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Originally Posted by youbet
+1 It's pricey here in the Chicago suburbs. My RE taxes alone, on a very modest six room ranch, exceed what many say their total housing costs are........ Sigh.....
But DW (and I to a lesser extent) are anchored to grand kids, kids, extended family, friends and the entertainment and cultural attractions. I wouldn't mind moving to a location with top notch natural beauty and superb outdoor recreational opportunities, especially fishing and paddling. And with those attractions not just "nearby." For example, if we moved someplace to enjoy easy access to great fishing, I'd want to live on the water not just with easy access from a nearby location.
IOW, the only places we'd be interested in moving to might also be expensive places to live. So, here we are!
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There are many, many places that would fill your bill--especially in the south. We have a 6 mile water view, and our sunsets are absolutely incredible. Our lake is 50' to 100' deep and is one of the best smallmouth and catfish lakes in the country. Pickwick Lake is 6 miles away, and Wheeler Lake is 10 miles upstream--both premier fisheries.
Alabama property taxes are ridiculously cheap, with $350K house taxes @ $1000 per year--half that if it's your main residence. Disabled people have no property taxes.
Lakefront property is expensive by our standards, but cheap to most people. Decent houses can be bought for $350K. Our average house is 5000 square feet with a concrete boathouse, and they run $550K or so.
I'm fortunate to have two Robert Trent Jones championship golf courses on my street--8050 yards from the back tees. There's another RTJ golf course at the local yacht club across the lake. This is golf heaven and part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
When I used to travel to Chicago and Racine on business I was appalled at the cost of houses--and especially the cost of property taxes. Our whole cost of housing is less than just property taxes in Wisconsin. I was always afraid of getting transferred to "home office" to lose our high standard of living.
It's nice living in a medium size city that's 2 hours from 3 large cities. And virtually every large city in the south has one or more large lakes within 1/2 hour--and relatively low costs of living.