Where would you move?

[ChrisMouse]

I actually love where I live, so it would be hard to tempt me away. Colorado is so beautiful. Our mountains are terrific, and offer so much beauty and recreation. Don't be fooled by our weather...it can be hot in summer (not the wet hot of Florida, but still hot in the high 90's most of the summer). We have sunshine year round, though, and even when we get a big snow storm it melts quickly.

That said, I think I might love to live in Seattle. It seems so lovely and green there, and I have always loved the rain. My skin might not dry out the way it does here. I'd love to be near the water. However, I've heard it's expensive to live there (not that it's cheap to live here). I think with $400K to spend, you should try to find somewhere the cost of living is pretty cheap. I've heard wonderful things about Oregon. Pretty like Washington state, but possibly a better cost of living.

Have fun with the adventure...I love talking about it since it's someone else's adventure, but I'd probably just sock the money away somewhere safe and then stay put.

The one thing I know I wouldn't do is move to Florida. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to visit there, but the magic would go out the window if I could be there all the time. DH and I joke about retiring half the year down there and working at WDW (Maybe all of us DIS'ers dream this way) but I bet it wouldn't be as much fun to be on that side of the magic. I prefer to take my wonderful vacations down there...plus I doubt I could stand the heat of the summers.

Good luck!

 

[Reginak]

I can handle the heat with air conditioning and palmetto bugs after living in Texas for 45 years, but I worry about the snow. I also hate wet cold - dry cold wasn't so bad. I have lived in central Texas (Waco), west Texas (Lubbock for college) and now east texas so I have experienced both.

I know, we are definitely looking at places with a low cost of living.

As for Florida, I have decided that I will be careful about how much time I will spend at WDW so that it still stays fresh to me and I don't tire of it. Odds are, we will be at least an hour or so away since we will probably buy a home with a couple of acres or more this time.

Regina

 

[Quilter007]

I work remotely and DH is full-time dad. My boss said a few years ago that I could work anywhere and it wouldn't matter. I said, OK and sold our condo 20 minutes from DL and we moved our little boys to a small town in Wyoming. It was a little crazy, but we sold at the TOP of the real estate market in California and paid cash for a nice sized home in a the type of neighborhood that no longer exists in California. We literally can't buy the environment that our kids have now. Our kids are now growing up close to their aunts and uncles. They miss their California Grandma -- so we go see her often and visit DL at the same time! Now that I can drive myself around and don't have to walk 2 miles to Jr High (uphill both ways....) the winters aren't so bad. The people are lovely. We will stay here after our kids grow up, if our kids move somewhere else? I don't know. DH was born and raised in S. Cal and I lived there for my entire adult life until moving back to WY. We'll just have to see. The important thing is to adapt to the circumstances of wherever you are living -- otherwise, you will never be happy there.

I will say that moving from an urban area to a much smaller town is quite an adjustment. It's been five and half years and some days we are still adjusting! Not as much, but there are still some days when we wonder what we have gotten ourselves into....and we live in one of the big "cities" for Wyoming! Kinda crazy!

Good luck with whatever you choose. How does that Chinese blessing/curse go? May you always live in interesting times. and May you find what you are looking for.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I can handle the heat with air conditioning and palmetto bugs after living in Texas for 45 years, but I worry about the snow. I also hate wet cold - dry cold wasn't so bad. I have lived in central Texas (Waco), west Texas (Lubbock for college) and now east texas so I have experienced both....Regina

We just drove through Malakoff yesterday. Have you thought about Tyler or Longview? Still Texas, but might be a little more progressive and still Texas. Not that far from your family in Waco.

 

[edk35]

Celebrations FL and I would get a parttime job at Disney. I talk about how we are going to retire there in 12 years....12 more year...just 12 more years.

 

[auntsue]

A note about Naples...We live here seven months of the year. It is beautiful and right on the Gulf of Mexico, yet it is far enough away from Disney (3 1/2 hours) that we don't go there too often. With the seasonal FL pass, we only go two or three times, so it's still special to us. Right now housing prices here are very good for buying (not so much for selling as our home is worth about $100,000 less than we paid in 05) and sales are picking up. Two homes on our cul de sac of 12 just closed. Coming from NJ, I wasn't sure I would like Florida, but other than this year, the winters have been wonderful. Even so, it certainly beats out all the snow they got up north. I can't tell you about the summers, but I remember many a hot and humid night in NJ as well.

I do have to say it is really crowded from Jan. through March. However, driving here from MD we went through Ocala and that area had lots of pretty farms . It's called 'the horse capital of Florida' and the countryside looked beautiful. You'd have to check it out yourself since I know nothing about it, but it was lovely.

I agree with the others who say 'sit tight for a bit and think about it a little longer.' Like DVC, you can always find something to buy, but if you jump in too quickly and make a mistake, selling may not be quite that easy.

 

[Reginak]

We just drove through Malakoff yesterday. Have you thought about Tyler or Longview? Still Texas, but might be a little more progressive and still Texas. Not that far from your family in Waco.

Hey, you should have stopped to say, Hi! I would have bought you a hamburger! I hope that you had a nice drive and no unfortunate stops by the boys in blue. (I always see someone getting a ticket, especially in Brownsboro.)

Longview and Tyler are nice, and we have considered the Tyler area. A lot of people love Tyler, and we have friends there; however, we have decided to leave the entire area for several reasons.

Thank you,

Regina

 

[Reginak]

The people are lovely. We will stay here after our kids grow up, if our kids move somewhere else? I don't know. DH was born and raised in S. Cal and I lived there for my entire adult life until moving back to WY. We'll just have to see. The important thing is to adapt to the circumstances of wherever you are living -- otherwise, you will never be happy there.

I will say that moving from an urban area to a much smaller town is quite an adjustment. It's been five and half years and some days we are still adjusting! Not as much, but there are still some days when we wonder what we have gotten ourselves into....and we live in one of the big "cities" for Wyoming! Kinda crazy!

Good luck with whatever you choose. How does that Chinese blessing/curse go? May you always live in interesting times. and May you find what you are looking for.[/QUOTE]


Thank you for the good wishes and the blessing. I hope that we are as fortunate as you. I would love to find a forever place but will be supremely happy with a "for now" place.

Regina