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On 7/7/2018 at 10:49 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Another affordable U.S. retirement destinations list (places to live for under $40K per year), but this one from AARP, so presumably not a veiled real estate promotion vehicle like some other lists.

 

And it has a lot of city/town names I haven't heard of before including a couple in the West -- many of them seemingly on the outskirts of larger, well-known metro areas. Seems like some good info and prospects here:

 

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/your-home/info-2018/10-best-places-to-live-in-us.html

 

Thanks for that. Somewhat interesting list but my favorite part is the comments section. Lots of people saying, tell us some much cheaper places please! Someone on the comments section mentioned Elephant Butte. New Mexico. Now I wouldn't want to live there but it would be fun to say you live there depending on how you pronounce Butte. Some other mentions on the comments, Conway, South Carolina inland from Myrtle Beach and Tri-Cities Northeast Tennessee. Such as Johnson "City" TN which I just found has an Ethiopian restaurant, always a good sign, and supposedly unusually cheap housing. Never even heard of that area before. Anyone know it? 

 

Funky Gulfport, FL (budget Key West style) mentioned on the list as being 25 miles from both St. Pete and Tampa is actually much closer to St. Pete and in the same county of Pinellas.

 

Then there are the many places that are cheap and definitely DO suck. Ugh.

 

 

Edited July 8, 20188 yr by Jingthing

Looking a bit more into Johnson City, TN (and I assume there must be other less than exciting destinations around that are similar) makes me feel somewhat more reassured. Where I'm at now is repatriation is not a first choice, but rather a literal FALL BACK option (and no visa needed). My second choice after Thailand would probably be a third expat country in Latin America (but that's not the topic here).

 

Anyway at my level as things have changed in the U.S. especially around housing costs (buying and renting) my top top top priority would be a place where I could have a decent chance to dodge homelessness. 

 

Obviously that eliminates all glamorous choices but it probably also eliminates many less glamorous but still desirable enough places like St. Pete, FL, Tucson, AZ, suburban Atlanta, etc. 

 

I would need cheap rent. 

 

So back to Johnson City, TN (and other places of that level?) I am finding the market for a studio apartment in the central area is less than 500 per month. That is definitely cheap. 

 

The place has a good network of biking trails, mountain views, a cute downtown, and also low utility bills. 

 

It's in the south so avoiding northern winters.

 

Intriguingly an hour's drive to where COOL rich people retire, Asheville, NC (and five hours to D.C.).

 

It's not a city, more like a town. The people are reputed to be friendly. But it's not a diverse area and there is the bible belt/redneck culture (squirrel stew, how bad could it be?) to consider.

 

Definitely too heavy in the horribleness department for anyone wealthy but maybe not unacceptably so, but also possibly close to as good as it gets for the avoid homelessness factor. 

 

So any other similar suggestions to that place? More like D LIST USA places but you could still theoretically still live there and not want to off yourself.

 

Cheers. 

 

 

Edited July 9, 20188 yr by Jingthing

The problem you are always going to run into is rent, unless you already owned a place. The rest of the cost of living for most of the US, outside the urban hotspots really isn't that much different to Thailand, unless of course you are subsisting on somtam and noodles from the nearest street corner.

It's a little un scientific, but. I sold a couple of condo's in Thonglor, right next to BTS, so prime location. For what I sold them for I basically was able to buy 2 for 1 in the US, and I would say nicer units, and I rent them for $900-1050 a month each, almost exactly the same rent I was getting in Thonglor.

So, HOA fees, property management and real estate taxes, it's almost double the yield on the money.

So no matter where you look in the US, that housing rental cost, unless you have the cash to buy, is gonna be at a minimal double what you are paying in Thailand.

It's a tough row to how if you are basically trying to restart life back home in your twilight years

Oh one more thing might be worthwhile checking is SSA, especially if you haven't worked in the US for a while. I'm only 59 so I got a ways to go you.
Sign up for an online account and check out what you qualify for. It's pretty shocking how the numbers pan out for an early payout. For me, basically claiming at 62, versus 66 halved the monthly payout

19 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Oh one more thing might be worthwhile checking is SSA, especially if you haven't worked in the US for a while. I'm only 59 so I got a ways to go you.
Sign up for an online account and check out what you qualify for. It's pretty shocking how the numbers pan out for an early payout. For me, basically claiming at 62, versus 66 halved the monthly payout

That is odd,

Usually it is roughly 8% a year & for most about 25% less taking at 62 vs 66 & 4months

 

But if you do a proforma & use the average they use of 83 years  old average expire

You find not much difference in total collected

 

I made a spread sheet showing my amounts for 62, 66 & 70 years old to start taking & by 83 they were all within 20k hi vs low

 

Edited July 18, 20187 yr by meechai

Just spent two weeks in Chattanooga, nice...

