Time to move?

[brucethebroker]

Condo seems very inexpensive, so why not use it as a "crash pad", while traveling the USA and finding the location of your dreams? The one year rent deal sounds like a great idea.

 

[ivinsfan]

What type of home do you live in now? You say you have thought about getting a lock and leave condo for travel. This seems like a perfect way to downsize your belongings and test drive condo living with no financial blowback. You might like condo living and you might hate condo living.....plus you can see your Mom..win..win...

 

[misanman]

Does owning or renting a place in Illinois make you a state resident? I thought it was usually determined by the time you spend there (6 months or more).

 

[MichaelB]

Does owning or renting a place in Illinois make you a state resident? I thought it was usually determined by the time you spend there (6 months or more).

Owning property in Illinois does not carry any residency or tax liability, unless it is used for business. An individual can spend up to 9 months in Illinois without being considered a resident or being subject to Illinois state income tax.

 

[Olbidness]

An individual can spend up to 9 months in Illinois without being considered a resident or being subject to Illinois state income tax.

There has to be some way they keep track of this. I remember this came up during the election as to where people voted when they had multiple houses. I guess without employment income it doesn't really matter.

 

[CoolRich59]

Illinois, not exactly the garden spot of the US. Every poll shows Illinois as a poor choice for retirement from a taxation perspective not to mention, crime, weather. When I look at the state tax rate for retirement assets it's zero. I'm sure other taxes are somewhat higher than average property tax being one.

Not to mention that the State is bankrupt and run by corrupt tax and spend politicos that just raised the income tax. And, if you live in Crook County, they just passed a mammoth soda pop tax. So, don't assume they won't get around to taxing retirees at some point.

 

[Katsmeow]

It sounds like taking the condo for awhile and traveling might work for you. If it doesn't work out and you hate it you could still move somewhere else. So, if it was me I think I would try it.

Another alternative would be to find someplace within a short flight to Illinois that you could live and to frequently visit your mom. That would work if there is some nearby state that you like.

I understand about Texas and hurricanes since I've lived in the Houston area for over 35 years. I'm north of Houston so it wasn't so bad here, but the endless rain was a bit unnerving.

As far as taxes in Illinois, I don't know that they would necessarily be worse than Texas. Property taxes in Texas are very high as I'm sure you know. You could move somewhere in Texas but you would have to be careful not to buy in a MUD and have to buy MUD taxes.

We are strongly considering moving somewhere else in a few years. Although we don't consider any of the northern states due to not wanting to deal with snow in the winter. But, it sounds like that isn't really a deal breaker for you.

But, bottom line, you can move there and try the condo for awhile and see your mom a lot and see how it goes. If you hate it you can move somewhere else, even back to Texas if you want but not hear the hurricane area.

 

[MichaelB]

We should keep politics out of this discusssion if we want it to remain open.

 

[World Traveler]

I have commuted to Illinois for 14 years and have a good bud in Rockford. The only reason he stays is his dad. Property taxes are higher than Texas plus you pay income taxes. People in the southern part of the state have about had it with Chicago. They are trying to tax their way out of debt.

I will take the Texas heat Jul, Aug as opposed to Jan, Feb in Il any day. We checked out of the DFW metroplex to a small town and love it. I had my father in law move to us from Ohio so we could take care of him for the last few years of his life. Time well spent so I get the family thing.

 

[Olbidness]

I'm a little annoyed at myself, I've been de-cluttering for years now in anticipation of retirement. Now retirement has happened but I've not completed. The plan was to be so spartan with my possessions that I could move on a whim, more like I was in the beginning. I had surgery in July and have since fully recovered, the Texas heat is starting to wane, so I guess I'll continue to de-clutter. One more surgery planned for this fall and maybe I'm ready to make some decisions before next hurricane season.

 

[GravitySucks]

Funny how many complaints about the snow and cold. I live in the snow capital of the world, I leave for a month or so in the winter. No big deal.
The older I get the less I can stand hot and humid. I don't think I stopped sweating in Nashville the eclipse weekend. When it's cold I can put on a coat and hat. When it's hot I can't wear less and not get arrested. (It may also be that I'm naturally well insulated.)

 

[GravitySucks]

 

[FrankiesGirl]

Why not look at some of the smaller bedroom communities outside of Dallas? It's got a major airport hub with (likely) very cheap direct flights up to Illinois, inland enough so that you shouldn't have to worry about hurricanes, but still all the benefits of living in Texas/larger metro area.

