OFFICIAL - Buying / Selling / Moving Thread (1 Viewer)

[[icon]]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

 

[[icon]]

What's everyone's thoughts on the market? Highly regional I know but we are seeing lots of significant reductions. Not token 1-3k drops but 10...20k drops in both Chatt and SW Florida.

We may ride this out a bit (3-6 months or more) living nomadic via AirBNBs, short term rentals, etc. It just really feels like we've got a sizeable pullback coming (~20-25%).

 

[Ron Swanson]

As a buyer of investment properties I've been rooting for a pulback for a while. For us, the market is so high that a 10-20k drop is token. It feels like a pullback should be due, but the underlying severe housing shortage probably makes that unrealistic. Is building or renovating an option for you?

 

[beer 30]

What's everyone's thoughts on the market?

The market in my area is pretty insane right now but it's not on your list, Charlotte/Fort Mill area. Homes here are the highest I've ever seen them since moving here in 2007. You can't get into a new place under $400k, nothing nice anyhow. No land, just homes on top of homes, stuffing neighborhoods everywhere. It's slowed down some but the town council had let so much go for so long they are still building developments that were approved years ago.

I keep hearing TN is the spot to be so if you're heading that way, better hurry. If I'm hearing it that means you're about 3 years too late.

 

[MTskibum]

I want to move to Albuquerque, this would put us in the rockies, and much closer to both our family's. Her parents live in El Paso and I think Albuquerque is about as close as i could move to el paso. Most my family lives in Denver and we would be within 4 day weekend driving distance.

My wife and I have been talking about it for the last couple years, just too lazy. It is alot of work to get your house ready to sell, find a house, and move. This is all on top of finding a job there as well.

 

[ChiefD]

Moving to Wisconsin this spring. Market here in KC is pretty good.

Market where we are going is pretty scarce right now, but they are still in winter. I expect that to pick up right about the time I get there, which will be late April. We have a place to live for awhile as my uncle lives up there.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Keep your place.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I want to move to Albuquerque, this would put us in the rockies, and much closer to both our family's. Her parents live in El Paso and I think Albuquerque is about as close as i could move to el paso. Most my family lives in Denver and we would be within 4 day weekend driving distance.

My wife and I have been talking about it for the last couple years, just too lazy. It is alot of work to get your house ready to sell, find a house, and move. This is all on top of finding a job there as well.

We haven't made any firm plans yet, but ABQ is on our short list for retirement. It checks a lot of the boxes that we're looking for: four seasons, lots of outdoor activities, summers are reasonable, easy airport and interstate access, reasonable housing prices, and we just generally like the southwest. The main downside that we can see is crime, but it isn't like we would live in a rough part of town. The important thing is that we can more or less swap our current house for something comparable in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, and that isn't the case for most cities.

Then again, we've lived in our current small, windswept town for 25 years. We know the place, and maybe it would be just as well to stay here and just spend a couple of weeks someplace else a few times a year. We've got a few years to figure it out.

 

[the moops]

The main downside that we can see is crime

I thought you were just being a typical small town midwest afraid of city kind of guy, but nope. Damn

Albuquerque's crime rate is 6,356 crimes per 100,000 people. This 75.6% higher than the state average and 170.9% higher than the national average.

 

[Don Quixote]

I want to move to Albuquerque, this would put us in the rockies, and much closer to both our family's. Her parents live in El Paso and I think Albuquerque is about as close as i could move to el paso. Most my family lives in Denver and we would be within 4 day weekend driving distance.

My wife and I have been talking about it for the last couple years, just too lazy. It is alot of work to get your house ready to sell, find a house, and move. This is all on top of finding a job there as well.

We haven't made any firm plans yet, but ABQ is on our short list for retirement. It checks a lot of the boxes that we're looking for: four seasons, lots of outdoor activities, summers are reasonable, easy airport and interstate access, reasonable housing prices, and we just generally like the southwest. The main downside that we can see is crime, but it isn't like we would live in a rough part of town. The important thing is that we can more or less swap our current house for something comparable in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, and that isn't the case for most cities.

Then again, we've lived in our current small, windswept town for 25 years. We know the place, and maybe it would be just as well to stay here and just spend a couple of weeks someplace else a few times a year. We've got a few years to figure it out.

