Author Topic: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina  (Read 10174 times)

FamilyGuy

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #50 on: October 09, 2018, 07:49:36 PM »
Sounds like you're going to move to NC :) If so, welcome!

hadabeardonce

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #51 on: October 09, 2018, 08:07:28 PM »
@Slow2FIRE - what is your source for estimated taxes by state?  Does it also include local taxes?
I'm looking for better links too, this is all I've got:
There are some great comparisons if you scroll down to the charts - https://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-by-state
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/110614/overall-tax-burden-state.asp

It's interesting to see how different states tax Social Security and pensions...

fuzzy math

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #52 on: October 09, 2018, 08:09:56 PM »
Idaho could be a challenge because the predominant religion is Mormon.  Many of the smaller towns and communities are so set to the Mormon customs that it can be very difficult for others to live there and be accepted, especially children.

Idaho is about 20% Mormon.  Smaller towns in southern Idaho might be on the order of 85%, but the rest of the state isn't really like that.

So high amount of Mormon so for someone who is not that means.....?

It means you and your gf would have problems making friends.

Indexer

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #53 on: October 09, 2018, 08:19:33 PM »
umm...... how would you speed up F.I.R.E.? my plan is to eventually buy a house but with the little bit of money I may have from selling the house to invest that money and like I said eventually buy.

Better paying jobs.

You and your GF would have more job opportunities, and likely higher pay in Charlotte than in Asheville. That's all I was getting at.


Of the options I would also pick NC. ;-)

use2betrix

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #54 on: October 09, 2018, 08:43:43 PM »
One thing to consider about Texas, while it doesn’t have state income tax, if you plan on owning a home, the property taxes are some of the highest in the country. On a $300k house you will likely be spending $500/mo or more on property taxes.

your kidding me right, how did you come up with that number?

Google is free today: https://smartasset.com/taxes/harris-county-texas-property-tax-calculator

Dancin'Dog

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #55 on: October 09, 2018, 09:04:51 PM »
NC is a nice state.  I grew up in Charlotte.  I got tired of the hot Summers and the crowds, so moved to a small mountain town about 20 years ago. 


You might want to look at Greenville, SC too.  It's a nice medium sized city that's between Atlanta & Charlotte, and about an hour from Asheville.  Greenville has a lot of international companies, which has been very good for the city.  They have an international airport (I recently checked airfares to Aruba & Belize and it was $300 from Greenville vs $900 from Charlotte!).  Charleston, SC is only 3 hours down I-26.


The best way to deal with the hot Summers in the SE is to live on a lake.  Of course waterfront property cost more, but because the supply is limited it will appreciate more.  It's a great envioroment for raising kids and every weekend is like a mini vacation. 

By the River

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #56 on: October 10, 2018, 07:35:10 AM »
I lived in a Houston suburb for 5 years.  It was in a new subdivision and practically everybody on our street was from somewhere else. Nice homes everywhere and cheap.   Yes, the property tax is high for the south but it basically matches what I currently pay in state income tax and property tax.   Heat and humidity are all I have known so it wasn't a consideration. 

The best part of Houston is the employment prospects.  The company I worked for always had a sign by the side of the highway in front advertising machinist and pipefitter jobs.  Just checked indeed.com and saw 62 machinist jobs paying over $50K in Houston. 

If you move to Houston, rent until you both are settled in jobs.  Then find a house with reasonable commutes in a good school district  (There are many school districts instead of just 1 Houston school system).

   

wenchsenior

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #57 on: October 10, 2018, 07:40:10 AM »
One thing to consider about Texas, while it doesn’t have state income tax, if you plan on owning a home, the property taxes are some of the highest in the country. On a $300k house you will likely be spending $500/mo or more on property taxes.

your kidding me right, how did you come up with that number?

Google is free today: https://smartasset.com/taxes/harris-county-texas-property-tax-calculator

Yes, we're in one of the much less desirable cities in Texas, and prop tax is 2% here.  I have no doubt it is higher in the bigger cities or more attractive cities.  So about ~4K/year on our real estate worth ~200K.  We haven't found it a huge problem b/c houses are cheap, but if you want a nice house, it's something to be aware of.  Sort of a trade off for no income tax, I guess.

Milizard

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #58 on: October 10, 2018, 08:33:29 AM »
You both should easily get jobs in Holland, MI, and it's LCOL, as well as very easy traffic, but you would have to deal with snow.  You probably need to come up with more criteria as a group, and go from there.

yeah idk about MI look at Detroit........
Detroit isn't MI.  Not even close.

what???
Most of Michigan is nothing like Detroit. I gave you an example of a place in Michigan that is absolutely  nothing like Detroit, but fulfilled your criteria. I also suggested that you narrow down your criteria with your family that would be moving, because tons of places can possibly satisfy such vague criteria.

So dismissing Michigan because Detroit is nonsensical for a couple reasons here.

Well, the Detroit Metro area does house 43% of the population of Michigan.

I live in a suburb that borders Detroit. We’re happy here. Relatively LCOL area; diverse population; well-maintained state, county, and metro parks throughout our county; and a city center that changes for the better every year.

Which means it's neither most of Michigan population-wise nor geographically. ;-)  Just because there are lots of people there doesn't mean you're the entire state.  There's a whole lot more state out there, and people and cities scattered throughout.  I have heard that Detroit is making a comeback.  I can't comment, as I haven't had any reason to go over there in probably a decade, and have no idea about the job market there.  I do have a brother who works in Holland and tells me all the time about all the factories hiring.  They would absolutely salivate over a machinist, but, whatever.

