Isn't that a false choice? As long as you earn a living, your earning potential is most likely reduced by moving to Texas.

 

Nobody said anything about income to cost of living ratios; just that CA is much higher cost of living than anywhere in Texas.

 

Yeah, i get that. but I'm just trying to look at it in a practical matter in the sense of which is a better location for your bank account(over time).

 

Hate to bring this up but:

Top 25 Fattest
2005 Ranking Last year
1. Houston 2
2. Philadelphia 7
3. Detroit 1
4. Memphis 20
5. Chicago 5
6. Dallas 3
7. New Orleans 22
8. New York 21
9. Las Vegas 16
10. San Antonio 4
11. El Paso 24
12. Phoenix 18
13. Indianapolis 17
14. Fort Worth 6
15. Mesa 12
16. Columbus 10
17. Wichita 16*
18. Kansas City 14
19. Miami 15
20. Long Beach 23*
21. Oklahoma City 13
22. Tulsa 19
23. Atlanta 11
24. Charlotte 22*
25. Baltimore 23

http://www.mensfitness.com/rankings/304

I'm sure there can still be lots of good lookin' ladies though.

 

Just don't move to Jersey. We paid $220k for our house, and property taxes have gone from $6400/yr to $8600/yr since 2001. For tax purposes, I think the house is valued at approx $200k.

For comparison purposes, it's around 3400sq feet on 1 acre.

 

You paid $220k in 2001 and it is valued at $200k now ? And your tax went up by $2200 ?
If your 3400sq-ft house is on 1/8 acre lot in Newport Beach, Orange County, it would valued at more than $2 mil.

 

Yep...the value for tax purposes is never the actual value, at least around here. They have some complicated formula that I don't remember offhand, but it's based on more than just the sale price of the house.

If the house was back in my hometown (Portmarnock, Ireland) it would also be worth over $2,000,000. Location, location, location!

I've posted this before, but my parents' house, which is around 2,000 sq ft on 1/8th acre, was worth $60,000 in 1994. It would now sell for around $1,000,000. And they have no property taxes there, so once you pay off the house, you actually have a sense of security when holding on to it.

In NJ, many people have to move just because they can't pay the property taxes, which sucks.

 

wait until this bit o legislation gets passed... and that housing pause/pop/deflation will become a full on sinkhole of bankruptcy... oh wait... did they not just pass some sort of legislation that makes it MUCH more difficult to file for bankruptcy, and for the first time in history allows the banks/creditors to FORCE you to sell your primary residence to pay off debts...?

gee... being forced to sell ones primary residence... for a LOSS... to pay off debts... and still owing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a mortgage for a house you no longer live in...

the next few years are gonna be REAL UGLY in the US of A.

 

I do sense some deuchbaggery at work here. But the supporters will just see it as a buying opportunity!

 

Another good reason not to go into debt.