Relocating after Retirement to Warm Weather......Questions

[JosephNewton293]

19 hours ago, smashdn said:

Florida panhandle, just stay back away from the tourist areas a shade.  Tons of golf in that area, can even skip over and up into Alabama and get into more including the RTJ trail courses down there.  No state income tax.

 

Niceville

Pensacola

Sounds good, thanks.

[JosephNewton293]

17 hours ago, Creedo77 said:

Lakewood Ranch, FL (straight east of Sarasota). My mom just retired and moved down there. 
 

She bought a 2 and 2 for 285k. That price was early 2021 but the place is awesome. 36 holes, secluded area (20 minutes from the interstate). Might be somewhere to look at 

Added to my list, I know someone in Sarasota but I think farther inland like you suggested is better. 

[ShortGolfer]

I live in the center of Connecticut, but can drive all the way to two public beaches on the Long Island shoreline in less than an hour!

 

You may want to investigate housing that allows easy travel to warmer areas with a reasonable drive.

Traffic varies by season.  Most recreational areas have an off season where traffic is very light and easy to drive.  As well as an in-season that locals avoid.

Edited November 23, 2022 by ShortGolfer

[SnowbirdTom]

Austin, TX is high dollar living.  All the new industries moving from other places is driving housing prices and rental rates way up and causing serious traffic issues in an already bad commute area.  The entire area out about 30 miles from downtown is nuts!  Youngest son is living in Maxwell now and speaking from personal experience.  We'll be there tonight for Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Golf in Austin is $$$ too.  I suggested a round on Saturday and most courses that have times are in the $80-100 range for 18/cart.  No experience on quality of said courses either, nor will there be.  lol

 

 

[ChaosTheory]

I do have new info to add after all. 🤓

 

Kissimmee is growing super fast.  Lots of traffic and growing pains.  Look over at the Crystal River to Hernando area.  A little sleepier over there.

[SnowbirdTom]

Well, spoke too soon.  Got a round booked for 9AM tomorrow morning at what used to be Quicksand at Woodcreek near Wimberly.  They claim to be a precision shot course.  Real tight fairways.  Price was right and so was the tee time.  Senior weekend rate!!  $50 with cart.

 

Now to dig out the rain gear and see if it wards off the bad juju rain dogs.  Its low visibility and wet this morning.

Edited November 24, 2022 by SnowbirdTom

[mallrat]

Are you looking to permanently move or snowbird? I ask because where do you want to play in the summer?

 

AZ & Nevada have the tax advantages you are looking for. In Nevada, if cost of living is a concern you could look at Mesquite instead of Vegas or Reno (don’t think Reno golfs year round though). As for AZ, what about Tucson instead of Scottsdale? 
 

Let me throw this out there… When Covid hit and life shut down some good friends of ours lived in San Francisco. 700 sq ft apartment in the Marina with a 3 month old baby. They decided they couldn’t do it anymore and since they both were working from home they picked out 5 cities they thought they could

live in. They packed their crap and got an AirBnB for 2 months in each of those cities. It gave them the feeling g of living there without the commitment. After their 4th city they decided to buy a house in the first city they stayed in and are living it. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by mallrat

[jlbos83]

12 hours ago, mallrat said:

Are you looking to permanently move or snowbird? I ask because where do you want to play in the summer?

 

AZ & Nevada have the tax advantages you are looking for. In Nevada, if cost of living is a concern you could look at Mesquite instead of Vegas or Reno (don’t think Reno golfs year round though). As for AZ, what about Tucson instead of Scottsdale? 
 

Let me throw this out there… When Covid hit and life shut down some good friends of ours lived in San Francisco. 700 sq ft apartment in the Marina with a 3 month old baby. They decided they couldn’t do it anymore and since they both were working from home they picked out 5 cities they thought they could

live in. They packed their crap and got an AirBnB for 2 months in each of those cities. It gave them the feeling g of living there without the commitment. After their 4th city they decided to buy a house in the first city they stayed in and are living it. 

Tucson is a good option, if you ask me.  Six or seven months of perfect weather, the rest are hot (but the dry heat really does matter, beats Florida in the summer, if you ask me), but that also means that summer green fees can be pretty low, so you can play courses that might be a bit proud of themselves in the cooler months.  There is a wide variety of courses, private and public.  Cost of living in Tucson is lower than Phoenix/Scottsdale, as is the temperature!

[jjr]

15 hours ago, mallrat said:

Are you looking to permanently move or snowbird? I ask because where do you want to play in the summer?

 

AZ & Nevada have the tax advantages you are looking for. In Nevada, if cost of living is a concern you could look at Mesquite instead of Vegas or Reno (don’t think Reno golfs year round though). As for AZ, what about Tucson instead of Scottsdale? 
 

