Where would you go...
 

...If you were leaving the rat race? And please don't suggest a relocation forum, because I don't think I can get better answers there. <BR><BR>People in my husbands company are dropping like flies (not dead, just losing their jobs). Rather then pound the pavement for god knows how long, while eating through our savings, I'm thinking he should retire early, or at least semi retire, and move out of our expensive neighborhood in the Northeast to someplace warmer, less expensive and slower paced, so..<BR><BR>Where can we look that we can be near the ocean, moderate temperatures, able to spend less than 600K for a nice, 3 bedroom house that we won't need a mortgage for, don't have to go too far for some culture, and has decent schools, we're not that old - 43 and 45, so we still have kids in middle school. <BR><BR>I was thinking Daniel Island near Charleston. Has anyone been? The homes are very reasonable, can't get any info on beaches there though. Any other ideas? I promise to check the relo boards once I get some ideas.<BR><BR>Thanks.

Oh such problems - able to retire at 45, buy a $600K home with no mortgage and yet are concerned about keeping up your cultural lifestyle.

Thanks for that great suggestion, I. You've been such a help.<BR><BR>And for your info, he doesn't WANT to retire, but if he loses his job, he may not have a choice. His industry isn't booming, especially for 45 year old execs.

My suggestion would be to take a look at my old home town, San Diego.

If you are not a troll and not trying to impress us, I would suggest buying a tropical isle with an airport.

I'd have to agree that there are lots of people with far worse economic problems. <BR><BR>San Diego is very expensive and has high unemployment, traffic and outrageous real estate costs.<BR><BR>Rather than just cry about the job market, why not start sending his resume out rather than sitting on a travel forum?

I would recommend Upstate Conneticut. You can assume the schools are pretty good and you are under 2 hours train ride from Manhattan. <BR>Or maybe western Mass. Very tranquil and I think the schools are good there as well.<BR>If good schools are your only limitation, have you considered boarding schools and going to a more remote location?

Thanks Me, for the only truly helpful response.<BR><BR>Why is it that people can't ask a simple question without being judged here? My husband has worked his a** off for over twenty years in a high stress industry. He earned whatever he has. It is highly doubtful that he will find another position like the one he has now. I think he deserves to get out of dodge, live in a less stressful environment where he doesn't have to earn the big bucks to keep up with the joneses. I'm sure with his drive, he won't sit home, he'll probably start some small business, completely unrelated to his current field. Is that OK with everyone here? Sheesh!<BR><BR>By the way Me, that is a good suggestion. I've never been to San Diego but it always comes up as a winner in the best places to live contests.

our friends built an amazing house in Charlotte, NC for 1/2 as much as they cost in DC and they love it!

Daniel Island would be gorgeous but you can probably get oceanfront on Folly for a little more the 600K. I think oceanfront on Daniel is over a million. Mt. Pleasant is another option.

Thanks too, jvs. I have thought of private schools, but boarding school is out of the question, I couldn't stand to send my kids away to school, at least until college.

xxx, Where is Folly? Do you think they would have a website? Also, I'm not interested in a retirement community per se, as our kids need other kids to play with, and we might be a bit on the young side.<BR><BR>I appreciate the genuine responses.

if you don't mind me asking where in the Northeast are you from? (Inquiring minds want to know.) I am also from the Northeast I am also concerned about my job in the forthcoming year. I think I would look into the places that rank highly with the school system since you still have school aged children. I think with your obvious assets you could retire in your 40's and that is not a bad thing.

I find your response to some of the legitimate suggestions cantankerous and defensive. Whay did you bother asking?

Folly Beach is on James Island one of the other barrier islands of Charleston SC. Do a google search for Folly Beach. I have forgotten about Sullivans Island. The Charleston metro area is very nice and real estate values are pretty good. You would get a lot more house down here than you would in the Northeast.

We are in CT now, very close to NYC. We are able to do without a mortgage if we move elsewhere because as most people in the Northeast know, Real Estate prices have increased tremendously. In the last 12 years, our house has almost tripled in price.<BR><BR>I know 2 people who were formerly high paid professionals. One bailed out immediately, took the profits from his home and last I heard, was doing well earning a lot less in Raleigh Durham. The other has been looking for a job for 2 years, works at a wine store, and is in the process of losing his home. He has 3 children. That is a scenario I want to avoid.

Thanks xxx, I'll check all those suggestions.<BR><BR>jvc, sorry if you got that impression, it wasn't my intent.

I didn't see any defensive posts by Dropping Out in response to any of the helpful responses. And I don't blame her for being annoyed at the others! Sounds like her husband worked hard for what they have - they have every right to enjoy their hard-earned luxuries and to recieve respectful, thoughtful answers to their questions. <BR>DRopping Out, have you considered the West Coast, especially areas of Oregon {ashland is lovely, but expensive and not on the ocean, unfortunately} or Washington?

