The Best Place to Live in the USA


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OK US Ex Pats.

Whats the best state to live in?

I've been looking for property in Florida, but reading stuff on the web suggests

that S.Carolina is a pretty good place.

I could not afford to buy a cracker barrel in LA!

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OK US Ex Pats.

Whats the best state to live in?

I've been looking for property in Florida, but reading stuff on the web suggests

that S.Carolina is a pretty good place.

I could not afford to buy a cracker barrel in LA!

Hmmm, a hard one Mick, I love it here in southern Missouri, I'm in the Ozarks which does take the "punch" out of nasty thunderstorms that spawn tornadoes.

Houses and land are still affordable in these parts and one doesn't need planning permits outside city limits on 5 acres and above in both Missouri and Arkansas, thats a plus!

Winters usually aren't that bad, low snow fall that lasts no more than a day or two, summers less brutal than Florida, ie not near as humid!

Plenty of small towns with friendly people, if your into fishing, they tell me the fishing in these parts are some of the best in the world.

Personally, I like the rural life, it does have drawbacks, shopping being one of them, not near as good as city shopping, and a little more expensive.

Here's the wife's webpage just to give you some idea whats available around here. Real Estate Missouri and Arkansas.

Both Missouri and Arkansas tend to stick to the Constitution on gun laws, very easy to own them, if your into hunting, plenty of good hunting down here.

I've seen Nevada, Utah, Montana and loads of other places, but either too expensive, long winters or just too arid.

Arizona has some nice climates.

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No contest...MT...

Cheers

Robt P.

Way too cold up there in winter, far too much snow and a very long winter.

It's bloody expensive there too, I was looking at property way up the top end about ten years ago, dearer than California.

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It ain't half bad in Northern Arizona. We have 4 seasons, clean crisp air, starry nights to die for, and pine trees forever. Every way you look is a mountain, lots of lakes for fishing, scenery to knock your socks off. We don't have extreme weather conditions, no hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flash floods, ice storms or extreme heat. We also have no humidity. The bit of snow we do have isn't worth writing home about these past few years. I must admit house prices did go up a couple of years ago, land too, but the further out of town, the cheaper the land.

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I guess a lot depends on what you are looking for - but we intend to retire to Floyd County, Virginia. Great scenery - close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Roanoke is a pleasant city with good services, and Floyd is a cool little town. Blacksburg and Virginia Tech are also not too far away. Also, great roads for MG driving and motorcycling!

I lived in the area when I worked at Volvo and it is both the most scenic, and cheapest, place I have lived in the states. Four real seasons, but a VERY short winter and long spring - seems like daffodils are in bloom for ever. Affordable housing ($150,000 will buy you a very decent house with about 1/2 acre of land), very low taxes and low insurance rates.

Other places we considered were North and South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. All acceptable but a little too "Southern" for our tastes.

Let us know if we can be of any help!

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It ain't half bad in Northern Arizona. We have 4 seasons, clean crisp air, starry nights to die for, and pine trees forever. Every way you look is a mountain, lots of lakes for fishing, scenery to knock your socks off. We don't have extreme weather conditions, no hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flash floods, ice storms or extreme heat. We also have no humidity. The bit of snow we do have isn't worth writing home about these past few years. I must admit house prices did go up a couple of years ago, land too, but the further out of town, the cheaper the land.

I am just packing my things as we speak

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Surely house prices must be very cheap in USA at the moment with all the problems they have,-there must be astounding bargains if you keep a cool head and `haggle'

Prices haven't dropped Stan, might sound surprising but there is no change as yet in land or house prices. My wife's a real estate agent with her own business so I get my info right from the "horses mouth" so to speak.

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...its just that I saw a documentary in which vast areas of Los Angeles with whole estates which could not be sold,and other cities e.g. Detroit ,Chicago, etc with streets of unsaleable houses. Also Auctions where houses were being passed in or sold for `a song'.

I suppose its the old theme of `location,location.

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I wouldn’t suggest anyone buying a house in Sawley or come to that anywhere in or around Long Eaton especially if they, like me, like their real ale.

This is my first move to a Cul-de-sac and I must say it’s very quite compared to where I use to live on a hill with a skool at the bottom, I truly miss the young mums taking their little walkers to skool. Is it me, but are the young mums these days looking much prettier than in my skool days?