ABQ is nice. My wife grew up there and her parents still live there. Think that’s around where we’d go too. Crime can be rough. My in-laws are in one of the better one, but did have their house broken into a few years back. Rio Rancho has less crime.

I really like the Los Alamos and White Rock area as some options too.

 

[MTskibum]

The main downside that we can see is crime

I thought you were just being a typical small town midwest afraid of city kind of guy, but nope. Damn

Albuquerque's crime rate is 6,356 crimes per 100,000 people. This 75.6% higher than the state average and 170.9% higher than the national average.

Yeah, I have been there a few times and have friend/family that live there. My parents have also lived in Farmington for two years. It is something you have to be aware of, but you just stick to certain parts of town and there are no issues.

 

[MTskibum]

I want to move to Albuquerque, this would put us in the rockies, and much closer to both our family's. Her parents live in El Paso and I think Albuquerque is about as close as i could move to el paso. Most my family lives in Denver and we would be within 4 day weekend driving distance.

My wife and I have been talking about it for the last couple years, just too lazy. It is alot of work to get your house ready to sell, find a house, and move. This is all on top of finding a job there as well.

We haven't made any firm plans yet, but ABQ is on our short list for retirement. It checks a lot of the boxes that we're looking for: four seasons, lots of outdoor activities, summers are reasonable, easy airport and interstate access, reasonable housing prices, and we just generally like the southwest. The main downside that we can see is crime, but it isn't like we would live in a rough part of town. The important thing is that we can more or less swap our current house for something comparable in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, and that isn't the case for most cities.

Then again, we've lived in our current small, windswept town for 25 years. We know the place, and maybe it would be just as well to stay here and just spend a couple of weeks someplace else a few times a year. We've got a few years to figure it out.

ABQ is nice. My wife grew up there and her parents still live there. Think that’s around where we’d go too. Crime can be rough. My in-laws are in one of the better one, but did have their house broken into a few years back. Rio Rancho has less crime.

I really like the Los Alamos and White Rock area as some options too.

I have applied to jobs located in Los Alamos in the past, the cost of housing is alot higher or you have a commute to deal with. Maybe if i only had to commute 2-3 days a week.

 

[Stoneworker]

Anyone looking to move to New Mexico should really study the drought situation there. The entire state's been bad for the last decade or two and only projected to trend worse with climate change.

Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said New Mexico is experiencing the worst drought conditions among Southwest and Mountain West states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California.

Just ugly: New Mexico has the worst drought conditions in the region

New Mexico has not bounced back from the blistering it took from an exceptionally hot and arid summer and fall.

www.abqjournal.com

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Anyone looking to move to New Mexico should really study the drought situation there. The entire state's been bad for the last decade or two and only projected to trend worse with climate change.

Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said New Mexico is experiencing the worst drought conditions among Southwest and Mountain West states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California.

Just ugly: New Mexico has the worst drought conditions in the region

New Mexico has not bounced back from the blistering it took from an exceptionally hot and arid summer and fall.

www.abqjournal.com

I should have mentioned this myself. I'm not actually worried about crime because I know I'm not going to live in a crime-ridden area, but you're right that the water situation in the southwest is messed up. My understanding is that a lot of this is due to agriculture, specifically the insistence on growing crops in the desert, but I could be mistaken about that.

My wife and I have agreed that there is no way we're moving to someplace at a lower altitude that's already too hot (like Las Cruces, for example) -- places like are going to become unlivable with warmer temps. Even if it doesn't affect us directly, it's something to think about for future generations. Property at 6000 ft. and property in the northern plains could be valuable down the road.

 

[nirad3]

What's everyone's thoughts on the market? Highly regional I know but we are seeing lots of significant reductions. Not token 1-3k drops but 10...20k drops in both Chatt and SW Florida.

make sure you do your due diligence with respect to insurance in that part of the country.... things are absolutely insane right now with property insurance, especially in areas with higher weather risks

 

[snellman]

Moving to Wisconsin this spring. Market here in KC is pretty good.

Market where we are going is pretty scarce right now, but they are still in winter. I expect that to pick up right about the time I get there, which will be late April. We have a place to live for awhile as my uncle lives up there.