Hi there<BR><BR>I see that you get discouraged also with people who use this forum to insult anyone who asks a valid question. It seems like it's all over anymore. Anger, aggressiveness.<BR><BR>I know that some writers on this post call Myrtle beach "redneck" but when you get up closer to Little River and even over the border in NC to Southport - then there's many really nice places and affordable. Another nice area is in Florida on the west coast - Sarasota - it has a lot going for it and it's a great place to live. We've got a place there so I do kinda know about it. I'm from the northeast or mid-atlantic (DC area) and burnout and anger and aggressiveness has turned me off. I think I'm going to head down south where the people are cordial and non-confrontational.<BR><BR>Good luck with your house-hunting!!!

So if it's not important to keep up with the joneses, why have you been trying so hard?<BR><BR>By the way, stay away from the NW! The schools are horrible (snicker, snicker), it rains all the time (heeheehee), and we just hate foreigners with big bucks driving our housing market through the roof.

Not rich: I specified "Legitimate Sugestions".

Thanks Dolly and notRich. You really are giving me great ideas that I hadn't thought of, not to mention fodder for lots of research!<BR><BR>I know there is one website, realtor.com, that let's you look up a town then searches homes for sale. It's okay. Does anyone know of others?

Sounds like one or two people on this board are jealous of droppingout. Leave him/her alone or offer some helpful advice.

Monster.com also has a chart where you can plug in your income and cost of living and they will give you the comparable information for another location that you choose.

jvs, I'm confused. I believe I thanked you for your response, so I really don't know what you're talking about.<BR><BR>Oh well.

Sorry, I think somthing got lost in translation. I thought it was sarcasm. OOps.

"I think I'm going to head down south where the people are cordial and non-confrontational." <BR><BR>Stay off I-40 in RTP (Durham/Chapel Hill to Raleigh)if you want this. Bunch of mean people on the highway during rush hour. Add all the transplants who brought their bad driving habits with thme and the never ending road construction and it become problematic. Job situation here is pretty bad unless you are a tenured professor.

Although I am not familiar with the school system in MB I know they are doing alot of building there. I was there in the summer for 1 week. There are surrounding areas which might even be Beachfront or close to it in your price range. Good luck to you.

And I thought this was a travel forum.

Don't think too hard, puzzled. Relocation involves travel.

Droppingout, you should check out North Carolina. Beautiful state. You will fit right in with all of the other Yankees that have fled south and driven up the Real Estate.....IN OTHER WORDS STAY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't listen to NOMOREYANKEES even though there are a lot of you here:)) JK. Okay here is my contribution....There is a charming town about 2 hours West of Charleston outside of Colombia SC called Camden it is actually a colonial town. Check it out. Many beautiful old homes (although price is going up). Polo is popular there and so is racing, the Carolina Cup is held there. I would definitely check out North Carolina as well. South Carolina I have also heard though will benefit you more from a tax standpoint much much lower taxes so it is a major bonus. <BR>Check out Asheville NC as well. Also I would venture into Eastern Tennessee, anything East of Nashville. <BR>I am sorry about your situation but can understand. I live in Texas and we pay high property taxes (no State Income Tax however). Housing prices are through the roof. Sorry to say but it is driven by people moving in but that is just the law of supply and demand. I love Texas but NC, SC and TN will have more of the four seasons which I wish we had here. Keep posting as I am curious as to what you are looking at. If I find anything I will keep posting as well. Good luck. It is nice to see someone going for quality of quantity:

As a west coaster I struggle with the idea of moving to someplace like SC where half the year you're dodging storms and the other half the air conditioner is your single most important possession. I suppose millions of people (and trillions of mosquitos) can't be wrong... ;)<BR><BR>For a couple of off-the-wall ideas, I'd throw out the Big Island of Hawaii (I know, air conditioners...) where house prices (away from the resorts) can be well below your price range and life is certainly slower, bruddah...<BR><BR>Second, Victoria BC (yes, Canada) has good schools, great weather (not as wet as Seattle, say) and you could probably save enough on housing to afford a vacation place somewhere in Dixie, if you're so inclined. <BR><BR>Both these island suggestions would be fun to investigate, even if you don't end up moving out west.<BR>

It is going to be hard to get oceanfront property on the coast of SC for under 600K even if you are buying a fixer upper. When you buy oceanfront, you are buying for the property and the existing structure is almost worthless. I would suggest a block off the beach. Your flood insurance would also be a lot cheaper.

