Author Topic: Moving, NC, Tenn ??? (Read 22782 times)

Rough Edge racing · « **on:** March 10, 2015, 06:18:08 PM »

Time to seriously plan a move now that my wife doesn't have to care for her mom. We live in rural western NY state , the brutal taxes and to some degree the weather is beating us down. We are both retired and lead a simple private lifestyle, wood heat, chickens and so on.
Thinking about move to rural North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, maybe southern Virginia might be want we want and within a day's drive of the relatives in NY.
We have about 225 grand cash to spend on a house and acreage. And it would be nice to be no more than an hour's drive from an area with decent medical facilities, if needed.

Looking for opinions from people who live there.... Thanks. Don't worry,you would like me as your neighbor ;D

old head · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2015, 06:28:12 PM »

we lived in Chattanooga for a few years, really liked the area
no idea of the cost of living now, but very nice area 20+ years ago

oldbike54 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2015, 06:29:41 PM »

North Carolina is nice , and there seems to be several Guzzista around . Now about that neighbor thing ... ;D
South Eastern Oklahoma is beautiful , and still cheap , although a bit far away from N.Y state .

dUSTY

Lannis · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2015, 06:34:26 PM »

You could move to Claytor Lake in Virginia, I expect Dean would like a little Guzzi company and someone to show the local roads to!

$225K won't get you a place on the lake but will get you a nice home with shop and a few acres, anywhere in the region you mention outside of the tourist spots and cities .....

Lannis

mojohand · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2015, 06:43:21 PM »

Ootewah or Cleveland, TN would be good. For example:

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/fsba,fsbo,new_lt/house,land_type/81019636_zpid/3-_beds/200000-225000_price/737-829_mp/garage_att/35.307001,-84.725533,34.976564,-85.385056_rect/11_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

Rough Edge racing · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:04:19 PM »

I should mention we are both retired.

Ambogal · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:13:34 PM »

If you're looking for a motorcycle mecca.....come to Meadows of Dan, VA. We're along side the Blue Ridge Parkway. In fact, the VA Guzzi rally is
held here at the motorcycle campground. I couldn't ask for a better place to live. More and more riders are moving here every year.

Sheepdog · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:19:34 PM »

I loved living in Knoxville. Its beautiful, has great riding/cycling/hiking/paddling/fishing/etc, and there is no state income tax. I bought a 2100 sf home in Farragut (a nice suburb) in 2005 for $135k. I'd still be there, but I wanted to be near my parents in their twilight years. Highly recommended...East Tennessee is the stuff.

maquette · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:22:00 PM »

I like TN myself, but suggest that wherever you head that you might consider renting for a year and make sure you are where you want to be.

Tom

Triple Jim · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:23:55 PM »

I like living in rural NC, and it's way cheaper than suburban MD where I used to live, but I have the impression that some of the important things are less expensive in VA. Check into things like income tax, property tax, personal property tax, and cost of the various insurances you'll need. Southwestern VA, western NC, and eastern TN are all beautiful. I think the cost of living probably isn't very different among those three areas, aside from tax and insurance.

Bill929 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:34:29 PM »

We are in rural NC and love it. Near West Jefferson (Ashe County) - not Asheville. NC has state income tax. Not sure about VA, but I think TN is better for taxes.

http://www.main.nc.us/ashe/

mgmark · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:47:17 PM »

I live in the east side of Chattanooga, which we are very happy with, and these areas would also be nice. Especially the Cleveland area if you want some acreage for reasonable money, but this whole area is not far from the Cherokee National Forest and wonderful riding roads.
Tennessee has no state income tax, but keep in mind city taxes as well as county taxes as far as property taxes, etc. If I lived within the Chattanooga city limits I'd be paying much more in taxes than being out in the county itself.
And the closer north you get to Knoxville the weather gets more severe in the winter. We get snow flurries or small accumulation, and they get real snow, lots of it.
Fly into Knoxville or Chattanooga and drive around for a few days. See what you think. Thats what we did before we moved here.

