A letter from the Southeast United States

Morgan3820

Ejection Handle Pulled
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Messages
4,787
Location
New Bern, NC
Display Name

Display name:
El Conquistador
A letter from the Southeast United States

Question: is there anybody left in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont?

I swear every third license plate that I see is from out of state.

Every time I go into an ace hardware or a big box store or Walmart or something I’m greeted by a yankee retiree.

Every time I go up to Raleigh to visit my daughter there are several new housing developments going up in what once was a bean field that weren’t there before.

When will it end?

My daughter dispares of ever being able to afford a house.

The house next to me sold within three days. At that speed they had to buy it sight unseen. I have heard of other similar sales. So apparently, people are coming down here and placing orders for the next available house for sale. Get in line.

Like NYC, There is no more room, here. Tell your friends.

in better news, Watched a dolphin go up the waterway behind my house
 
Last edited:
I am starting to see more and more Texas plates here in NM.

Florida seems popular right now, I'll steer everyone in that direction...
 
It’s to balance all the FL folks up here
 
I love living in Vermont, and it's OK if some people leave.

Those license plates you see from here may be people fleeing a possible 20% increase in property taxes.
 
Most of the stuff in my mailbox here in Mountain View, CA is ads from realtors looking for homes to sell.
 
I feel like I’ve seen more Florida license plates in New York than New York license plates.
 
A letter from the Southeast United States

Question: is there anybody left in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont?

I swear every third license plate that I see is from out of state.

Every time I go into an ace hardware or a big box store or Walmart or something I’m greeted by a yankee retiree.

Every time I go up to Raleigh to visit my daughter there are several new housing developments going up in what once was a bean field that weren’t there before.

When will it end?

My daughter dispares of ever being able to afford a house.

The house next to me sold within three days. At that speed they had to buy it sight unseen. I have heard of other similar sales. So apparently, people are coming down here and placing orders for the next available house for sale. Get in line.

Like NYC, There is no more room, here. Tell your friends.

in better news, Watched a dolphin go up the waterway behind my house

The term you're looking for is "carpetbaggers."
 
Excise tax and insurance costs FL vs MA (or NY or. )?
 
I feel like I’ve seen more Florida license plates in New York than New York license plates.
They are the refugees coming back to visit the old country. Our little old Class D actually has several direct flights a week back to the old country. Unfortunately, they always come back.
 
Last edited:
Every time I go up to Raleigh to visit my daughter there are several new housing developments going up in what once was a bean field that weren’t there before.

When will it end?
The Raleigh area is wild. I have a couple friends who just moved back from RDU area and they made out like bandits selling their place. Nearly 100% price appreciation on their home in 4 years. It's kind of like people who flocked to Nashville and Austin and drove those prices into the stratosphere.

I don't think it's gonna end until the NC/SC property isn't dirt cheap compared to other regional pricing.

If you have a million bucks for real-estate in SF or NY -- you're living in a totally "meh" condo; nothing to write home about. If you have a million bucks in Texas and you can have a serious house. I imagine it's similar to the Carolinas.
 
I love living in Vermont, and it's OK if some people leave.

Those license plates you see from here may be people fleeing a possible 20% increase in property taxes.

Don’t come to Raleigh. Our taxes just went up 25-65% because the…never mind.

Even out here in the boonies, we got a 27% increase.

My father in law has a house in the good but not prime area of Raleigh that he would like us to have when he moves out. His house is from the 50s and showing its age. We would be paying 8000/year in taxes for a run down 1300 sq ft. A neighbor’s house was torn down and replaced with a modest new one, 2200 sq ft and taxes on it are 18,000/year. That’s more than our mortgage.
 
Don’t come to Raleigh. Our taxes just went up 25-65% because the…never mind.

Even out here in the boonies, we got a 27% increase.

My father in law has a house in the good but not prime area of Raleigh that he would like us to have when he moves out. His house is from the 50s and showing its age. We would be paying 8000/year in taxes for a run down 1300 sq ft. A neighbor’s house was torn down and replaced with a modest new one, 2200 sq ft and taxes on it are 18,000/year. That’s more than our mortgage.
That is insane. I'll stop complaining about my taxes , for the moment.
 
