Those who live in TX, NC, FL& SC few questions

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

We are seriously thinking of moving in the next year or so and now the DH's company was bought out we have a chance. His company has branched in Texas, North Carolina (but it is pretty close the border of SC, and Florida (there are a few others but we wouldn't consider them because we want away from SNOW if we move). So we are wondering what the taxes are like in those areas and other cost of living type things. Here in NJ we have really high property taxes along with high car insurance premiums.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

Texas - Houston area and they do have an office in Orange too

Apparently there is an branch in Louisiana too!

They have branches in WI and MN but we are thinking more south!

LIAngel · January 2012

Our taxes were almost $1300 this past year. My car tax was close to $200 for the year (but every year it goes down since the car is another year older).

I'm not sure about the car insurance since my husband pays the bill.

Oh and just so you know there are certain parts of NC that does get snow. Like in the mountains. My sister was in Asheville last weekend and there was some snow. But I am sure that 2 inches of snow per winter is better than snow all the time in NJ.

If you have any questions about anything specific in the SC area (I'm in the Upstate) let me know and I'll help with what I can.

GypsyEsq · January 2012

There is no state income tax in Texas which is nice but the flip side is property taxes are high - maybe not when compared to you but for my 2000 sq ft home I pay about $5000 a year in property tax.

JGirl2005 · January 2012

one day of snow or ice a year - or maybe two day.s i live in central.

house taxes are kinda high - from my view, but maybe less than what you pay.

no state income tax. sales tax is 7 or 8%. I forget. I think closer to 8 depending on your county.

texas has 300 plus gorgeous days a year - even houston,b ut it is slightly more humid. ausitn has more cedar fever - this time of year - the trees.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

LIAngel:
Our taxes were almost $1300 this past year. My car tax was close to $200 for the year (but every year it goes down since the car is another year older).

I'm not sure about the car insurance since my husband pays the bill.

Oh and just so you know there are certain parts of NC that does get snow. Like in the mountains. My sister was in Asheville last weekend and there was some snow. But I am sure that 2 inches of snow per winter is better than snow all the time in NJ.

If you have any questions about anything specific in the SC area (I'm in the Upstate) let me know and I'll help with what I can.

Even with car tax in SC, we would still be paying way less! My house by no means is big and 8K a year is insane to me!

I could deal with 2 inches of snow per year!

The office is near Bowling Springs and we would want to be no more then an hour (give or take) from where he works but we would go south of where he works.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

GypsyEsq:
There is no state income tax in Texas which is nice but the flip side is property taxes are high - maybe not when compared to you but for my 2000 sq ft home I pay about $5000 a year in property tax.

That still is hell of a lot less then what I pay in NJ.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

JGirl2005:
one day of snow or ice a year - or maybe two day.s i live in central.

house taxes are kinda high - from my view, but maybe less than what you pay.

no state income tax. sales tax is 7 or 8%. I forget. I think closer to 8 depending on your county.

texas has 300 plus gorgeous days a year - even houston,b ut it is slightly more humid. ausitn has more cedar fever - this time of year - the trees.

I have never been to Texas so I have no idea what it is like out there.

GypsyEsq · January 2012

browneyedgrl4282:
JGirl2005:

one day of snow or ice a year - or maybe two day.s i live in central.

house taxes are kinda high - from my view, but maybe less than what you pay.

no state income tax. sales tax is 7 or 8%. I forget. I think closer to 8 depending on your county.

texas has 300 plus gorgeous days a year - even houston,b ut it is slightly more humid. ausitn has more cedar fever - this time of year - the trees.

I have never been to Texas so I have no idea what it is like out there.

I can tell you Houston is my least favorite city but that's more due to the layout of the city and the humidity. People are very nice and the suburbs are pretty too. Orange is not a place I'd want to live - might as well live in Houston. That's just my opinion. I lived about an hour and half northwest of Houston for four years in college and now live in Dallas. Dallas is boring compared to other places I've lived (D.C., New Orleans) but it's home. It has less humidity and has some rolling hills which I appreciate. Plus a lot of lakes (but all of Texas has a good bit of water and in Houston you're near the Gulf and Galveston which can be nice).

LIAngel · January 2012

browneyedgrl4282:
LIAngel:

Our taxes were almost $1300 this past year. My car tax was close to $200 for the year (but every year it goes down since the car is another year older).

I'm not sure about the car insurance since my husband pays the bill.

Oh and just so you know there are certain parts of NC that does get snow. Like in the mountains. My sister was in Asheville last weekend and there was some snow. But I am sure that 2 inches of snow per winter is better than snow all the time in NJ.

If you have any questions about anything specific in the SC area (I'm in the Upstate) let me know and I'll help with what I can.

Even with car tax in SC, we would still be paying way less! My house by no means is big and 8K a year is insane to me!

I could deal with 2 inches of snow per year!

The office is near Bowling Springs and we would want to be no more then an hour (give or take) from where he works but we would go south of where he works.