27 minutes ago, mogandave said:

Just spent two weeks in Chattanooga, nice...

from the late 50s Lookout Mountain shrouded in mist...one could do a lot worse than Chattanooga...but I'm from Nashville so what do I know?...

 

Nashveeye?...naw, Nashville...

 

Nashveeye...famous for the camenbert to be found down the Granny White Pike...

 

 

10 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

from the late 50s Lookout Mountain shrouded in mist...one could do a lot worse than Chattanooga...but I'm from Nashville so what do I know?...

 

Nashveeye?...naw, Nashville...

 

Nashveeye...famous for the camenbert to be found down the Granny White Pike...

 

 

I thought it was Nashvull...

Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Steak 'n Shake, Longhorn...what's not to like?

 

9 minutes ago, mogandave said:

I thought it was Nashvull...

Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Steak 'n Shake, Longhorn...what's not to like?

 

well...my grandparents didn't much like them hill billy boys and their howlin' down the Ryman Auditorium on a Saturday night (the Grand Ol Opry)...they much preferred the local designation as 'the Athens of the South'...Vanderbuilt Univ, Peabody College, Fisk Univ, etc, etc...

 

 

Well I knew this already but more confirmation that the housing cost rises (renting and buying) have creeped into lower cost markets (compared to the sizzlers like D.C.) as well (such as Tampa and Charlotte). On rent I recently read that the high end rents are going down a bit but lower end rents continue to rise. So if you're repatriating and you don't own anything in the U.S. and you're not wealthy -- tough luck. 

 

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/06/629410064/the-new-housing-crisis-shut-out-of-the-market

The New Housing Crisis: Shut Out Of The Market

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by Jingthing

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Well I knew this already but more confirmation that the housing cost rises (renting and buying) have creeped into lower cost markets (compared to the sizzlers like D.C.) as well (such as Tampa and Charlotte). On rent I recently read that the high end rents are going down a bit but lower end rents continue to rise. So if you're repatriating and you don't own anything in the U.S. and you're not wealthy -- tough luck. 

 

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/06/629410064/the-new-housing-crisis-shut-out-of-the-market

The New Housing Crisis: Shut Out Of The Market

To put it in perspective, and I’m in no way bragging or anything.

 

I sold all my real estate in central Bangkok, and I ended up basically being able to buy two condo’s here for the price of one on Sukhumvit, yet I can get the same rent as I got in BKK. In other words double the rental yield on my money.

 

In many respects I could kick myself for not doing it sooner.

 

So, yeah, it must  suck if you don’t own anything and want to move home

To put it in perspective, and I’m in no way bragging or anything.
 
I sold all my real estate in central Bangkok, and I ended up basically being able to buy two condo’s here for the price of one on Sukhumvit, yet I can get the same rent as I got in BKK. In other words double the rental yield on my money.
 
In many respects I could kick myself for not doing it sooner.
 
So, yeah, it must  suck if you don’t own anything and want to move home

Here being where?

On 8/8/2018 at 8:02 AM, Jingthing said:

Well I knew this already but more confirmation that the housing cost rises (renting and buying) have creeped into lower cost markets (compared to the sizzlers like D.C.) as well (such as Tampa and Charlotte). On rent I recently read that the high end rents are going down a bit but lower end rents continue to rise. So if you're repatriating and you don't own anything in the U.S. and you're not wealthy -- tough luck.

 

You probably already know this but... It will continue to do so. Not just in the US but everywhere

 

On the one hand if you moved home when you started this thread it was much cheaper.

On the other hand we will of course have trends but yes the general direction for real estate is usually up

 

This is a big downfall of living in Thailand & becoming accustomed to that pricing/level. Continue to wait & you can expect

more of the same trend overall.