Quote from: mojohand on March 10, 2015, 06:43:21 PM

Ootewah or Cleveland, TN would be good. For example:

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/fsba,fsbo,new_lt/house,land_type/81019636_zpid/3-_beds/200000-225000_price/737-829_mp/garage_att/35.307001,-84.725533,34.976564,-85.385056_rect/11_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

Lannis · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:07:15 PM »

Quote from: Bill929 on March 10, 2015, 07:34:29 PM

We are in rural NC and love it. Near West Jefferson (Ashe County) - not Asheville. NC has state income tax. Not sure about VA, but I think TN is better for taxes.

http://www.main.nc.us/ashe/

Virginia's income tax is 5% on AGI above $17,000, with all the usual Federal deductions. State sales tax is 4.5% on whatever you buy. Tax on buying a car is 3%. Other taxes vary by locality.

Lannis

AJ Huff · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:23:31 PM »

If medical is important you want to be nnear Asheville, Chattanooga, or Knoxville. TN has no income tax. In TN you don'twant to be west of Lake Ocoee or you'll die in transport. In NC you want to be no further west than Sylva or you'll die in transport. For North Georgia you could consider band that runs about Cleveland to Ellijay and still get decent health care. North of that you are screwed.

-AJ

vf84pc · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:32:33 PM »

My friend from work just retired and moved to Elizabeth city NC. He likes it but found out his truck was $435.00 per year in "personal property" tax to register his truck. the other "fee's" and taxes were higher than anticipated. He is very happy he missed the winter this year in western NY. He was pulled over by the local police and was almost arrested for inadvertently driving when they had 12" of snow.

Bill929 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:33:25 PM »

Quote from: AJ Huff on March 10, 2015, 08:23:31 PM

If medical is important you want to be nnear Asheville, Chattanooga, or Knoxville. TN has no income tax. In TN you don'twant to be west of Lake Ocoee or you'll die in transport. In NC you want to be no further west than Sylva or you'll die in transport. For North Georgia you could consider band that runs about Cleveland to Ellijay and still get decent health care. North of that you are screwed.

-AJ

Don't forget Winston-Salem (Wake Forest Medical Center) or Raleigh (Duke). Both excellent medical facilities.

Ambogal · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:49:06 PM »

Back in the early '90's my husband and I wanted to live in eastern Tenn. Great prices on homes but we wanted acreage with
a portion of it fairly flat. Everything we found that fit the bill was too expensive. We didn't want to have a driveway that
went straight up. The house we fell in love with was on top of a mountain just outside Mountain City, TN. If you
drove too far out of your garage, you'd drive over the edge of the mountain. Cost of living in TN was lower but
I don't know how it is now. VA has more taxes but not nearly as much as I paid in Michigan. Even 20+ yrs
later, I pay less now for 20 acres along the Parkway than I did for a small lot in Detroit.

I agree that if it's possible, to rent a place for a while and see if you like the change of life style. It was a major
change for me moving from Detroit to a rural mountain community.

AJ Huff · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2015, 08:57:05 PM »

Housing collapsed here 8 years ago and has never fully recovered. So deals can be made in the mountains. Acreage is still high but fancy 2 bd/ba aren't $250K anymore

-AJ

sknapp351 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2015, 09:01:01 PM »

I live in Halifax, VA. It is nice and peaceful. For a tiny town, there is a fair amount here. We are an hour and a half from Raleigh/Durham, 2 hours from Roanoke or Richmond. Locally I just saw a 2 story updated farmhouse on 17 acres for $213k. I'm originally from the Hudson Valley in NY, and I'll say that SW VA over near Roanoke is prettier, but less bang for your buck.

Quick edit: by bang for your buck, I simply meant house and property for your price.

