Majority RV & Retirement

[Vegas Teacher]

Hey me and the DW need help. We live in NV, and NV has no state income tax, so I have not paid state income tax on my money for years. We are looking at the states that have no income tax and low land / housing / real estate prices. Texas is coming in at the top of the list. Growing up in Kansas I used to travel to San Antonio for summer vacation with the family. It was fun to visit. I would like to be near San Antonio but not in the city. I would like to be a couple of hours away. I would like to have acreage out in the country and be completely outside of city limits. I would love to have a pond on my property. So I am not dead set on any one area of Texas, but would like to get opinions from those who live there! I would also like to get opinions from others who live in no state tax states.

So for those who respond looking for answers to

1.climate spring winter and summer temps

2. Levels of Taxes on property

3. HDT Friendly or not

4. Any other information you would like to throw at me.

My retirement date is January 29th, 2029 

Wife's retirement date is January 23rd, 2023

I got to Vegas 6 years after she did. Anyway we start doing research early. Our realestate agent has told us to start shopping now, and forming ideas. If we find a hot property buy it now, rent it out (LOL if you read my last struggles) and have it partially paid off before you move there. I will be selling two properties in Vegas right before I move and will have them paid off prior to retirement plus each property should pull in over 300K, yep welcome to Vegas. Californians think we are a steal for prices.

Thanks for your help and opinions. Yes over the next four or five years I am going to update and ask this question in similar ways many times over.

Update on the rental saga - we sent the 30 day letter of collections to our former tenents on Friday, for some odd reason we have not heard back yet. And I thought they would turn into good people and pay up LOL '-(

Later,

Cory O Vegas Teacher

 

[TXiceman]

Property values and property taxes have gone insane in the Hill Country.  East Texas still has reasonable property values, but west Texas is the cheapest.

Ken

[spindrift]

I suppose we need to define "insane".  Originally coming from NJ, yes, insanity.  Eastern Hill Country (close proximity to Austin and San Antonio) real estate is certainly on the high side.  Prices in the Western Hill Country are very affordable, IMHO.

[RickW]

Texas has two primary sources of tax revenue.

1. Property Tax:  I live in Collin County (just outside Dallas) and when all said and done I am about 1.9% of the appraised value of the property (as listed on the county tax rolls) each year.  I am out in the unincorporated part of the county so I do not pay any local city taxes.  If I did my value taxes would jump to around 2.63% of the apprised value of the property.  The local school district is the lion's share of the tax bill.

2. Sales Tax:  In Texas you just about pay sales tax on everything you purchase except raw/uncooked food.  The sales tax rate will vary by location from 6.25% to 8.25%.  6.25% is the base state rate.  Locally you can see an up to an additional 2% added.

Currently the state of Texas is talking about property tax relief.  But don't get too excited.  If they cut the taxes in one place they will have to make it up someplace else.  The current buzz is property tax relief but bumping the base sales tax rate by potentially 1%.

Here is the thing to remember.  For the most part when you look at all the different ways each state taxes you as a whole, there is not a huge difference between the different states.  When you look at the individual taxes each states does/does not charge, then that is where the difference is.  So when considering a retirement state, consider your lifestyle and how that could potently affect your tax bills going forward.  If you are a nomadic Texan (a Texan on paper), Texas can be a good choice.  No income tax and you only pay sales taxes for purchase you make inside the state when you are in the state.  If you don't own property in the state even better for your tax bill.

I am not sure what property is like (cost) wise in the hill country.  I can tell you that in recent years Texas has become popular destination for relocations.  So as a result property values have been rising.  A home we sold just 3.5 years ago has seen it appraised property value on the tax rolls rise 28% since we sold the house.  That is a huge jump in just 3 tax cycles.

[Twotoes]

South Dakota does not have income tax and is very RV friendly. It’s sales tax is also a low 4%. Don’t know about property tax. I like the Black Hills part of SD. The rest of the state is like TX flat and not much there. 

[Parrformance]

We have a scheduled trip to South Dakota in early July this summer, we are very much looking forward to seeing your state Twotoes.

[rickeieio]

VT,  you have time.  Travel and explore.  Don't assume a particular state is one topography.  For instance, Texas has been mentioned several times here.  Did you know there are mountains in Texas?  I don't mean mountains like those little bumps in the Smokies, but peaks near 8,000'.  On the other extreme, there are swamps, complete with gators, and land so flat that if your dog runs away, you can still see him 3 days later.

Last year, we visited Arizona for the first time.  Again, I was amazed.  It's not all sand and cactus, but has beautiful pine forests and mountain terrain, grass lands, etc.

[Vegas Teacher]

1 hour ago, rickeieio said:

VT,  you have time.  Travel and explore.  Don't assume a particular state is one topography.  For instance, Texas has been mentioned several times here.  Did you know there are mountains in Texas?  I don't mean mountains like those little bumps in the Smokies, but peaks near 8,000'.  On the other extreme, there are swamps, complete with gators, and land so flat that if your dog runs away, you can still see him 3 days later.

