Utopia take 2

[Steppenwolfe]

Ohhh...my aching head...We. Pay about 20k a year in property taxes alone on a 3500 sf house on our land. And another few thousand on excise taxes for the cars..and a couple thousand for registration and vehicle inspection every year. ..what I find hard to understand is th cost difference in housing..a 2x4 costs the same here as it does in Fla or Mississippi... I can't imagine the labor is that much different. In very rough numbers, new construction built to code (. No frills ) runs about 130.00 sf at cost to the builder up here. So a 2 k sf home will cost roughly 260k to build..then add the land.. and anything else like a garage etc.

You'd throw up if you saw my house and shop on 95 acres. 7,000 sq ft house, 1600 sq ft shop, all for $ 3,600 a year in taxes, including school taxes. I don't know about the registrations and other stuff, my wife pays those bills. Land and housing here are cheap. So is the cost of living.

 

[Doofy]

No property or state income tax in the boonies or even a sales tax. Uncle Sam gets his pound of flesh though. I don't need or even want what most taxes go for...

 

[Sigarms]

Ohhh...my aching head...We. Pay about 20k a year in property taxes alone on a 3500 sf house on our land. And another few thousand on excise taxes for the cars..and a couple thousand for registration and vehicle inspection every year. ..what I find hard to understand is th cost difference in housing..a 2x4 costs the same here as it does in Fla or Mississippi... I can't imagine the labor is that much different. In very rough numbers, new construction built to code (. No frills ) runs about 130.00 sf at cost to the builder up here. So a 2 k sf home will cost roughly 260k to build..then add the land.. and anything else like a garage etc.

You live in Taxachusettes and you know it...

Move south of the Mason Dixon line, and taxes will be lower no matter where you move IMO.

My dad use to live in Pa and I couldn't believe what he paid on a 1,200 sq ft house with 3 acres.

My inlaws from Vermont paid about the same as my father, and they were very rural.

That said, our schools are probably worse than the next county over from us where taxes are much higher, but that county over is still less than the North East. Point being, with more people come should come more services.

People in my county flipped out when they raised the land fill fee to like $65 a year for trash. Still beats by a landslide wheat you'd pay for private pick up.

From what I've seen locally, seems like it's a sellers market right now with pricing. Had a house down a road that was around 1,500 square feet with 9 acres sell for 199k. Couldn't believe someone bought it for that as it was nothing special only like 60' off the road.

 

[Jstpssng]

No property or state income tax in the boonies or even a sales tax. Uncle Sam gets his pound of flesh though. I don't need or even want what most taxes go for...

Mostly toward interest on money spent long ago.

 

[bigtiller]

His description didn't sound like England, but it's your fantasy I guess. There must be some real fear and paranoia going on if he can't at least say what the actual state is that he's describing.

Lets have some fun....

With a subtle hint here and there, now and then, I think Lower Uncton is in a state that begins with the letter "A". And I am some what confident [maybe] it is not Alaska. That leaves Alabama and Arkansas.

I am guessing Arkansas today.....Any other guesses today?

 

[3Ts]

I'd guess the state begins with the letter "O". There was a post awhile back about a weather event and that was happening in Oklahoma - I assume it would be nearby or there'd have been no comment.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of my acquaintances is a former State Controller.

His home is Alaska although he and his wife are in their 80's and find the winters too much now so they winter in California...

Every year he is audited with California trying to find a way to classify them as residents...

Record keeping is essential when tax money is at stake...

 

[tallyho8]

Lets have some fun....

With a subtle hint here and there, now and then, I think Lower Uncton is in a state that begins with the letter "A". And I am some what confident [maybe] it is not Alaska. That leaves Alabama and Arkansas.

I am guessing Arkansas today.....Any other guesses today?

I think Arizona begins with A also....

 

[bigtiller]

I think Arizona begins with A also....

I wonder how I forgot that one, my folks lived there for years. :duh:

 

[ruffdog]

If we live long enough to get out of Alaska, we want to find a place that has 4 seasons, minimal cold and snow, tax-friendly for retirees, low risk of natural disasters, decent medical care and a low crime rate. Don't care much for hustle and bustle and would rent instead of buy. Getting tired of being tied down with "Stuff" and would leave with the clothes on our backs and a few pictures and keepsakes. We will travel light until we find "That Right Place".

Wow! That pretty much says it for me too! We have it good here and have the amenities, 4 seasons, low risk of disasters, but taxes are up there. Sure, it is fun looking at places for sale in other states and dreaming, but that would be a big undertaking. All areas have their quirks and a person should do the research first.