Why in the world would you want to move to WI? Your IQ will drop 40 pts as soon as you cross the border! (J/K of course)

 

[ChiefD]

Moving to Wisconsin this spring. Market here in KC is pretty good.

Market where we are going is pretty scarce right now, but they are still in winter. I expect that to pick up right about the time I get there, which will be late April. We have a place to live for awhile as my uncle lives up there.

Why in the world would you want to move to WI? Your IQ will drop 40 pts as soon as you cross the border! (J/K of course)

I wanna be the smartest guy in the state.

 

[jwb]

Not market related, but logistics: Start decluttering / throwing away / selling some stuff now. The longer you have to do this, the better.

I just did this three years ago. Moved from our 20-year home in NY to NC. You have no idea how much stuff you really own until you move. That back closet? That corner in the basement? The garage? Tackle them.

 

[krista4]

I'll throw my hat into the ring as the person who is planning to move to Illinois in 2025. Going from a no-income-tax state to one with high taxes, from looking at the Olympic mountain sunrises and sunsets from my window every day to looking at...I dunno, probably some guy pissing on the side of my house and shouting at the sky.

I'm excited. Seriously. I miss Chicago and miss my people.

Complications here will include but not be limited to the fact that I need to move my mom and her husband as well, and our combined seven (7!) cats. We're looking at getting a two-flat in Chicago so that we can be on the lookout for aging parents, but to make it all work I'll need to buy that two-flat before selling either of our houses here. And given mobility issues, our pool of options will be somewhat limited. Also Mr krista has a good job here that is not transportable (I've worked remotely for 10+ years so no problem there), and getting him anything comparable will be a challenge. Did I mention the income tax and the seven cats?

 

[krista4]

Not market related, but logistics: Start decluttering / throwing away / selling some stuff now. The longer you have to do this, the better.

I just did this three years ago. Moved from our 20-year home in NY to NC. You have no idea how much stuff you really own until you move. That back closet? That corner in the basement? The garage? Tackle them.

Preach. When we moved to Nicaragua we got rid of almost all our stuff. Within a couple of years after that, we were moving to a new house here and I thought, "Where the hell did all of this come from?" And I'm pretty good at disposing of things I don't want or need. It just...accumulates.

 

[belljr]

Lived here for 22 years, will probably die here

 

[NutterButter]

Lived here for 22 years, will probably die here

Jersey 4 life

 

[[icon]]

Anyone looking to move to New Mexico should really study the drought situation there. The entire state's been bad for the last decade or two and only projected to trend worse with climate change.

Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said New Mexico is experiencing the worst drought conditions among Southwest and Mountain West states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California.

Just ugly: New Mexico has the worst drought conditions in the region

New Mexico has not bounced back from the blistering it took from an exceptionally hot and arid summer and fall.

www.abqjournal.com

This is a factor in our move and a strike against Florida for us... warning + drought scenarios leading to water issues could become a major issue for some areas sooner than later.

Yes, problems like that can be helped along (ie desalinization) in many areas... but that generally comes at a price.

 

[[icon]]

Not market related, but logistics: Start decluttering / throwing away / selling some stuff now. The longer you have to do this, the better.

I just did this three years ago. Moved from our 20-year home in NY to NC. You have no idea how much stuff you really own until you move. That back closet? That corner in the basement? The garage? Tackle them.

Oh we have done this already.. at least the big one. We have either tossed/donated/sold/given away a lot of ****.

Our garage has about 20 boxes or bags of **** that we don't use much. Inside the house we are on "showing" mode. Spotless and somewhat of minimum possessions in place. Boxing up what's left will be simple. The garage will be a handful but manageable.

Since we are going to be nomadic for a bit, may have movers put our stuff in storage while we travel with a few bags of of stuff... then pull it when we are ready. Quotes were $4800 for 1 truck (~9k lbs) from Memphis to Chatt. Buddy discount got me down to $4k. Will run ~$1.5k to have them move it into storage first which is pretty reasonable I think. (Good reputable company, fantastic insurance, etc).