However, bringing up Detroit when mentioning Holland, is---I don't know---like suggesting Orlando to someone and their dismissing it because they don't like Miami.  Those 2 cities are closer and probably more similar than D and Holland, though.

OtherJen

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #59 on: October 10, 2018, 09:42:07 AM »

Well, the Detroit Metro area does house 43% of the population of Michigan.

I live in a suburb that borders Detroit. We’re happy here. Relatively LCOL area; diverse population; well-maintained state, county, and metro parks throughout our county; and a city center that changes for the better every year.

Which means it's neither most of Michigan population-wise nor geographically. ;-)  Just because there are lots of people there doesn't mean you're the entire state.  There's a whole lot more state out there, and people and cities scattered throughout.  I have heard that Detroit is making a comeback.  I can't comment, as I haven't had any reason to go over there in probably a decade, and have no idea about the job market there.  I do have a brother who works in Holland and tells me all the time about all the factories hiring.  They would absolutely salivate over a machinist, but, whatever.

However, bringing up Detroit when mentioning Holland, is---I don't know---like suggesting Orlando to someone and their dismissing it because they don't like Miami.  Those 2 cities are closer and probably more similar than D and Holland, though.

Thanks for the education. I can do math and am aware of regional differences, as I actually did visit Holland, Grand Rapids, and St. Joseph last year, and Muskegon, Traverse City, and Newberry/Luce county this year. Lansing Metro, Owosso, and the Straits of Mackinac region are also frequent destinations.

You're absolutely right that Detroit and Holland have VERY little in common.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2018, 09:44:12 AM by OtherJen »

TexasRunner

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #60 on: October 10, 2018, 09:45:15 AM »
I live in a major city in Iowa. (So, still a small city.)
Cost of living here is near identical to myself sister in Fort Worth.  Go more rural and house price drop drastically.  Traffic is the motivator to stay here. I hate going back to Austin, where I grew up, and seeing the traffic there.

We have low unemployment, but I'd find jobs before you come. Lots of low level jobs. Too many PhDs in the area, so I've seen them work in reception! Machinist jobs might be around. We have lots of manufacturing. For a BBA, it would be harder. Geico is near me and they have a huge call center.

Watch for flood zones when looking for a house. We've had a few tragic ones, and just high water tables in some areas. I also think the taxes are insane, in comparison to when I lived in Texas.

Texas taxes are actually pretty awesome.  Keep in mind if you are looking at a house that you can see the rates and what the previous homeowner paid (without any deductions, since those are private) by going to the county tax appraiser's GIS website.  Google "County" Appraisal District CAD.  Example for me:  Henderson County Appraisal CAD: 
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS725US726&ei=TR6-W-H9Jo-6tQXjj4awAw&q=henderson+tx+county+cad&oq=henderson+tx+county+cad&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i30j0i8i30.6112.6543..6655...0.0..0.120.297.1j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......38j0i71j35i39j0i7i30j0i8i7i30.Iha9mUgSi1I
https://www.henderson-cad.org/
http://gis.bisconsultants.com/hendersoncad/

Likely very similar results for other states.  Just a tip about estimating your taxes.

gatortator

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #61 on: October 10, 2018, 10:17:31 AM »
Hi!  Welcome-  I have read your posts and have a few questions

Like the title says I am thinking of moving ..... It will be my girl friend and 3 kids.

what ages are the kids?  Are they old enough to understand what is going on.   Where does the rest of girlfriend's family live?  Where does the rest of your family live?  These are important questions if you are thinking of moving kids away from everything they know. Also how often do you plan/want to see family?  All of the states you mentioned are 1000+ miles away(except AZ in one of you more recent posts).  5 roundtrip plan tickets or even driving could be a lot of time or money, and may reduce what you gain by moving to a LCOL location.

Quote
My situation “catch 22” the house where we live in was bought for us by my parents in March of 2012 it is not paid for we have been paying for it ever since, the down payment was put down by my parents.

Trying to understand your mindset (proactive decision or reactive decision to move)-- what made you decide to buy this house?  What were cost of living and traffic like for you in 2012.  Did the house purchase make a difference with these?

Quote
Why am I moving cost of living very high and traffic is unbearable! weather really do not believe it will bother me just looking for a place where I can live and afford.

The traffic statement suggests some of this decision is reactive.  Have you only lived in this area or have you lived in other locations in CA?  Has this been a slowly building problem or a recent issue?   Are there options to adjust now to make life easier for where you already live?  You say COL is expensive and I don't disagree CA can be expensive.. but moving can take a big chunk out of your budget.  More than you think. Would posting a case study help to get a better handle on your expense issues?

wild forest

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #62 on: October 10, 2018, 10:26:06 AM »
NC have my vote.

Because it's has a low cost of living and affordable, and the people are friendly, it is kinda slow pace and not chaotic and hectic.  Research Triangle Park is one of the center for tech businesses around here. Then they have Duke, Rex, and Wake Med are three of the big hospitals around. Then, NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke universities are in close proximity. Plus Wake Tech Comm College-- very affordable and popular vocational college around here.

You can enjoy 4 seasons of the year. Kinda nice to see and feel the weather changing every now and then, and if you live in Raleigh, NC -- they have plenty of great restaurants and bars in downtown, plus an Amphitheater where you go see concerns on the weekends or drive 3 hours to the beach or the mountain and enjoy the scenery. They also have Jordan, Kerr, and Falls lakes where you can take your kids fishing, canoeing, and camping.

