USA -- low budget repatriation specific locations that aren't horrible

[55Jay]

Rattlesnakes and scorpions in coastal central Florida? Hard to believe

Yes, Eastern Diamond Backs. Also some kind of a pygmy rattler. I don't know much about scorpions, but did read there are three common types in FL.

[lopburi3]

In the 3 years I lived in Florida never had occasion to see any of them - alligators are another matter.

[Jingthing]

In the 3 years I lived in Florida never had occasion to see any of them - alligators are another matter.

Yeah I read up on it. They have snakes including that rattlesnake but the vast majority of the kinds aren't venomous and it's not a major problem for the population. Apparently the gators are definitely all around and sometimes wander into people's yards. There's a special number to call!

[55Jay]

In the 3 years I lived in Florida never had occasion to see any of them - alligators are another matter.

Yeah I read up on it. They have snakes including that rattlesnake but the vast majority of the kinds aren't venomous and it's not a major problem for the population. Apparently the gators are definitely all around and sometimes wander into people's yards. There's a special number to call!

JT/Lop,

Sorry, I wasn't suggesting they were crawling out of the cupboards. My original comment about trade offs was in jest.

Anyway, back to the thread..... Cheers.

[NancyL]

Perhaps the situation has changed, but back in the 70s and 80s when we lived in Texas, we were in a region where pretty much everything was in the "100 year flood plain" and you could get flood insurance fairly cheaply because it was federally subsidized. Had we been out of the 100-year flood plain, there was no subsidize for flood insurance.

Then we moved to Michigan, and a few parts were in the flood plain, but not many. Then during the soaring days of the era when the banks were buying and selling home mortgages, it seemed like our home mortgage was owned by at least five different institutions. At one point we got a letter from the new mortgage owner telling us we had to get flood insurance because our home was in the 100 year flood zone or the mortgage would be cancelled. Huh? When had the flood zones been recalculated? At the local township office, they said said there'd been no change in the flood zone maps, but everyone in the area that had mortgages with the same company received the same letter. They willingly provided documentation that our home wasn't in the flood zone. But, the response from the mortgage company was a form letter telling us to get flood insurance.

We were about to come to Thailand for a few months, so we decided to suck it up and buy flood insurance rather than try to fight this while we were gone. We figured we could cancel the flood insurance once we returned and the mortgage company came to their senses. Our insurance agent said we were nuts and pointed out our insurance would have been cheaper if we lived 1/2 mile down the road, which was actually in the 100 year flood zone, because those folks received the federal subsidy.

[Jingthing]

Yes flood zone guidelines have changed multiple times.

[Pacificperson]

Yeah, I could search myself, but looking at St. Pete I've become aware that FLOOD ZONES are a real issue, not only the actual potential floods but also the INSURANCE.

Does someone know some great sources for detailed block by block FLOOD ZONE real estate info?

You can play with this site: https://msc.fema.gov/portal

[Jingthing]

One thing, yes I know a MINOR thing and certainly nothing like a deal breaker, that I find rather annoying is the way the "alternative" press is structured in Tucson vs. Tampa/St. Pete.

In Tucson it's about Tucson and of course includes nearby areas. In Tampa/St. Pete with Tampa being the bigger city, that press is MIXED up as a metro area. I would much prefer a more separate city and county MEDIA identity for St. Pete/Pinellas County. If I live there, I doubt I would go into Tampa much except for special events, etc.

Yes, I know there is more mainstream media where the areas are separated, but talking about the alternative/cultural/food/entertainment stuff.

As you can imagine the Tampa vs. St. Pete thing is a recurring local theme, similar to East Bay vs. San Francisco.

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/

http://cltampa.com/

Edited April 13, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

On the more micro level, I'm now thinking that nearby Bradenton, FL might be a good choice too, perhaps even better.

In St. Pete of course I'd prefer to live in the walkable downtown but definitely priced out of that.

Considering I'm moving to the area mostly to "retire" and getting older, projecting into that over time would probably care less and less about being in the thick of cultural events or even very close to them, not to mention budget restrictions.

The Bradenton location offers much better access to Sarasota, wealthier small city with rich cultural stuff relative to size, and there seems to be somewhat better bang for the buck housing buy options in Bradenton. Bradenton is definitely more "down market" type of place, but if the shoe fits.

Also downtown St. Pete is within range over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Jingthing

[NancyL]

Yes flood zone guidelines have changed multiple times.

Actually, the flood zone hadn't changed. The mortgage company just had their head up their ...... Eventually enough people complained and they came to their senses and we were able to cancel the flood insurance. Our insurance agent knew going in that we weren't going to be keeping the flood insurance policy for long-- the only reason we got it was that we were going to be in Thailand for a time and couldn't stay in Michigan to lead the charge against the mortgage company. Some of our friends who had mortgages with the same company did that.

[Jingthing]

Anyway, perhaps in your case, but what I read about the flood zone guidelines in the area of Florida I'm looking, there have been changes over time in flood zone guidelines and the levels that insurance companies demand high premiums.

