Ask the Builder: Looking to make your last big relocation? Do your research first

Brian lives with his wife, Kelly, on the East Coast. He’s been a subscriber to my free newsletter for years. Brian is in a select group of virtual friends I’ve made over the years. It’s a delight to have email exchanges with these high-tech pen pals using electrons instead of ink.

You may be like Brian. He’s about to retire. He and his wife plan to do a long-distance relocation. It’s going to be their final big move, from what I understand. His last email exchange with me touched on this as he was asking for a bit of advice, knowing that I had done the same thing moving from Ohio to New Hampshire in 2008.

Brian shared that he and his wife are attracted to a community in Pennsylvania that has all sorts of amenities. They would become part of a homeowners' association (HOA). I’ve lived in one of these for the past 17 years and cautioned him against making that choice.

I understand the lure of an HOA as you get older. Offloading any number of maintenance headaches to someone else is very attractive. But it often comes with a huge price tag that rises each year. I shared how my HOA dues started at $60 a month in 2008 and are now $200 a month. That increase is far greater than the rate of inflation over that same time period. His dues would be close to $5,000 a year. Imagine what they’ll be like 15 years from now when money in his budget may be tighter than a banjo string.

The other issue, in my opinion, with HOAs is that there always seems to be at least one control freak who is the unpaid bylaws enforcement officer. I have one in mine. This woman has a magical built-in radar gun in her head. She can somehow tell when you’re speeding down our private roads. You can view thousands of videos on YouTube of folks like her who spread angst each day in HOAs like the wind scatters dandelion seeds.

As Brian and I exchanged emails on other aspects of moving, I realized that the conversation should be shared with you. Moving within a city or town is stressful enough. That stress has a force multiplier when you move hundreds of miles away to a strange city or state you’ve never set foot in.

Finances should be one of the things you consider. Some states, like New Hampshire, have no sales tax or income tax. The state you’re thinking of moving to might have low property taxes. I was a real estate broker in Ohio for over 25 years and feel there’s only one way to compare property taxes. All you have to do is divide the annual property tax by the fair-market value of your home.

You’ll be stunned to discover that one city or state might have a tax rate 300% or 400% higher than another. In my case, my property tax is only 0.6% of my house value. Brian’s current tax is 1.6% of his fair market value. That’s almost 300 percent higher than mine in New Hampshire.

I feel it’s important to create a list of things you dislike about your current home and city. For me, I had become numb to the horrible traffic, potholes, pollution, background noise, etc., after 55 years in Cincinnati. I thought that most places were like this. I was wrong.

You then have to create a list of things you desire. Perhaps you want to be close to thousands of miles of hiking trails. Maybe you do want the big city life. You may want to be close to the ocean or a large lake as both often offer lots of recreation opportunities.

I casually mentioned to Brian that, if he and his wife decide to give New Hampshire a serious look, he needed to avoid houses that are located on a Class 5 road, which is just dirt and gravel. Forty-nine weeks out of the year, you can travel on them with no issue. However, when mud season arrives in the spring, some can be impassable unless you have an Abrams tank. In the summer, everything outside your home is covered with dust created by passing cars and trucks.

You should consider climate, wildlife and insects. My wife and I wanted to escape the insufferable humidity one suffers through in Cincinnati from June until September. New Hampshire has much lower dew points in the summer. That said, it also has wretched black files in the spring. These miserable tiny insects inflict a vicious bite for two or three weeks. The mosquito has been nominated to be the New Hampshire state bird many times.

It’s very important to consider crime statistics. There are quite a few websites that track this information. Study these facts to see what crimes happen where you plan to move. Is crime growing or lessening?

My advice to Brian was simple. Narrow down the choices to two or three places. Then, research the times the weather is best and worst. Travel to each town or city and rent a house for a week. Start to scout around to see if you like it. Stay in the city or town to see if you like the weather extremes.

Note the distance to stores and shops. Do you have to travel a great distance to get your car repaired? Do you like to dine out? Are there abundant great restaurants that will satisfy your appetite?

Drive by the worst parts of the city or town. Are there lots of homeless people? Are you a person of faith? If so, visit the places of worship to see if you fit in.

Think about how you buy a new car or truck. You often take it for a test drive. You need to do the same thing when you plan to put down new roots. Rent a house in the town for at least four weeks over a period of a year and see if you really like what you experience.

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