My $.02.
Sam

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thunderbutt · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2015, 09:05:01 PM »

Rough Edge- I was born and raised in western NY, Chautauqua County, and after the blizzard of '78-'79 combined with limited job opportunities decided to head south and moved to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. This area was pretty nice for awhile but the lame politicians have let our county become so crowded and over populated it is no longer an appealing place to live. A number of friends and people I have met and heard of from this area of Florida are moving to North Carolina and Tenn., that's got to tell you something! We sold our summer home in NY this past year and when the weather warms we will be checking those areas out. Like the others have mentioned be sure and check out the property taxes, insurance rates etc before you buy. Im sure they wont be quite as bad as NY but I learned recently that the state sales tax in Tenn is 9%. That was a shocker as the sales tax is 7% in our county here in Florida and higher than NY's 8 1/2%!!! Good luck.

Jerry

Dilliw · « **Reply #20 on:** March 10, 2015, 09:38:42 PM »

Quote from: Thunderbutt on March 10, 2015, 09:05:01 PM

Rough Edge- I was born and raised in western NY, Chautauqua County, and after the blizzard of '78-'79 combined with limited job opportunities decided to head south and moved to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. This area was pretty nice for awhile but the lame politicians have let our county become so crowded and over populated it is no longer an appealing place to live. A number of friends and people I have met and heard of from this area of Florida are moving to North Carolina and Tenn., that's got to tell you something! We sold our summer home in NY this past year and when the weather warms we will be checking those areas out. Like the others have mentioned be sure and check out the property taxes, insurance rates etc before you buy. Im sure they wont be quite as bad as NY but I learned recently that the state sales tax in Tenn is 9%. That was a shocker as the sales tax is 7% in our county here in Florida and higher than NY's 8 1/2%!!! Good luck.

Jerry

You need to look at taxes in total since there are so many variables (income, sales, property, gasoline, etc). The Tax Foundation shows TN as the better deal if taxes are your consideration. I live in SC just South of Charlotte and it's a much better deal than living just a few miles North. The gas tax alone is about $.30 more per gal.

http://taxfoundation.org/article/map-tax-freedom-day-state-2013

Wayne Orwig · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2015, 11:11:54 PM »

I have at least 4 motorcycle campgrounds within 2 hours of me here in North Georgia. I like the weather and the riding. But I am way too close to Atlanta. I would prefer being an hour northe in the NC, TN, GA border area, away from all of the Starbucks and other crap.

jackson · « **Reply #22 on:** March 11, 2015, 05:46:05 AM »

Quote from: Dilliw on March 10, 2015, 09:38:42 PM

You need to look at taxes in total since there are so many variables (income, sales, property, gasoline, etc). The Tax Foundation shows TN as the better deal if taxes are your consideration. I live in SC just South of Charlotte and it's a much better deal than living just a few miles North. The gas tax alone is about $.30 more per gal.
http://taxfoundation.org/article/map-tax-freedom-day-state-2013

What he said. When we decided to leave San Diego to get away from the congestion, taxes and ridiculous housing prices (after living there for 30 years), we took a hard look at Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC. Both offered close proximity to a lot of rural, twisty roads for motorcycling as well as above average hospital/doctors.
We live on the north side of Greenville, SC and I can be in the mountains in less than 20 minutes from my door. The deciding factor came down to comparable housing prices and taxes. That was 10 years ago and we don't regret the move.

Rough Edge racing · « **Reply #23 on:** March 11, 2015, 06:36:20 AM »

Thanks for all the info....Let me give a little personal info on what it costs us to live in western NY ,you can compare it to the places mentioned. We are located in a somewhat rural area on 10 acres.The town is nothing to write home about, no town cops or fancy services. Total property taxes are $4400 a year with a veterans and over 65 discount on 200,000 buck property. House insurance is 800 a year. Gas is around 2.50 a gallon right now, sales tax in NY is 4-8 % depending on county but generally 8 % that we pay. No personal tax in NY but there is a income tax higher than most states. Bike registration is $17.50 a year, a smaller SUV or truck is about 40 bucks a year. Yearly vehicle safety inspection on all vehicles and an emissions inspection for 96 and newer. You all know about the pain in the ass gun laws and nut cases running the state..And is everything is rusty from road deicing chemicals....Genera lly decaying infrastructure.
The good, nearby Rochester has decent health care facilities ,our town has near zero crime, the Finger Lakes are beautiful......And of course we are familiar with the surroundings.
Right now both of us are in good health ,but that can change in the blink of an eye so that's why I mentioned healthcare. Our daily drivers are 15 and 17 years old, my bikes are even older so personal tax on vehicles would be minimal I assume. Our friends consider us to be "frugal"... or tight a tight as bark on a tree. ;D Our yearly income from SS and other sources allows us to live comfortable and we always have paid as we go so there's zero debt.
I'm originally from NJ, my family is gone. My wife is a life long resident of this area so she's dragging her feet a bit. Both our daughters live 2 hours away and they encourage us to move South...
I will check out property in the places mentioned, thanks again

