<p>Choatiemom,</p>
<p>What are the monthly expenses when you live there?</p>
<p>I was thinking it maybe better for some people to buy into the 55+ Community. Itâs slightly cheaper and more affordable.</p>
<p>ChoatieMom, have you had a chance to look over their CC&Rs and asked about HOA fees? </p>
<p>San Tan valley is pretty far out of âtownâ to my way of thinking. You might look for stuff in Queen Creek. There is a very cool âOlive Millâ (oil grove) and well known farm and butcher. My family lives in Gilbert which is booming and getting all the âcoolâ restaurants. Again, for me, adding 20 minutes more on the freeway is unthinkable but there are some deals for sure. I also remember a subdivision builder advertising regular size house with a 4!!! car garage so that you can actually put your cars in it after you use the other for storage/junk. </p>
<p>Weâre going to test the waters by leasing a 2 bd/2ba brand new apartment just a few miles from dhâs office. Living there during the week will save him about 7 - 8 hours/wk. of commuting time, then weâll enjoy our home on the weekends. Iâm waiting for him to make up his mind about when he will retire. It was supposed to be in about two years (the last update) but now thereâs a chance he will postpone again. Heâs very excited about the new apartment; Iâm lukewarm. A one year try out is okay, especially since I can come home whenever, but selling the house and moving to the apartment full time for 4+ years does not appeal to me at all.</p>
<p>Silpat, is the apartment in a great area? An area where you can walk around?</p>
<p>I like the apartment try-out idea, as long as itâs a nice one.</p>
<p>DH was asking today about state tax implications for retirees. For those interested, here are some links</p>
<p><a href=âState-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees | Kiplingerâ>http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/retirement/T055-S001-state-by-state-guide-to-taxes-on-retirees/index.php</a></p>
<p>(these two are CO example⊠adjust for your state).
<a href=âhttp://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-alabama-iowaâ>http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-alabama-iowa</a><br>
<a href=âhttp://www.marketwatch.com/story/retire-here-not-there-colorado-1322854592746â>http://www.marketwatch.com/story/retire-here-not-there-colorado-1322854592746</a></p>
<p>Interesting link, colrado_mom. It confirms what I thought, Washington is a great place to retire in, tax wise. Though you donât want to die there with a large estate, and you might want a smaller place because of property taxes.</p>
<p>TempeMom: Encanterra is on the same street as The Olive Mill, just one light down. Weâve been visiting this place for over a year now, know people who live there, have a relationship with the builder and are just biding our time until we are sure weâre ready to make the move or we find something we like better. We havenât found anything that comes close yet for our tastes. We have read all of the fine print regarding costs, had the costs explained to us in detail, and our friends have been very forthright about their cost of living here. Total monthly outlay for all services (HOA, social membership) is less than our current monthly electric bill, which we wonât have in this development (or mortgage either). The solar package even includes a station in the garage for your electric car if you have one. Currently, the solar option is part of the house price, and Shea guarantees no electic bill for twenty years. They are the solar owner, managing the production with the electric company, not the homeowner. Basically, the community is a solar farm. Itâs about time someone has figured out how to take advantage of the AZ sunshine and make solar a housing standard. Weâve also been researching how successful Shea has been with this endeavor here and in other communities and watching their business rating. This is not something weâre jumping into lightly or in ignorance.</p>
<p>Anyone interested in the solar feature can check it out here:</p>
<p><a href=âhttp://www.trilogylife.com/sheaxero/[/url]â>http://www.trilogylife.com/sheaxero/</a></p>
<p>Different factors will be important for different families. From my reading it seems like spouses are not subject to estate tax. So I donât pay too much attention to it (especially since CO, our default location, has none). </p>
<p>bus - To me the WA estate tax seems reasonable even for those with large estates. (âThere is no inheritance tax, but estates in excess of $2 million must file a Washington estate-tax return. Tax is due only on the amount above $2 million, with an additional $2.5 million deduction for family-owned businesses valued at less than $6 million. Estate-tax rates range from 10% to 20%.â) . I definitely agree on the property tax comment⊠that can vary a lot within the same state (or even the same area). </p>