Side note. State Farm can't insure a storage unit unless you have a homeowners or renters policy with them. Challenging for us on the move. I suggested the idea that we "live" with a good friend... and "travel" a lot, and she laughed saying that would work.

Told her I could draft a lease agreement and pay my friend a Buck rent to formalize and she said it wasn't necessary. They'd write us for min coverage at the "rental" then full coverage on the unit. Fun workaround if anyone finds themselves in a similar scenario.

 

[[icon]]

I'll throw my hat into the ring as the person who is planning to move to Illinois in 2025. Going from a no-income-tax state to one with high taxes, from looking at the Olympic mountain sunrises and sunsets from my window every day to looking at...I dunno, probably some guy pissing on the side of my house and shouting at the sky.

I'm excited. Seriously. I miss Chicago and miss my people.

Complications here will include but not be limited to the fact that I need to move my mom and her husband as well, and our combined seven (7!) cats. We're looking at getting a two-flat in Chicago so that we can be on the lookout for aging parents, but to make it all work I'll need to buy that two-flat before selling either of our houses here. And given mobility issues, our pool of options will be somewhat limited. Also Mr krista has a good job here that is not transportable (I've worked remotely for 10+ years so no problem there), and getting him anything comparable will be a challenge. Did I mention the income tax and the seven cats?

Lord Hammercy.... Krista on the road again! You're a pro, you've got this.

 

[[icon]]

What's everyone's thoughts on the market? Highly regional I know but we are seeing lots of significant reductions. Not token 1-3k drops but 10...20k drops in both Chatt and SW Florida.

make sure you do your due diligence with respect to insurance in that part of the country.... things are absolutely insane right now with property insurance, especially in areas with higher weather risks

I've got lots of family there. My brother's homeowners just went UP $400/mo. Not up to, up. Pushing $1k on a $350k home 15min inland on the east coast of FL.

That is a big factor for us as well. That is more than my P&I payment on my house right now

 

[Cowboysfan8]

dunno, probably some guy pissing on the side of my house and shouting at the sky.

 

[ChiefD]

Not market related, but logistics: Start decluttering / throwing away / selling some stuff now. The longer you have to do this, the better.

I just did this three years ago. Moved from our 20-year home in NY to NC. You have no idea how much stuff you really own until you move. That back closet? That corner in the basement? The garage? Tackle them.

Yeah agree. I started getting rid of stuff two years ago in anticipation of this. This weekend starts the mad rush for the rest. Minor repairs, hide all the pictures…..etc. House will go on the market third week in March.

 

[ChiefD]

Anyone looking to move to New Mexico should really study the drought situation there. The entire state's been bad for the last decade or two and only projected to trend worse with climate change.

Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said New Mexico is experiencing the worst drought conditions among Southwest and Mountain West states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California.

Just ugly: New Mexico has the worst drought conditions in the region

New Mexico has not bounced back from the blistering it took from an exceptionally hot and arid summer and fall.

www.abqjournal.com

Water is actually one of the side reasons we are moving to Wisconsin. Kansas is turning into a major drought state. Access to fresh water will be what I can pass down to my children and their children.

We are hopeful to buy on a lake up there but the backup plan will be a few acres. Both situations would have a well for the water source, and where we are going there is a lot of fresh water close by.

 

[skol asylum]

Following. Especially for recommendations on where to land. We both wfh and could continue to do so in many states. I'm 50, she's 47. Freshman in college and freshman in high school. Getting tired of AZ (heat, etc) and should probably start doing some relocation research. Both our families are in MN and ND but not looking to move back to the cold and snow. Would like 4 seasons but something more moderate.

 

[ChiefD]

Following. Especially for recommendations on where to land. We both wfh and could continue to do so in many states. I'm 50, she's 47. Freshman in college and freshman in high school. Getting tired of AZ (heat, etc) and should probably start doing some relocation research. Both our families are in MN and ND but not looking to move back to the cold and snow. Would like 4 seasons but something more moderate.

You wanna buy a house in Kansas? I know of one for sale soon.

 

[FarFromHome]

Also not specifically market related. More a life is short play hard in regards to relocation.

