Check out the S. Carolina side of Clark's Hill Reservoir/ Lake Thurmond. Wonderful, quiet, huge lake and not far from Augusta or Anderson. Or a little north on Russell or Hartwell and you're closer to Greenville.

If you want a more central location, somewhere north of Memphis in TN might work. Maybe around Reelfoot.

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
Here is what is on our wish list/requirement:

6. No (minimal) snow

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
Maybe Mid-West, and up North (close to Canadian border).

?

I would have sworn that the Midwest and North (let alone the Canadian border) would be great places to go if one _loved_ snow.

So pretty much you are looking for everyone who lives in a snow state with high taxes dream property and also the dream property for all of the people living in that city 20-30 away all for less than $100,000. Your parameters are going to have to change

This is exactly the reason why I posted this question here. A lot of information and suggestions from folks who have real life experience and have first hand information on the topic. I really appreciate the feedbacks.

We are heading out on another 3 week road trip early Spring 2022. Will be checking out new places we have not been to.

Waco and San Antonio, TX is what my wife kept on mentioning after our last trip. We saw a VA facility around Waco, TX. Transferring there is an option for me for the last 3 years of my employment before deciding to retire.

Caution - state taxes can be very complicated.

Make sure you consider both property and income tax. Case in point, we moved from Texas to NC (job related). My NC income and property tax were less than my property tax in Texas. The NC house was actually more expensive.

Anywhere close enough to visit Canada, that doesn't snow a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
Here is what is on our wish list/requirement:

6. No (minimal) snow

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
Maybe Mid-West, and up North (close to Canadian border).

?

I would have sworn that the Midwest and North (let alone the Canadian border) would be great places to go if one _loved_ snow.

Yeah buddy, no state income tax.

Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes are outta sight, just crazy.

I think you should look at Tulsa OK, and to the East and a little North and South.

Low cost of living, nice environment.

There is an Oklahoma State income tax but it is low enough, and coupled with the low cost of living, it's a good enough deal. Check it out.
.

My comment is based on currently owning waterfront property in three different countries and two different states. As an example, one property is 5 acres with 165’ of frontage on a lake where current prices are $1,000 a front foot. It’s located in a state with lots of snow, high property and income taxes, and an hour away from the nearest city with a Home Depot. The nearest Target store is at least two hours away.

I’m in one of the least expensive waterfront areas in Florida. $100,000 is the starting point for a lot on a lake and 5 acre no waterfront lots run $50,000.

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
Anywhere close enough to visit Canada, that doesn't snow a lot.

Well the flyover states: Wyoming, the Dakotas, Nebraska, etc. have areas with reasonable (under 35" / year) snow but the temperatures can be down there along with wind chills. Many check all your other requirements. That said lakefronts invariably are remote to urban areas and medical facilities.

Having grown up in an area back East that got 180" to 200" per year of the white stuff, this area I'm in is downright pleasant. LoL

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Yeah buddy, no state income tax.

Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes are outta sight, just crazy.

I think you should look at Tulsa OK, and to the East and a little North and South.

Low cost of living, nice environment.

There is an Oklahoma State income tax but it is low enough, and coupled with the low cost of living, it's a good enough deal. Check it out.
.

I have a cousin who lives in Claremore, Oklahoma, about an hour SE of Tulsa and almost on the Arkansas border. He's actually outside the main part of town and loves it there--no neighbors (don't know his acreage, though, but it's pretty big).

Claremore is the home of the Will Rogers Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum, both of which are nice to visit and to take guests to see. Tulsa is close enough to use for support.

flashguy

One coworker just retired in the Rusk, TX, area and is trying to talk another into one of the nearby big manmade lakes - Lake Jacksonville and Lake Striker

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

.

I have a cousin who lives in Claremore, Oklahoma, about an hour SE of Tulsa and almost on the Arkansas border. He's actually outside the main part of town and loves it there--no neighbors (don't know his acreage, though, but it's pretty big).

Claremore is the home of the Will Rogers Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum, both of which are nice to visit and to take guests to see. Tulsa is close enough to use for support.

flashguy

A point of clarification, Claremore is not SE of Tulsa, it's NE and about 15 miles from Tulsa, and is closer to Missouri than Arkansas.

Sometimes a state with no income tax is more expensive than one with an income tax. You have to remember that once you retire you won't be making as much in income and your tax bite will be much less. Texas has outrageous property taxes as others have mentioned, in fact a few houses we were looking at in Texas were about 1800sq ft. and prop taxes ranged from $3800 to over $6000. That's more than I would pay in OK for the same sized house and paying their income tax.