Did you mean Boiling Springs? I've never heard of Bowling Spring, SC. or maybe there is a Bowling Springs, NC.

Anyway, I live about 30 minutes south of Boiling Springs.

Soon2beMrs.Sivert · January 2012

No personal experience but I thought you didn't have to pay state income taxes in FL & also they used to (and may now) have a program that let students who had good grades go to a state college free. It's been a long time. I had a friend who moved to Florida so perhaps my memory is foggy.

But---I live in MN and while I hate, hate, hate snow and cold we are a pretty amazing state to live in. Our school, generally speaking, are great. We have wonderful hospitals. Hello MAYO.

dusk42 · January 2012

We're in RTP/central NC, and I grew up in NJ (Morris County). The COL is far, far lower here than in NJ - housing prices, taxes, car insurance, etc. My parents pay 4x more in taxes than we do, and our house is slightly bigger and we have an acre of land. You do have to investigate the schools before deciding which county to live in because they do vary a lot. However, I think you have a lot more freedom because the schools are generally organized by county, not by town - so we live outside city limits, but we have the same schools as people living in the city/towns in the county. I'm not sure where along the SC border you are considering, but most of the counties there are pretty rural except when you get closer to Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County, etc.). Depending on what you are looking for, that could be a huge culture shock moving from NJ. RTP is full of transplants, universities, and government, so there is a lot of art, music, restaurants, stores, parks, museums, etc. Also lots of trails and greenspace and farms, but all very close by. In the more rural counties, its mostly farms and a lot farther to drive to anything.

It's also not very intuitive, but taxes are often higher in the rural counties because there is a smaller tax base (fewer people, fewer businesses, etc.).

We'll get a good snowstorm maybe once every five years. The rest is little to none. Good luck!

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

LIAngel:
browneyedgrl4282:
LIAngel:

Our taxes were almost $1300 this past year.   My car tax was close to $200 for the year (but every year it goes down since the car is another year older).

I'm not sure about the car insurance since my husband pays the bill.

Oh and just so you know there are certain parts of NC that does get snow. Like in the mountains.   My sister was in Asheville last weekend and there was some snow. But I am sure that 2 inches of snow per winter is better than snow all the time in NJ.

If you have any questions about anything specific in the SC area (I'm in the Upstate) let me know and I'll help with what I can.

Yup that is is Boiling Springs!

Even with car tax in SC, we would still be paying way less! My house by no means is big and 8K a year is insane to me!

I could deal with 2 inches of snow per year!

The office is near Bowling Springs and we would want to be no more then an hour (give or take) from where he works but we would go south of where he works.

Did you mean Boiling Springs?   I've never heard of Bowling Spring, SC. or maybe there is a Bowling Springs, NC.

Anyway, I live about 30 minutes south of Boiling Springs.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

dusk42:

We're in RTP/central NC, and I grew up in NJ (Morris County). The COL is far, far lower here than in NJ - housing prices, taxes, car insurance, etc. My parents pay 4x more in taxes than we do, and our house is slightly bigger and we have an acre of land. You do have to investigate the schools before deciding which county to live in because they do vary a lot. However, I think you have a lot more freedom because the schools are generally organized by county, not by town - so we live outside city limits, but we have the same schools as people living in the city/towns in the county. I'm not sure where along the SC border you are considering, but most of the counties there are pretty rural except when you get closer to Charlotte (Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County, etc.). Depending on what you are looking for, that could be a huge culture shock moving from NJ. RTP is full of transplants, universities, and government, so there is a lot of art, music, restaurants, stores, parks, museums, etc. Also lots of trails and greenspace and farms, but all very close by. In the more rural counties, its mostly farms and a lot farther to drive to anything.

It's also not very intuitive, but taxes are often higher in the rural counties because there is a smaller tax base (fewer people, fewer businesses, etc.).

We'll get a good snowstorm maybe once every five years. The rest is little to none. Good luck!

I grew up in Morris County (Randolph) but we live in Hackettstown but we are in the part that isn't really rural and is more build up!

LIAngel · January 2012

browneyedgrl4282:
LIAngel:
browneyedgrl4282:
LIAngel:

Our taxes were almost $1300 this past year.   My car tax was close to $200 for the year (but every year it goes down since the car is another year older).

I'm not sure about the car insurance since my husband pays the bill.

Oh and just so you know there are certain parts of NC that does get snow. Like in the mountains.   My sister was in Asheville last weekend and there was some snow. But I am sure that 2 inches of snow per winter is better than snow all the time in NJ.

If you have any questions about anything specific in the SC area (I'm in the Upstate) let me know and I'll help with what I can.

Yup that is is Boiling Springs!

Even with car tax in SC, we would still be paying way less! My house by no means is big and 8K a year is insane to me!

I could deal with 2 inches of snow per year!

The office is near Bowling Springs and we would want to be no more then an hour (give or take) from where he works but we would go south of where he works.

Did you mean Boiling Springs?   I've never heard of Bowling Spring, SC. or maybe there is a Bowling Springs, NC.