 

On the other hand reports & hearsay is not the same as boots on the ground. There are always unadvertised deals everywhere

You need to be there (where ever you decide you *want* to live) & strike when they surface

An interesting source of information on the ancient cost of buying vs. renting choice (if you can afford to buy anything) and it's regional variations --
 

Quote

 

TO RENT OR TO BUY, THAT IS THE QUESTION

The Costs Of Renting Vs. Buying A Home In Each State, Mapped

 

http://digg.com/2018/rent-or-buy-homes-map

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

An interesting source of information on the ancient cost of buying vs. renting choice (if you can afford to buy anything) and it's regional variations --
 

http://digg.com/2018/rent-or-buy-homes-map

Looks pretty accurate to me, at least for the States I know a decent amount about, Cali & South Dakota

 

Now, ‘if’ I could get a do over, I would certainly have rented more than I did. 

 

If you're young(ish) jobs unlike in our parents day aren’t secure, you move...a lot!

Buying and selling is a pain, and it’s also expensive when it comes to closing costs, realtor fees etc

 

Now of course the dynamic changes when you get to to be old farts and you’re now not job hopping, and you can look forward to staying in one place for a long time.

 

Thankfully now I don’t have to worry about this. I’ve made my mistakes, paid the price, and now hopefully advise my kids not to do the same stupid things I did

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by GinBoy2

Hot enough for ya?

Egads.

 

Quote

 

As temperatures keep trending up, ‘heat belt’ cities maneuver to stay livable

...

Across the Southwest, people have long made accommodations to the heat, but climate change and urban development are forcing far more considerations. An increasing number of cities face extreme heat for much of the summer, with highs surpassing 100 and even 110 degrees for weeks at a time. Even in the final days of August, Phoenix is sweltering at 107 and San Antonio at 104.

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-temperatures-keep-trending-up-heat-belt-cities-maneuver-to-stay-livable/2018/08/29/3c7ef2f2-ab15-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Hot enough for ya?

Egads.

 

I would not be surprised to see Thailand hot season go nuts next year.

 

Places like Spain already this year is nuts

 

 

In the states at present for a couple of months even in my home town Albuquerque the prices are sky high. Feeding my wife and my self is at least a 20 dollar bill every meal. Breakfast this morning cost 17 dollars reasonable for the times I guess. Will be back in Thailand in Oct. looking forward to it already. A few days in San Francisco was expensive 11dollars for a Bombay Gin Tonic.

The Carolinas are quite affordable and the weather is decent depending on where you live

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

The Carolinas are quite affordable and the weather is decent depending on where you live

There will probably be some good deals next week after the hurricane passes.

 

Hurricane Florence Will Slow Down, Hammer Carolinas and Appalachia for Days with Catastrophic Flooding, Destructive Winds

 

This is just the rain predicted:

And a bit of wind to make it interesting:

 

9 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

There will probably be some good deals next week after the hurricane passes.

No matter where you are in the world, at some point, the weather sucks.

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

No matter where you are in the world, at some point, the weather sucks.

True.  But there's just something about hurricanes/cyclones due to their massive scale.  Tornadoes are smaller, but vicious.  Of course a meter or two of snow or 5 cm of solid ice makes for a fun time.

No matter where you are in the world, at some point, the weather sucks.

San Diego sucks is a lot better than Buffalo sucks...

Gotta say I love San Diego.

Lived there for years.

If I could afford it, I'd move back there in a heartbeat

But, we make compromises when we're old unemployed and retired.

I envy my youngest daughter who still lives there

Gotta say I love San Diego.

Lived there for years.

If I could afford it, I'd move back there in a heartbeat

But, we make compromises when we're old unemployed and retired.

I envy my youngest daughter who still lives there

Do you fish?

I do an 8-day every year and a 15-day once in a while...

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

 

San Diego sucks is a lot better than Buffalo sucks...

 

Unless the earth starts shaking

Unless the earth starts shaking

Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ but da peas in da pot, and dey wouldn’t shake if da wadder wuddn’t hot...

been home for almost a month Albuquerque New Mexico, everything is expensive. Cannot wait to get back to Chiang Mai wake up stick my head out the door If I do not see something crazy I want to hear it.

been home for almost a month Albuquerque New Mexico, everything is expensive. Cannot wait to get back to Chiang Mai wake up stick my head out the door If I do not see something crazy I want to hear it.

Indeed