If you didn't live here...WHERE would you live?

[Lisa_at_the_beach]

Gord and I have reached that point in our lives....yes...our youngest graduated from South Walton High School this past May...so we are soon to be empty nesters. It OPENS up a world of options....no kids...no school....can live ANYWHERE....

So...if you could live anywhere besides here...where would it be?

We've been looking at property in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize, etc.....

L

FYI: in the photo....Jordan Bell and Walt Hartley with Hunter

 

[beachdude14]

Only one choice in my mind --- it's either Maui or here!

 

[Kurt]

Sounds like you are keeping near the water?

There are millions of miles of coastline I'd like to explore.

I hear the fishing is good in Baja, the gold rush is just starting, the mexican gov't. is building a couple dozen marinas to lure californiatians.

 

[Landlocked]

Buy a big boat, drive around until you find the place you like. Sell the big boat, buy a home, buy a smaller boat. That's what I would do if I could. My brother is currently doing this.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Great question Lisa. Congrats to your son!
I doubt that I would ever leave for good. I will probably always maintain a house in SoWal, but I often ponder the question you pose. I throw my cards into the air all the time. I, too, tend to be drawn to water, whether that be lakes, rivers, or big water. I've explored many beautiful places, but for a place for me to live, I like the Smokies of Western North Carolina and the Coast of South Carolina.

 

[seagrovelover]

Congratulations Lisa~ Thats a great photo!!! :clap_1:

 

[JB]

Buy a big boat, drive around until you find the place you like. Sell the big boat, buy a home, buy a smaller boat. That's what I would do if I could. My brother is currently doing this.

There is a book called "Along the Edge of America" by Peter Jenkins. He buys a boat, starts his journey in the Dry Torgugas, and makes way along the gulf coast all the way to the Texas/Mexico border. An absolutely great read.

JB gives it two thumbs up!

 

[beachmouse]

We've talked about where we would want to retire, and right now, we're thinking Sarasota some time around 2030. Still close to the beach, big enough to have some interesting artsy things going on, has some interesting architecture (at least for now. By the time we retire, all the cool mid-century modern housing stock will probably have been torn down and replaced with McMansions), close to big city amenities in Tampa, and it doesn't get so darn cold as it does up here.

And yet the area is still a small enough to be managable.

 

[Sheila]

We've talked about where we would want to retire, and right now, we're thinking Sarasota some time around 2030. Still close to the beach, big enough to have some interesting artsy things going on, has some interesting architecture (at least for now. By the time we retire, all the cool mid-century modern housing stock will probably have been torn down and replaced with McMansions), close to big city amenities in Tampa, and it doesn't get so darn cold as it does up here.

And yet the area is still a small enough to be managable.

Visited Sarasota for the first time this weekend. It was very nice. The real estate there was interesting. I'm still partial to South Walton though. But it is warmer in the winter. Although the locals said it is jammed packed during the season.

 

[Paula]

I'd keep our cottages in SoWal and spend fall/winter in SoWal (because it's already feeling like home even though we don't get here often enough) and spring/summer in Tuscany with family/friends and other times just being near the kids and their families (if they'll have us). And then travel around a few times a year. However, I'd be careful about owning property in another country because tax laws can be very confusing, especially for outsiders. We inherited a small piece of a house in Tuscany from my father who was Italian and it has cost us more in taxes and fees than we would ever get from it (we expect to get nothing for it for a variety of reasons and we've never even been able to stay there when we visit), there's no official paperwork to be found anywhere, our accountant who was handling the finances died and our money and paperwork is nowhere to be seen, the money we left in the bank to cover our taxes and expenses in Italy was gone, and we're likely to just stop paying taxes and give it to family or the government. After that experienceI feel much safer buying in the US. Although I still love Tuscany...