I'm not advertising or anything. I live in Raleigh and I like what they have here. It's just convenient and relaxing all around. Plus the job market is pretty good here too, so as the housing.


Gary123

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #63 on: October 11, 2018, 02:09:00 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

TexasRunner

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #64 on: October 11, 2018, 02:22:13 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

But no income taxes.  ;)

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #65 on: October 12, 2018, 03:58:54 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

But no income taxes.  ;)

supposedly a $300000 home is like $500 a month on taxes?

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #66 on: October 12, 2018, 04:01:25 PM »
I've lived in NC all my life. Good place to be in many ways. In my experience, the further from the cities you get, the more conservative the population.  My son has lived in Raleigh for around 10 years now & loves it. Generally, most of NC east of Raleigh is pretty backwards.
My last ex wife lives in Boone & likes it pretty well.

I don't know much about Iowa.  I had a good friend who lived in north central IA & he stressed how
Quote
dangerously cold the winters could be.

what exactly do you mean by how dangerously?

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #67 on: October 12, 2018, 04:13:16 PM »
umm...... how would you speed up F.I.R.E.? my plan is to eventually buy a house but with the little bit of money I may have from selling the house to invest that money and like I said eventually buy.

Better paying jobs.

You and your GF would have more job opportunities, and likely higher pay in Charlotte than in Asheville. That's all I was getting at.


Of the options I would also pick NC. ;-)

do me a favor PM me when you get the chance thanks.

TexasRunner

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #68 on: October 12, 2018, 04:30:34 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

But no income taxes.  ;)

supposedly a $300000 home is like $500 a month on taxes?

Actually it is close to that.  That 340k house and land is 739.28 a month (counting deductions).

340k/739.28 = 300k/X

X=$652.31 a month in taxes for a 300k house (with standard deduction).
But Henderson county is also a little higher than others on our tax rates.

Compared to someone who jointly earns 300k in Cali (married) paying $1800.00 a month in state income taxes.  Though we do have a 8.25% sales tax across the state.  Fortunately for mustachians who spend significantly less than our regular counterparts, this means our taxation is less too.

(Edited to fix comparison.  I had used the total income taxes, state and federal).
« Last Edit: October 12, 2018, 04:43:14 PM by TexasRunner »

TexasRunner

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #69 on: October 12, 2018, 04:32:28 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

But no income taxes.  ;)

supposedly a $300000 home is like $500 a month on taxes?

Actually it is close to that.  That 340k house and land is 739.28 a month (counting deductions).

340k/739.28 = 300k/X

X=$652.31 a month in taxes for a 300k house (with standard deduction).
But Henderson county is also a little higher than others on our tax rates.

Compared to someone who earns 150k in Cali (married) paying $3140.00 a month in state income taxes.  Though we do have a 8.25% sales tax across the state.  Fortunately for mustachians who spend significantly less than our regular counterparts, this means our taxation is less too.

FYI - thats not my house.  Just an example I found in my county.  It is also quite revealing how much more 300k buys here compared to other states.  That doesn't hold true throughout the state, but even Dallas and Houston aren't nearly as bad as most anywhere in Cali.

Sockigal

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #70 on: October 13, 2018, 10:02:26 AM »
Have you considered Albuquerque NM? I'm orginally from California. Moved to the Atlanta suburbs 12 years ago. We have enjoyed our time here in Georgia and the schools are awesome, but now that our youngest is graduating, we are looking to move. The traffic here is some of the worst in the world. I commute 15 miles to work and have to leave 1 hour early just to get to work ontime. My last couple of trips to the airport have taken 2 to 3 hours. It's 35 miles away. The problem with the traffic here is it's totally unpredictable and there are no, if very few plans to improve traffic. There are no east-west freeways connecting the suburbs. This one fact makes all of our surface streets unbearable during rush hours. The infrustructure will most definitely be an issue moving. It's predicted that this area with grow another 25% in the next 15 years.

We had thought of moving to NC. We love Asheville and travel there often. It has gotten really expensive to buy a home in the last couple of years.

I've had friends move back to Albuquerque after living in Georgia for three years. They love it in New Mexico. The prices of homes are very inexpensive, it's very beautiful, lots of outdoor activities, and there are four seasons. Seems like a good option.

FINate

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #71 on: October 13, 2018, 10:20:56 AM »
Now I am not sure but I “heard” if you have over $500,000 in equity you don’t have to pay back the remaining on the house either way if that is so great if not we were thinking of having my parents sell the house while at the same time they get their $130,000 loan back and we move out of state. With the remaining I was thinking of buying a house cash and invest the rest.

Not quite. A single taxpayer can exempt $250k in appreciation from capital gains on the sale of a primary residence that they have occupied for 2 of the past 5 years. For married filing jointly the maximum exclusion is $500k ($250k per filer).  Your cost basis for the house is $340k (what you paid for it), assuming it sells for $600k this means you would have capital gains of $260k, so $10k in excess of the exclusion that you would owe taxes on (since you are not married). Unless of course you've done improvements (in excess of normal maintenance) and you saved the paperwork to prove it - then this can also be deducted from the cap gains. This all assumes that it is legally *your* house, you own it, as in you're on the deed.

However, if the house is in your parents name (kinda implied by your post) then no one gets the capital gains exclusion because the owners (your parents) did not live there as their primary residence in 2 of the past 5 years. Oh, and if your parents then give you the proceeds from selling the house this would most likely trigger gift taxes. Again, not your house in the eyes of the government, so it would be the same as a $260k cash gift.

