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Another moving to a new State question

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Cammy

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My wife and I have long planned on leaving this state and moving East. Missouri seems like it has made the short list based on taxes and pricing. It will be a few more years as her parents are here and we cannot leave them.

So the question for those of you who have done something like this is... How did you go about your search? We will probably be in our 60's when we move and we want to live in the country but know we will need access to medical and an airport (regional hub ok as long as we can get to a major airport). Would like to have acreage that would allow hunting on our property along with room for garden and livestock (chickens, pig and beef).

Current plan is to find an area and travel there and spend some time looking around. My biggest fear is plopping down cash only to find out the place and people suck. LOL!
 
My classmate from school used the COVID remote work option as an opportunity to go live in a community and rent an AirBnb in 3 different Rocky Mt. states between Thanksgiving and New Years last year. I envied him so much.....

He ended up buying a place in Afton, WY. Big difference from his previous longtime home in Silicon Valley.

If i were in your shoes, I'd go "vacation" there while you were still non residents in the off season and pick out where you want to base your home search out of with the RV. I think about how much of a hassle moving twice is and I'd want to get it right the first time!
 
Here is what I did. I used city-data.com to break down each state and area that we were interested in. What was amazing was once we had decided what kind of weather we were looking for, it really narrowed our search.

After that, we visited each area for a week and after talking with people and putting a ton of miles on rental cars we decided on our destination.

Best thing we ever did..good luck!!
 
C17loadclear said:
Here is what I did. I used city-data.com to break down each state and area that we were interested in. What was amazing was once we had decided what kind of weather we were looking for, it really narrowed our search.

After that, we visited each area for a week and after talking with people and putting a ton of miles on rental cars we decided on our destination.

Best thing we ever did..good luck!!
Click to expand...
Will be in your area next week chasing whitetails.
 
I'd be in South Dakota somewhere, probably Hot Springs area for the winter weather and close proximity to multiple great states to hunt.
 
JLS said:
go spend some time there.
Click to expand...
We've moved a bunch this ^ is key. In our case renting was the correct move as it allowed us to get the lay of the land.

I might also look at medical costs and taxes state to state. For taxes google "total tax burden by state" depending on your situation income tax might not be the most important tax.

Insurance can be pretty different state to state, if you think medical might be a big cost that's something to consider as well.
 
Cammy said:
My wife and I have long planned on leaving this state and moving East. Missouri seems like it has made the short list based on taxes and pricing. It will be a few more years as her parents are here and we cannot leave them.

So the question for those of you who have done something like this is... How did you go about your search? We will probably be in our 60's when we move and we want to live in the country but know we will need access to medical and an airport (regional hub ok as long as we can get to a major airport). Would like to have acreage that would allow hunting on our property along with room for garden and livestock (chickens, pig and beef).

Current plan is to find an area and travel there and spend some time looking around. My biggest fear is plopping down cash only to find out the place and people suck. LOL!
Click to expand...
If you want lots of trees and as much "mountains" as MO can offer look at the south portion of the state. Springfield has some good hospitals (gf works for one of them) and a regional airport, but definitely live in the country. To the east is the Mark Twain National Forest. If you get into the Peck Ranch area you have the opportunity to apply for landowner tags for our limited population of elk, as well as for black bear.

The further north you go, the more it transitions into flatter areas of farmland. STL has its issues, Outside of KC can be ok, Columbia area would strike a decent balance if you want to be in the mid/northern portion.
 
wllm1313 said:
We've moved a bunch this ^ is key. In our case renting was the correct move as it allowed us to get the lay of the land.

I might also look at medical costs and taxes state to state. For taxes google "total tax burden by state" depending on your situation income tax might not be the most important tax.

Insurance can be pretty different state to state, if you think medical might be a big cost that's something to consider as well.
Click to expand...
We waited until retirement so more flexibility.
Then check out locations by renting during the off season.
By renting during the off-season your not treated as a tourist and
get to experience what most people would consider the worst weather.

If you don't like it, you always have your original home that you can go back to.
 
Cammy said:
We do. Plan is to use it to move around a bit
Click to expand...
As one or two others have confirmed already, this right here is great advice. My wife and I spent five years or so banging around the western states in a tent and motels. We learned so much about the areas we visited. We narrowed it down to the State, then the area. We are in our mid fifities, so our priorities were pretty close to yours. Hospital was key. It is a major consideration as you age. Then it was access to recreation areas which included hunting, fishing, mountain biking, camping and skiing. I wanted land because I wanted privacy, like to dabble in homesteading, etc.

I ended buying a townhouse. It is supposed to be temporary until we find our forever home. Well, the townhouse just may be the forever home. First off I ended buying the other side as well. One of my kids is living in it. I am smack in the middle of a small town. I can practically walk to everything. Some of the homes around me are like mine, some are mobile homes. I have subsidized housing across the street. And you know what? I love it. Everything is right here. My yard is small so there is not much to take care of. The house is small so it can be cleaned in twenty minutes. I minutes from the Yellowstone River, Several minutes to national forest and can access almost anything in less than an hour.

So what have I learned? The house is so unimportant when you have access to incredible public resources. Save your money and spend it on gear. We are leaning heavily toward staying here. I have both units gutted. They will be quite nice when completed. Space is tight but it forces us to be smart about things. I like it. Once the market cools, I think we are going to pursue some land that abuts National Forest and is really only accessible three out of the four seasons. Drop a camper on it and call it our "vacation home".

My wife and I have never been happier. We cannot believe where we live and all the things we have access to. I could afford a nice home. I worked hard and retired at 54. We kind of stumbled into really simplifying our life. It was supposed to be temporary. But we are so happy where we are. Realizing that it is not about the house, or the perfect community, but what you make of it and having access to the things you really enjoy is all that matters.


Good luck on your venture. It is fun and stressful!
 
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If you are able to rent for a few months in an area you think you might like, you sure will learn a lot. It's getting easier to get intel online these days, but nothing beats boots on the ground as they say.
 
Cammy said:
My wife and I have long planned on leaving this state and moving East. Missouri seems like it has made the short list based on taxes and pricing. It will be a few more years as her parents are here and we cannot leave them.

So the question for those of you who have done something like this is... How did you go about your search? We will probably be in our 60's when we move and we want to live in the country but know we will need access to medical and an airport (regional hub ok as long as we can get to a major airport). Would like to have acreage that would allow hunting on our property along with room for garden and livestock (chickens, pig and beef).

Current plan is to find an area and travel there and spend some time looking around. My biggest fear is plopping down cash only to find out the place and people suck. LOL!
Click to expand...
Why not rent there for awhile? No harm to trial 3-4 months?
 
I was lucky to live all over the US, primarily as a renter. I have to admit that I adapted to the local culture, made friends and found enjoyment just about everywhere.
Preferences are so subjective when you are moving, you just like what you like. You might not know what you like but you will know it when you find it.
 
Have you though about Eastern Kansas? It's kinda split right down the middle of what you're looking for
 
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