15 miles away, which made socializing with their friends more difficult.

We rented an apartment in Myrtle Beach, SC for 6 months, decided we like it here and bought a home. Low taxes were a factor, but not the only one. We wanted to have an airport close by so we could fly to NJ for family occasions, to see grandkids, etc.

Another thing to think about is whether you would be satisfied there if something happened to your mate and you were left alone.

Thanks again for all you great input. We have lived in California, Texas, Wyoming and Alabama. My husband would like to go back to Alabama, since the cost of living and taxes are low. I hate the humidity. Family is very important to me. So I am leaning more to California, where our daughter and grandson are, but it is a very expensive state.
We have some time to dwell about it and see where the kids end up and go from there.

Well this has been a real eye opener, thank you all for the good ideas, i always though about arizona, but no one mentioned that state I guess i will do more research, still have time though,

no state income taxes in FL, or Nevada too!

We're nearing retirement, too, and we have everything here in VA. I absolutely refuse to go further north, I cannot tolerate the cold, so weather is definitely a factor. Our DD, SIL & DGS live about 40 minutes away from us, but our SIL is in the Navy and will be here for a couple more years, until he retires or gets promoted. I don't want to be more than an hour's drive from the family, so we're kind of stuck until they decide what they're going to do. My DH is going crazy because he wants to retire, sell the house, buy a travel trailer and drive around the country. While I wouldn't mind doing that once and a while, I still want to have a real home to go to. We're in a quandary.

You could retire in ALASKA!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaby4v (Post 5203845)

Alaska has no state income taxes. Every citizen (kids too) receives a Permanent Fund Dividend every year if you qualify. Most areas have low or no sales taxes. Our summers are INCREDIBLE, the Northern Lights are spectacular and if you like winter sports this is heaven. Real estate prices are pretty reasonaable compared to other areas. We have great medical services, hospitals and docs. But..... you gotta like snow!! Or if you move to SE Alaska down in Haines, Juneau, Ketchican, Petersburg, you gotta like rain!! And Alaskans LOVE TO QUILT!!

We retired where we lived last. We traveled a lot with the Air Force before we came here in 1977. We are originally from Upstate New York. We have our children all over the US, two in Texas, one in Ohio and one in Maryland. Being in Missouri we are in the middle. I guess we are in the right place. Cost of living is not bad, taxes are not bad. We do have some winters (not like upstate New York) and summers are HOT. Well Hot weather we can live with and the others are good for us. Missouri is were we retired to and enjoy it. Good luck on your decisions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janette (Post 5207671)

We retired here in 2003 after trying visitation packages at different communities. We live in On Top of the World (OTOW), which is featured in this month's "Where to Retire" magazine. You might go online and see if you can access it. Florida has no state income tax, 6% sales tax, low taxes. Ocala is in the middle of Marion County, known as horse country, as there are 30,000+ horses in the county alone. No beaches, but you are surrounded by beautiful horse farms and forests. Gulf is 60 miles away, Atlantic 90. Lower risk of hurricane so homeowners' insurance is lower and easier to get. OTOW has its own website so take a look. Although they only offer new homes, they also have a real estate department that handles resales. If you buy a villa in the older area you will be buying a home on a 99-year lease and will be paying community fees of $300-400 per month. But that pays for outside insurance, all the amenities, security, infrastructure. Homes in the resale side have gone for as low as $35,000. For that you would have purchased a concrete block home with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage, airconditioned, probably about 1,000 sq feet and all the amenities the former residents had installed. Take a look at our community. We like it better than the Villages. We also looked there but 90,000 people are just too many!

I just checked you out. :) It looks very nice. I'm not sure I'll ever move from where I am but I do like the looks of OTOW. The one thing I look for in retirement communities and often do not see is anything about medical facilities. As we get older these things are important.