The wife wants to move to Texas - We're Currently in Ohio

[Winger Ed.]

The wife is looking for an improved lot with water, electric and sewer that we can buy a mobile or modular home and move it onto the property.

An ideal part of the state would be West of Ft. Worth, but not too far North or South from it.
Then, about 75 miles or more from a major city.
That gets you away from the Southern border, tornado alley, Hurricanes, and the clouds of hungry mosquitos.

If you're not in a town though, or pretty close to one, plan on having a water well and a septic system.
Another concern is our electric grid. It's usually fine, but for different reasons, there are power outages.
They usually get fixed fairly quickly,
but having a decent size dual fuel generator will come in handy for a few hours or a day or so once or twice a year.

[Texas by God]

Archer City is not in East Texas. It's up there by the headwaters of the Brazos.

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[HWooldridge]

If I ever leave the New Braunfels area, I’m going to West Texas - generally around Big Bend. Alpine, Marathon, etc. Always liked that part of the state, and I can still get to a large city within an hour or so.

[txbirdman]

An ideal part of the state would be West of Ft. Worth, but not too far North or South from it.
Then, about 75 miles or more from a major city.
That gets you away from the Southern border, tornado alley, Hurricanes, and the clouds of hungry mosquitos.

If you're not in a town though, or pretty close to one, plan on having a water well and a septic system.
Another concern is our electric grid. It's usually fine, but for different reasons, there are power outages.
They usually get fixed fairly quickly,
but having a decent size dual fuel generator will come in handy for a few hours or a day or so once or twice a year.

What Ed says is true although there are many coop water systems. That’s exactly where I live. Loaded with white tails; turkey; and hogs (unfortunately). Also many lakes with striper and large mouth bass. Close enough to the city to drive in on occasion but not too close. The area is known as the northern hill country or “the lake country”. Several small towns (10 to 15 thousand population) 30 minutes away. But have been in a drought the last year or so.

[David2011]

Our oldest daughter and husband took a trip to Texas with the thought of moving there. It didn't take long to find out that it was just not in their best interest. For the same size house that they have in California the property taxes would triple. This is combined with the fact that she couldn't find anyplace she wanted to live. You need to consider just how big the state of Texas is. It is larger than France and has many types of topography. I like the hill country but so does everyone else. Several wealthy sports figures have bought huge sections of the area and of course driven the price up. My wife went to an area in east Texas where the town of Archer is located. That is a very depressing place. When I wrote about that visit on this forum, Boas said that he was born and raised in Archer. I replied, no wonder you are always depressed. He answered, that is why Peter Bogdanovich picked the place to film the Last Picture Show. I liked the area around a town named Columbus. It is about fifty miles east of Housten, I thought Beaumont was nice but our daughter looked around there and didn't like it. They do get hurricanes on occasion. It boils down to where you will be happy. As I and others have said. Texas may not be what you think it is. Many other states have more liberal gun laws than Texas so check out the place you want to move to. It goes without saying the anyplace would be better than the New York or New England. This is all I want to write about moving to greener pastures. I have been in California almost seventy years and will be here till I check out. I have a gun safe full of rifles and handguns and can go shooting anytime I want to. The weather is great. Of course, we have loony politicians but so do many other states. I don't want to write about moving anymore.

Columbus is well west of Houston. Property taxes are higher than in some states but as was said, no tax on income, food and medicine. East Texas is more affordable than many parts of the state. WingerEd gave great advice. I lived near DeltaEnterprises for several years. The area is beautiful with thick woods and rolling hills. Compared to the Gulf Coast where I live now, the humidity is usually much lower and that really helps the heat feel more tolerable. I knew someone in Beaumont and spent some time there. Really liked it.

The gun laws in Texas have changed for the good over the past 15 years. At one time carrying in a vehicle was illegal with some difficult exceptions. The exemptions were once exemptions to arrest but later became defenses to prosecution after being arrested. That has all gone away. We now have constitutional carry, both concealed and open carry. Anyone that can legally own a firearm can carry it concealed in a vehicle. I maintain my concealed carry license because it allows me to buy through a dealer by presenting my carry license, driver’s license and completing a 4473. The license exempts the holder from the call-in background check because the background check for the carry license is more thorough.

It’s true that we have little public land and you would likely have to pay to use a hunting lease. Wild game is plentiful add fishing is great on the lakes in East Texas. The area west of Ft. Worth is also worthy of consideration.

[uscra112]

States with no income tax and high property taxes are not kind to retirees unless they retired wealthy. Most retirees don't have a lot coming in, and they have to pay those property taxes out of that little.