[Pacificperson]

Insurance companies don't sell flood insurance, FEMA does. Congress mandated that FEMA stop subsidizing flood insurance, so the cost went way up. If you are comfortable that you won't flood, don't buy it.

The problem is that mortgage lenders need to sell "conforming" mortgages, and if you are in a flood zone, it means having flood insurance. My house is up a slope from a flood area, but some fool with a magic maker drew a line 20 years ago that passes through my yard. It costs me an extra $250 a month on a $700 a month mortgage.

[Jingthing]

Fema, private companies. If it's a cost, same difference. I don't pretend to be an expert on flood zones but I do know I'll have to research the situation and costs on any property I might be looking at in coastal Florida.

[moe666]

you will be backin 6 months

[Jingthing]

you will be backin 6 months

Posts of that nature are not welcome. People make expatriation and repatriation decisions for all kinds of personal reasons. This topic is not about my personal reasons or a platform for speculation on how well or poorly my hoped for repatriation will go.

[Jingthing]

I will add, as I've mentioned before, this thread is very open to continued discussion about OTHER repatriation destinations in the U.S. that meet the definition in the O.P. that may not necessarily be of interest to me.

Surely I'm not the only not wealthy person who may want to or need to repatriate someday.

Yes, personally now I've got a top choice and it doesn't seem it will change unless I visit and hate it (possible for sure) or the place gets wiped out by Hurricane Boris.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

How LOW PRICED can you go in the Bradenton Area for something that appears to be livable?

Actually, LOWER than Thailand prices ... at least where I live in Thailand. Million baht or so for one bedrooms, not hard to find, even some in Pinellas County too.

In this case monthly condo fees of 175 dollars which is a lot higher than I pay in Thailand but quite low by U.S. condo fee standards.

I'd prefer a two bedroom place with an in unit laundry hook up (and happy to pay more for that) ... but still.

Not suggesting this is a "dream" home, but it beats homelessness with a big stick!

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Manatee-County-FL/condo,apartment_duplex,townhouse_type/45774494_zpid/1916_rid/0-100000_price/0-360_mp/any_days/27.839076,-81.81038,27.013866,-83.068314_rect/9_zm/0_mmm/?3col=true

Edited April 24, 2016 by Jingthing

[NeverSure]

Not suggesting this is a "dream" home, but it beats homelessness with a big stick!

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Manatee-County-FL/condo,apartment_duplex,townhouse_type/45774494_zpid/1916_rid/0-100000_price/0-360_mp/any_days/27.839076,-81.81038,27.013866,-83.068314_rect/9_zm/0_mmm/?3col=true

Sorry I so often seem negative but it doesn't do you any favors by ignoring what's happening.

That unit is only 576 square feet - about 1 1/2 times the size of a standard 2 car garage. When lenders and appraisers calculate square footage, the staircase is counted because they measure outside dimensions. So deduct the area of the staircase from the footage to get the real flat floors that you can use. A staircase is typically 5' X 20' leaving 476 sq ft of usable space.

It might be a good answer if that's the only answer. A long time ago I suggested that if you could get a 2 BR you could rent one out for at least $500 per month and cover all of your housing expenses including utilities. ??

[BKKSnowBird]

Who wants a roommate? Not me.

[Jingthing]

There are no stairs in that unit. I wasn't suggesting I want such a small unit only that there are very low buy options that get a roof over your head. Hey it's bigger than one of those trendy tiny houses. Imagine what that unit would cost in Manhattan. Ha ha.

Of course a bigger place with a roommate plan especially with extra bathroom allows for more flexibility and income potential subsidizing running housing costs.

[55Jay]

There are no stairs in that unit. I wasn't suggesting I want such a small unit only that there are very low buy options that get a roof over your head. Hey it's bigger than one of those trendy tiny houses. Imagine what that unit would cost in Manhattan. Ha ha.

Of course a bigger place with a roommate plan especially with extra bathroom allows for more flexibility and income potential subsidizing running housing costs.

Did you notice the Zilow price history? Was wondering if it was a flip unit, seems to be bouncing around the market since. I often wonder why that it is. I realize you were just posting an example of what's possible. Hell, I could live there as a stop gap to re-settle, then move on to something else, maybe keep it as a rental.

[Jingthing]

There are no stairs in that unit. I wasn't suggesting I want such a small unit only that there are very low buy options that get a roof over your head. Hey it's bigger than one of those trendy tiny houses. Imagine what that unit would cost in Manhattan. Ha ha.

Of course a bigger place with a roommate plan especially with extra bathroom allows for more flexibility and income potential subsidizing running housing costs.

Did you notice the Zilow price history? Was wondering if it was a flip unit, seems to be bouncing around the market since. I often wonder why that it is. I realize you were just posting an example of what's possible. Hell, I could live there as a stop gap to re-settle, then move on to something else, maybe keep it as a rental.

Yes, I always look at price histories.

