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Post by cmpeter on Feb 16, 2022 0:55:59 GMT
Can we talk affordable towns and cities again? Our area hasn't been what I would consider affordable for a long time. But, like many other places it's really gotten out of control lately. Case in point... Bellevue, WA house sells for nearly $1M over asking (and it was already a very pricey house). Seattle Times StoryAfter seeing things like this in the Seattle area, I am dreaming of cashing out and moving to a more affordable area. It's definitely only a dream right now. DH's job pretty much requires him to be here for at least the next couple years.
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Post by Linda on Feb 16, 2022 1:17:20 GMT
rural north-central Florida and up into the panhandle's rural counties as well is still pretty affordable. And there are some really beautiful springs and county/state parks. As expected there are downsides - not a lot of jobs, longer drives to amenties (my area has a WM, a small mall with Penneys, TJMaxx and Belks and a handful of other stores, some grocery stores including Aldi and Publix, a Hobby Lobby, home Depot, Lowes and an Office Max/Depot...but for Target or Michaels or Joanns or pretty much anything else - it's 90 minutes one way or close to an hour another away.) And I'm not sure what your political or vax leanings are - but this is a very red, very anti-vax area.
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Post by maryland on Feb 16, 2022 1:20:01 GMT
Pittsburgh is pretty affordable, but the weather is so gloomy. We don't get many sunny days. That's my biggest complaint.
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Post by ntsf on Feb 16, 2022 1:35:44 GMT
there are affordable areas in washington state.. east of the mountains, centralia, down in the southwest.. just depends how much of an urban area you want.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 22:32:41 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2022 1:46:30 GMT
I feel like most of Michigan is still fairly affordable if you stay out of the southeast corner, Lansing, and Grand Rapids areas. As long as you don't want to live on a lake, you can find a decent house for 200,000 or less.
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Post by danor98 on Feb 16, 2022 1:49:41 GMT
Huntsville, Alabama. I had to move from there about 18 months ago. I miss it almost every day. Once there is no longer a need for us to be in Florida, we are heading back there.☺️
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Feb 16, 2022 2:07:40 GMT
If you think house prices are peaking for sure, sell and rent for a few years and then move to another area. If prices are still going up, stay put.
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Post by katlady on Feb 16, 2022 2:13:08 GMT
A lot of people I know from SoCal have moved to Tennessee, or have plans to in the near future.
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Post by lisae on Feb 16, 2022 2:22:47 GMT
NC has many affordable areas. Avoid the Raleigh Durham area and you can find plenty of options. I live in the foothills. Most 4 bedroom houses here would be under $500k, probably closer to $350-$400 for something nice. Older homes would be less though you might find more land with them. I did a quick search and was surprised to find a 4 bedroom listed at $1.1 million and then saw that it was on the lake, with a 1 acre lot which is a generous lake lot and had 5,500 square feet. Property taxes are also very, very cheap compared to many areas of the country. I pay currently about $1600 per year (going up next year) on a property I would list at about $275-$300k.
There is a lot to consider besides price. Politics here is very conservative. I've never set foot in a Trader Joes because the closest would be over an hour or about 60 miles away. There is a Whole Foods a little closer but not somewhere you could shop regularly. We have 3 grocery stores in our entire county, more in the adjacent counties but not much variety. Eating out is mainly chain restaurants though there are a few good local options.
Everything including hospitals are a good distance away but there's little to no traffic. We researched some places we might want to live but didn't fall in love with any place that was nearly as affordable. I wish someone had advised me when I was young to start out in a high cost area and then move back here when I got older. If I want to move I've got to add a lot to the value of my home to buy somewhere else and that was even before the current price surges. We considered a move but didn't fall in love with any of the cities we explored. When I factored in crime, traffic and a lack of family close by, it made more sense to stay put.
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Post by lisae on Feb 16, 2022 2:23:22 GMT
A lot of people I know from SoCal have moved to Tennessee, or have plans to in the near future. Tennessee has no state income tax.