Having them deed the house to you (via quitclaim) *may* solve this problem, but I have no idea what the implications are of doing this right before selling...you really need to talk to a tax expert. It could be that the clock on 2 of 5 years starts ticking at the point that the quitclaim is executed. [Aside: If you're not on the deed then technically you're a renter not a homeowner.] Spending $1000 now may save you tens of thousands later.
« Last Edit: October 13, 2018, 10:31:07 AM by FINate »

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #72 on: October 13, 2018, 08:13:17 PM »
You both should easily get jobs in Holland, MI, and it's LCOL, as well as very easy traffic, but you would have to deal with snow.  You probably need to come up with more criteria as a group, and go from there.

yeah idk about MI look at Detroit........
Detroit isn't MI.  Not even close.

what???
Most of Michigan is nothing like Detroit. I gave you an example of a place in Michigan that is absolutely  nothing like Detroit, but fulfilled your criteria. I also suggested that you narrow down your criteria with your family that would be moving, because tons of places can possibly satisfy such vague criteria.

So dismissing Michigan because Detroit is nonsensical for a couple reasons here.

Well, the Detroit Metro area does house 43% of the population of Michigan.

I live in a suburb that borders Detroit. We’re happy here. Relatively LCOL area; diverse population; well-maintained state, county, and metro parks throughout our county; and a city center that changes for the better every year.

Which means it's neither most of Michigan population-wise nor geographically. ;-)  Just because there are lots of people there doesn't mean you're the entire state.  There's a whole lot more state out there, and people and cities scattered throughout.  I have heard that Detroit is making a comeback.  I can't comment, as I haven't had any reason to go over there in probably a decade, and have no idea about the job market there.  I do have a brother who works in Holland and tells me all the time about all the factories hiring.  They would absolutely salivate over a machinist, but, whatever.

However, bringing up Detroit when mentioning Holland, is---I don't know---like suggesting Orlando to someone and their dismissing it because they don't like Miami.  Those 2 cities are closer and probably more similar than D and Holland, though.

Yeah I guess all automobile factories are coming back???

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #73 on: October 13, 2018, 08:14:14 PM »
I live in a major city in Iowa. (So, still a small city.)
Cost of living here is near identical to myself sister in Fort Worth.  Go more rural and house price drop drastically.  Traffic is the motivator to stay here. I hate going back to Austin, where I grew up, and seeing the traffic there.

We have low unemployment, but I'd find jobs before you come. Lots of low level jobs. Too many PhDs in the area, so I've seen them work in reception! Machinist jobs might be around. We have lots of manufacturing. For a BBA, it would be harder. Geico is near me and they have a huge call center.

Watch for flood zones when looking for a house. We've had a few tragic ones, and just high water tables in some areas. I also think the taxes are insane, in comparison to when I lived in Texas.

Texas taxes are actually pretty awesome.  Keep in mind if you are looking at a house that you can see the rates and what the previous homeowner paid (without any deductions, since those are private) by going to the county tax appraiser's GIS website.  Google "County" Appraisal District CAD.  Example for me:  Henderson County Appraisal CAD: 
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS725US726&ei=TR6-W-H9Jo-6tQXjj4awAw&q=henderson+tx+county+cad&oq=henderson+tx+county+cad&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i30j0i8i30.6112.6543..6655...0.0..0.120.297.1j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......38j0i71j35i39j0i7i30j0i8i7i30.Iha9mUgSi1I
https://www.henderson-cad.org/
http://gis.bisconsultants.com/hendersoncad/

Likely very similar results for other states.  Just a tip about estimating your taxes.
always good to know ahead of time.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #74 on: October 13, 2018, 08:21:55 PM »
Hi!  Welcome-  I have read your posts and have a few questions

Like the title says I am thinking of moving ..... It will be my girl friend and 3 kids.

Quote
what ages are the kids?  Are they old enough to understand what is going on.   Where does the rest of girlfriend's family live?  Where does the rest of your family live?  These are important questions if you are thinking of moving kids away from everything they know. Also how often do you plan/want to see family?  All of the states you mentioned are 1000+ miles away(except AZ in one of you more recent posts).  5 roundtrip plan tickets or even driving could be a lot of time or money, and may reduce what you gain by moving to a LCOL location.

Quote
My situation “catch 22” the house where we live in was bought for us by my parents in March of 2012 it is not paid for we have been paying for it ever since, the down payment was put down by my parents.

Trying to understand your mindset (proactive decision or reactive decision to move)-- what made you decide to buy this house?  What were cost of living and traffic like for you in 2012.  Did the house purchase make a difference with these?

Quote
Why am I moving cost of living very high and traffic is unbearable! weather really do not believe it will bother me just looking for a place where I can live and afford.

The traffic statement suggests some of this decision is reactive.  Have you only lived in this area or have you lived in other locations in CA?  Has this been a slowly building problem or a recent issue?   Are there options to adjust now to make life easier for where you already live?  You say COL is expensive and I don't disagree CA can be expensive.. but moving can take a big chunk out of your budget.  More than you think. Would posting a case study help to get a better handle on your expense issues?


Kids are 4,5, and 7.

she does not have family here "she is from Hawaii" I have much family but they are not what you define "family" they are just family by blood, guess ill see them in the next funeral........ if any just my parents which I plan on taking them where we live.

traffic has doubled in the last 10 yrs. the cost of the house has gone up "capital gains" or "equity" but taxes keep getting higher so it would be proactive to sale having find the right real estate agent and cpa.