There is some flipping going on with these budget condo and condo "villa" over 55 units. In Pinellas and Manatee counties, the range seems to be 25K to 100K. Could be investors and/or agents doing that.

Some are actually upgrading significantly, most others just cosmetics like putting in pergo floors, and others not at all.

Some of them were built in the 1970's and you can see no updates. Obviously to modernize would cost a lot.

The market appears to be recovering from the general U.S. real estate crash. But not all that quickly.

St. Pete in particular, as mentioned before is attracting more young people than retirees, so thus a somewhat favorable supply/demand situation for the age restricted units.

There are also some foreclosures but nothing like the crash numbers.

I'm looking for a place to buy for cash and I won't have cash to buy something else. So I'd like something bigger than that unit, but yes, it was just one example that the prices there can actually be comparable and even cheaper than similar settings in Thailand. Where I live in Thailand, many expats live for years in units smaller than that that don't even have ONE separated bedroom.

I reckon there are some long term expats here who might think they could never afford to live anywhere in the U.S. again, and the point is, maybe you can if you want to.

I kind of prefer the condo villa design where the unit is one floor "mini house" with shared walls, often with a garage where you've got the laundry room, and also a Florida room (enclosed patio for aircon).

Of course ground floor, more flood concerns.

Years ago, I was seriously considering a unit like that in an all age community in Ft. Lauderdale FAR from the beach. It was 175K (only a one bedroom) and it seemed a great deal to me coming from California. That was before the crash!

Edited April 25, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Wow!

Indicates the Tampa Bay area may be very atheist friendly.

Of the 51 metro areas of at least 1 million residents, Tampa Bay placed 50th in its percentage of worshipers. Only Portland, Ore., stands between us and eternal damnation.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/tampa-bay-ranks-low-in-religion-census/1231306

Also in the article a poll conclusion that St. Pete is the saddest city in the country!

Edited April 25, 2016 by Jingthing

[gt162]

Las Vegas has many expats from other states since no income tax. Cost of living is cheaper compare to other states. It has goods and bads just like any other places.

[Jingthing]

A benefit of Bradenton is being close to a very special "Old Florida" style island, Anna Maria:

[anotheruser]

I was in the USA last year after 15 years being away. The need for a car is very important. If you live outside the main downtown area or with in walking distance to where you need to go you are screwed. Taxi prices at least in my city are ridiculous now, they make the Phuket tuk tuk mafia seem reasonable.

The price of food has gone way up. I was expecting inflation but even the locals are saying a bag of groceries is getting harder to pay for.

Americans are weird. I have gone a tad bit tropo living over here but the people in the USA are perhaps even crazier than before.

I have been looking into Nashville or smalerl market cities lately with some restaurants and diversity but not the big city prices. Most of the commonly known places are now sort of expensive such as Austin Texas.

Anything near a coast either east or west is a no go now. I am not sure if Nashville is really the place or not but it seems like the only chance of reasonable weather and prices is somewhere down in the southeast. Look for college towns you have never heard of. Some places in the midwest such as Madison Wisconsin would be affordable and offer more for their size but it is so cold.

Many prairie towns are really cheap but as a gay guy I think you wouldn't like them. I don't even mean because of a gay scene but because of the mentality that would still prevail. Nashville has some restaurants including a few Asian ones, cheapish rents and a not all too bad climate.

It is in proximity of other places should you want to go to say NO, ATL, DC or somewhere else in the region to take a break. Again if you don't have a car or the money for taxis life is rough back home.

[anotheruser]

Those who know they are on my ignore list no need to post here. Hint hint.

You don't own this thread and everybody regardless of your ignore list is entitled to share their opinions. That is SOP on an open forum.

[anotheruser]

I also will be going back to the Us in may to look at homes and way of life between Ocala and Gainesville. Gainesville has a good VA hospital and also great drag racing and Ocala is good horse country.

Bugs and crime could be a problem though.

Why not be roommates?

[Jingthing]

This thread may be useful to people who want to see how real estate prices in areas they are looking at have moved over time, up or down:

The overall U.S. housing market has recovered from the crisis that plunged the country into recession. But a new analysis by The Washington Post shows that the recovery has been deeply uneven, creating winners and losers along lines of race, income and geography.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/wonk/housing/overview/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_housing-divide%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Personally, my concern as I'm seriously looking at FLORIDA is that Florida will start spiking back up too quickly, as my the planned timing of my repatriation is about two years. Oh well ...

Edited April 28, 2016 by Jingthing

[jingjoke]

Wow!

Indicates the Tampa Bay area may be very atheist friendly.

Of the 51 metro areas of at least 1 million residents, Tampa Bay placed 50th in its percentage of worshipers. Only Portland, Ore., stands between us and eternal damnation.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/tampa-bay-ranks-low-in-religion-census/1231306

Also in the article a poll conclusion that St. Pete is the saddest city in the country!

"St. Pete is the saddest city in the country!' Seems appropriate for for one of the saddest posers in Thailand. Sheesh ggg gauy, get on with it...

Edited April 28, 2016 by jingjoke