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luckyjune
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,687
Location: In the rainy, rainy WA
Jul 22, 2017 4:59:41 GMT
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Post by luckyjune on Feb 16, 2022 2:32:04 GMT
We just took the money and ran, with a sizeable amount over asking. WAY more than I expected. We sold for 4x what we bought it for, 16 years ago. I think I'm to the north of you. I don't know if you want to stay in the state, but Whidbey Island is still pretty reasonable (considering the crazy that is all over the state). Homes that are inland are going for way less than what I'm seeing on the mainland. A house down the street from us just went on the market and sold pretty much the next day. The house across the street from it is right on the beach and is going for quite a bit more. Whidbey seems to be a little slower catching up. It was that way when my family bought the house dh and I now own (again, we paid 4x what the fam purchased it for 20 years ago!). Anyway, Whidbey is quiet, relaxed, and you aren't too far from the mainland, by ferry or driving over the bridge. Here's the one that went pending. Lake in the backyard, Puget Sound across the street. Beach club with pool on the beach. www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/78-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16704375Here's the one directly across the street (no lake, but directly on the sound) Notice how the price goes up! www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/79-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16702872This one is on the one of the canals on the water in Greenbank. I'd move here in a heartbeat. I'd almost consider selling our place to move here... www.redfin.com/WA/Greenbank/3679-S-Shorewood-Ave-98253/home/16692545
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 16, 2022 2:32:22 GMT
A lot of people I know from SoCal have moved to Tennessee, or have plans to in the near future. I know one couple that headed to Tennessee and a few other retiring/empty nesters that have moved from coastal San Diego to the Inland Empire (Murrieta and Temecula), Vancouver, WA and Boise, ID. DD(24) has a few former classmates that have ended up in the Phoenix area, Great Falls, MT and Vero Beach, FL looking to balance work and getting onto the property ladder.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Feb 16, 2022 3:19:46 GMT
We just took the money and ran, with a sizeable amount over asking. WAY more than I expected. We sold for 4x what we bought it for, 16 years ago. I think I'm to the north of you. I don't know if you want to stay in the state, but Whidbey Island is still pretty reasonable (considering the crazy that is all over the state). Homes that are inland are going for way less than what I'm seeing on the mainland. A house down the street from us just went on the market and sold pretty much the next day. The house across the street from it is right on the beach and is going for quite a bit more. Whidbey seems to be a little slower catching up. It was that way when my family bought the house dh and I now own (again, we paid 4x what the fam purchased it for 20 years ago!). Anyway, Whidbey is quiet, relaxed, and you aren't too far from the mainland, by ferry or driving over the bridge. Here's the one that went pending. Lake in the backyard, Puget Sound across the street. Beach club with pool on the beach. www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/78-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16704375Here's the one directly across the street (no lake, but directly on the sound) Notice how the price goes up! www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/79-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16702872This one is on the one of the canals on the water in Greenbank. I'd move here in a heartbeat. I'd almost consider selling our place to move here... www.redfin.com/WA/Greenbank/3679-S-Shorewood-Ave-98253/home/16692545 that last house is so cute!
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Post by ntsf on Feb 16, 2022 3:33:29 GMT
my mother in law lives on the other side of greenbank, on the water. on whidbey island.. if you are former military, there is a px on the island.. and the medical care is good. my kids are hoping to hold onto her house.. it was family built in the early 1980's.
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luckyjune
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,687
Location: In the rainy, rainy WA
Jul 22, 2017 4:59:41 GMT
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Post by luckyjune on Feb 16, 2022 3:35:32 GMT
We just took the money and ran, with a sizeable amount over asking. WAY more than I expected. We sold for 4x what we bought it for, 16 years ago. I think I'm to the north of you. I don't know if you want to stay in the state, but Whidbey Island is still pretty reasonable (considering the crazy that is all over the state). Homes that are inland are going for way less than what I'm seeing on the mainland. A house down the street from us just went on the market and sold pretty much the next day. The house across the street from it is right on the beach and is going for quite a bit more. Whidbey seems to be a little slower catching up. It was that way when my family bought the house dh and I now own (again, we paid 4x what the fam purchased it for 20 years ago!). Anyway, Whidbey is quiet, relaxed, and you aren't too far from the mainland, by ferry or driving over the bridge. Here's the one that went pending. Lake in the backyard, Puget Sound across the street. Beach club with pool on the beach. www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/78-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16704375Here's the one directly across the street (no lake, but directly on the sound) Notice how the price goes up! www.redfin.com/WA/Coupeville/79-Keystone-Ave-98239/home/16702872This one is on the one of the canals on the water in Greenbank. I'd move here in a heartbeat. I'd almost consider selling our place to move here... www.redfin.com/WA/Greenbank/3679-S-Shorewood-Ave-98253/home/16692545 that last house is so cute! Right? It's like summer camp grows up! I love it and I'm kind of surprised no one has picked it up. It's been on the market for a few days.
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luckyjune
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,687
Location: In the rainy, rainy WA
Jul 22, 2017 4:59:41 GMT
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Post by luckyjune on Feb 16, 2022 3:36:46 GMT
my mother in law lives on the other side of greenbank, on the water. on whidbey island.. if you are former military, there is a px on the island.. and the medical care is good. my kids are hoping to hold onto her house.. it was family built in the early 1980's. Greenbank is about six minutes down the road from me!