Let me throw this out there… When Covid hit and life shut down some good friends of ours lived in San Francisco. 700 sq ft apartment in the Marina with a 3 month old baby. They decided they couldn’t do it anymore and since they both were working from home they picked out 5 cities they thought they could

live in. They packed their crap and got an AirBnB for 2 months in each of those cities. It gave them the feeling g of living there without the commitment. After their 4th city they decided to buy a house in the first city they stayed in and are living it. 

Reno here, we do not golf year around, it really depends on how much snow we get and if it stays, all based on what happens to the temps. Played yesterday started at 11:40 (thought I was done for the year, 45 degrees, ended at 51 degrees) beautiful day, golf is resonable depending on where you play but like everywhere else green fees have been on the rise as the crazies move in from the west, I moved from crazyland 17 years ago and I don't plan on staying when I retire, could move north or south, NV is/was wonderful it's changing unfortunately.

[Golferpaul]

Check out San Antonio.  Lots of good golf courses and the cost of living is lower than Austin, DFW, or Houston.  And no severe winter weather.

[caniac6]

I don’t know if anyone has brought this up, but don’t overlook how hot these warmer locations will be in the summer. We were considering a move to the Savannah area, and found a beautiful golf community that we really liked. We took a day to do the tourist thing in Savannah, and it was 93 on May 5. We checked the weather all winter, and it was considerably warmer than central NC, but the summer heat would be too much for me as a walking golfer.

[sabram]

1 hour ago, caniac6 said:

I don’t know if anyone has brought this up, but don’t overlook how hot these warmer locations will be in the summer. We were considering a move to the Savannah area, and found a beautiful golf community that we really liked. We took a day to do the tourist thing in Savannah, and it was 93 on May 5. We checked the weather all winter, and it was considerably warmer than central NC, but the summer heat would be too much for me as a walking golfer.

In that climate you have to play very early morning, late afternoon or ride. 

[mallrat]

11 hours ago, caniac6 said:

I don’t know if anyone has brought this up, but don’t overlook how hot these warmer locations will be in the summer. We were considering a move to the Savannah area, and found a beautiful golf community that we really liked. We took a day to do the tourist thing in Savannah, and it was 93 on May 5. We checked the weather all winter, and it was considerably warmer than central NC, but the summer heat would be too much for me as a walking golfer.

That was why I led off with is it a move or is the OP going to snowbird? The wife and I are planning or snowboarding it. 

[T-MAC]

I know you said earlier that SC doesn't give you the tax advantage you were looking for (SC has a state income tax) but I live in Hilton Head and just about every retail establishment and restaurant in the area offers Senior discounts.  Plus, Seniors get to knock $50K off the value of their home when paying property taxes.  There are a lot of "Senior discounts" in the area so don't let the state income tax scare you away.  Plus there is all kinds of great golf.

[Tanner25]

Sorry, if it was mentioned, is the Villages any good in Fl? Looks like there's a lot of courses, plenty of short courses, which is great when playing with my wife. Also, inland a bit away from the storms. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Tanner25

[me05501]

8 hours ago, Tanner25 said:

Sorry, if it was mentioned, is the Villages any good in Fl? Looks like there's a lot of courses, plenty of short courses, which is great when playing with my wife. Also, inland a bit away from the storms. 

 

I had a client move from Tennessee to Florida after she retired and The Villages was the first place she tried. She felt like the community there was very insular and there were a lot of weird turf battles between people who have been there for ages. It's kind of like the Truman Show. Detached from reality. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by me05501

[T-MAC]

On 12/6/2022 at 9:24 AM, me05501 said:

 

I had a client move from Tennessee to Florida after she retired and The Villages was the first place she tried. She felt like the community there was very insular and there were a lot of weird turf battles between people who have been there for ages. It's kind of like the Truman Show. Detached from reality. 

I can see that happening because the same thing takes place here in this areas retirement community, Sun City Hilton Head.
I'm a General Contractor and do a lot of work there and the drama between the different groups of seniors in that place is unbelievable.   You would think, at their  age, they would be over that crap.  Too many women in there also.  The guys die off and the retirement communities are left full of bickering, old hens who are fighting over the men that are left in the neighborhood.  They also have the "turf wars" between the older members and the new, "younger" crowd that comes in when they turn 55+ (55 is the min age to live there).
I will NEVER live in a "retirement community" no matter how good the golf is.  Too much drama.

