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05-22-2008, 06:08 AM
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#1
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 78
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FIRE in the USA
After doing some research into possible retirement places around the world, it seems to me that the US is likely one of the cheapest places to live after the dollar decline.
Anyone know of beautiful places in America (on a mountain, by a lake...), where housing is still affordable?
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05-22-2008, 06:19 AM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,006
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What's your definition of affordable?
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simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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05-22-2008, 06:32 AM
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
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West Virginia, for one.
Beautiful state, one can still find a decent single family home for less than six figures. Not luxurious, but decent.
Reputations notwithstanding, yes we have indoor plumbing and electricity. In fact, I have had no need for the backup generator since leaving Maryland.
There must be something in the water though, because I have developed an affinity for Bluegrass music, a desire to put oversize tires on the (de rigueur) pickup truck, and my little sister is starting to look kind of cute....
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When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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05-22-2008, 06:49 AM
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#4
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 78
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Cheap being able to live the life of a recluse. House less than $100k.
Get yourself a nice rocking chair and just watch the mountains.
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05-22-2008, 06:52 AM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Uh, let's see:
NY State (Finger Lakes are gorgeous, for example)
Parts of PA
WV
KY
Eastern TN
Northern Alabama
Parts of NM (northern half of the state, roughly)
Parts of CO
UT
Montana
Maybe bits of Idaho
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"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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05-22-2008, 07:06 AM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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You can get a nice home for under $100K in Roanoke, VA. My brother in law and his family live there. Very pretty area with wonderful mountain views.
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I purr therefore I am.
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05-22-2008, 07:10 AM
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#7
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
You can get a nice home for under $100K in Roanoke, VA. My brother in law and his family live there. Very pretty area with wonderful mountain views.
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We lived there 9 months, definitely beautiful. And Smith Mountain Lake is not far away (although I highly doubt houses on the water are under 100k!)
__________________
simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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05-22-2008, 07:18 AM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 13,148
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bankerwithabrain
Cheap being able to live the life of a recluse. House less than $100k.
Get yourself a nice rocking chair and just watch the mountains.
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Sadly, with your requirement for "on a mountain, by a lake," your under $100k goal will be tough, especially if you're looking for a turnkey setup. American retirees and developers have done a lot to push prices up the past few years in previously considered out of the way places.
I've done extensive research in Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee for retiree living opportunities with outdoorsey amenities such as water, land or a wonderful view. Anything under $100k these days is going to have some significant drawback: requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle to reach; is in poor condition; is a mobile home; no library, hospital, etc., within an hour's drive; and those sort of things.
It is relatively easy, however, to find a decent, comfortable home for under $100k in town. It's just the water, land or view part that makes it tough. At least that's what I found.
But perhaps I underestimate your willingness to "live the life of a recluse" as you put it.
__________________
"I wasn't born blue blood. I was born blue-collar." John Wort Hannam
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05-22-2008, 07:47 AM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,020
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Detroit, Michigan. You can get a house for $500 on a mountain of despair next to a lake of misery.
Single Family Home - DETROIT, MI, 48213 - Realtor.com
Baraga, Michigan. Single Family Home - 14614 Payne Rd, Baraga, MI, 49908 - Realtor.com. Little above your price range, but close to the water. Baraga is at the top of a mountain, and close to some decent skiing.
Calumet, Michigan. What a steal at only $40k! Single Family Home - 58302 Calumet Waterworks Rd, Calumet, MI, 49913 - Realtor.com. Fixer-upper.
Houghton, Michigan is a nice area. Lake Superior is an easy drive in multiple directions. Housing is very cheap there. Tech university in town (Michigan Tech). Small. Lots of big hills and small mountains. The downside (or upside) is that the homes have docks off of their front doors so people can get out in the winter. Many a Tech student has a story of jumping out of the second story window into the snow. Winter lasts from mid-October to late April. However, the Keweenaw Peninsula is some of the most beautiful country in the US (imho).
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05-22-2008, 09:19 AM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 13,148
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marquette
Detroit, Michigan. You can get a house for $500 on a mountain of despair next to a lake of misery.
Single Family Home - DETROIT, MI, 48213 - Realtor.com
Baraga, Michigan. Single Family Home - 14614 Payne Rd, Baraga, MI, 49908 - Realtor.com. Little above your price range, but close to the water. Baraga is at the top of a mountain, and close to some decent skiing.
Calumet, Michigan. What a steal at only $40k! Single Family Home - 58302 Calumet Waterworks Rd, Calumet, MI, 49913 - Realtor.com. Fixer-upper.
