Will you retire in Texas?

[XChucoresident]

Born and raised in this great state...Lived in every major city except HOuston..went to UT Austin..I went back to my birthplace of ELP..bought a home after I retired from 34 yrs of teaching..I couldn't be happier!

[BMW R1100]

My wife and I are both Southern California natives, and we would have retired there, but our son and his family moved to TX for his wife's job. Two years later, she was diagnosed with RA, and was having a hard time dealing with their three boys. When we retired and sold our CA house and were looking to downsize, they asked us to move to TX and help them with the boys. If you want to be a part of your grandchildren's lives, you have to be where they are, so we bought a place in North Texas, about a 30 minute drive from their place. The thing is, we're not seeing much of them. Someone in that house is always sick, usually one of the boys, who are 10, 13, and 16 years old and in school. We bought a nice 3 bedroom 2800 sq. ft. house in a nice neighborhood.

[rabbit33]

Originally Posted by NewMexicoCowboy

I am thinking about buying somewhere where the land is about 1,000 per acre like Ozona so the ranch would be a lot cheaper than your example. I am not talking about prime land in the Hill Country to retire on. I am also thinking about retiring in a foreign country so I dont think the OP included enough options for every retirement choice.

Keep in mind the agricultural exemptions. There are different minimum acreages for different types of agriculture, and you do have to actually be performing ag activity. Check with the county where you're interested. They're all a bit different.

[Seguinite]

Originally Posted by WRM20

The over 65 exemption depends on where you live. In Houston, living in HISD, the over 65 numbers mean a $3000+ drop in taxes. The City of Houston and Harris County exemptions are nearly $260k and $275k in addition to the 20% standard exemptions.

https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/...sabled-faq.php


This oughta make it clear as mud.

[Dopo]

And my family thinks is a piece of cake to live in the US
in many other countries people don't talk about how much they are going to pay in taxes after they retire and they also get pensions

Before you say it ... nowhere is perfect, but here's is very tough to retire

[NewMexicoCowboy]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Keep in mind the agricultural exemptions. There are different minimum acreages for different types of agriculture, and you do have to actually be performing ag activity. Check with the county where you're interested. They're all a bit different.

Okay thank you. We are in the process of applying for the ag exemption on the property I will retire on in Greater San Antone/Austin. We are putting bird feeders on that ranch to get the ag exemption.

[Ole Texan]

oil capital, your assumption about me being over 65 is clear from my post. Born in 1946, retired 18 years ago clearly makes me 77 and retired.

I do not live in the city of Chicago. I believe I stated Chicago metro area, which span's 14 counties in northeast Illinois.

I know Texas does not have a state income tax. Many tax conversations point out that Illinois income tax offsets other states higher property taxes. That is why I noted that my retirement income is exempt from Illinois income tax.

In my location my property tax is 68 (so I fudged a little) percent of what it would be in the Austin area even with exemptions.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by NewMexicoCowboy

We are putting bird feeders on that ranch to get the ag exemption.

I am not aware of any ag exemption you can get by feeding wild birds. Raising game hunting birds, or domestic poultry, could get an ag exemption if the scale was large enough. Care to share the rationale you're using for the wild bird feeders?

Most ag exemptions require a substantial investment, such as cattle, hay production, or horse breeding. One of the easier ones to get is with honeybees, but you have to have a minimum number of hives per acre, and you actually have to harvest the honey.

[oil capital]

Originally Posted by Ole Texan

oil capital, your assumption about me being over 65 is clear from my post. Born in 1946, retired 18 years ago clearly makes me 77 and retired.

I do not live in the city of Chicago. I believe I stated Chicago metro area, which span's 14 counties in northeast Illinois.

I know Texas does not have a state income tax. Many tax conversations point out that Illinois income tax offsets other states higher property taxes. That is why I noted that my retirement income is exempt from Illinois income tax.

In my location my property tax is 68 (so I fudged a little) percent of what it would be in the Austin area even with exemptions.

For a comparable house in a comparable location? Taking into account the senior exemptions and value freeze? Sorry, not buying it.

[DutchessCottonPuff]

No Texas is not for me, hadn't been for a very long time. I left there several decades ago I don't even visit anymore. I'm an eighth generation Texan.

My life and my work is in Los Angeles that is where I shall stay. I have a small farm near Lake Isabella where I keep my broodmares off the track when they're through racing i still enjoy rehabbing them and showing them and stuff like that so I'm pretty good right now.
I was born on a large cow calf operation just north of the city of Waco in Bosqueville , right on the Brazos.
The property taxes there are far far worse than my Ca income tax , what I do pay for in taxes I get a lot better services, better health care . My life is just better here. I was really honestly just so different from that entire population there that I never fit in so it's no big loss.

And yes I would quite gladly rather have Governor Newsome than that loose cannon over there Lording over Texas. No thanks and no debate .