Hi, droppingout.<BR><BR>This will sound a bit odd, I'd wager, and I'll also bet I'm going to catch hell for this suggestion, but why don't you think about Charlotte, NC?<BR><BR>You can find a wonderful house in your price range, and probably you can afford one on a lakefront. Charlotte has three major lakes to choose from -- Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, and Mountain Island Lake. That might help make up for the fact that it's about a two to three hour drive from Charlotte to the beach.<BR><BR>You mentioned you want culture and in Charlotte you'll get that in spades. The arts in Charlotte are thriving. The city was second only to New York in the amount of money donated to arts and cultural ventures last year, and that money goes to fund top-notch museums, performing arts, and public art.<BR><BR>You mentioned that good schools are important to you, and Charlotte's school system was recently ranked best in the nation among major metropolitan areas. <BR><BR>Weather was another important factor and Charlotte's weather is fairly pleasant, with mild winters, and wonderful springs and autumns. Summer usually isn't too terribly bad either, although the city can get awfully hot, awfully hazy, and awfully humid... but by and large, summer's not a lot to endure in exchange for three other long and pleasant seasons. Plus, there are plenty of cool fronts moving through in the summer that can keep things breezy.<BR><BR>As far as a slower-paced lifestyle goes, I'm not sure Charlotte would be for you, but I can guarantee that many Charlotte neighborhoods would be. Plus, Charlotte is on the whole a very beautiful city, full of trees and gardens, parks, interesting (if not historic) architecture, and friendly people who care about their city and are excited to see it rising to prominence.<BR><BR>Charlotte gets a lot of flack for being boring and/or soulless, and if you're comparing it to New York or Las Vegas it is, but so are most cities. Charlotte is a rare American phenomenon: a very pleasant, manageable major city full of beauty and citizens hell-bent on improving their town. Charlotte's my favorite Southern major city, and it's fun to see it "becoming". I bet you'd like it too. Remember to check out those lakes!

Big Island: 4 out of 5 mainlanders leave within 5 years due to island fever or ill treatment from hateful locals.<BR>Charlotte: a sprawling suburb which is as soulless and characterless as any city in America (OK, except maybe Houston).<BR>Oregon: native northeasterners tend not to adapt well overall to the lifestyle there. I won't insult Oregonians by expanding on this, but attitudes and lifestyle is unique in this area of the country (outside the college towns, Portland, and Seattle).<BR><BR>SoCal works well for many northeasterners. Especially the many towns between LA and SD (excluding the military-dominated areas).<BR>Phoenix is cheap, schools are just OK (private school a must for you) but lifestyle very different from CT. Very little culture. No ocean, of course.<BR>Austin, TX is getting more affordable, but again, no ocean.<BR>If ocean is a must, NC and SoCal are really your best bets.<BR><BR>

I daydream all the time about moving from the southern california ratrace ...beautiful orange county ca., to a place like Montana or Vermont. Someone mentioned San Diego, which is nice if you don't mind all the traffic and congestion of southern california, along with a true lack of any culture... If I didn't have to find a job, and could afford to move anywhere, it'd be Vermont or the Berkshires, or perhaps upstate New York.... Good Luck.

Montana huh? Perhaps you should read the recent thread on here about relocating to Montana. The grass is always greener...

Nan,<BR><BR>You may call Charlotte soulless and characterless only when...<BR><BR>the Raymond Kaskey sculptures on The Square have been removed, all the Ben Long frescoes have been painted over, Ratcliffe on the Green has been razed, the Gateway Center has been torn down, the McGill Rose Garden has been paved over, Historic North Charlotte (NoDa) has been burned down, Latta Plantation has been destroyed, Myers Park has been torn down, Dilworth has been razed, Elizabeth has been torn down, Plaza-Midwood has been torn down, Birkdale Village has been destroyed, South End has been burned down, the Charlotte Trolley and the Trolley Carousel have been scrapped, Hearst Tower and BoA Corporate Tower have fallen down, Brevard Arcade has been torn down, Ribbonwalk Botanical Forest has been cut down, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens have been paved over, the Mint museums, Levine Museum of the New South, Afro-American Cultural Center, McColl Arts Center, and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center all close their doors, and when that statue of Queen Charlotte at the airport falls off her pedestal.<BR><BR>Til then, I'm afraid you don't have a leg to stand on. Show me a major city with a stronger commitment to smart growth (to place building -- or soul-building, if you will). Sure, Charlotte's not as historic as Charleston or some such city, nor does it have the spectacular natural setting of Seattle or some such. But as I mentioned, it's a very pleasant large city. I've always wondered why that isn't enough.<BR><BR>Also I said that Charlotte is in the process of "becoming" -- becoming exciting, becoming important, becoming trendy, becoming all the things that places like Chicago are now.<BR><BR>Be patient... she's getting there. Until then though, she's got more than a few surprises up her sleeve. While you're entitled to your opinion, I stand by my assertion that Charlotte is a heck of a town. I love 'er.

I live in Michigan, but my friends live and North Carolinia, in Willmington, with inground pool and 15 minutes from the Wrightsville Beach. They chose the pool rather than living on the beach beacause of the crowds. You really never get any privacy, and people are always walking by trying to look in. Hope this helps<BR>