Yes you are right decision is reactive to traffic. As far as case studies I can not is mostly with what I read.... for those of you reading this the piece of land is A LOT more than here in california. Also with what I hear people say there is a very big california exodus going on right now.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #75 on: October 13, 2018, 08:23:14 PM »
Hi!  Welcome-  I have read your posts and have a few questions

Like the title says I am thinking of moving ..... It will be my girl friend and 3 kids.

what ages are the kids?  Are they old enough to understand what is going on.   Where does the rest of girlfriend's family live?  Where does the rest of your family live?  These are important questions if you are thinking of moving kids away from everything they know. Also how often do you plan/want to see family?  All of the states you mentioned are 1000+ miles away(except AZ in one of you more recent posts).  5 roundtrip plan tickets or even driving could be a lot of time or money, and may reduce what you gain by moving to a LCOL location.

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My situation “catch 22” the house where we live in was bought for us by my parents in March of 2012 it is not paid for we have been paying for it ever since, the down payment was put down by my parents.

Trying to understand your mindset (proactive decision or reactive decision to move)-- what made you decide to buy this house?  What were cost of living and traffic like for you in 2012.  Did the house purchase make a difference with these?

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Why am I moving cost of living very high and traffic is unbearable! weather really do not believe it will bother me just looking for a place where I can live and afford.

The traffic statement suggests some of this decision is reactive.  Have you only lived in this area or have you lived in other locations in CA?  Has this been a slowly building problem or a recent issue?   Are there options to adjust now to make life easier for where you already live?  You say COL is expensive and I don't disagree CA can be expensive.. but moving can take a big chunk out of your budget.  More than you think. Would posting a case study help to get a better handle on your expense issues?


Forgot to mention I do plan on going for a vacation to really see how it is and get a feel for the area.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #76 on: October 13, 2018, 08:23:42 PM »
NC have my vote.

Because it's has a low cost of living and affordable, and the people are friendly, it is kinda slow pace and not chaotic and hectic.  Research Triangle Park is one of the center for tech businesses around here. Then they have Duke, Rex, and Wake Med are three of the big hospitals around. Then, NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke universities are in close proximity. Plus Wake Tech Comm College-- very affordable and popular vocational college around here.

You can enjoy 4 seasons of the year. Kinda nice to see and feel the weather changing every now and then, and if you live in Raleigh, NC -- they have plenty of great restaurants and bars in downtown, plus an Amphitheater where you go see concerns on the weekends or drive 3 hours to the beach or the mountain and enjoy the scenery. They also have Jordan, Kerr, and Falls lakes where you can take your kids fishing, canoeing, and camping.

I'm not advertising or anything. I live in Raleigh and I like what they have here. It's just convenient and relaxing all around. Plus the job market is pretty good here too, so as the housing.

Interesting.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #77 on: October 13, 2018, 08:26:53 PM »
Texas is the best one on your list except property taxes will be higher than you are used to in California.

But no income taxes.  ;)

supposedly a $300000 home is like $500 a month on taxes?

Actually it is close to that.  That 340k house and land is 739.28 a month (counting deductions).

340k/739.28 = 300k/X

X=$652.31 a month in taxes for a 300k house (with standard deduction).
But Henderson county is also a little higher than others on our tax rates.

Compared to someone who earns 150k in Cali (married) paying $3140.00 a month in state income taxes.  Though we do have a 8.25% sales tax across the state.  Fortunately for mustachians who spend significantly less than our regular counterparts, this means our taxation is less too.

FYI - thats not my house.  Just an example I found in my county.  It is also quite revealing how much more 300k buys here compared to other states.  That doesn't hold true throughout the state, but even Dallas and Houston aren't nearly as bad as most anywhere in Cali.

Put it this way, lets just say a 300000 home in texas is easily over 700000 in california sometimes even over a million depending on location so if you want a big home with big property your average middle class here does not qualify.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #78 on: October 13, 2018, 08:28:51 PM »
Have you considered Albuquerque NM? I'm orginally from California. Moved to the Atlanta suburbs 12 years ago. We have enjoyed our time here in Georgia and the schools are awesome, but now that our youngest is graduating, we are looking to move. The traffic here is some of the worst in the world. I commute 15 miles to work and have to leave 1 hour early just to get to work ontime. My last couple of trips to the airport have taken 2 to 3 hours. It's 35 miles away. The problem with the traffic here is it's totally unpredictable and there are no, if very few plans to improve traffic. There are no east-west freeways connecting the suburbs. This one fact makes all of our surface streets unbearable during rush hours. The infrustructure will most definitely be an issue moving. It's predicted that this area with grow another 25% in the next 15 years.

We had thought of moving to NC. We love Asheville and travel there often. It has gotten really expensive to buy a home in the last couple of years.

I've had friends move back to Albuquerque after living in Georgia for three years. They love it in New Mexico. The prices of homes are very inexpensive, it's very beautiful, lots of outdoor activities, and there are four seasons. Seems like a good option.

So let me understand Georgia traffic sucks! NC is expensive to buy a home? and NM is LCOL what about jobs?

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #79 on: October 13, 2018, 08:31:56 PM »
Now I am not sure but I “heard” if you have over $500,000 in equity you don’t have to pay back the remaining on the house either way if that is so great if not we were thinking of having my parents sell the house while at the same time they get their $130,000 loan back and we move out of state. With the remaining I was thinking of buying a house cash and invest the rest.

