All Forum Posts by: Karl B.

Thanks for this post @Karl B. As a newbie, residing in LA and open to relocating, I've been exploring the same options. It seems like North Carolina is the place to be though too far from family for me. Having previously lived in the Seattle area for a brief period, the Pacific Northwest feels like a great option but still pricey near the metro areas. 

I'll also like Texas and obviously Austin is great but doesn't seem like a great investment area anymore. I've been looking at San Antonio and wondering why no one mentioned it. Maybe it doesn't hit all of the criteria but definitely appears to be a great city with affordable real estate. The missing piece here is that I've never visited so BP'ers please shoot this post down and prevent me from moving to a terrible place.

I would look at Lake Tahoe area.  Real Estate is selling well, Hikes great, and the lake is huge.  Also Auburn / Grass Valley, CA in the foothills has many lakes and hiking.  40minutes to Sacramento and 1/1/2 hour to Tahoe. 

I spend the winters in Hawaii on the Big Island, Kona area.  Let me know if you need some referrals from that area.  I know some incredible agents there. Nice hikes, wave water and great weather.  

Austin, Texas meets all of your needs and it's where everyone from California is moving to anyway. Austin has a great outdoor scene with many hiking, biking and water activities. There are a few great lakes and other bodies of water. It definitely doesn't snow but beware the temperature gets MUCH warmer than SoCal or the North East. People are friendly and there's an overall laid back vibe. The cost of living in Texas is significantly more affordable than California. Good luck!

Wilmington, Surf City, Hampstead, Oak Island, Southport,  Cape Hatteras all in NC. Pretty much anything along the NC coast is nice, not much snow at all and affordable if you can withstand the humidity and bugs. Charleston, SC is a very nice city, I heard that Kiawah Island, SC is also nice, Savannah, GA, Myrtle Beach, SC are all decent choices, all close to the ocean. Best of luck finding your next place. If you decide to move close to Wilmington, NC I have a realtor friend there that can help out finding a place/land.

Bend Oregon... not as grey as Portland but you need the right occupation supposedly to thrive there ... not a lot of high paying jobs...

Atlanta is great!

If you can handle sun on snow, try Northern Idaho.  We have the most beautiful lakes and whitewater rivers.  But you have to promise to vote conservative!  But face it -- anywhere you go will be an upgrade from LA!

Being in the Military I have had a chance to experience living in quite a few places.  Surprisingly enough my most recent move to San Angelo Texas, which I had a lot of resistance to moving had probably been my most pleasant one thus far.  The people are super friendly, the winters get down to maybe the 40s but that only lasts untill the sun comes up and then its right at 60, hardly ever snows and when it does its 2 inches that fall over night or early morning and is melted away by noon.  Rio Cancho runs throughout the city and there are parks set up all along the river plus San Angelo State Park which has a huge lake.  Land... dirt cheap, I am looking to get started into real estate here and may very well plant my roots here for the long haul.  The only thing I think San Angelo doesn't have for you is a lot of woodland, but I have not had a chance to checkout the state park just yet, but that's on the list for this weekend.  

Plus, I need a partner so come on down!  Hahaha but seriously Savanah, GA is certainly my number two place.  I am just not sure as far as how much real estate is down there, I believe it is still relatively affordable down there.   

Hey Karl, why don't you look at the agoura hills/calabasas area right outside of LA. There are tons of plots of land, lots of hiking, views or the ocean or very close to the ocean. Decent sized lots are 300-600K. It doesnt have the forest, but it is very open and outdoorsy.