Anyway, I live about 30 minutes south of Boiling Springs.

Okay. Well like I said if you want any info about specific areas/towns, I would be happy to help you as best i can. You can FB message me.

TxJen1972 · January 2012

I live about 30 miles outside of Houston. I wouldnt want to live in Orange, but if he was moved to that branch, Beaumont is ok and not far from Orange. I think it depends how close to Houston you libe as to what your property taxes would be. We have a 2600sf house on 3ac and only pay $1300/yr in taxes.

sliz · January 2012

I grew up in NJ (Flemington) and FL (WPB). FL is great for warm weather, has good magnet schools depending on where you live and I think is pretty family friendly with lots to do for young kids. I missed having seasons. Loved the free college tuition program but not sure if it still exists. I think now the COL is better because housing prices are way down. Not sure if prop taxes are still in the higher end. We lived north of Dallas for 4 yrs and disliked it. Had a great, huge house for so cheap but prop taxes are pretty high. For us there was just not much to do. We alway wanted to move to RTP, NC area but couldn't find jobs there. We live in Milwaukee now and really like it. So many young families with kids but so far we've had a mild winter and are renting.

AlissaCell701 · January 2012

I live in South Fla (in suburbs of Broward County).. It's totally different then living up north I am from MA..:).. It took me at least a good year to adjust, it's jus a totally different way of life, values (not good or bad just different).

The positives are that price of living is so much less then in the north it's crazy.. Our house in MA is/was half the size that it is here.. Food though is more expensive and so is gas.. But we pay no state taxes..but public Ed is Terrible I will not be sending my children to Public school here and I used to be a public school teacher.. It's just bad what the education system is.. But one thing you can't change is the weather

Today it was 75! Love it but again the summer it's hott and we have hurricanes in stead of blizzards!

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

sliz:
I grew up in NJ (Flemington) and FL (WPB). FL is great for warm weather, has good magnet schools depending on where you live and I think is pretty family friendly with lots to do for young kids. I missed having seasons. Loved the free college tuition program but not sure if it still exists. I think now the COL is better because housing prices are way down. Not sure if prop taxes are still in the higher end. We lived north of Dallas for 4 yrs and disliked it. Had a great, huge house for so cheap but prop taxes are pretty high. For us there was just not much to do. We alway wanted to move to RTP, NC area but couldn't find jobs there. We live in Milwaukee now and really like it. So many young families with kids but so far we've had a mild winter and are renting.

Too funny because DH's company in NJ is in Flemington (also in Somerset)

PrincessShay80 · January 2012

I used to live in SC- and LOVED it! We are actually moving to Charlotte NC in the next year to be closer to family and be in a better city than Las Vegas to raise DD, and DH's company is headquartered there- so he can transfer easily. The weather is great in the south- you still have summer, spring, and fall, but really no winter with snow. I don't remember car insurance being too high, but it does stink to pay a lot to register your car each year. I think the cost of living is low, at least compared to Vegas- we have been looking at homes in Charlotte, NC- and we can get a lot of house for our budget (around 300K) with a nice lot, and a lot of upgrades.

LIAngel · January 2012

Oh and we bought our house from the proceeds of our house on Long Island in full. We have no mortgage and twice the living space.

browneyedgrl4282 · January 2012

PrincessShay80:
I used to live in SC- and LOVED it! We are actually moving to Charlotte NC in the next year to be closer to family and be in a better city than Las Vegas to raise DD, and DH's company is headquartered there- so he can transfer easily. The weather is great in the south- you still have summer, spring, and fall, but really no winter with snow. I don't remember car insurance being too high, but it does stink to pay a lot to register your car each year. I think the cost of living is low, at least compared to Vegas- we have been looking at homes in Charlotte, NC- and we can get a lot of house for our budget (around 300K) with a nice lot, and a lot of upgrades.

Put it this way we could sell our house in NJ and buy something in NC or SC for cash! I can't believe how damn expensive it is here!

jenwill · January 2012

PrincessShay80:
I used to live in SC- and LOVED it! We are actually moving to Charlotte NC in the next year to be closer to family and be in a better city than Las Vegas to raise DD, and DH's company is headquartered there- so he can transfer easily. The weather is great in the south- you still have summer, spring, and fall, but really no winter with snow. I don't remember car insurance being too high, but it does stink to pay a lot to register your car each year. I think the cost of living is low, at least compared to Vegas- we have been looking at homes in Charlotte, NC- and we can get a lot of house for our budget (around 300K) with a nice lot, and a lot of upgrades.

It's only $33/year to register your car in NC btw.

I have always lived in the Triangle area of NC (Chapel Hill-Raleigh-Durham) and love it. You will get snow occasionally in the winter. And like MrsLee says, it shuts down the city. We have a 2000 sqft house on 1/2 acre lot that is now appraised around $230k if that helps give you an idea of the housing prices. Where is the office in NC? In Charlotte?

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