All Forum Posts by: Karl B.

I would suggest Charleston or Annapolis on the east coast. Olympia, Washington is also beautiful and the town has its own network of walking/biking trails through protected forest area, lots of things to do outdoors. 

Manta, Ecuador. Or Puerto Cayó, Ecuador if you prefer private beaches.

Allow me to explain.

Uses USD

Cost of living is 1/3 of the US

70 Degrees all day and night, year round, with little to no rain

Stunning blue and green ocean views

Live in a beachfront residence for $600 a month

Large expat community if you don't speak Spanish

Community-driven culture, people are very friendly

Amazingly beautiful country; most ecologically diverse country on earth

Voted #1 place to retire 4 years in a row

Inexpensive, beautiful, and the investment opportunities are endless. For example, I'm building a home for 70k total, including all materials, labor, land, etc. I am expecting to sell it for at least 120k. It will be a Duplex.

I'm from Chicago, but I hate the winters...spent some time in North Carolina...I love it! It is going to be my winter home. Good Luck to you!

 I have a couple friends move to Oregon from LA. One to the Portland area the other to Brookings. Brookings has the waves and rest but a little slow for some maybe. They both were from LA orginally and seem to be happy with the move and especially the prices. "We Are" Good luck! 

I live near Knoxville, but love Chattanooga. I am happy to help show you around...and if you like whitewater, I would love to get you out on one of the many local rivers. I am friends with some of the top guides in the area.

Asheville, NC is hip and beyond cool (but getting more expensive). Greenville, SC is (like Chattanooga) a working town that has seriously revitalized. Hit me up if you want to learn more about any of this.

around Tillamook forest or clatsop state forest areas

Hi Karl, I'm from Rochester NY. Close enough to Erie to know what you are talking about. I feel the same way. Summer, fall and even the beginning of winter are really nice up here but mid winter through early spring can be quite dreary. I have been researching different areas to relocate to for several months now and have very similar criteria that you have listed. In the east its hard to find it all, hiking, water, mild weather, etc. Right now my top locations are Raleigh NC, Charlottesville VA, Nashville TN and the DC area which is quite a bit more expensive. I would put the Denver area and Austin in there too but eastern US is more convenient for my wife's job. People seem to really love Raleigh though. I haven't spent much time there but from what I hear, there is an abundance of opportunity, the ocean is 2-3 hours east and some of the nicest mountain scenery is 3-4 hours west, plus a lot of green space within minutes. BTW, I have lived in Clearwater FL and visit often as I have some close friends there. There are some really nice pockets such as Dunedin or downtown St. Pete and the close proximity to the ocean is great, but that peninsula is jam packed gulf to bay and top to bottom. Its all strip malls and track houses. There might be some small parks peppered in. I could not live there unless I was within a block from the water and that land is likely comparable with LA. If woods are important, as they are for me too, Clearwater is not the place.

@Karl B.,

Richmond, VA is great! You get all the seasons (it normally snows 1-2x, but doesn't stick for more than a day), it's 2 hours from DC, 2 hours from the beach, 1 hour from the mountains, huge booming brewery/winery trend, low cost of living, amazing schools, and also... LOTS of investment opportunities around it! Check out prices in Hampton Roads/Norfolk/Hopewell/Petersburg/etc... lots of opportunities!

I love Oregon and can't speak highly enough about it. However, if you are looking for a place that is mostly warm, has mountains, lakes, rivers, wonderful flora/fauna and a low cost of living you might check out East Tennessee (Chattanooga, Knoxville and surrounding). I moved to Oak Ridge from the DC area for a simpler life and so that I could better afford real estate. There are definitely some cultural issues that took getting used to, but the recreational and real estate opportunities seem endless.

So here are your places - - Easy choices -- In no particular order, or in exact order from Best to Great.  Athens, Georgia,  Atlanta GA, Savannah GA, Charleston, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, St. Augustine, Florida, Birmingham, Alabama, Mobile AL, Asheville North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, Chapel Hill or Raleigh-Durham, NC.   Life will be great in all these places.   These areas are all close to or already near the mountains, and couple hours to the beach.  Couple hours to international airports.  Thousands of jobs created in the past and continuing.  Low prices for almost everything. Big houses on big lots.  Great universities, great pro sports(DANG FALCONSSSSS!)  Even better food, beautiful women, children that don't cry, and supreme weather.  Investing in whatever kind of real estate will work in all these areas.