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

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

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.

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. :bang:

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.

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

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. :bang:

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!

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.

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.

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...

Two nice venues......Beaufort, South Carolina and Brevard, North Carolina

Two nice venues......Beaufort, South Carolina and Brevard, North Carolina

Quit following me Bob. I don't like being followed. Do you work for the gov't? :blink:

Smiling Joe, Had a trip planned to Beaufort SC this spring break, Beautiful 4 bedroom house on Lady's Island. Was hooking up with a realtor who has lived there 38 years. My wife wants to live there because she vacationed there as a child and we can't afford charleston. Didn't make the journey because that week she was ill . Will be going to Brevard in 2 weeks to scope out acreage and combine w/family get together in Kingsport,tn. Brevard is a nice small town and very affordable. I continue to think Sowal is still the best place by water in the South, but this past week all the new construction we saw in Blue Mt. has my wife worried. When we are in NC we will be looking for any Sowal stickers so we can lurk.

Smiling Joe, Had a trip planned to Beaufort SC this spring break, Beautiful 4 bedroom house on Lady's Island. Was hooking up with a realtor who has lived there 38 years. My wife wants to live there because she vacationed there as a child and we can't afford charleston. Didn't make the journey because that week she was ill . Will be going to Brevard in 2 weeks to scope out acreage and combine w/family get together in Kingsport,tn. Brevard is a nice small town and very affordable. I continue to think Sowal is still the best place by water in the South, but this past week all the new construction we saw in Blue Mt. has my wife worried. When we are in NC we will be looking for any Sowal stickers so we can lurk.

Maybe I will see you there or on the road. I am heading up to Western NC later this week and again in a couple of weeks looking at acerage and houses. (I am not selling out of Walton Co). Who knows, maybe one day we will be neighbors.

Maybe I will see you there or on the road. I am heading up to Western NC later this week and again in a couple of weeks looking at acerage and houses. (I am not selling out of Walton Co). Who knows, maybe one day we will be neighbors.

Mexico 😀 cheap and fun :cool:

Smiling Joe, Thanks, I think you are right about not selling. I may be forced to so as not to borrow too much. The Realtor I hooked up w/ in Beaufort had the whole of Kiawah island, SC listed in 1970/71 for 1 million. No takers till the Kuwaitis came along later. The Realtor told me that the gentleman that bought Kiawah told his wife to sell it upon his death because he wasn't sure anyone would ever want the land. SoWal all over again!

What about Sedona, Arizona? I haven't been there but it's on my list of places to see. Sounds like a great place to live; just don't know if I could leave the southeast.

What about Sedona, Arizona? I haven't been there but it's on my list of places to see. Sounds like a great place to live; just don't know if I could leave the southeast.

Flagstaff 😀

TOO COLD 😱

TOO COLD 😱

Retrievers like the cold 😀