The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: cursive on April 23, 2014, 03:39:54 PM
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Hello, I've read pretty much every article over the past couple weeks and would like some advise. I am 30, married with no kids and currently live in southern CA. Here is my financial info:
Total household income: 100k before taxes
Rent: $1750/ month
Utilities: $150/ month for all
Car related bills (2 cars; payments, insurance, gas, etc): 1000/ month
Cell Phones: < $100/ month
Credit card debt: $0
Groceries and occasionally eating out: $400/ month
Savings
Savings account: Current- $27,500; $1200/ month
Life Insurance: $450/ month
401k: 4% with equal match
We live a very mustachian life, where we almost exclusively pay bills and buy food so that we can save the remainder. My general plan is build our saving up to 80k in savings by the end of 2016. At that time we would move to Austin, TX (good mix of low taxes, low unemployment, and low cost of living). I would like to by a 4 unit property where we would live in 1 unit and rent out the other 3 for a few years while continuing to save and have office jobs that pay approximately the same as we make here. After a few years we would buy our own house and rent out all 4 units. I would like to pay off the rental completely within 8-10 years, enabling me to retire around the time I'm 40.
Does this sound like a feasible plan? It's a big move and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. Please let me know if you see any faults or areas where I could approve. Thanks in advance!
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That's a good plan. Here's some random thoughts I have in no particular order.
Have you priced quadplexes in Austin? I know real estate is pricey there- although maybe less than SoCal. Austin might not be a good place to own a rental since property is so expensive. Have you priced out what rents are? At least with a quadplex you would be able to know if your tenants were up to no good.
TX has no state income tax, right?
Austin might have higher A/C bills.
In TX you wouldn't have that pesky 1%CASDI, but you'd probably spend that much on awesome Tex-Mex.
Would you be able to get a mortgage without a 2 year continuous job?
And finally, I'm assuming you've been to Austin in the summer?
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+1 on doing your due diligence on your move. Austin has a very low unemployment rate currently (among the lowest in the country) and rents aren't as cheap as they used to be. TX may have no income tax but it is made up for in high property taxes so watch out for that. This site is good for getting a feel for the market: http://www.austinhomesearch.com/Listing/ListingSearch.aspx
To accelerate your progress do something about your car expenditures ($1k/month! You could get two cheap cars paid off in a few months at that rate). Also whats the deal with $450/mo in life insurance? Life insurance is to insure against an early death and leaving your spouse without a means to live, not a vehicle for savings. Put it in your 401(k) or a taxable Vanguard account in the entirety of the stock market and you will be much better off.
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A few warnings about Austin. I say this as a native Austinite who still has family there. Real estate prices there right now are *insane.* While income taxes are minimal, property taxes in Texas are a bitch.
With those caveats, it is a totally sweet city with great amenities. The summers are hot, but there are so many sweet places to swim or lounge in the shade that I wouldn't worry about it. Also, whatever you spend on Tex-mex, it is totally worth it.
Ben
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To accelerate your progress do something about your car expenditures ($1k/month! You could get two cheap cars paid off in a few months at that rate). Also whats the deal with $450/mo in life insurance? Life insurance is to insure against an early death and leaving your spouse without a means to live, not a vehicle for savings. Put it in your 401(k) or a taxable Vanguard account in the entirety of the stock market and you will be much better off.
+100