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Well after reading all this great information and doing research I realize we are a little late to the party.
Goodness...should of purchased back in 2013. Looks like for us to live there it would be on our own little lot, living in a trailer of sorts or mini home. Might need to adjust my vision to another area or just stay put and wait for things to change...RE wise.
Understandable. I waited too long unvomuntarily (wide wasn't ready) so needless to say I overpaid. Hopefully a regime change will happen soon so the road to a refi will work out. I recommend keeping your eyes open.
Hello..I was just reading all the wonderful responses to my questions. Sorta funny, have been to some other areas like West Virginia until I looked at the crime rates, YIKES. Seems all the larger cities are very problematic and nothing is being done. Smaller areas are better for now and certainly the cost of living is more attractive, I could actually cash out here and pay cash for a home there, however don't want to be Annie Oakley all the time wondering if and when we will be a crime statistic. Yes Virignia, there are no free rides.
So I am back looking at Idaho, even with the spread of liberalism it appears crime has not taken a strong hold there as long as we can still protect ourselves and our property. Also the infrustructure is what I like at this stage including medical.
We would have to rent at this point which is not too bad providing I can find a cute place which will allow my doggies.
Would anyone know is it better to utilize a real estate company to look for place, goodness there are tons available. I do know there is alot of fraud if your not careful especially communicating on line.
I don't know anyone that uses an agent to find rentals. Sounds like an added expense. Avoid Craigslist. Tour prospective houses in person. Work with people/businesses with a presence in the area. More tips here: https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/co...y-rental-scam/
Spend some time looking at rentals in various parts of the Treasure Valley to make sure you can find reasonable properties within your budget.
You haven't mentioned mountains or the outdoors as important for you, which is one of the main things attracting Californians and increasing the cost of housing. Hiking, skiing, mountain biking, fly fishing... all in, or a short distance from Boise. If these things aren't important to you it may make sense to consider other mid-size cities. It's a bit of a wildcard based on the cities you're currently looking at, but Omaha may be worth looking at. Much lower housing costs. About average crime. Excellent medical care, including the Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Omaha VA Medical Center. Plenty of dining and shopping. Or if you want something a bit smaller, Lincoln is about 1 hr away, still close enough for medical in Omaha. Nebraska is conservative, but the cities lean somewhat left ... just the reality of cities big enough to have good medical care.
Hello..I was just reading all the wonderful responses to my questions. Sorta funny, have been to some other areas like West Virginia until I looked at the crime rates, YIKES. Seems all the larger cities are very problematic and nothing is being done. Smaller areas are better for now and certainly the cost of living is more attractive, I could actually cash out here and pay cash for a home there, however don't want to be Annie Oakley all the time wondering if and when we will be a crime statistic. Yes Virignia, there are no free rides.
So I am back looking at Idaho, even with the spread of liberalism it appears crime has not taken a strong hold there as long as we can still protect ourselves and our property. Also the infrustructure is what I like at this stage including medical.
We would have to rent at this point which is not too bad providing I can find a cute place which will allow my doggies.
Would anyone know is it better to utilize a real estate company to look for place, goodness there are tons available. I do know there is alot of fraud if your not careful especially communicating on line.
Thank you as always!!!
The premise of using crime rates as a major tool in deciding where to live is at best ridiculous. Crime Rates are compiled utilizing incidents of crime within a zip code versus the population living there. Zip codes by nature cover many miles, on average 90 square miles. Crime is not widespread against such a vast area and is dictated almost always by census tracts of several square blocks. The vast majority of violent crime victims are via acquaintances and not random acts. Futhermore by utilizing the methodology of crime rates you're eliminating what are probably great neighborhoods for you because they happen to be ten miles away from bad ones. Just saying think it through logically versus buying into some hysteria that's not indicative of reality.
The premise of using crime rates as a major tool in deciding where to live is at best ridiculous. Crime Rates are compiled utilizing incidents of crime within a zip code versus the population living there. Zip codes by nature cover many miles, on average 90 square miles. Crime is not widespread against such a vast area and is dictated almost always by census tracts of several square blocks. The vast majority of violent crime victims are via acquaintances and not random acts. Futhermore by utilizing the methodology of crime rates you're eliminating what are probably great neighborhoods for you because they happen to be ten miles away from bad ones. Just saying think it through logically versus buying into some hysteria that's not indicative of reality.
Actually, crime is at the top of my list of considerations why wouldn't it be especailly now, this is reality. Amazing the internet provides many resources to objectively consider a particular area, don't think this is buying into any hysteria I have been around long enough to know it's spread particularly now even ten miles out in any form or reason is usually a good indicator of some decline or permissive governing I choose not to be subject too.
I don't know anyone that uses an agent to find rentals. Sounds like an added expense. Avoid Craigslist. Tour prospective houses in person. Work with people/businesses with a presence in the area. More tips here: https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/co...y-rental-scam/
Spend some time looking at rentals in various parts of the Treasure Valley to make sure you can find reasonable properties within your budget.
