Where the Heck Should I Move To? Please Help!

Where the Heck Should I Move To? Please Help!

Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

Hi, Bigger Pockets,

I wanted to get some leads to some cities that could be ideal for me to move to and invest in. I currently live in Los Angeles and would really like to live somewhere different.

I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, which was a good place to grow up. We had Lake Erie to enjoy and woods to play around in as well. It’s a great place during the spring, summer and fall months.

The reason why I moved away from Erie is because I don’t like snow and dreary days (they typically run from November to March/April).

I would like to move somewhere that has the following attributes listed below. If any of y’all know of any areas or cities that has the traits, please let me know. I would be super grateful.

A place where:

-There are lots of woods—I really enjoy hiking and being outside

-I like water that has waves—so it’s near a decent-sized lake or an ocean

-Land is relatively cheap—I would like to live on a decent-sized plot of land

-It either doesn’t snow or it very rarely snows

-People are friendly

Those are the main needs. I truly hope I can find a place that suits my likes. The U.S.A. is so large it’s tough to know where to search and so I wanted to ask y’all, since Bigger Pockets users are all over America (and beyond).

Again, thank you, fellow BPers. I appreciate it very much.

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Craig CurelopBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Post Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y

@Karl B. - When reading this, Florida was the first place that jumps out at me. However, if "lots of woods" is what you value the most then maybe Florida isn't for you.

Colorado meets a lot of these criteria. Though there is not much water with waves, there is TONS of wonderful hikes and people are super friendly and active. 

Sure it snows, but it does not stick. At least in the Denver area it doesn't. If you want snow, you go to the mountains. 

I have similar criteria as you and I live in Denver and am very happy. 

You also might want to consider northern CA. A few hours north of San Francisco, like Sacramento area? There are a lot of hikes, it's pretty warm, people are nice, and it's not far away from the ocean. 

See this reply in the discussion

213 Replies

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  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Marshall Easlick:

    How did it go, Karl? Did you close?

    @Marshall Easlick Hi, Marshall. I did! I viewed the unit prior to closing and it has some work but isn't bad. The electric work won't be as intensive as I'd thought and most non electric-related repairs can be done by me. Had the upstairs tenants sign a new lease and will be working on the bottom unit (I've begun prepping it) as well as making a list for everything else that needs repaired. 

    How was your closing?

  • Investor · Wellington, CO · Member since 2017 · 79 posts · 30 votes
    9y

    That's just awesome! I'm happy for you. My closing was uneventful, which is always great. As I mentioned, it's new construction and the builder knows exactly what the market is and exactly what they can get away with, so the quality is lacking. However, I hope to be able to make it better with warranty work.

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Marshall Easlick:

    That's just awesome! I'm happy for you. My closing was uneventful, which is always great. As I mentioned, it's new construction and the builder knows exactly what the market is and exactly what they can get away with, so the quality is lacking. However, I hope to be able to make it better with warranty work.

     That sounds like a plan. You should be able to rent it out in no time, if it isn't already rented. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    @Anita Ahuja@William Allen@Ethan Atkinson@Dominic Balconi@Eric Barnett@Trudy B.@Lina Bibikov@Bill Bindseil@Russell Brazil@Kevin B.@Steve B.@Ryan Budil@Eric C.@Viq C.@Renee Collins@Scott Matthew C.@Christian Cramer@Jim Cummings@Craig Curelop@Breezy Daniel@Jon Deavers@Marshall Easlick

    @David Faulkner@Bettina F.@Christen G.@Aaron Gaffney@Chad Gaither@Giovanny Garcia@Nathan Gornto@Steven Greenhill@Orlando Guzman

    @Account Closed

    @Patty Puckett@Lesley Resnick@Ronald Rohde@Matt R.@Karen Sanders@Eddie Silva@Jeff Smith@Linda S.@Michael Parrish@Jon Q.@Account Closed

    @Thomas Russell@Omar Shahid

    Hello, all! I figured I'd update this thread as I finally settled into the city I chose. And I wanted to make my 1000th post on BP something special and so I decided to use #1000 to update this thread!

    I ended up moving to Columbia, Missouri. It checks off a lot of the boxes of what I was looking for: lots of woods for hiking, cheap land, nice people, not much snow....

    ...I was also looking for an area with water and waves and may eventually move down to the Lake of the Ozarks area which isn't located too far away and has that; it has more coastline than the state of California (I hear the water in the lake is gross but I'm one of those people who likes to be around the water and not in it, so that works).