bratman2 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 11, 2015, 07:00:40 AM »

North Carolina has traditionally had the highest overall tax rate of all the Southern states. I would be surprised if that has changed much over the years. At the same time property values in some rural areas can be fairly low. My youngest daughter is getting ready to close on a 2000 sq. foot brick home built in the late seventies for $137750. It sets on two acres with a fairly new storage shed and a bigger but needs repair barn in back. We are very rural! Property values can change dramatically from one county to another. If this same house was 30 miles up in the road in Pitt county it would easily be over 200k. Our insurance on home is around $1100 but we carry a wind rider for hurricanes which is about $500.00 of the 1100. We are about 25-30 miles from the coast. Our home is probably around a 190k home in our county.I think our top state tax rate is 7%. Gas is running around $2.25. Sales tax can vary county to county, I think ours is 7% but sales tax on vehicles is 3% if I am not mistaken. You have to pay property taxes to get your license renewed yearly on vehicles. I think my 09 Norge was a little under $100 total including tax and plate stamp. State inspection in my county is $13.00 annual with no emissions but some counties do check emissions and they are about triple the cost. A lot of variables. Good luck!!!

Rough Edge racing · « **Reply #25 on:** March 11, 2015, 07:11:49 AM »

And... it would be nice to have decent internet service available......

Bill929 · « **Reply #26 on:** March 11, 2015, 07:55:31 AM »

Quote from: Rough Edge racing on March 11, 2015, 07:11:49 AM

And... it would be nice to have decent internet service available......

That is becoming easier in rural areas. We live 15 miles outside of West Jefferson, which has a population of 2500 (whole county about 25,000) and we have fiber optic phone, cable and high speed internet. I work from home and require reliable service for work and have very little problems.

bratman2 · « **Reply #27 on:** March 11, 2015, 08:00:21 AM »

Mine is not fiber optic but is Century Link high speed, about three times faster than that satellite dish internet company was several years ago.

Triple Jim · « **Reply #28 on:** March 11, 2015, 08:04:26 AM »

Quote from: Rough Edge racing on March 11, 2015, 07:11:49 AM

And... it would be nice to have decent internet service available......

Agreed, I doubt if you'll have trouble with getting good Internet service, but you need to investigate to be sure. It's easy to get here, about an hour north of Raleigh in a very rural area, but out at Deals Gap, NC, at the Tennessee border there isn't anything except by satellite. 18 miles away in Robbinsville you can get DSL, I think. There isn't even any cell service at Deals Gap.

jetmechmarty · « **Reply #29 on:** March 11, 2015, 08:27:32 AM »

If saving money in taxes is a strong consideration, I thing you'll find Alabama is the second best deal after Tennessee. You may want to give it a look. Northwest Alabama in particular is beautiful. Georgia and South Carolina are also retirement friendly.

This may help: http://taxfoundation.org/sites/taxfoundation.org/files/docs/Facts%20and%20Figures%202014.pdf

I am a Jamestown, NY native. I believe 3% of Georgia's population is New York born. They're probably all in Atlanta. I don't expect I'll be going back unless someone decides to put my remains there.

University of North Georgia

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Author Topic: Moving, NC, Tenn ??? (Read 22782 times)

Rough Edge racing

oldbike54

Rough Edge racing

Rough Edge racing

Rough Edge racing