Possibly relocating. Looking for opinions.

Dave Taylor said:
... the plethora of NYC scum is killing the vibe
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LOL. We grew up not too far from Hazlet in Lincroft, but my younger brother moved to NYC after college. Then he and his family moved to Aberdeen a couple of years ago. So I guess that means they're the scum you're talking about ...

I know a lot of people who live in MD and they all call Frederick "Fredneck", so you'll have to decide if that's better or worse than NYC scum. I've spent some time in that area over the years and in my experience, it's a pretty accurate description of the area. There is a really nice area just south of there - Loudoin County, VA. Nice rolling farmland and the Leesburg area doesn't feel too rural but has a lot of nice real estate with large properties. No idea how expensive it is, though, or what kind of a budget you're dealing with. It is considered part of the metro DC area, though, so it's probably comparable to this region if not a little more expensive.

And if you want to avoid humidity while staying in the US without moving to a pure mountain or desert town, what you'll probably need to do is violate physics and go back in time a ways.
 
clarkenstein said:
Watch your taxes with North Carolina. I know everyone complains about NJ taxes, but in some circumstances your overall effective tax rate can INCREASE going from NJ to NC. I looked into a move not too long ago because I had a job offer and I would have ended up paying 3%a year more in taxes overall.
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Yea, all the smart ones go over the boarder to SC.
 
1speed said:
LOL. We grew up not too far from Hazlet in Lincroft, but my younger brother moved to NYC after college. Then he and his family moved to Aberdeen a couple of years ago. So I guess that means they're the scum you're talking about ...

I know a lot of people who live in MD and they all call Frederick "Fredneck", so you'll have to decide if that's better or worse than NYC scum. I've spent some time in that area over the years and in my experience, it's a pretty accurate description of the area. There is a really nice area just south of there - Loudoin County, VA. Nice rolling farmland and the Leesburg area doesn't feel too rural but has a lot of nice real estate with large properties. No idea how expensive it is, though, or what kind of a budget you're dealing with. It is considered part of the metro DC area, though, so it's probably comparable to this region if not a little more expensive.

And if you want to avoid humidity while staying in the US without moving to a pure mountain or desert town, what you'll probably need to do is violate physics and go back in time a ways.
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The covid movers are the NYC wfh scum
 
Honest opinion is- this…don’t sell unless you’ve got a plan to get out of NJ…. Once you have a plan, then you can sell… now this is only because it doesn’t take much to sell a house these days.
 
clarkenstein said:
Watch your taxes with North Carolina. I know everyone complains about NJ taxes, but in some circumstances your overall effective tax rate can INCREASE going from NJ to NC. I looked into a move not too long ago because I had a job offer and I would have ended up paying 3%a year more in taxes overall.
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We also flirted with relocating to NC...problem is my partner is a teacher. She'd make half of what she makes here. Suffice to say, NC has garbage tier public schools. If I had any kids needing education, I'd be steering clear of the south.

RobW said:
Honest opinion is- this…don’t sell unless you’ve got a plan to get out of NJ…. Once you have a plan, then you can sell… now this is only because it doesn’t take much to sell a house these days.
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That horse left the barn. He has 3 months to figure it out.
 
cassinonorth said:
We also flirted with relocating to NC...problem is my partner is a teacher. She'd make half of what she makes here. Suffice to say, NC has garbage tier public schools. If I had any kids needing education, I'd be steering clear of the south.
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I went through this exact scenario right before I started at HB. We looked at houses, I interviewed with I9 and Cane Creek, and my Wife would've taken a 60% pay cut. The cost of living in NC is exactly the same as NJ so that was the deal killer. Right now I think NC is higher than NJ as people flee the Tri-State. Key to finding a spot now is to make sure there's no Tourism in the area at all.
 
In April we sold our home in Clark and moved to Nelson County VA (Wine Country) / south Shenandoah area in May; taxes are much lower, people very friendly and there's lots of space. It seems good for retiring too but I have approx. 10 more years before that. We are around the corner from Wintergreen ski area and there are lots of MTB options. Other than leaving most of the family behind it was a good move but VERY DIFFERENT. We're up in NJ this week to get the youngest into college and can't say I miss it; traffic stinks, costs are on the continual rise and the many other things mentioned above I agree with. My priority was to be able to get to NJ quick (5:45 hrs), not need to drive the I95 corridor (81 to 78 is our route) and still have enough transportation options for when I need to travel for work, All have been reasonably accomplished with our location.
 
jimvreeland said:
I went through this exact scenario right before I started at HB. We looked at houses, I interviewed with I9 and Cane Creek, and my Wife would've taken a 60% pay cut. The cost of living in NC is exactly the same as NJ so that was the deal killer. Right now I think NC is higher than NJ as people flee the Tri-State. Key to finding a spot now is to make sure there's no Tourism in the area at all.
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I don't know about the rest of the NC state, its rather big and spans from mountains, charlotte/raleigh, beach, places that remind you of Wharton etc, but this is what kind of hits home:
rawImage.jpg
 
jimvreeland said:
I went through this exact scenario right before I started at HB. We looked at houses, I interviewed with I9 and Cane Creek, and my Wife would've taken a 60% pay cut. The cost of living in NC is exactly the same as NJ so that was the deal killer. Right now I think NC is higher than NJ as people flee the Tri-State. Key to finding a spot now is to make sure there's no Tourism in the area at all.
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The difference is taxes, as a general statement.

the people who really make out are the ones that relocate and still keep their NJ/NY salary. When you do these searches, you realize how little most of America makes.

@Dave Taylor you already know this but it doesn’t take much to get away from the really high tax rates of nj/ny/Philly metro. If you are looking in Hagerstown, MD area consider Gettysburg, PA. I am not versed in the retirement taxes between pa and md but something to keep in mind.
 
Pearl said:
I don't know about the rest of the NC state, its rather big and spans from mountains, charlotte/raleigh, beach, places that remind you of Wharton etc, but this is what kind of hits home:
rawImage.jpg
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But, house on right probably has Association fees, water & sewer bill, and a pile of houses on a few acres, continually spread over miles. Not the same thing as Western Hunterdon County.

Also, look at the same house with perspective...not $450k big.

streetview

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