My wife and I aren't the normal stay in one area and live couple. We love big moves. We love the adventure of relocating. We have moved across the ocean twice now. One move we basically sold everything, I mean everything and flew with all our possessions. We discovered, at the time, the airlines charged 50 bucks for each additional footlocker. We flew with 18 footlockers. Landed, got a rental car and made multiple trips to a time shared location. We had two weeks to get cars, jobs, place to stay. Won't move like that again. Next big move we had a large uhaul box dropped off. It's amazing how much stuff you can pack into a large container like that given a week. Every inch was packed. Dropped our two vehicles off at harbor and paid 2500 for each one to be put on a boat then truck to destination. Each big move we sit in bed together with Google maps and start looking at spots. It's fun. Our last big move we wanted Florida but fear of hurticanes had us looking north until we felt like hurricanes weren't an issue. Chattanooga area? We had never been. For months we called it the "nub" because it looked like a nub on the map. Ha ha. Every time we move we take the money made on the house and immediately put it into the down payment on the next. Been here 3 years, we both enjoy it, but have had one foot out the door since day one. This next move will be simple. Schedule realtor appointment, rent a uhaul truck and roll. Purchase home within 72 hours and hope for the best. I know here in the south a majority of the people are born and raised in the area. That's fine. We just knew that wasn't us. We are nomads by nature.

 

[FarFromHome]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

Been in Chattanooga area for 3 years. Never even been here before. Nice area. Housing prices decent. 350 grand for 4 bedroom nice home. It's a larger town I guess, but doesn't feel like it. Lots to do. Hour from Atlanta, two hours from Nashville. Everything is cheap here.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Also not specifically market related. More a life is short play hard in regards to relocation.

My wife and I aren't the normal stay in one area and live couple. We love big moves. We love the adventure of relocating. We have moved across the ocean twice now. One move we basically sold everything, I mean everything and flew with all our possessions. We discovered, at the time, the airlines charged 50 bucks for each additional footlocker. We flew with 18 footlockers. Landed, got a rental car and made multiple trips to a time shared location. We had two weeks to get cars, jobs, place to stay. Won't move like that again. Next big move we had a large uhaul box dropped off. It's amazing how much stuff you can pack into a large container like that given a week. Every inch was packed. Dropped our two vehicles off at harbor and paid 2500 for each one to be put on a boat then truck to destination. Each big move we sit in bed together with Google maps and start looking at spots. It's fun. Our last big move we wanted Florida but fear of hurticanes had us looking north until we felt like hurricanes weren't an issue. Chattanooga area? We had never been. For months we called it the "nub" because it looked like a nub on the map. Ha ha. Every time we move we take the money made on the house and immediately put it into the down payment on the next. Been here 3 years, we both enjoy it, but have had one foot out the door since day one. This next move will be simple. Schedule realtor appointment, rent a uhaul truck and roll. Purchase home within 72 hours and hope for the best. I know here in the south a majority of the people are born and raised in the area. That's fine. We just knew that wasn't us. We are nomads by nature.

I'm the opposite of this. My wife and I are both settlers who would have ideally liked to have moved once after getting married and never again. I'm vicariously jealous of the fact that you've gotten to live in so many different places and really experience them in a way that you obviously can't do when you're just visiting for a week or so.

 

[FarFromHome]

Also not specifically market related. More a life is short play hard in regards to relocation.

My wife and I aren't the normal stay in one area and live couple. We love big moves. We love the adventure of relocating. We have moved across the ocean twice now. One move we basically sold everything, I mean everything and flew with all our possessions. We discovered, at the time, the airlines charged 50 bucks for each additional footlocker. We flew with 18 footlockers. Landed, got a rental car and made multiple trips to a time shared location. We had two weeks to get cars, jobs, place to stay. Won't move like that again. Next big move we had a large uhaul box dropped off. It's amazing how much stuff you can pack into a large container like that given a week. Every inch was packed. Dropped our two vehicles off at harbor and paid 2500 for each one to be put on a boat then truck to destination. Each big move we sit in bed together with Google maps and start looking at spots. It's fun. Our last big move we wanted Florida but fear of hurticanes had us looking north until we felt like hurricanes weren't an issue. Chattanooga area? We had never been. For months we called it the "nub" because it looked like a nub on the map. Ha ha. Every time we move we take the money made on the house and immediately put it into the down payment on the next. Been here 3 years, we both enjoy it, but have had one foot out the door since day one. This next move will be simple. Schedule realtor appointment, rent a uhaul truck and roll. Purchase home within 72 hours and hope for the best. I know here in the south a majority of the people are born and raised in the area. That's fine. We just knew that wasn't us. We are nomads by nature.