Edited December 7, 2022 by T-MAC

[Creedo77]

On 12/3/2022 at 9:52 AM, caniac6 said:

I don’t know if anyone has brought this up, but don’t overlook how hot these warmer locations will be in the summer. We were considering a move to the Savannah area, and found a beautiful golf community that we really liked. We took a day to do the tourist thing in Savannah, and it was 93 on May 5. We checked the weather all winter, and it was considerably warmer than central NC, but the summer heat would be too much for me as a walking golfer.

Are you talking about the Landings on Skidaway Island?

[caniac6]

I have been checking the temps in Hilton Head compared to those here in Winston-Salem. They have been significantly warmer in HH. I have also been looking at the webcams on the Salty Dog website, and the days are a bit longer there. 

[caniac6]

12 minutes ago, Creedo77 said:

Are you talking about the Landings on Skidaway Island?

No, we looked at Savannah Quarters in Pooler. The Landings looked to be a bit too vulnerable to flooding. It is surrounded by water, and the elevation is only 10’. Also, club membership was pretty expensive. My wife doesn’t play, and the monthly was a lot, considering it was just for me. I know it’s six courses, but I’m happy playing one course now. If we decided to move towards the coast, we wanted to minimize our exposure to hurricanes, and the Landings is just too close to the coast for us.

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by caniac6

[Golferpaul]

On 12/7/2022 at 9:48 AM, caniac6 said:

I have been checking the temps in Hilton Head compared to those here in Winston-Salem. They have been significantly warmer in HH. I have also been looking at the webcams on the Salty Dog website, and the days are a bit longer there. 

 

HH is much warmer.  It's further south and on the ocean.

 

 

 

[nsxguy]

On 12/5/2022 at 2:02 PM, T-MAC said:

I know you said earlier that SC doesn't give you the tax advantage you were looking for (SC has a state income tax) but I live in Hilton Head and just about every retail establishment and restaurant in the area offers Senior discounts.  Plus, Seniors get to knock $50K off the value of their home when paying property taxes.  There are a lot of "Senior discounts" in the area so don't let the state income tax scare you away.  Plus there is all kinds of great golf.

 

But how much is the golf in and around Hilton Head ? After all, that is what the OP is looking for, besides a lower cost of living.

 

And what about the roof over one's head ? Florida gives the same $50K off for RE taxes but the housing in Florida is (even in this inflated market) I expect, quite a bit lower than in Hilton Head. And the RE tax rate matters as well.

 

Further, one needs to investigate the state tax rate on retirement income. Some states tax SS, some states don't. Same goes for pension plans, IRA withdrawals, etc.

[T-MAC]

On 12/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, nsxguy said:

 

But how much is the golf in and around Hilton Head ? After all, that is what the OP is looking for, besides a lower cost of living.

 

And what about the roof over one's head ? Florida gives the same $50K off for RE taxes but the housing in Florida is (even in this inflated market) I expect, quite a bit lower than in Hilton Head. And the RE tax rate matters as well.

 

Further, one needs to investigate the state tax rate on retirement income. Some states tax SS, some states don't. Same goes for pension plans, IRA withdrawals, etc.

As is the case anywhere, the cost of golf varies depending on which course (public) you are playing and which golf community (private) you end up choosing.
Same with housing prices.  We spend a TON of time looking at houses in Florida and the costs of homes were very similar compared to Hilton Head in comparable communities.  There are some areas in FL that are much cheaper to live in just like there are some areas of SC that are cheaper to live in.
The Hilton Head / Bluffton SC area is well known for their golf and golf communities.  Pricing is all over the map, depending on what you want or what you are looking for.
Where Florida has an advantage, IMO, is they have no state income tax.  Depending on your income, that can be a BIG plus.  However, Florida gets their tax dollars from other areas, like personal property taxes (cars, boats, etc), licensing, impact fees, and high sales taxes that not only come from the state but from the county as well.  Florida taxes EVERYTHING that you consume at multiple levels of government.  Some counties hit you with a big tax upon moving there just for buying a home in that area.
People really need to do their research before making big decisions.  I wish the OP a lot of luck.

[ChaosTheory]

On 12/7/2022 at 9:38 AM, T-MAC said:

I can see that happening because the same thing takes place here in this areas retirement community, Sun City Hilton Head.
I'm a General Contractor and do a lot of work there and the drama between the different groups of seniors in that place is unbelievable.   You would think, at their  age, they would be over that crap.  Too many women in there also.  The guys die off and the retirement communities are left full of bickering, old hens who are fighting over the men that are left in the neighborhood.  They also have the "turf wars" between the older members and the new, "younger" crowd that comes in when they turn 55+ (55 is the min age to live there).
I will NEVER live in a "retirement community" no matter how good the golf is.  Too much drama.

