Move to Lake, Beach, reasonable col?

beachinmoney

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
36
Hello, I'm from the Pacific Northwest and now live in AZ. Boating here just doesn't do it for me. Its too hot. Even with a/c. I'm 56 and want to live on the water for under $600k. I've considered NC, SC, Texas, Florida. I think FL is too many bugs and too hot. Anyone want to pipe in and give me your input and why??? Thanks ahead of time.
 

redneck joe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
10,200
Guntersville AL. No income state income tax on retires. Small town but growing. Two large cities within 30 and 60 min. One decent sized city 10 minutes away. Nashville 90 minutes if you're into that. Gulf a few hours. Waterfront still possible in that range. Second tier property well within the range. Acreage properties half hour butget. Several marinas, two nice ones both with indoor, on demand storage options. Four seasons of weather.few

your on the tn river so depending on your vessel you can...

day trip to Chattanooga
Two day trip to Knoxville (if you're into football, Google the vol navy)

If you get a larger boat the excursions are unlimited if you have the time. Thus TN river is part of the Great Loop.

side note I'm 54 and from the PNW, live in TN.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
Well, your trading the heat for humidity. Swapping one misery for another.

VA, NC and SC are on the short list for us.

The plan was always to move to coastal NC but the older I get the more I don’t feel like dealing with hurricane season. It’s not if, it’s when.

I like the Charleston area but Coastal SC has exaggerated tides to deal with. Don’t want to be at the mercy of tides.

Leaning more and more towards Tide Water Virginia. Just north of the “hurricane zone”. Provides access to the protected waters of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal NC Sounds yet minutes from the NC (OBX) and Virginia Atlantic beaches.

Falls within 2-3 hrs. of the kids that mama is demanding. We have a couple of years yet. We will see where we end up
 
Last edited:

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,300
depends.....

are you looking for 1/2 acre with a 3000 sq ft 5-bed/2 bath house, or a small 650 sq ft 2-bed / 1-batch "cottage" on a 1500 sq foot yard

do you want 2 seasons, 3 seasons or 4 seasons

do you want to deal with snow? hurricanes? tropical storms? tornadoes?

daily tides or simply seasonal water level changes

fresh water or salt water?

large body of water, or a small body of water?

large amount of boat traffic or sporadic boat traffic

more rural, or closer to urban environments?

you get used to the heat...... or the cold, so that should be less of a consideration than the season or weather question

"Bugs" are everywhere. in the midwest you have bay flies and may flies that hatch and you need a shovel to move them. in Florida you have love bugs twice a year and other insects year round. the Florida state bird is the mosquito (Its also the state bird for most every other state). North of FL you have Chiggers. In more of the woodsy areas you have ticks and other insects.

plenty of on-the-water living in the mid west in 2500-3000 sq ft houses with decent plots on lakes between 150 acres and 23000 acres that are a good deal under your budget, however you must deal with 4 seasons

if you want 3 seasons, consider some of the lakes in TN or KY.

if you want 2 seasons, consider FL, TX, or Michigan's UP.

there are entire canal neighborhoods populated with 2500-3000 sq ft houses on 1/3 acre properties with access to the gulf in the Ft Meyers / Cape Coral area of Florida. that is water access to the gulf without high cost or taxes

I would avoid areas of GA, as the summer heat can get into the 110-115 range and the humidity is so much higher than Florida

I would avoid the area between the panhandle and the greater tampa area because boating sucks unless you like large tide swings and going claming.
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,524
We lived in VA and spend time in NC and SC, and you will have humidity like nothing you've experienced in that region. It's beautiful country and maybe not as bad as Florida (but I'm not sure about that). We get considerable humidity in the Midwest (IL and IN), but Virginia and the Carolinas were a new level of stickiness.
 

southkogs

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,785
Florida can get hot and sticky ... but Charleston, SC has to be one of the muggiest spots I've ever been in. I love the area, but much more in the spring and fall :)
 

DeepCMark58A

Commander
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
2,030
Lake homes in Minnesota are expensive especially on a nice clean lake, but so worth it IMG_1337.jpeg
 

beachinmoney

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
36
Well I don't want cold like Minnesota. I loved WA State, Puget Sound because its salt water but not real ocean so there are places to swim like Hood Canal. Not too much in the way of tides pulling you out. As far as the tide going in and out I'm used to that. I would love to fish, crab, and snorkel and dive but that's, the snorkle and diving limiting things. I don't want to loose my home in a hurricane. If I had to get out for safety it would have to be a situation where we could load up an RV, to be purchased used, in order to take cats and dogs. But there you have to be able to get far enough away so your RV doesn't get blown over!!! Money wise I cant go higher than around $500k. And that will be pushing it. If its really hot and humid in the summer I could always load the RV and boat up and take off for a month somewhere nicer.

I'm looking for a home around 2100 to 2700 sq ft on 1/4 acre that has a pool. I would like it to only snow maybe twice during the winter. Never colder than 30 but prefer it to be perfect like San Diego, CA but reasonable cost of living. I'll even leave the US...
 

sphelps

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
11,429
It’s hard to find places on the water anywhere down here in Florida that’s in your price range . There around but you would really need to search .. If your worried about hurricanes search for ICF built homes .. They might flood but they won’t blow away .. Bugs are just a part of life in warm areas soya have to deal with it or move to colder climates ..
‘Why not San Diego ? Cost of living I presume?
 

redneck joe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
10,200
Well I don't want cold like Minnesota. I loved WA State, Puget Sound because its salt water but not real ocean so there are places to swim like Hood Canal. Not too much in the way of tides pulling you out. As far as the tide going in and out I'm used to that. I would love to fish, crab, and snorkel and dive but that's, the snorkle and diving limiting things. I don't want to loose my home in a hurricane. If I had to get out for safety it would have to be a situation where we could load up an RV, to be purchased used, in order to take cats and dogs. But there you have to be able to get far enough away so your RV doesn't get blown over!!! Money wise I cant go higher than around $500k. And that will be pushing it. If its really hot and humid in the summer I could always load the RV and boat up and take off for a month somewhere nicer.

I'm looking for a home around 2100 to 2700 sq ft on 1/4 acre that has a pool. I would like it to only snow maybe twice during the winter. Never colder than 30 but prefer it to be perfect like San Diego, CA but reasonable cost of living. I'll even leave the US...

See my post, sounds like you need something similar to what unsaid around Guntersville. Or look into NW AR. A bit colder in the winter
 

KJM

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 31, 2016
Messages
1,186
Why not back where you came from? The pacific NW? Or even British Columbia?
 
Top