Bip.

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You want to come and pick our Charlotte up from school, there are some right munters there I can tell you.

These are the people you would put a photo of on the mantlepiece to keep the kids away from the fire!!!

And I ain't exactly an oil painting either!! No SWMBO is definately the best looking there, of an afternoon

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Surely house prices must be very cheap in USA at the moment with all the problems they have,-there must be astounding bargains if you keep a cool head and `haggle'

Not everywhere - but they are down about 20% around here! Not that it matters - none of them are selling anyway!

There are "bargains" to be had - mostly foreclosures you buy off the bank, or at auction. Problem with them is you are never sure what you are getting into. There is one around the corner from us that will go to foreclosure - but even if you buy it at $100,000 below fair market price - I am told the interior will need a LOT of work - the warring couple that owned it apparantly did their best to destroy it before they left!

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Munter n: Hideous female vaguely of the human race

Munting adj: To be in a sate of hideousness, or native of Colburn Estate, Catterick

Muntest descr: Someone who uses the phrase "the uglier they are the harder they try" as an excuse to stick the middle wicket into all ugly, overweight and hirsute women....

New one on me Ian... !bravo!

When collecting my grandkids from school occasionally...I know exactly what you mean!

Once suggested to the Headmistress that "I'd never seen such a collection of ugly women for years..." - she was rather miffed by my remark; will be inserting the word munter next time.

Cheers

Robt P.

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I am told the interior will need a LOT of work - the warring couple that owned it apparantly did their best to destroy it before they left!

A bag of rusty nails and a few sheets of Plaster board ain't expensive.

Bip. :tease:

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I viewed a few foreclosures in Florida

One was overgrown with weeds and the interior and furnishings were very smelly.

There was some kind of termite mound building outside near the walls?

The pool was green and full of wildlife.

328 Walpole Loop - Davenport, FL 33897

I think the pictures were taken some years ago?

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I viewed a few foreclosures in Florida

One was overgrown with weeds and the interior and furnishings were very smelly.

There was some kind of termite mound building outside near the walls?

The pool was green and full of wildlife.

328 Walpole Loop - Davenport, FL 33897

I think the pictures were taken some years ago?

Yep - sounds about right. The one around the corner is much the same way - in fact we have the "common area" groundskeepers mowing it or by now the grass would be 6ft tall! Apparantly it takes months (and this has been six, so far) before the banks finally get it all together and put the house on the market - in the meantime it simply deteriorates!

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I viewed a few foreclosures in Florida

One was overgrown with weeds and the interior and furnishings were very smelly.

There was some kind of termite mound building outside near the walls?

The pool was green and full of wildlife.

328 Walpole Loop - Davenport, FL 33897

I think the pictures were taken some years ago?

Yep - sounds about right. The one around the corner is much the same way - in fact we have the "common area" groundskeepers mowing it or by now the grass would be 6ft tall! Apparantly it takes months (and this has been six, so far) before the banks finally get it all together and put the house on the market - in the meantime it simply deteriorates!

Three months onwards, they have to clear all the repo legal stuff before it can go on the market Eric. Even after all that, the wife's run into title problems with houses she's got listed from banks and lending agencies that have foreclosed.

As for maintenance of yards, that usually starts from a few weeks after the house has been vacated. We usually "trash" the house out if the owners have left much, and sometimes they leave loads of stuff! TV's Fridges, freezers, microwaves, furniture etc etc... Our Sears side by side, washing machine and dryer came from a repoed house we cleared!

Our TV, which had a problem I fixed with four new diodes and I found was only a few months old came from a re- poed house!

It's amazing what folks leave behind!

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I will say that at $185,000 it seems a pretty decent price, especially furnished! My guess is it will probably sell for $20,000 less than that price - or even lower if it sits another six months!

A fair number of houses (and especially condos) in FL are sold furnished as they are typically retirement or vacation homes. This one is in a decent location for a rental - given its proximity to Disney. Pools can be a problem with rentals - you really must have a service to keep them clean and maintained.

Good luck with your search!

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  • 1 year later...

I was seriously looking to buy a property in Florida in retirement but it seems it aint that easy - from what I have read you can only stay for a max of 6 months a year so what do you do with the other 6 months? I am too old at 55 to get a job stateside and get a green card so it seems my dream move will not happen forcing me to look at Spain.........

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