This past winter, Michigan weather was replaced by North Carolina weather. No need for us to move there now, so you are safe from Michiganders.
 
Last edited:
This past winter, Michigan weather was replaced by a North Carolina weather. No need for us to move there now, so you are safe from Michiganders.
Erroneous! Erroneous on all counts!

We bought property in Tennessee back in June. Getting out of this craphole as soon as kids are done with school.
 
Precisely why I’ll be leaving the SE for the NE when I retire. Getting too crowded down here.
 
There was some pretty interesting data analysis by a number of geeks in Seattle; what feels like a decade ago.
They basically had the data to back up the position that the zoning laws which started in the 70s and exploded in the 80s are the major cause price spiraling out of control on houses. Historically, as the prices increased developers would tear down single family homes and put in multi-family which increase the local supply. Instead, zoning rules have pushed people farther and farther away, raising the prices.
They ****ed off a lot of people as they basically showed the methods picked by the housing advocates (subsidizes, rent control...) and the NIMBYs would fail and would only be a drop in the bucket. So, if you want to solve housing price problems, push to eliminate most zoning restrictions.

Tim
 
I don't intend to stall and spin this conversation, but at the risk of doing so I'll add my comment
For reference I've lived in the South most of my life and all of my adult life...and I've lived in FL since 1994

The rate of construction happening around here lately...and the number of folks moving here from up North and from California brings me a glimmer of hope.

You see, I've never really liked FL. I appreciate the living situation, and as a conservative person it suits me in that way.... but I tend to appreciate a change of seasons more, I appreciate varied topography, don't enjoy hurricane season.... and for me to get to places I prefer, it's a longer trip than a 3-day weekend can offer. It's a long drive to get out of the flatlands and the summer heat. In my opinion there are some beautiful places in a bunch of areas that I would never want to live. The sierra nevada mountains for example, has to be one of the most beautiful areas on earth. To live within a couple hours of there would be a dream come true for me....but I wouldn't want to live there as it is, for many reasons.

My hope is that with all the folks coming here from "there", driving up construction and real estate prices, etc....maybe it won't be long till "there" gets a reset and will become the affordable and conservative place to be with the added bonus of seasons, topography, and natural beauty in the landscape.
 
I'm not noticing a difference in MA yet. Guess we need to send more down your way!

And there's quite a few folks I have in mind...:devil:
 
Where we have homes in N GA and E TN, both in the foothills of the Appalachians, LOTS of folks are moving here both from Florida and parts north. I’m in the former category, having made the move in 2005 to N GA after 30 years in S FL. The 30 years in S FL were wonderful, but I now prefer the seasons and the mountains and the twisty roads to the almost unrelenting - but for the most part welcome - heat. And I certainly am not alone!
 
Last edited:
Erroneous! Erroneous on all counts!

We bought property in Tennessee back in June. Getting out of this craphole as soon as kids are done with school.
More power to you, but...I hate Michigan (normal) winters...and I'm afraid I hate Tennessee summers more!
 
Don’t come to Raleigh. Our taxes just went up 25-65% because the…never mind.

Even out here in the boonies, we got a 27% increase.

My father in law has a house in the good but not prime area of Raleigh that he would like us to have when he moves out. His house is from the 50s and showing its age. We would be paying 8000/year in taxes for a run down 1300 sq ft. A neighbor’s house was torn down and replaced with a modest new one, 2200 sq ft and taxes on it are 18,000/year. That’s more than our mortgage.
Combining high insurance and property taxes Texas is not much different: I pay around 10k for an old small house
 
More power to you, but...I hate Michigan (normal) winters...and I'm afraid I hate Tennessee summers more!

Cumberland Plateau. Gets us some altitude/heat/humidity relief. Temp is only 1 degree higher temp in summer than Grand Rapids.
 
Cumberland Plateau. Gets us some altitude/heat/humidity relief.