[bbogue1]

There is great advice in this thread. I've lived in Lampasas (in rolling Hill Country)smack in the middle of the state (7 years there), No hunting or fishing unless you get the landowner's permission or you pay to hunt at a ranch that offers guided hunts. Very very little public land. Prices were good until 3 years ago then real estate shot up. Small towns are the cheapest, but, there generally are few amenities. Medical care is a local hospital and visits from big-city medical organizations once a month. For example, My heart doctor's office was an hour plus away in Austin, but came to Lampasas once a month. Properties with water access are expensive. Buckanan Lake is a bit of an exception. Food and gas are slightly less than the general prices across the US. (Costco and Sams clubs are in the larger towns and will deliver even to the secluded hamlets).
Now I live in Midland (oil fields). Flat desert with oil pumps all over. Here, Good medical here, and groceries like everywhere in the US are not a bargain. Gas is at $4.35 right now. No rivers or lakes with public access. Lots of good restaurants, but this is a boom town right now so prices are high.
I really liked the area between Ft. Worth and Lampasas. It is mostly rural, but those two cities are about 2 1/2 hours apart. It is rural and there are a few lakes. The east side of the state has more water.
If you like to sweat in high humidity look for land east of I-35. That is a kind of hurricane alley from the gulf to the midwest. The farther west you go the dryer it gets. The rusty pipe fences along the highways give away the humidity levels.
They are not kidding when they say Texas is a whole other country. My daughter went to visit her kids this week. Midland to Austin 5 1/2 hours at 70 mph. Never even got close to the border.
Politics: Dallas-Ft Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso all are VERY LIBERAL, for the most part the rest of the state is conservative.
Gun laws have improved and right now we are a constitutional carry state. Shooting is another matter. If I want to shoot I rent an hour at an indoor range ($22) or join a range for a year ($200-$350). In Lampasas there are no membership or prepaid ranges, you schedule and pay or arrive and pay. You'll need permits to hunt and fish, the exception is hunting feral hogs (no permit needed) which are a problem all over, but particularly in the eastern half of the state. Lampasas county claims to have more deer than people and I believe it, though they are small deer. No deer in Midland.
Best wishes, I hope this helps.

[gbrown]

Look over in the Canton area, somewhere around there. Not sure, but you may find something around there. Most of East Texas is beautiful. I live In SETX, hot, humid and just hard. However, I am used to it-- Oh, well.

[Idaho45guy]

I'm also curious as to what level of property taxes is considered high.

I'm in Washington state and live in a small town in a modest 3-bedroom old house. When I moved here in 2014, my taxes were $1000 a year. Now, they are $1800.

But, there is no income tax and no food tax.

I had considered moving to Texas when my daughter said her and her husband were looking at jobs there. But, the closer I looked at the lack of public land for hunting and shooting, and the influx of Californians, I figured I was better off here.

[Handloader109]

Property tax. In most places, Property taxes are really 2 sections. Local government and schools. Where I'm at, I'm outside any town, so there is no city taxes ,just county. And they are less than $200 a year. Add in the largest school district taxes in the state of Arkansas, Springdale, yes, larger than Little Rock as it is several districts... and you have another $1900 a year added. Yes, highest teacher's salary in the state also. And really good overall schools that no one in my family will ever use. So if you move to a small town or no town, taxes will be lower by some degree.

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[MaryB]

Small town middle of nowhere MN, 1 acre lot, older approx 1600 sq foot house, new garage, farm fields 2 sides, horse pasture across the street. Property taxes are $360/yr!

[Winger Ed.]

They go by assessed value of what the country thinks your house & property will sell for on Jan. 1st every year.
There's various deductions, and they play around with those, but if your house is valued by them at $300,000.oo,
plan on something fairly close around $4,000 a year in property tax.

Whatever the selling price is, the tax will be a little over 1%.
Depending on the country, there's ways to beat it some, but that's a good estimate.
For example: Texas resident vets on 100 percent disability don't pay any.

[HWooldridge]

They go by assessed value of what the country thinks your house & property will sell for on Jan. 1st every year.
There's various deductions, and they play around with those, but if your house is valued by them at $300,000.oo,
plan on something fairly close around $4,000 a year in property tax.

Whatever the selling price is, the tax will be a little over 1%.
Depending on the country, there's ways to beat it some, but that's a good estimate.
For example: Texas resident vets on 100 percent disability don't pay any.

That’s why so many rural folks take good care of their ag exemptions. I have one acre at FMV and the other 11 acres are ag exempt.

[Winger Ed.]

That’s why so many rural folks take good care of their ag exemptions. I have one acre at FMV and the other 11 acres are ag exempt.

