spartana, That's a good point that other states property taxes can vary in the future since they may not a prop 13 equivalent.
I haven't considered relocating in CA, it seems if I'm going to pay the transaction cost of selling my house why not get the most value and move out of state. My plan "B" is something like 50,000+ population town where my lady won't feel she living in a farm town, that and no nasty winters.
You do know that once you're over 55, CA allows you to
transfer your existing property tax base to some other counties, right?https://assessor.saccounty.net/LowerMyTaxes/BaseYearValueTransfers/Pages/default.aspx#:~:text=Propositions%2060%2F90%3A%20Under%20certain,Revenue%20and%20Taxation%20Code%2069.5).
We're staying in CA in retirement (at least until Medicare age) because it's clear that CA is committed to something like the ACA, regardless of how SCOTUS rules on the ACA.
There are many charming smaller towns in CA - if you could transfer your Prop 13 tax base, AND move to a smaller, less expensive house & town, that might be the best of all worlds.
I'd look at places like:
- Folsom (halfway between Tahoe and Bay Area, relatively affordable real estate)
- Redlands (lovely small town in San Bernardino county, near the foothills in SoCal)
- Davis (more expensive now that UC Davis has grown, but nice, medium-sized college town)
- San Clemente (near San Diego and on the coast in SoCal; US Marine town)
- Watsonville (coastal ag town, near Santa Cruz but cheaper)
- Petaluma (nice small town with lots of amenities, on the edges of Napa area)
- Rocklin (on the outskirts of Sacramento, more mountain town, with easy access to shopping and Tahoe)
- San Luis Obispo (college town, near Pismo - probably too expensive, but lovely. Maybe Templeton or Paso Robles instead)
- Lompoc (an hour from Santa Barbara, a small military town near the central CA coast).
Not all counties allow it, but it's a good weapon in your arsenal if you're inclined to stay in CA for the mild climate and well-educated populace.