Houghton, Michigan is a nice area. Lake Superior is an easy drive in multiple directions. Housing is very cheap there. Tech university in town (Michigan Tech). Small. Lots of big hills and small mountains. The downside (or upside) is that the homes have docks off of their front doors so people can get out in the winter. Many a Tech student has a story of jumping out of the second story window into the snow. Winter lasts from mid-October to late April. However, the Keweenaw Peninsula is some of the most beautiful country in the US (imho).
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Looks pretty congruent with my findings in the mid-south. A mobile home, an almost 100 year old fixer-upper and one $33k over the price limit but looks pretty good.
$100k is hard to do these days!
BTW, I like the UP but would probably have to get a 1 - 2 month break from winter which would have to be figured into the cost of living there.
__________________
"I wasn't born blue blood. I was born blue-collar." John Wort Hannam
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05-22-2008, 09:37 AM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,467
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bankerwithabrain
After doing some research into possible retirement places around the world, it seems to me that the US is likely one of the cheapest places to live after the dollar decline.
Anyone know of beautiful places in America (on a mountain, by a lake...), where housing is still affordable?
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are a lot of places that might not end up on magazine covers, but which are genuinely beautiful and inexpensive, as well. Look in small town or rural locations throughout the Midwest and most of the South, for example, as well as other regions.
Choosing one? Now, that's half the fun! Welcome to the search and good luck in finding just the right place for you.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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05-22-2008, 12:41 PM
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#12
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Confused about dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 7
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Family In roanoke
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
You can get a nice home for under $100K in Roanoke, VA. My brother in law and his family live there. Very pretty area with wonderful mountain views.
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My Fathers family are all from Roanoke. My 2 aunts live on Blue Ride Drive. Ferguson was the family name. I haven't been there in over 20 years. I bet it has changed quit a bit! I like that real estate price...considering what we pay here in southern california.
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Bugs8
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05-22-2008, 12:46 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Want2retire
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are a lot of places that might not end up on magazine covers, but which are genuinely beautiful and inexpensive, as well. Look in small town or rural locations throughout the Midwest and most of the South, for example, as well as other regions.
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That's for sure. And some places are really, really nice for part of the year. The Ohio town where I went to college had glorious summers and falls (crappy, grey winters, though). But to look at it on paper, you wouldn't even think about living there.
If I ever relocate for retirement, I would probably do some travelling before making a decision. There are lots of neat places in the US taht aren't that expensive.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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05-22-2008, 01:25 PM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,895
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i thought the norris lake area of tenn. was pretty nice. lots of water to play in. smokey mountains nearby. knoxville with a university not too far away.
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"off with their heads"~~dr. joseph-ignace guillotin
"life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages."~~mark twain - letter to edward kimmitt 1901
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05-22-2008, 03:10 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marquette
Detroit, Michigan. You can get a house for $500 on a mountain of despair next to a lake of misery.
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My friend, you are a poet.
Ha
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"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
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05-22-2008, 06:36 PM
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#16
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bankerwithabrain
Cheap being able to live the life of a recluse. House less than $100k.
Get yourself a nice rocking chair and just watch the mountains.
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Not really. Is a lake a requirement or would you settle for a river? That expands the possibilities.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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05-22-2008, 07:23 PM
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#17
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 944
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marquette
Detroit, Michigan. You can get a house for $500 on a mountain of despair next to a lake of misery.
Single Family Home - DETROIT, MI, 48213 - Realtor.com
Baraga, Michigan. Single Family Home - 14614 Payne Rd, Baraga, MI, 49908 - Realtor.com. Little above your price range, but close to the water. Baraga is at the top of a mountain, and close to some decent skiing.
Calumet, Michigan. What a steal at only $40k! Single Family Home - 58302 Calumet Waterworks Rd, Calumet, MI, 49913 - Realtor.com. Fixer-upper.
Houghton, Michigan is a nice area. Lake Superior is an easy drive in multiple directions. Housing is very cheap there. Tech university in town (Michigan Tech). Small. Lots of big hills and small mountains. The downside (or upside) is that the homes have docks off of their front doors so people can get out in the winter. Many a Tech student has a story of jumping out of the second story window into the snow. Winter lasts from mid-October to late April. However, the Keweenaw Peninsula is some of the most beautiful country in the US (imho).
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Very interesting - I would love to hear the condition of the $500. home and about the area that it lays...
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Freed at 49. You only live once - live it
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05-23-2008, 07:06 PM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,502
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donzo
Very interesting - I would love to hear the condition of the $500. home and about the area that it lays...
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I would imagine that you will no problem starting your own Fight Club down in the basement.
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05-23-2008, 11:52 PM
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#19
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 886
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