Last year, we visited Arizona for the first time.  Again, I was amazed.  It's not all sand and cactus, but has beautiful pine forests and mountain terrain, grass lands, etc.

I agree completely that the topography changes depending on where you are in the state. That is why I am curious to hear from others in the state about where they live and what it is like. I am familure with Dallas, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. I have been to Laredo and through El Paso. But there is a lot to see and look at. You are also correct that I have a lot of time, that is why I am starting to ask questions now and educate myself. Also the great thing about being a teacher is having time in the summer to go and explore the different states that offer no state income tax. However, as mentioned, they make up for it somewhere else and that is also what I am looking at. What is that somewhere else?

Please keep you comments coming. My wife really wants to know what the seasonal temperatures and humidity is like month to month.

Later,

Vegas Teacher, Cory O

[rpsinc]

4 minutes ago, Vegas Teacher said:

My wife really wants to know what the seasonal temperatures and humidity is like month to month.

That info is available on line.  I do searches periodically as I too am looking to relocate upon retirement but not looking at the areas you are, at least currently.  Farmers Almanac type data is extremely useful.

[sdixon747]

Don’t rule out Tennessee. No income tax. RV friendly. My Volvo registration is $25 a year, and for the trailer, I got a permanent tag for $125. (or you could pay $25 a year). Property taxes are low. My house appraised at $589,000 and the annual tax bill is $3,300. I,m in the Smokies in NE Tennessee. 2300 ft elevation. Here, you get all four seasons. The winters are not too harsh. We get a few snows a year but it doesn’t stay around long. Temperature is in the  40’s and 50’s this week. Summer doesn’t get too hot. Six months a year you are in the spring or fall. Down side is sales tax is 9.5%

Hope this helps.

Steve

[Lance A Lott]

11 minutes ago, sdixon747 said:

Don’t rule out Tennessee. No income tax. RV friendly. My Volvo registration is $25 a year, and for the trailer, I got a permanent tag for $125. (or you could pay $25 a year). Property taxes are low. My house appraised at $589,000 and the annual tax bill is $3,300. I,m in the Smokies in NE Tennessee. 2300 ft elevation. Here, you get all four seasons. The winters are not too harsh. We get a few snows a year but it doesn’t stay around long. Temperature is in the  40’s and 50’s this week. Summer doesn’t get too hot. Six months a year you are in the spring or fall. Down side is sales tax is 9.5%

Hope this helps.

Steve

How is the price of land? I have horses so would need 20 acres or so. I remember being in Nashvile at 99 degrees and 99 percent humidity is this common?

Personally I would rather pay sales tax than property or income. The biggest reson I am thinking of selling is 600k farm taxed at 12k a year. After I stop working there will be no way to pay that much.

[mptjelgin]

54 minutes ago, Lance A Lott said:

I remember being in Nashvile at 99 degrees and 99 percent humidity is this common?

The humidity may well have been 99 percent first thing in the morning, and the high temperature could have been 99 degrees at some point in the afternoon, but they did not occur simultaneously. That would have required a dewpoint of 98 degrees. The highest dewpoint ever recorded in the world was 95 degrees in Saudi Arabia, and the highest ever in the US was 91 degrees in Florida. 

When trying to get a feel for how humid an area is, looking at dewpoints (the amount of moisture in the air) is more informative than relative humidity which changes throughout the day depending on dewpoint and temperature. Generally speaking, most folks find dewpoints of 60 or less pretty comfortable, 65 starts to feel "sticky", and 70+ is downright uncomfortable in warm weather.  Anything over 75 is downright awful. 

Nashville average dewpoints run in the mid-to-upper 60's during the summer, so it can certainly be a sticky place. As a contrast, Houston, TX averages 71 - 73 degree dewpoints in the summer months, and if you've lived a Houston summer you know how unpleasant that can be. 

Kerrville, TX (to pick a nice Hill County Town) averages about 65 degree dewpoints during the summer, so is better, and if you really want to be dry head out west to a place like Fort Stockton, TX where the dewpoint averages upper 50's during the summer. 

I like to use the Weatherbase site to evaluate weather in different parts of the country. It gives useful info like extreme and average highs and lows monthly, precipitation. There is more info on larger towns so if you don't find all of the fields, look for a bigger area nearby. 

[sdixon747]

The climate in NE Tennessee I feel is a bit better than central or western Tennessee. I’m at 2300 ft which seems to moderate things a little. Take a look at a national weather map showing temperature isotherm lines. There always seems to be a “tongue” of cooler air coming down around the Tennessee- North Carolina line. 

As to the price of land, I haven’t really followed it. Real estate prices are quite reasonable though. My house for example is 6000sqft (3800 finished living plus 2200 sqft of a large open basement) on 5.5 acres, is on the market for $595,000. Tha same setup in many other parts of the country would be somewhere north a million.

[Kirk W]

13 hours ago, Twotoes said:

The rest of the state is like TX flat and not much there. 

Really like Texas? You have not seen much of Texas it seems to me. 

 

2 hours ago, Vegas Teacher said:

Please keep you comments coming. My wife really wants to know what the seasonal temperatures and humidity is like month to month.