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Post by ameslou on Feb 16, 2022 3:43:44 GMT
A lot of people I know from SoCal have moved to Tennessee, or have plans to in the near future. With all due respect, I wish they would stop. It may have been a great market 3 years ago but not today. Prices are soaring bc of limited supply and increasing demand. Even apartment rents have gone through the roof. That “no income tax” thing means that there are limited social safety nets, poorly paid teachers and public servants like police and fire.
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Post by librarylady on Feb 16, 2022 4:05:08 GMT
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Post by busy on Feb 16, 2022 4:15:12 GMT
How they can say SLC is affordable with an median income of $56k and median home price of $440k is beyond me lol
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 22:32:41 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2022 4:58:27 GMT
Huntsville, Alabama. I had to move from there about 18 months ago. I miss it almost every day. Once there is no longer a need for us to be in Florida, we are heading back there.☺️ I lived in Kissimmee when I was in high school.
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Post by tenacious on Feb 16, 2022 5:07:29 GMT
How they can say SLC is affordable with an median income of $56k and median home price of $440k is beyond me lol SLC is NOT affordable! I am sorry to say most of Utah is completely inflated and overpriced, especially when you factor in low wages. Not to mention the air quality in SLC is horrible. There are a lot of great things about Utah, but, cheap real estate is certainly NOT one of them.
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sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456
Jun 26, 2014 23:58:32 GMT
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Post by sassyangel on Feb 16, 2022 5:19:40 GMT
It’s a little depressing that nearly all of them are in as shitty a political climate as I already live in. 😏🥴
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,159
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Feb 16, 2022 6:07:05 GMT
NOT here in Utah. My home recently appraised for quadruple what we paid for it 5 years ago. 😳
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Post by guzismom on Feb 16, 2022 12:57:53 GMT
We joke that New Mexico is America's best kept secret. My small college town is less than an hour from El Paso Texas, three from ABQ, four from Tucson AZ, and six from Phoenix. If I need something and I can't get it here, I can always drive to one of those places. In fact, I love to take a weekend road trip to Phoenix for shows, shopping, dining...even medical care, as my hubby is involved with some cancer screening research at the Mayo Clinic there.
I love the weather here, including the hot, hot, HOT summers. It is rare that it snows...but if you like snow, you can ski 3 hours north of here. I don't wear a coat in the winter except on the COLDEST of days. Traffic means you don't make it through the stop light on its first cycle. You can drive from one edge of town to the other in less than 30 minutes. A one bedroom apartment, which my brother has in the deep suburbs of the DC Metro and pays $1500 for, can be had for anywhere from $650-950, depending on amenities. The upper range will get you a gated community, pool, hot tub, gym, community room. When we rented, our two story three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath in such a community was $1500...the same as my bro pays for 1 bedroom/1bath in the DC metro!
I love it here!
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blue tulip
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,004
Jun 25, 2014 20:53:57 GMT
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Post by blue tulip on Feb 16, 2022 13:02:12 GMT
come to west michigan! you're already used to cloudy weather, and we have more sun than washington. lots of lakes, moderate weather. you can't get much of anything under 200k anymore, but you can get a lot for 300-400k so that still sounds better than 1 mill over asking. housing market is exremely hot tho. job market is pretty good too.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 22:32:41 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2022 13:27:45 GMT
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 16, 2022 13:32:19 GMT
A lot of people I know from SoCal have moved to Tennessee, or have plans to in the near future. Tennessee has no state income tax. And from what my sister says, horrible public schools.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 16, 2022 13:40:43 GMT
It’s a little depressing that nearly all of them are in as shitty a political climate as I already live in. 😏🥴 This. And this 👇 With all due respect, I wish they would stop. It may have been a great market 3 years ago but not today. Prices are soaring bc of limited supply and increasing demand. Even apartment rents have gone through the roof. That “no income tax” thing means that there are limited social safety nets, poorly paid teachers and public servants like police and fire. These are the reasons I wouldn’t want to move to most of those places. The trade offs wouldn’t be worth it to me.
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Post by danor98 on Feb 16, 2022 13:51:07 GMT
Huntsville, Alabama. I had to move from there about 18 months ago. I miss it almost every day. Once there is no longer a need for us to be in Florida, we are heading back there.☺️ I lived in Kissimmee when I was in high school. That is exactly where we live! Right by the the Missimmee Bay country club. My in -laws are about 30 minutes away and my dad lives in Tarpon Springs. We moved to be closer to them as all 3 are in their 80s. I do like it here and I’m very comfy, but Huntsville spoke to my heart. ☺️
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Post by busy on Feb 16, 2022 13:51:17 GMT
After seeing things like this in the Seattle area, I am dreaming of cashing out and moving to a more affordable area. It's definitely only a dream right now. DH's job pretty much requires him to be here for at least the next couple years. We think about that too, but when it really gets down to it, I love the PNW and the places that are alluring enough to tempt me to leave it are just as expensive as here, if not more so.
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