|
Comparing Houston to say, Franklin it doesn't look so bad. Property taxes are a quarter of what I am paying in Houston, which should offset the state income tax nicely.
We had a breakthrough last night while unloading the car after our trip, and btw, yesterday was our 24th wedding anniversary! My wife is a saint.
Anyway, the breakthrough was my wife saying, "I see what you mean about Western North Carolina. We have aging parents in Houston that we need to care for, but when they're gone I see nothing keeping us here if we can sell the house and pay cash for a new home in NC."
YEAH!!!!!!
The nice thing about this statement is that our home, purchased 22 years ago, has appreciated ten fold. Bought it for 56k in 87 at the tail end of a recession and even in this recession homes similar to ours are selling in the $500k range. That should buy a nice retirement cottage on a hilltop in that part of the country. Now finding one with enough land for a 4 car garage/wood shop may not be the easiest thing to do, but I've ten years to figure out how to make enough money to make that happen.
Gentlemen, one way or another, western North Carolina will become my home. Like so many other retirees, I'm smitten with this area of our great country.
|