Having lived now in 8 different states for more than a year, I can tell you that good weather over the course of a year is a very subjective thing, based largely on what you are accustomed to. We currently live in east TX, about 20 miles west of Tyler. Nowhere that has forests as we have will have the low humidity that you are used to. And while we do experience hot weather, it is seldom over 100° F for more than a day or two. We do get temperatures as low as into the low 20°F range for short periods most winters but it very rarely stays below freezing for more than a 12 hours and seldom is cold like that for more than a few days at a time. It has been suggested that SD has better weather but I suggest that before you take that as a fact you need to compare the typical temperatures in the months of December through February. The only place that I have lived that didn't have temperature extremes was Hawaii and it is difficult to travel by RV from. Texas varies tremendously in both climate and topography, which isn't all that remarkable if you consider just how big the state really is. It is nearly 1000 miles across TX at some locations and almost all possible routes to cross the state will be more than 500 miles. 

Weather averages

Overview

Graphs

MonthHigh / Low(°F)Rain

63° / 41°6 days

71° / 48°7 days

78° / 55°5 days

84° / 63°7 days

January58° / 38°6 days

February63° / 41°6 days

March71° / 48°7 days

April78° / 55°5 days

May84° / 63°7 days

June90° / 70°7 days

July94° / 73°5 days

August94° / 73°4 days

September88° / 67°4 days

October79° / 56°5 days

November67° / 47°6 days

December

[Captain Happy]

Having lived in west Texas (Abilene) for almost 50 years I can pretty well tell you what the weather is like. Springs are nice up until late May, then the humidity shows up. June & July are even hotter. BY August the humidity has left town for awhile, but Sept, the humidity is back. The weather in the fall is really nice, up until winter shows up. Yes it does get cold, sometimes down below freezing, and snow with a little ice thrown in.

And then there's the Tornado season. Having lived in Abilene for that long I have never seen on in town. Sweetwater to the west gets em. It's like they just keep missing Abilene. Now if you want humidity you need to go east, like Fort Worth/Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. If you really life humidity go on down to the coast. Now you kind of know why I live in NV, and go to central Utah in the summers.

But, all in all Texas in a beautiful state. Every region is different. And there building new homes as fast as possible, so get there quick.

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[TXiceman]

Happy, humidity in Abilene, TX....are you serious.  Houston has humidity, it i dry in Abilene.

Ken

[mptjelgin]

The average dewpoint through the summer in Abilene is 63 degrees,  Austin is around 70 degrees, and Houston is 72-73 degrees. So all things considered, Abilene is pretty dry compared to points east of there. 

[TXiceman]

Sure sounds like some folks have not even been to Texas.  Fort Davis is high desert and over 5000 ft elevation.  Then there are the Guadalupe Mountains  and the High plains in The Panhandle, and the piney woods of East Texas and the coastal plains.  Which Eco system do you want?

Ken

 

[Parrformance]

Captain Happy, don't let anyone steal your joy.

Have a great Valentines day my friend:)

[Vegas Teacher]

16 hours ago, TXiceman said:

Sure sounds like some folks have not even been to Texas.  Fort Davis is high desert and over 5000 ft elevation.  Then there are the Guadalupe Mountains  and the High plains in The Panhandle, and the piney woods of East Texas and the coastal plains.  Which Eco system do you want?

Ken

 

You just made a biology teachers' day by using the word Ecosystem!!!!! If you used Biome or Ectone I would love it even more. Yes I am interested in hearing about all parts of the state. I am only familure with Dallas, San Antonio, Laredo & Corpus Christi. Plus I only know about what it was like in the summer time in those areas. I want to know what it is like there right now, in the middle of winter. Then what is it like there in November is it starting to get cold and misserable or is it nice. I do have to day I know the Pan Handle of Texas well on either side of Christmas. I drive I -40 home each year. Not a big fan of the weather I have been in, in Amarillo at Christmas time.

Also thanks for all the information on other states without income tax.

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, Vegas Teacher said:

Yes I am interested in hearing about all parts of the state. I am only familure with Dallas, San Antonio, Laredo & Corpus Christi. Plus I only know about what it was like in the summer time in those areas. I want to know what it is like there right now, in the middle of winter. Then what is it like there in November is it starting to get cold and misserable or is it nice.

Corpus Christi is snowbird company. It can get down to freezing but it seldom does so and never lasts long if it should. Even as far north as Dallas/Ft Worth area it rarely has much cold weather until near Christmas and it usually doesn't last for more than a few days. This winter we have had no more than a dozen nights that were below freezing and we live about 70 miles east of Dallas. Compared to the desert country all of the eastern half of TX is humid and even we who live here do sometimes find it humid. This is from the Tyler area.

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Temperature

The hot season lasts for 3.6 months, from June 1 to September 20, with an average daily high temperature above 87°F. The hottest day of the year is August 11, with an average high of 94°Fand low of 74°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.9 months, from November 26 to February 23, with an average daily high temperature below 64°F. The coldest day of the year is January 6, with an average low of 38°Fand high of 56°F.