<p>True, the estate tax doesnât bother me so much. Unless you have a very big estate, add that 20% onto federal, and thatâs a lot of tax. Plus, you can structure it so you can pass the 2 million to your spouse, so no estate tax until 4 million, and it goes up every year.</p>
<p>I can only hope my kids have to worry about that!</p>
<p>Busdriver: Weâve considered retiring to Washington, but have been shocked by the cost of everything! Housing is about 3x the cost of our home for the same value; gas is about 20% higher, and even groceries are more. Not sure any state tax savings would offset the differences.</p>
<p>You must live in a very reasonable place, kjofkw. I travel all over the US, and groceries seem about the same (though Iâm a pretty careful shopper). Gas seems on the pricey side, but not as bad as some places. As far as housing, it depends on where youâre looking. If youâre looking in a hot area in Bellevue or Seattle, forget it. If youâre willing to live a little further out, itâs definitely much cheaper. But you canât find a 3 bedroom house/2 bathroom house for 56K like I did in Omaha! Though that was a long time ago.</p>
<p>@dstark: Yes, the new apartment complex is in a great area. There are quite a few shops, restaurants, walking paths, parks, etc. nearby. We will have to put up with construction at the apartments for about two months. More construction to renovate and upgrade a nice shopping area adjacent to the property will take about nine months. </p>
<p>The apt. is in such a desirable area that if we donât rent now we might not have the chance once that work is done. A few 3 bd/2ba units are being built in the final phase and not all have been leased yet. I think the smaller, less expensive units have seen the most demand. Dh is already talking about moving into one of the 3 bd. units if we really like the property. Not only would they offer more interior room, but they have large balconies which are lacking in the 2 bd/2ba ones. Mgt. has said we could transfer for a reasonable fee, but the clock would start over on our lease.</p>
<p>If we could sell our house and if a 3 bd. apt. is available then, Iâd agree to try it full time. Iâm not thrilled about the idea, but dh is a pretty good guy and so easy going about most things that I feel obliged to give it a chance. Iâve been looking at houses near the apts. as a more long term option, but theyâre so much more expensive than where we now live. The likely selling price on our house would get us something there about 1/3 the size, needing work and on a tiny lot (1/5 acre there vs. 2.5 acres here.) Of course, it doesnât help that he still hasnât decided about retirement.</p>
<p>Alaska has higher grocery prices for everything except for lettuce when I was there - although they have a Costco in Anchorage, so prices âthe sameâ there as their other stores.</p>
<p>I do think you have to be very careful in many states when you decide where to live in retirement.</p>
<p>Silpat, give your adventure a chance. Sounds like there are many pros with the move.</p>
<p>Weâre not looking in Bellevue or Seattle, but hopefully within 90 minutes drive since we have family there. Any suggestions? Yes, we live now in a very reasonable area in the midwest, and unfortunately our home has not increased in value as much as other areas. Although we didnât lose much in value as some have either!</p>
<p>Thatâs a tough one kjofkw, because there are so many places within 90 min of Seattle. How big a place are you looking for, what are you intending to spend? Near a larger city or more rural? Flat or near the mountains?</p>
<p>Win one for stateâs rights - the Federal Govât had a lawsuit in AL claiming that some of our property taxes were too low! This was geared specifically with counties with low taxed timber land. State won.</p>
<p>I wonder if the business stimulation (along with growth and successes in higher ed) in AL is causing discomfort in others - or if this is Federal VS State rights and power.</p>
<p>There are some counties in AL called âblack beltâ that have low educational resources K - 12; just heard a joint State and Federal Grant administered by UAB to work to improve education in West Alabama ($2.5 million award). I believe these are some of the timber land areas.</p>
<p>I know people in AL that own property for hunting - one inherited some of this timberland (you wait many years for âharvestâ). Another bought some beautiful property about 50 miles from Bâham (it was split, sadly due to a divorce) - the ex-H as a âneighborâ has had a wealth of info about the property. Friends have a trailor there now, and will eventually have a cabin, and they see best place to get power in.</p>
<p>So the message is to get a general picture of where to live, but things can change which may affect your decisions on this.</p>