 

[euro]

When it's cold I can put on a coat and hat

This is an excellent point!

(It may also be that I'm naturally well insulated.)

 

[foxfirev5]

Funny how many complaints about the snow and cold. I live in the snow capital of the world, I leave for a month or so in the winter. No big deal.
The older I get the less I can stand hot and humid. I don't think I stopped sweating in Nashville the eclipse weekend. When it's cold I can put on a coat and hat. When it's hot I can't wear less and not get arrested. (It may also be that I'm naturally well insulated.)

Yup. Lived in the 'Cuse for for 4 winters and travelled extensively while only missing one day of work due to snow. Now that I'm ER'd it would be a breeze. Here in Michigan it's not much different. Head south when the weather is undesirable. I just hope Key West is still intact after this weekend.

 

[Scuba]

View attachment 26808

LOL - love this!

 

[Bamaman]

You couldn't PAY ME to live in Illinois with the high taxation and far left politics.

If you choose to live there...best of luck.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Our Dallas office closed and transfers offered to offices North of Chicago. 1 employee out of 50 took the transfer and he was 2 mos. short of ER.

I worked in Illinois 3 years (after college) and the Winter weather was just so depressing. No thanks.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Not to mention that the State is bankrupt and run by corrupt tax and spend politicos that just raised the income tax. And, if you live in Crook County, they just passed a mammoth soda pop tax. So, don't assume they won't get around to taxing retirees at some point.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Funny how many complaints about the snow and cold. I live in the snow capital of the world, I leave for a month or so in the winter. No big deal.
The older I get the less I can stand hot and humid. I don't think I stopped sweating in Nashville the eclipse weekend. When it's cold I can put on a coat and hat. When it's hot I can't wear less and not get arrested. (It may also be that I'm naturally well insulated.)

Every winter I hear about the national guard getting called out to shovel snow in buffalo and near you. They describe the snow fall in feet and not inches..

Im trying to figure out how I can snow bird in a tax free state and still stay here part time. I know I read many articles on this and New York is very vigilant about tracking how much time you spend here. I want to do it legally, and not be looking over my shoulder.

 

[GravitySucks]

I only remember the National Guard called out a couple of times in my life.
We take good care of the snow here.
Airport rarely closes. Schools might average closing once a year. Takes ten minutes to snowblow the driveway fifteen on a bad day.
No hurricanes, no wildfires, no tornados, few poisonous critters, no fire ants.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I only remember the National Guard called out a couple of times in my life.
We take good care of the snow here.
Airport rarely closes. Schools might average closing once a year. Takes ten minutes to snowblow the driveway fifteen on a bad day.
No hurricanes, no wildfires, no tornados, few poisonous critters, no fire ants.

LOL< it might have been years ago, but I got a huge kick out of it and every time they say 8 feet of snow in Buffalo I throw in the National Guard got called out too. It makes for better conversation with the neighbors as Im shoveling the dusting off the sidewalk.

 

[Meadbh]

18 years ago the Mayor of Toronto called in the armed forces to deal with a snowstorm. Winnipeggers guffawed.

 

[GravitySucks]

How'd your wildfire scare work out Meadbh? Hope all is well.

 

[Meadbh]

How'd your wildfire scare work out Meadbh? Hope all is well.

Thanks for asking!

Thanks to stellar efforts by firefighters, the local fires threatening communities have been conquered and all but extinguished. Everyone is back in their homes. There is a very large fire in Washington State (Diamond Creek) which has crossed the border into Canada. Because that fire is in a very remote area, it is being mostly left to itself to burn out. It was creating a lot of smoke pollution for us. Finally, over the weekend, we had rain (after 44 dry days in my area, and 71 dry days in the town just south of here). The rain was very welcome as it helped extinguish the fires and really cleared the air. We are now enjoying lovely September sunshine.

 

[Music Lover]

18 years ago the Mayor of Toronto called in the armed forces to deal with a snowstorm. Winnipeggers guffawed.

That we did...

We don't get a lot of snow here...but once it falls, it stays until spring. I'll probably cut the grass once more and then that chore is done until May (7-8 months). Over the winter, I'll shovel snow a few times with only 2 or 3 of them being any substantial amount....I average less than 10 hours of shoveling in total all winter and there is no yard work at all. And no insects.

Technology has made winter very bearable...heated seats, heated steering wheels, AWD, central heating, well designed clothes, delivery services for almost everything. It's not great, but it's really not that bad. If you don't like shoveling, pay the neighbor's kid.