I'm the opposite of this. My wife and I are both settlers who would have ideally liked to have moved once after getting married and never again. I'm vicariously jealous of the fact that you've gotten to live in so many different places and really experience them in a way that you obviously can't do when you're just visiting for a week or so.

Settlers is a good term. Here in the south it's a majority of settlers I feel. People I interact with are mainly born and raised locals. It's this idea that different people have different choices of how we want to live is what makes this country great. I have two children that have been through very diverse living areas. Kinda funny because when my son moved out he basically looked at a map and picked a spot and moved there. He'd never been just thought why not. My daughter is gonna settle in this current area I think. We all have a path.

 

[ChiefD]

I forgot how much fun it is getting a house ready to sell.

Me talking to the wife about what goes and what gets sold before we leave:

 

[Terminalxylem]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

Don’t know about the housing situation, or real estate in general, but Chattanooga seems way more awesome than S Florida.

 

[Terminalxylem]

The main downside that we can see is crime

I thought you were just being a typical small town midwest afraid of city kind of guy, but nope. Damn

Albuquerque's crime rate is 6,356 crimes per 100,000 people. This 75.6% higher than the state average and 170.9% higher than the national average.

I spent some time in NM a while ago, and Albuquerque seemed pretty run down and crimey. I’m sure there are nicer areas, but I’d rather a smaller, desert town if I were to move to the Southwest. Maybe something between Santa Fe and Taos?

FTR, I worked in Santa Fe, which is a cool town with great food, but pretty pricey. It’s also the highest elevation state capital in the US.

 

[steelerfan1]

is the Costa Rica dream over icon, or is that still a bit down the road?

 

[[icon]]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

Don’t know about the housing situation, or real estate in general, but Chattanooga seems way more awesome than S Florida.

WAY more awesome. Chatt is amazing.

The ONLY draw in Florida is being close to my 70-something parents.

 

[[icon]]

Also not specifically market related. More a life is short play hard in regards to relocation.

My wife and I aren't the normal stay in one area and live couple. We love big moves. We love the adventure of relocating. We have moved across the ocean twice now. One move we basically sold everything, I mean everything and flew with all our possessions. We discovered, at the time, the airlines charged 50 bucks for each additional footlocker. We flew with 18 footlockers. Landed, got a rental car and made multiple trips to a time shared location. We had two weeks to get cars, jobs, place to stay. Won't move like that again. Next big move we had a large uhaul box dropped off. It's amazing how much stuff you can pack into a large container like that given a week. Every inch was packed. Dropped our two vehicles off at harbor and paid 2500 for each one to be put on a boat then truck to destination. Each big move we sit in bed together with Google maps and start looking at spots. It's fun. Our last big move we wanted Florida but fear of hurticanes had us looking north until we felt like hurricanes weren't an issue. Chattanooga area? We had never been. For months we called it the "nub" because it looked like a nub on the map. Ha ha. Every time we move we take the money made on the house and immediately put it into the down payment on the next. Been here 3 years, we both enjoy it, but have had one foot out the door since day one. This next move will be simple. Schedule realtor appointment, rent a uhaul truck and roll. Purchase home within 72 hours and hope for the best. I know here in the south a majority of the people are born and raised in the area. That's fine. We just knew that wasn't us. We are nomads by nature.

This is awesome. Please check in periodically and offer tips and insight

Also please keep sharing stories. We keep trending more and more nomadic as well. What you said. All of it

 

[[icon]]

is the Costa Rica dream over icon, or is that still a bit down the road?

For now it's on hold. I have some friends who are actually leaving CR after years and hearing their stories I think I'm in holding.

Government getting greedy stone walling gringo projects.

Also overall real estate going insane. Let's look at the small house we rented for 6 weeks on our first trip down. 3 bedroom / 2 bath... solid basic Tico house.