You haven't mentioned mountains or the outdoors as important for you, which is one of the main things attracting Californians and increasing the cost of housing. Hiking, skiing, mountain biking, fly fishing... all in, or a short distance from Boise. If these things aren't important to you it may make sense to consider other mid-size cities. It's a bit of a wildcard based on the cities you're currently looking at, but Omaha may be worth looking at. Much lower housing costs. About average crime. Excellent medical care, including the Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Omaha VA Medical Center. Plenty of dining and shopping. Or if you want something a bit smaller, Lincoln is about 1 hr away, still close enough for medical in Omaha. Nebraska is conservative, but the cities lean somewhat left ... just the reality of cities big enough to have good medical care.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Sorta funny, have been to some other areas like West Virginia until I looked at the crime rates, YIKES. We had good friends just head to DC, and refused to drive near WV because they heard from motorcycle friends that crime was everywhere. But... We travel the world, and go to WV frequently, and enjoy most of the state (for 40+ years) and have never had a 'crime' encounter, and we stay with locals, not hotels, and never have been warned about their fears..... obviously if your DH is against sticky humidity... Nothing east of Missouri River will do (except tax free NH, has some very good medical! As does NC 'triangle'.... Retiree Central
Yes, we need a few more details, as to what you're seeking. And the importance and proximity of a larger town. And... How far is too far away from important services like colleges, medical, or airports / rail / entertainment.
With potential needs for advanced medical... Personally, I would choose CdA, as Spokane is quite close, and I much prefer the many various outdoor options+ 3 states and BC and Alberta an easy drive away. Boise is massive suburbia and can be quite sprawled with traffic to navigate. (Not unlike N Tucson/ Oro Valley, which is really a miserable commute to anywhere south (as in airport).)
Eagle and Emmett (or Nampa ) might do if you find digestible proximity to common needs and services. There are plenty of areas in Boise that I would not choose (some because of petty crime.)
Four seasons and medical access might cause me to look at Colorado Springs.
Or Santa Fe or Rio Rancho (towards ABQ).
If SD, (pretty cold) I would look Piedmont to Spearfish (accessible to Rapid, but far enough away to not be in Rapid.) Sioux Falls is pretty well served, and close to MN and NE and IA.
Using a rental locating agency can be very helpful, as you can clearly state your expectations., and not be wagged by the 'tale' (misrepresented properties). Probably more expensive, but more successful. Nearly all our retiree tenants come via rental agencies. But the last couple came via Zillow Rents. All our retiree tenants are excellent and make our life as landlords easy. (And they are compensated well for doing so). All love to be tenants, and each always know they could buy the place at a large discount if they desired.
Good luck on your quest.
We end up keeping multiple homes, while we are able.
We fly between them, where ever the weather or activities are best. Will be in Tucson in a couple weeks, but need to run to Hawaii first.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 01-27-2024 at 09:52 PM..
While I agree that crime stats don't tell the entire picture, they are very useful. Low crime stats are always a good thing, whereas high stats should cause one to pause and question.
Cities with high crime stats may have low crime areas worth considering for those willing to get into the finer details. The assumption is that the boundaries between high and low crime parts of the city won't shift over time, and that crime remains contained in certain pockets. My main issue here is the socioeconomic reality of such cities, with low crime areas being very expensive, and more affordable areas being higher crime.
Whereas a city with low crime stats has lower crime throughout. Boise has areas with relatively high crime rates compared to nicer neighborhoods, but this is all coming off a very low base. So in this sense there are really very few, if any, "bad" areas of town. Yes we have crime, it's just very minimal compared to almost every other place I've lived, including some rural areas of California. You still have to use common sense, like don't leave valuables in view in your car, and use a decent lock for your bike.
For reference, I lived in Santa Cruz, CA for a long time. Property crime became absolutely terrible there, which is accurately reflected in the stats. The tourism industry, with help from local media, very much downplayed the problem. A large number of the locals, blinded by ideology, either tried to explain it away or even excused bad behavior. There were even those that praised crime for (in their opinion) making an area edgy, or keeping out fussy types. Sorry not sorry, I won't suffer fools gladly. A very common trope was "it's just as bad everywhere else" or "it's always been this way, social media just makes it seem worse" -- just gaslighting. We've traveled and lived enough places to know better. While it's not the main reason we left, there was very much had a sense that "we can do better than this."
So low crime rates were an important consideration for us when looking for a new city. We ruled out a few places due to high property crime rates which we learned were likely connected to the drug trade. And nothing beats seeing an area with your own eyes. What I'm looking to avoid are places with obvious signs of dysfunction: lots of graffiti, trash strewn about, unmaintained streets/parks, bars on doors/windows, crazy people wandering aimlessly, homeless encampments, abandoned vehicles, and so on. On the positive side, what I want to see: families walking/biking, kids playing in front yards and going places on their own, kids having fun at clean parks, and a sense of civic pride in keeping streets/parks/paths clean and well maintained.
Last edited by AnythingOutdoors; 01-28-2024 at 08:31 AM..
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Still Looking for a Place to Land
I have been around long enough to know it's spread particularly now even ten miles out in any form or reason is usually a good indicator of some decline or permissive governing I choose not to be subject too. 