Everybody uses that as much as they can.

My Mom inherited a piece of the ranch she grew up on in the Hill Country.
She let her brother that lived down there run sheep on it, and the taxes were $1.oo per acre.
One time she thought she was getting ripped off by her brother...
She paid the taxes, and he paid her the same amount.
She decided it wasn't fair him making 'all that' money on a few dozen sheep, and wanted more $$.
His solution was to pull the sheep off and just put them back in one of his pastures.

Next Jan. first rolls around:
It wasn't under agriculture production anymore. Then it became 'investment property'.
The tax went from $1.oo per acre to $15.oo.
After getting that bill--- she got right with her brother, and he put the 30-40 sheep back on it.

This works OK out in the country, but in the city,,, whew,,,, they got ya.

[HWooldridge]

Everybody uses that as much as they can.

My Mom inherited a piece of the ranch she grew up on in the Hill Country.
She let her brother that lived down there run sheep on it, and the taxes were $1.oo per acre.
One time she thought she was getting ripped off by her brother...
She paid the taxes, and he paid her the same amount.
She decided it wasn't fair him making 'all that' money on a few dozen sheep, and wanted more $$.
His solution was to pull the sheep off and just put them back in one of his pastures.

Next Jan. first rolls around:
It wasn't under agriculture production anymore. Then it became 'investment property'.
The tax went from $1.oo per acre to $15.oo.
After getting that bill--- she got right with her brother, and he put the 30-40 sheep back on it.

This works OK out in the country, but in the city,,, whew,,,, they got ya.

If I let the ag exemption expire on our place, we would have to pay 5 years of back taxes at market rate, which would probably be about $60,000. That's why I keep cutting and baling hay off of it - even in drought periods.

[Idaho45guy]

There's various deductions, and they play around with those, but if your house is valued by them at $300,000.oo,
plan on something fairly close around $4,000 a year in property tax.

Whatever the selling price is, the tax will be a little over 1%.

Ouch. My house is valued at $250k and I pay under $2000 a year in taxes in WA. Over the state line in Idaho, my dad owns 10 acres and a 14k sq. ft. shop/house valued at $700k, and he pays $1500 a year.

15 miles away in the most liberal town in Idaho, my mom and stepdad own a home valued at over $1 million and pay $11,000 a year in taxes.

It's crazy at all the differences within 15 miles of each other.

[Winger Ed.]

Ouch. My house is valued at $250k and I pay under $2000 a year in taxes in WA.

It varies by country, but here, you'd expect to pay up to about $3,200. for that. Some places less.
There's no state income tax, license plates and fuel are sort of on the cheap side
(plates for my F250 are $76.oo and $74.oo for our Explorer),
but property taxes sort of get ya caught back up to other places.

[MT Gianni]

States with no income tax and high property taxes are not kind to retirees unless they retired wealthy. Most retirees don't have a lot coming in, and they have to pay those property taxes out of that little.

You do have to look hard at the States that tax retirement money and pensions as income and factor that in as well.

[Randy Bohannon]

My property taxes are less than my monthly mortgage( nearly paid off) . Do remember schools get 80% of that bill ,doesn't matter where you live they get 80%. Now tell me your getting a good return on that 80% .

[gc45]

Great thread. I have learned a lot. My Wife lost her Dad recently so she wants to move close to her Mom in Tx but its hard to leave our small farm in Washington state. My wife and I both are retired with pensions and SS so do feel sort of lucky in that regard. Yeah my taxes are bad, 10K, but no income tax or food tax here and our farm home is paid for. We live out of town close to the mountians in a log home I built myself over 40 yrs ago and simply love everything about the place. We mostly heat with wood, have A/C plus a gas furnace so life is still good here along with very few neighbors and none real close. We Have two large barns one of which I built an indoor 20yd pistol range for winter months, still have 30 acres left after selling off the old farm house and 15 acres we first lived in, lots of seclusion and not to far for medical when needed..Inflation and taxes will force us out though one day as the value on the place is well over 1 million now and rising along with taxes...Thanks to the Tech Industry young folks are pouring in here from all over for big wages and driving out the retired ones. We get phone calls often asking if we want to sell. My Wife's mother lives in southeast Tx very close to the saltwater, she pays high taxes and boy it is hot there, high humidity too. Don't think at my age now it would work for me and I'd have to give up so much and get so little in return and the water don't mean much to me cause I don't fish much..We have lots of deer here as well, black bears galore if wanting to hunt them, two gun ranges close by and I can shoot a rifle behind the barns any time...Maybe I need to go back to work part time.