Not quite. A single taxpayer can exempt $250k in appreciation from capital gains on the sale of a primary residence that they have occupied for 2 of the past 5 years. For married filing jointly the maximum exclusion is $500k ($250k per filer).  Your cost basis for the house is $340k (what you paid for it), assuming it sells for $600k this means you would have capital gains of $260k, so $10k in excess of the exclusion that you would owe taxes on (since you are not married). Unless of course you've done improvements (in excess of normal maintenance) and you saved the paperwork to prove it - then this can also be deducted from the cap gains. This all assumes that it is legally *your* house, you own it, as in you're on the deed.

However, if the house is in your parents name (kinda implied by your post) then no one gets the capital gains exclusion because the owners (your parents) did not live there as their primary residence in 2 of the past 5 years. Oh, and if your parents then give you the proceeds from selling the house this would most likely trigger gift taxes. Again, not your house in the eyes of the government, so it would be the same as a $260k cash gift.

Having them deed the house to you (via quitclaim) *may* solve this problem, but I have no idea what the implications are of doing this right before selling...you really need to talk to a tax expert. It could be that the clock on 2 of 5 years starts ticking at the point that the quitclaim is executed. [Aside: If you're not on the deed then technically you're a renter not a homeowner.] Spending $1000 now may save you tens of thousands later.

Yes I know and do not know what the outcome would be if i/or they sell the house we need to find the right CPA and real estate agent.

Sockigal

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #80 on: October 14, 2018, 10:05:03 AM »
Have you considered Albuquerque NM? I'm orginally from California. Moved to the Atlanta suburbs 12 years ago. We have enjoyed our time here in Georgia and the schools are awesome, but now that our youngest is graduating, we are looking to move. The traffic here is some of the worst in the world. I commute 15 miles to work and have to leave 1 hour early just to get to work ontime. My last couple of trips to the airport have taken 2 to 3 hours. It's 35 miles away. The problem with the traffic here is it's totally unpredictable and there are no, if very few plans to improve traffic. There are no east-west freeways connecting the suburbs. This one fact makes all of our surface streets unbearable during rush hours. The infrustructure will most definitely be an issue moving. It's predicted that this area with grow another 25% in the next 15 years.

We had thought of moving to NC. We love Asheville and travel there often. It has gotten really expensive to buy a home in the last couple of years.

I've had friends move back to Albuquerque after living in Georgia for three years. They love it in New Mexico. The prices of homes are very inexpensive, it's very beautiful, lots of outdoor activities, and there are four seasons. Seems like a good option.

So let me understand Georgia traffic sucks! NC is expensive to buy a home? and NM is LCOL what about jobs?
Asheville real estate has become expensive, not all of NC. We had been considering moving to Asheville also. Love the area!  If you are looking to get away from California traffic, Atlanta is actually worse, so I'd stay clear. We will be moving away from the Atlanta area next year, so are very interested in LCOL areas. We are in terrible debt and will be redesignig our lives in a LCOL area and simplifying. Our property taxes here in Georgia have trippled over the 12 years we have been here ($2000 to over $6000 a year). Our income is less than half what is was when we first moved. Now with newer jobs, my husband, 21 year old daughter and I, all work for the same company with locations all over the US. So as long as our company has two locations in an area, we can transfer. With my son graduating HS, we finally have the shot of doing a refresh. I have been a lurker on this website for five years or so, and do value the opinions very intelligent community on this forum. Seems like they always have very good advice!

GoodToGrow

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #81 on: October 27, 2018, 01:42:33 AM »
Man I hate to say this, because it seems like you are trending more towards TX, but both Austin and Houston are tremend-o-bad for traffic.  I've lived previously in Houston for over a decade, with a brother that lives in Austin (if you move to Austin you will immediately find out every third person is from California).  Austin is hands down a better place to live than Houston, but I like Houston. 

Houston is similar to LA for traffic.  Austin isn't much better.  Really think about that and determine if this is truly a deciding factor.  If it is, you can't consider TX (DFW is the same in that regard btw). 

libertarian4321

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #82 on: October 27, 2018, 05:32:04 AM »
Regarding Texas:  Houston is huge, and feels like it.  Austin and Dallas are pretty bad, too.  San Antonio is a large city (~1,400,000 people), but is spread out, so it doesn't feel as congested- it feels more like a medium sized city.  Though growing as fast as it is, that may change.

Also, SA is far enough inland that you don't have to panic every time a hurricane passes by, as those in Houston do.

No state income tax is fantastic.  Though property taxes are high, and getting worse as home values skyrocket.  Though even with our "skyrocketing" home values, you can still by a modern home of near McMansion size in SA for the price of a tiny, rat infested dump in California.

That said, I'm going to recommend North Carolina. 

I live in SA and just got my yearly property tax bill, and it rose a lot, largely due to refugees from the People's Republic of California driving up property prices. I don't know if I can afford to have more folks coming here.  :)

beekayworld

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #83 on: October 27, 2018, 02:57:33 PM »

I second what FINate posted.

Are your parents living in another home? If so, are they renting or do they own the home?

If your parents own their own home but are going to be moving with you, then they will need to sell their house as well, right?

I would suggest they sell their own house first, and exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax. Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax.  Would you be willing to wait 2 years to have them join you out of state in order to save $39,000 in taxes? (260k*15%)

If they are renting now, then have them move into the house you live in (whether you move out or not) to get their two-year minimum residency clock running.

