REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
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Up front cost for used 90s.f. mfg home ...
...Depends on what one needs.
Most of us need more than 90 s.f. - that's taking the "tiny house" movement to a new level!
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Up front cost for used 90s.f. mfg home ...
...Depends on what one needs.
Most of us need more than 90 s.f. - that's taking the "tiny house" movement to a new level!
I hear that.
Very true it is comfy indoors anywhere these days. Driving and shoveling snow are manageable, falls are an increasing concern. But most of all we love to be outdoors and be active, and absolutely hate being cooped up for months on end - been there, done that for 24 straight years.
We don't live IN Chicago, in the burbs about 50 miles out where all costs are surprisingly low, great schools, yet crime is almost non-existent...and Lake Michigan is a (long) bike ride away.
Chicago winters bleed the life out of people. I was there for a week and a half recently and didn't see the sun for days at a time. If I still lived there I would become a snowbird after mid-October until at least May 1st.
The winters you can expect in the Carolina's are fairly short, you never have to shovel snow, but you'll need more than a tee shirt.
This post is just to give someone an idea about what the weather here is really like.
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Most of us need more than 90 s.f. - that's taking the "tiny house" movement to a new level!
Good point, but we are moving regardless, so the initial out of pocket add would be essentially $100K. DW and I aren't happy with our current house, like you weren't evidently. Either we get a new house where we are for about $350K, or we get the exact same new house further south for $450K.
Fair point. Things have changed since we moved here in 1992, when we couldn't wait to drive into Chicago every weekend. Now it's once or month or less, though we'd go more often if it wasn't so far-more congested-more expensive. Though we live 50 miles from Grant Park, we're not looking to live that far from everything in the Triangle. Even Wake Forest, which would be less expensive, gives us pause.If you are willing to live THAT far out of the city, then you can find dirt cheap places to live in NC. Even at 25 mi outside of the Triangle or Charlotte. Are you comparing apples to apples?
I'll stick with averages, not exceptions thanks. 40" vs 3" on average.Well, that's not true. The last year I spent in Raleigh we got 20" of snow in one storm, and it sure didn't melt in a day. There were more than a few other snows where it was worth getting the shovel out in the dozen+ years I lived there.
Yes but, and we're getting off track here - the question is paying a $100K premium to avoid winter. Online searches and two realtors are having trouble finding us a small, but very high quality open concept one story in a reasonably safe area not too far out at much under $400K. Believe me, we've been looking for quite a while. So happens it's exactly the same house as here, same builder - $350K vs $450K.Adding to my post above, I'll say for 350k, you can get a pretty darn nice place, even in the Triangle, let alone 25 miles out. Of course everything is relative, but unless you are talking 5000sqft McMansion on 5 acres, you will find plenty to choose from in and around the Triangle at that price point
So, throw on your nice ski jacket and boots with YakTrax and mittens and hat, grab some ski poles if you have them, and go for a fast, intense, heart healthy powerwalk up the street and back every morning when you get up! That would get your blood moving and might well satisfy your desire to get outside. Sure sounds cheaper than $100K.
Here in NJ it gets pretty darned cold in the winter. Maybe not like the mid-West, but we definitely get some bitterly cold days. Echoing the above, I embrace the cold and do my best to get outdoors year-round. Sure, I'll take a "day off" and stay in the house when the roads are impassable due to snow, but it's just that....one day. Then I'm back out there running, walking or cycling, or even just head out to the coffee shop. If what I just wrote is anathema to you, then yes the best solution is spend that extra $100,000 and seek out the better climate.
For one thing, you can learn to 'embrace' winter. A winter hike, or cross country skiing can be a lot of fun. So quiet with fresh snow absorbing all the sounds, wildlife peeking out, searching for food. Crisp air, it's exhilarating!
You first.Aha! There you go, three of us agree. Midpack, you need to get out there and go for it! Enjoy the outdoors, get some vigorous exercise, enjoy the sunlight, and soon you will not feel so cooped up any more. Or at least, I hope not.
You've mentioned you won't do anything until your DW retires too--maybe you have been researching this for too long for too far out when the decision can't be acted on at this point. When you really are ready to move, things will fall into place if that is what you decide you really want to do.
You first.
It was a good post. DW says she is retiring at the end of the year, so the gears are turning again. We were gung ho, but the reality of prices between our searches and two realtors has us hesitating.You've mentioned you won't do anything until your DW retires too--maybe you have been researching this for too long for too far out when the decision can't be acted on at this point. When you really are ready to move, things will fall into place if that is what you decide you really want to do.Another very wise post from Bestwifeever.
For five years F and I thought we would move to Springfield, we dreamed about it, spent every vacation there, and so on, but we couldn't retire quite yet. After we retired, we put our houses on the market.
But when we were ready to move, we discovered that we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. Well, mostly him, at first, but then I got on board with staying here and now I am glad we didn't move. Warts and all, New Orleans is our home for now.
Another way to ask that is, if you don't spend it on a house, what would you spend it on? What is the opportunity cost you are giving up to move to a warmer climate? Does it just go back into the portfolio, or is it 10 trips to Europe (as an example)?Yes but, and we're getting off track here - the question is paying a $100K premium to avoid winter. Online searches and two realtors are having trouble finding us a small, but very high quality open concept one story in a reasonably safe area not too far out at much under $400K. Believe me, we've been looking for quite a while. So happens it's exactly the same house as here, same builder - $350K vs $450K.