Also, those states with no income tax are being flooded with refugees from other high tax states. For instance, Knoxville is pushing 1 million people. A few years ago it used to be around 300k which means land and housing prices are rising.

Good luck!

That's a lot of requirements. I believe you're going to prioritize your list and make a few concessions. Central Tennessee probably comes as close to what you're looking for except water front and has a lot to offer. There is winter and some snow. Know thought what you are seeking is what a lot of retirement people are looking for, so parcels are scarce.

quote:

Originally posted by henkelphoto:
A point of clarification, Claremore is not SE of Tulsa, it's NE and about 15 miles from Tulsa, and is closer to Missouri than Arkansas.

OK, mea culpa. I'm not too good at geography. Where my cousin lives (on the west edge of Claremore) is more than 15 miles from downtown Tulsa.

flashguy

Good luck and I hope you find property you are looking for. I live in Central Texas and 6 years ago my wife and I bought 5 acres of retirement land 12 miles NW of Bastrop, TX that is heavily wooded. It was $60K back then and now $130K for the 5 acres and not even close to a lake. We are still a good ways off from retirement time, but almost started to build right when COVID and a few other challenges hit. We have postponed building for a while.

I think you will have a tough time finding raw lake front property for that price range. Heck probably hard just to find raw lake front property at least here where I am.

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
This is exactly the reason why I posted this question here. A lot of information and suggestions from folks who have real life experience and have first hand information on the topic. I really appreciate the feedbacks.

We are heading out on another 3 week road trip early Spring 2022. Will be checking out new places we have not been to.

Waco and San Antonio, TX is what my wife kept on mentioning after our last trip. We saw a VA facility around Waco, TX. Transferring there is an option for me for the last 3 years of my employment before deciding to retire.

I lived in Waco in the 90's and really liked it a lot but ended up getting laid off and the job prospects for my line of work were zilch. My wife and I've visited a couple of times over the years and are looking at going back to visit possibly this fall. I would say it it would be a fine place to retire and I'm sure a nursing job wouldn't be that hard to find there. My wife is a BSN RN and she sometimes talks about doing he RV thing and travel nursing, I think it would be fun, for a while.

quote:

Originally posted by StorminNormin:
Good luck and I hope you find property you are looking for. I live in Central Texas and 6 years ago my wife and I bought 5 acres of retirement land 12 miles NW of Bastrop, TX that is heavily wooded. It was $60K back then and now $130K for the 5 acres and not even close to a lake. We are still a good ways off from retirement time, but almost started to build right when COVID and a few other challenges hit. We have postponed building for a while.

I think you will have a tough time finding raw lake front property for that price range. Heck probably hard just to find raw lake front property at least here where I am.

A California movie studio just bought 550 acres in Bastrop to build a new studio there, so real estate in Bastrop is going up, up, up.

Point Roberts, WA, You will need a passport to come and go easily.

quote:

Originally posted by henkelphoto:
Sometimes a state with no income tax is more expensive than one with an income tax. You have to remember that once you retire you won't be making as much in income and your tax bite will be much less. Texas has outrageous property taxes as others have mentioned, in fact a few houses we were looking at in Texas were about 1800sq ft. and prop taxes ranged from $3800 to over $6000. That's more than I would pay in OK for the same sized house and paying their income tax.

Exactly.

For example, my taxes for last year in Arkansas were roughly:

$1900 state income tax
$1900 real property (house) tax
$150 personal property (car) tax

That's just under $4,000 total tax burden. That's less than property taxes alone would be in some areas of Texas. In other recent threads about Texas property taxes, some members have reported anywhere from $5500 to $12,000 per year just in property tax.

And that's just one easy example because I have access to my tax records. Arkansas isn't even one of the lowest tax states out there. There are other states, like Oklahoma, Arizona, and West Virginia, that beat it despite all those states also having income taxes too.

So "no state income tax" isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Especially for retirement, where you taxable income will likely be less. Instead, you'll want to look at total tax burden.

Lots of people buy lake front or water front property and then find in summer, they are inundated with idiots on jet skis, drunks with speedboats and an obnoxious party crowd all summer long. Choose wisely. Another fun water front problem is varying water levels. You can have high water conditions that encroach on your property and in other times, low water conditions that put a weedy muddy mess between you and the water line.
Quite a few folks here in the Yoop deal with these situations.