 

I'll offer a contrary perspective.  We have lived in 3 different 55+ golf communities, and have seen nothing like that.  In fact, there is a lot more friendliness than out in the world at large.   Now the Villages, that's something different.  That's an entire city that is 55+.  But I would expect the same. 

 

My experiences might differ from those of Hilton Head due to being in a different part of the country.  We owned as snowbirds in one in Arizona, which was full of west coast, Pac NW, and western Canada people.  And we have lived in two in Texas.  I imagine HH will have a lot more east coasters.  Maybe that's the difference?  The closest thing to drama I see is the HOA enforcing its rules about what color your house has to be and how many trees you have to have.  They are not super affordable, although there are plenty of retired teachers and other public pensioned employees like the OP. 

[TM_HOYER]

On 12/6/2022 at 7:18 AM, Tanner25 said:

Sorry, if it was mentioned, is the Villages any good in Fl? Looks like there's a lot of courses, plenty of short courses, which is great when playing with my wife. Also, inland a bit away from the storms. 

I moved from Atlanta to Ocala, FL four years ago. Ocala / Marion County / The Villages has so many options. You need to do your research and find a community that has the features and pricing you are looking for. Golfing is year round but in the summer, you have to get your golf done in the morning. Afternoon thunderstorms and heat make afternoon summer golf iffy (but still possible).

[nsxguy]

On 12/12/2022 at 1:40 PM, T-MAC said:

As is the case anywhere, the cost of golf varies depending on which course (public) you are playing and which golf community (private) you end up choosing.
Same with housing prices.  We spend a TON of time looking at houses in Florida and the costs of homes were very similar compared to Hilton Head in comparable communities.  There are some areas in FL that are much cheaper to live in just like there are some areas of SC that are cheaper to live in.
The Hilton Head / Bluffton SC area is well known for their golf and golf communities.  Pricing is all over the map, depending on what you want or what you are looking for.
Where Florida has an advantage, IMO, is they have no state income tax.  Depending on your income, that can be a BIG plus.  However, Florida gets their tax dollars from other areas, like personal property taxes (cars, boats, etc), licensing, impact fees, and high sales taxes that not only come from the state but from the county as well.  Florida taxes EVERYTHING that you consume at multiple levels of government.  Some counties hit you with a big tax upon moving there just for buying a home in that area.
People really need to do their research before making big decisions.  I wish the OP a lot of luck.

 

OK, so you can't tell us how much golf costs because it varies so much. Same same with housing. People need to do their research. 🤦‍♀️

 

Frankly, I  live mostly on a nice sized Social Security check. It's actually amazing to me how well a single person can live once they're retired. I have a really nice car and a roof over my head and can play golf 3X a week all year 'round without any financial strain. That said, I never "go out" anymore, and seldom eat out.

 

I looked into Hilton Head maybe 5-8 years ago. From my research there were very few places I could afford that I'd considered acceptable.

 

I honestly don't recall many golf courses on HH that were in my price range. Perusing through Golfnow, if the OP, or myself, ever heard the name of the course, we can't afford it. There seems to be a couple of alternatives a very short ride away, in Bluffton.

 

Here in SoFla, right now - Summer golf is somewhere around $30-40, cart included on pretty decent golf courses. Winter golf is about double that. Get to the next level in "quality" and you're looking at about 20-50% above what I just quoted.

 

There are a few "discount plans" around here. They seem to run about 20% off in Summer and 10% off in Winter.

 

OP said "about $4000" per year on golf. At the rates above I figure, 2.5 rounds per week, I spend about 40% more than he does, about $5500 or so. I win back, best guess, maybe $1000 of it, so net-net, I'm close to his neighborhood.

 

He's acknowledged the crazy R.E. market lately and Florida is worse than average in that respect. Guess he can find some answers on Zillow and of course I have no idea how nice a place he needs to be comfortable.

 

Weather ? We all feel differently about it but today it's about 80 here, a few degrees higher than average. Overnights in the high 60s. In HH, it'll be high in the 60s for the next week, overnight lows in the high 30s to mid 40s. In Summer, mid 90s and humid in both places.

 

As for 55+ communities, can't speak for any others but the one I'm in is fine. Then again, I play golf and go home. I don't participate much in community activities, so I can't say comment much about that.

 

OP, if you don't mind moving to the West, the Phoenix area is much the same as South Florida although the housing market seems higher than here nowadays. Like HH, there is income tax to be paid in Phoenix though. At one time there were a lot more discount cards for golf around - not sure about now.

 

Where state taxes are payable one needs to check about one's income. As I mentioned earlier, some locations don't tax much, if any, retirement income. Even those that do sometimes only PARTLY tax it.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by nsxguy