Otherwise, if you sell both houses right now, the second home (that you live in) will have Long Term Capital Gains taxes on that appreciation. (260k*15%=$39,000).

An alternative would be to get that second home into your name ASAP and you wait out the two years so you can avoid the tax.  If you are still single, it will be a $250k exclusion. If you and the girlfriend get married, it will be a $500k exclusion.  Who knows what houses will be selling for in two years.

tralfamadorian

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #84 on: October 27, 2018, 05:48:20 PM »
...Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax...

It doesn't work that way for a property that is not used as a primary residence for a period of time before being used as a primary residence. OP's parents would be able to exclude a percentage of gains. Example: OP's parents bought the house. OP immediately moved in and lived there for 3 years. OP's parents move in and make it their primary residence for two years then sell with total gain of $400k. OP's parents would be able to deduct 40% or $160k.

bacchi

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #85 on: October 27, 2018, 09:18:37 PM »
...Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax...

It doesn't work that way for a property that is not used as a primary residence for a period of time before being used as a primary residence. OP's parents would be able to exclude a percentage of gains. Example: OP's parents bought the house. OP immediately moved in and lived there for 3 years. OP's parents move in and make it their primary residence for two years then sell with total gain of $400k. OP's parents would be able to deduct 40% or $160k.

There are 5 (6?) eligibility tests to determine if the maximum exclusion can be used.

https://www.irs.gov/faqs/capital-gains-losses-and-sale-of-home/property-basis-sale-of-home-etc/property-basis-sale-of-home-etc-5

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p523#en_US_2017_publink100077247

The most important ones are ownership and residence, which the parents meet. Rental depreciation can't be excluded but, otherwise, the full exclusion can be used if the eligibility tests are met.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #86 on: October 28, 2018, 12:15:03 PM »
Have you considered Albuquerque NM? I'm orginally from California. Moved to the Atlanta suburbs 12 years ago. We have enjoyed our time here in Georgia and the schools are awesome, but now that our youngest is graduating, we are looking to move. The traffic here is some of the worst in the world. I commute 15 miles to work and have to leave 1 hour early just to get to work ontime. My last couple of trips to the airport have taken 2 to 3 hours. It's 35 miles away. The problem with the traffic here is it's totally unpredictable and there are no, if very few plans to improve traffic. There are no east-west freeways connecting the suburbs. This one fact makes all of our surface streets unbearable during rush hours. The infrustructure will most definitely be an issue moving. It's predicted that this area with grow another 25% in the next 15 years.

We had thought of moving to NC. We love Asheville and travel there often. It has gotten really expensive to buy a home in the last couple of years.

I've had friends move back to Albuquerque after living in Georgia for three years. They love it in New Mexico. The prices of homes are very inexpensive, it's very beautiful, lots of outdoor activities, and there are four seasons. Seems like a good option.

So let me understand Georgia traffic sucks! NC is expensive to buy a home? and NM is LCOL what about jobs?
Asheville real estate has become expensive, not all of NC. We had been considering moving to Asheville also. Love the area!  If you are looking to get away from California traffic, Atlanta is actually worse, so I'd stay clear. We will be moving away from the Atlanta area next year, so are very interested in LCOL areas. We are in terrible debt and will be redesignig our lives in a LCOL area and simplifying. Our property taxes here in Georgia have trippled over the 12 years we have been here ($2000 to over $6000 a year). Our income is less than half what is was when we first moved. Now with newer jobs, my husband, 21 year old daughter and I, all work for the same company with locations all over the US. So as long as our company has two locations in an area, we can transfer. With my son graduating HS, we finally have the shot of doing a refresh. I have been a lurker on this website for five years or so, and do value the opinions very intelligent community on this forum. Seems like they always have very good advice!

So NC it seems like you will be moving to???

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #87 on: October 28, 2018, 12:17:28 PM »
Man I hate to say this, because it seems like you are trending more towards TX, but both Austin and Houston are tremend-o-bad for traffic.  I've lived previously in Houston for over a decade, with a brother that lives in Austin (if you move to Austin you will immediately find out every third person is from California).  Austin is hands down a better place to live than Houston, but I like Houston. 

Houston is similar to LA for traffic.  Austin isn't much better.  Really think about that and determine if this is truly a deciding factor.  If it is, you can't consider TX (DFW is the same in that regard btw).

To be honest the only reason I would move to Tx over NC is because I am in the process of opening a CBD business here in California and the cost of fees, licenses, permits, etc....... is beyond expensive and I am currently speaking with some one in Tx who is helping me and I was told it is way cheaper not even $100 to start a business over there while in NC Cannabis is not legal yet so that may be the only thing keeping me from moving to NC.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #88 on: October 28, 2018, 12:20:31 PM »
Regarding Texas:  Houston is huge, and feels like it.  Austin and Dallas are pretty bad, too.  San Antonio is a large city (~1,400,000 people), but is spread out, so it doesn't feel as congested- it feels more like a medium sized city.  Though growing as fast as it is, that may change.

Also, SA is far enough inland that you don't have to panic every time a hurricane passes by, as those in Houston do.

No state income tax is fantastic.  Though property taxes are high, and getting worse as home values skyrocket.  Though even with our "skyrocketing" home values, you can still by a modern home of near McMansion size in SA for the price of a tiny, rat infested dump in California.

That said, I'm going to recommend North Carolina. 