    I also like several towns near Columbia for multi-family investing and will be gearing up to buy some multi-family properties in the area. I began investing in Missouri by using a FHA loan to buy a large duplex in NE Columbia.

    I wanted to post an update as well as once again thank everyone for taking the time to give me advice on where to move based on my preferences. Thank you! :-)

  • Investor · Hermosa Beach, CA · Member since 2017 · 31 posts · 19 votes
    6y

    @Karl B. Hey Karl, have you considered Boise Idaho. I’m originally from there and am making a move back. I’ve been buying investment properties for years now and it’s becoming quite the hot spot for people from California.

    Let me know if you’re interested at all and we can set up a call and I can tell you more about it and the different areas. Good luck!!

  • Ronald RohdePro Member
    Attorney · Dallas, TX · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Thanks for the update! Too many threads just die off with no resolution!

  • Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 19 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Karl B. North of Atlanta has everything you need. Cheap houses, lake Lanier, Kennesaw Mountain and Stone Mountain plus tons of other trails and bike routes. Fishing and everything you love about Lake Erie with a much better climate. PS, I’m from Ohio so i am familiar with Lake Erie. I purchased a 4,9000 square foot house for $215k so I’m sure it’s Way more affordable than LA. If you like the city life you can choose to indulge, other wise you will never no it exists. Georgia is funny like that. Let me know if you need any more specific suggestions.

  • Investor / Wholesaler · Nashville, TN · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 667 votes
    6y

    @Karl B., congrats on the move.  Sounds like a great choice!

  • Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Karl B.:

    @Anita Ahuja@William Allen@Ethan Atkinson@Dominic Balconi@Eric Barnett@Trudy B.@Lina Bibikov@Bill Bindseil@Russell Brazil@Kevin B.@Steve B.@Ryan Budil@Eric C.@Viq C.@Renee Collins@Scott Matthew C.@Christian Cramer@Jim Cummings@Craig Curelop@Breezy Daniel@Jon Deavers@Marshall Easlick

    @David Faulkner@Bettina F.@Christen G.@Aaron Gaffney@Chad Gaither@Giovanny Garcia@Nathan Gornto@Steven Greenhill@Orlando Guzman

    @Account Closed

    @Patty Puckett@Lesley Resnick@Ronald Rohde@Matt R.@Karen Sanders@Eddie Silva@Jeff Smith@Linda S.@Michael Parrish@Jon Q.@Account Closed

    @Thomas Russell@Omar Shahid

    Hello, all! I figured I'd update this thread as I finally settled into the city I chose. And I wanted to make my 1000th post on BP something special and so I decided to use #1000 to update this thread!

    I ended up moving to Columbia, Missouri. It checks off a lot of the boxes of what I was looking for: lots of woods for hiking, cheap land, nice people, not much snow....

    ...I was also looking for an area with water and waves and may eventually move down to the Lake of the Ozarks area which isn't located too far away and has that; it has more coastline than the state of California (I hear the water in the lake is gross but I'm one of those people who likes to be around the water and not in it, so that works).

    I also like several towns near Columbia for multi-family investing and will be gearing up to buy some multi-family properties in the area. I began investing in Missouri by using a FHA loan to buy a large duplex in NE Columbia.

    I wanted to post an update as well as once again thank everyone for taking the time to give me advice on where to move based on my preferences. Thank you! :-)

    Thanks for the update! 

    I have yet to explore Missouri, but i can't stand humidity so not sure it's a good fit for me.  

    For some investors, moving to an "emerging market" such as this to acquire properties and generate capital then, move on to larger more 2nd and 1st tier markets makes sense.  I've done the same, but for me Austin was my first and an emerging market in 2005/6! :-)

    To your success in 2020!

    Cheers!

    Jon

  • Investor · Tarzana CA and Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 326 posts · 130 votes
    6y

    @karl b thats awesome what a great location to pick.  you are onto something, I recently went to little rock and explored around there.  Affordable, ample outdoor activities, great for families.  only concern is the job market outlook.  but if remote work becomes more commonplace this type of town/small city should really do well.  best of luck

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Alex J.:

    @karl b thats awesome what a great location to pick.  you are onto something, I recently went to little rock and explored around there.  Affordable, ample outdoor activities, great for families.  only concern is the job market outlook.  but if remote work becomes more commonplace this type of town/small city should really do well.  best of luck

    Many thanks. I think Little Rock is a really cool town. 

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