We paid $3k ish for 6 weeks.
Now it rents for $2-3k a week

We almost bought it for $250k or so. The next year it was worth $500-600. Now? $700-800?

 

[Snotbubbles]

is the Costa Rica dream over icon, or is that still a bit down the road?

For now it's on hold. I have some friends who are actually leaving CR after years and hearing their stories I think I'm in holding.

Government getting greedy stone walling gringo projects.

Also overall real estate going insane. Let's look at the small house we rented for 6 weeks on our first trip down. 3 bedroom / 2 bath... solid basic Tico house.

We paid $3k ish for 6 weeks.
Now it rents for $2-3k a week

We almost bought it for $250k or so. The next year it was worth $500-600. Now? $700-800?

Got friends going to Belize in a couple years when they retire.

 

[belljr]

Spent a week in Chattanooga last summer. Some of it was really nice, some felt super awful. Would like to go back though

 

[dkp993]

Feels like Tennessee is the new Austin. Know quite a few people who have gone there in the past year or so. All like it.

I‘m SoCal born and bred. We bought our home here 3 yrs ago with the intent on staying in it through our daughter’s HS graduation (she’s 9 now). Wifey is from Minnesota and her whole family is there so she’d like to end up back there someday. Can‘t see it happening

 

[snellman]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

Don’t know about the housing situation, or real estate in general, but Chattanooga seems way more awesome than S Florida.

Spent a week in Chattanooga and lookout mountain last summer visiting some friends. Seemed like a very nice area and one I could see us moving to.

 

[[icon]]

Is there a thread for this? I've not seen one.... please point if there is.

Anyone else looking at buying/selling coming up? I'm about to shoot my first home to put on market after ~20 years. Longest I've ever lived anywhere. New to this process.

Will discuss here and invite others to do the same.

Destination:
Unsure... 80% Chattanooga TN (Vibe, Location) / 20% Southern Florida (family)

We may be selling then taking our time before buying with the suspicion market will continue to drop in these markets.

Have a month or so of travel for work (including an insane 2 weeks in Europe) in March... and also trying to plan two bbq festivals before mid May. Will be a chaotic stretch.

My selling agent is kinda a doofus. Contractors are sloppy with lots of rework. Just dodged a new furnace ($2k), and had an oven commit Sepaku ($750) so far

Been in Chattanooga area for 3 years. Never even been here before. Nice area. Housing prices decent. 350 grand for 4 bedroom nice home. It's a larger town I guess, but doesn't feel like it. Lots to do. Hour from Atlanta, two hours from Nashville. Everything is cheap here.

Nice! What part of town ya live in? Any detailed thoughts on your area? The town itself?

We initially were looking more north Chatt or st Elmo but now expanding out. Spent a couple lunches in Ootlewah and thought it was a glorified truck stop... but seeing some gorgeous houses north of there by the river. But they're just so far from town...

 

[mr. furley]

Moving to Wisconsin this spring. Market here in KC is pretty good.

Market where we are going is pretty scarce right now, but they are still in winter. I expect that to pick up right about the time I get there, which will be late April. We have a place to live for awhile as my uncle lives up there.

Why in the world would you want to move to WI? Your IQ will drop 40 pts as soon as you cross the border! (J/K of course)

I wanna be the smartest guy in the state.

hey! i can read, you know!

barely, but i'm working on it

 

[The Z Machine]

is the Costa Rica dream over icon, or is that still a bit down the road?

Yeah, I was just about to ask the same. Why not move abroad? BTW check out Chem X's thread on Italian adventuring for my update.

 

[Sleestak]

I retire in 2027 and am looking to relocate within the same area (Maryland suburb of DC), We'd like to transition to single-level living. A 2500-3000 square foot renovated rambler would work. I don't have much appetite for building new, or doing a major renovation.

Since we have 3 years to get it done can afford to be choosy. However we DO need to get agile, so we can make an offer if something great comes on the market. To that end I need to get with a mortgage broker to figure out how the financing will go. I want to buy the new home before selling the current home, and don't want to be rushed on the sell side. Which means I'll need a bridge loan for 3-6 months. Never done that before. Any wisdom from resident Lender Guys.