I live in SA and just got my yearly property tax bill, and it rose a lot, largely due to refugees from the People's Republic of California driving up property prices. I don't know if I can afford to have more folks coming here.  :)

I know what you mean every year same thing here in California! I have also considered dallas, plano, fort worth, waco just to name a few.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #89 on: October 28, 2018, 12:25:55 PM »

I second what FINate posted.

Are your parents living in another home? If so, are they renting or do they own the home?

If your parents own their own home but are going to be moving with you, then they will need to sell their house as well, right?

I would suggest they sell their own house first, and exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax. Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax.  Would you be willing to wait 2 years to have them join you out of state in order to save $39,000 in taxes? (260k*15%)

If they are renting now, then have them move into the house you live in (whether you move out or not) to get their two-year minimum residency clock running.

Otherwise, if you sell both houses right now, the second home (that you live in) will have Long Term Capital Gains taxes on that appreciation. (260k*15%=$39,000).

An alternative would be to get that second home into your name ASAP and you wait out the two years so you can avoid the tax.  If you are still single, it will be a $250k exclusion. If you and the girlfriend get married, it will be a $500k exclusion.  Who knows what houses will be selling for in two years.

No they are renting it to us but yes it is under their name.
They have few homes that they own that are paid for.
Might be better to get a "quit claim form" but we need the right CPA.
I hope there is a real estate market crash and buy a house for cheap!
The moving part.... we are considering taking a vacation next year and get a feel for the area.
And no we are not married, so that $250k makes A BIG DIFFERENCE.

flores_o85

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #90 on: October 28, 2018, 12:26:52 PM »
...Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax...

It doesn't work that way for a property that is not used as a primary residence for a period of time before being used as a primary residence. OP's parents would be able to exclude a percentage of gains. Example: OP's parents bought the house. OP immediately moved in and lived there for 3 years. OP's parents move in and make it their primary residence for two years then sell with total gain of $400k. OP's parents would be able to deduct 40% or $160k.

I been here since 4/12

tralfamadorian

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #91 on: October 28, 2018, 02:04:41 PM »
...Then they would move into "your" home (which is in their name as well) and live there for two years. After two years, they can again exclude up to $500,000 in gains from LTCG tax...

It doesn't work that way for a property that is not used as a primary residence for a period of time before being used as a primary residence. OP's parents would be able to exclude a percentage of gains. Example: OP's parents bought the house. OP immediately moved in and lived there for 3 years. OP's parents move in and make it their primary residence for two years then sell with total gain of $400k. OP's parents would be able to deduct 40% or $160k.

There are 5 (6?) eligibility tests to determine if the maximum exclusion can be used.

https://www.irs.gov/faqs/capital-gains-losses-and-sale-of-home/property-basis-sale-of-home-etc/property-basis-sale-of-home-etc-5

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p523#en_US_2017_publink100077247

The most important ones are ownership and residence, which the parents meet. Rental depreciation can't be excluded but, otherwise, the full exclusion can be used if the eligibility tests are met.

Regarding the first link- there are different rules if the owner(s) lived in the property as their primary residence in the front end of the 2/5 or the back end. It used to be that 121 treated both the same and it was a lucrative loophole for people to be able to take their full $250/$500k on a series of highly appreciated properties in their portfolio every two years. Now that time from before it was a primary residence is "non-qualified use."

The language in the code itself is rather dense. This offers a good explanation:
https://www.kitces.com/blog/limits-to-converting-rental-property-into-a-primary-residence-to-plan-for-irc-section-121-capital-gains-exclusion/

El_Mariachi

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #92 on: November 15, 2018, 12:06:27 PM »
Thought I would give some feedback on this

I live in Austin currently for ~6 years.

Good:
1) Cost of living is relatively low compared to other places I have lived (except housing)
2) No income taxes
3) Tons of tech/manufacturing jobs
4) lots of stuff to do (outdoors, concerts, et cetera)
5) cheap utilities generally

Bad:
1) traffic is getting horrible, lots of construction on main roadways, which are not adding capacity but only toll lanes
2) housing is really getting out of hand here, while its good if you already have a house (except for taxes) its not good for someone wanting to buy or rent
3) its pretty hot in the summer

to give some context:
I live on the north side, about 18 miles from my work in east austin not too far from the airport. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to work and and hour to get home

My home is now worth $320k and we bought it for $250k (great!) but the taxes are now at around $7k a year

Transportation is pretty bad, both because of traffic and because of the mass transit system isnt very good, but gas/insurance is typically cheap as well as state registration and inspection ($60-$80 + $18.50)

in the summer it can get to 105F and average 65% humidity


I'm a red panda

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #93 on: November 15, 2018, 12:54:08 PM »
Bad:
1) traffic is getting horrible, lots of construction on main roadways, which are not adding capacity but only toll lanes

hahaha. Traffic has been getting horrible since like 1990. I bet some people would say even earlier!  The roads are so ill-planned in Austin.

I miss it so much, but I'm not moving back to that congestion.

El_Mariachi

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Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
« Reply #94 on: November 16, 2018, 09:29:06 AM »
hahaha. Traffic has been getting horrible since like 1990. I bet some people would say even earlier!  The roads are so ill-planned in Austin.

I miss it so much, but I'm not moving back to that congestion.

You mean they planned the roads here??? Hahaha

It has been bad for a long time, but at least before you could time your commute to miss traffic, now it seems like no matter when you go you'll be stopped on 35 haha

No lie, once it took me 3 hours to get to work because the traffic lights on 360 went down because it rained

And if you work downtown, good luck...