I like living here in my part of New Mexico. 6500 feet means little to no humidity, cool summer mornings and scary high density altitudes in the summer. Snow in the winter but no worries about getting snowed in. Far enough away from everything so we measure distances in hours driving. And approximately 401 sunny days a year...

Oh, don't forget the spring winds where 20G30 is considered a light breeze.. :yesnod:

You will get used to strong crosswinds at the airport.
 
It’s to balance all the FL folks up here

Then there's the bumper sticker seen in Florida - When I retire I'm going to move north and go slow in the left lane.

And in the left lane with a turn signal flashing endlessly.

I wouldn't limit that idiocy to Florida. I've seen it here, as well.
 
I’m retired and I worked very hard for many years to earn the privilege of driving slowly in the left lane with my left turn signal on all the time.
I’ve learned that before I get aggravated at the idiot driving along with his or her turn signal on, that I check to be sure mine isn’t on as well!
 
Lol I've done the same, especially in my '65 Mustang which doesn't properly trip the blinker off after a turn all the time ;).
 
Is it a New York thing to honk your horn the monent the light turns green, or does it come from somewhere else? I’m definitely not a Florida native, not at all, but six years ago when I moved here, I don’t recall that happening. Now it’s just about every time I go into town (which is rapidly growing, far faster than infrastructure and businesses can handle), someone is impatiently tapping their horn. Not like the person in front of them is texting or zoned out on opioids and antidepressants (and those are plentiful, just walk down any aisle in Walmart), but the nanosecond the light changes, before the red has even faded completely.
 
Is it a New York thing to honk your horn the monent the light turns green, or does it come from somewhere else? I’m definitely not a Florida native, not at all, but six years ago when I moved here, I don’t recall that happening. Now it’s just about every time I go into town (which is rapidly growing, far faster than infrastructure and businesses can handle), someone is impatiently tapping their horn. Not like the person in front of them is texting or zoned out on opioids and antidepressants (and those are plentiful, just walk down any aisle in Walmart), but the nanosecond the light changes, before the red has even faded completely.
I assume that this was one of them thar.. rhetorical questions.
 
Is it a New York thing to honk your horn the monent the light turns green, or does it come from somewhere else?

We had that experience recently while visiting the rent-seeking swamp, er I mean the Washington DC metro/NoVA side. It's hard to tell anymore, most metros are transplant heavy these days.
 
Is it a New York thing to honk your horn the monent the light turns green, or does it come from somewhere else?…
Eh, people in general have become bigger buttholes and more self-absorbed behind the wheel everywhere.

I see a lot of passing in a right turn only lane just to stop and wait for the light to turn green, then go straight and merge.

I also see ‘yield’ being taken as a challenge more often than not.
 
Is it a New York thing to honk your horn the monent the light turns green, or does it come from somewhere else? I’m definitely not a Florida native, not at all, but six years ago when I moved here, I don’t recall that happening. Now it’s just about every time I go into town (which is rapidly growing, far faster than infrastructure and businesses can handle), someone is impatiently tapping their horn. Not like the person in front of them is texting or zoned out on opioids and antidepressants (and those are plentiful, just walk down any aisle in Walmart), but the nanosecond the light changes, before the red has even faded completely.

It's just common courtesy as many times the driver in front of you has some very important business distracting their eyes to their phone and it's your way to let them know that we can go. It means they don't have to waste their time staring at the light when you can do it for both of you ... ;)
 
Last edited:
Not to be a trouble maker, but that's kind of my thing. Some of the people that might be headed down south from the NE in retirement actually GREW UP in the south or mid-south. And went north to go to school and get a job. The most difficult part of that was that it's only been about 15 years since you could get BBQ up here, and I still have to make tea myself. The next difficult part will be sorting out if I have enough value in my current home to leverage that for anything where I want to be.

Re driving - I've actually seen someone push someone through an intersection with a pickup truck here, when the car in front was either too slow or was letting someone turn left in front of them. And that's upstate NY drivers, who are way calmer than NYC drivers. But that said, Boston drivers are aggressive for the win. Blind, diagonal "merges" in front of traffic at highway speeds is absolutely normal.
 
Back
Top