What would be your choice? In the US, outside the US?

Wife and I have been dreaming a bit. What if you had a half million US dollars and wanted to live the life of leisure? Where would you do it?

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I mean, look at this. It's like (comparatively) dirt cheap. 2011 Lakeside Dr, Erie, PA 16511 | MLS #53935 | Zillow

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Anywhere rural.....northern CA would be nice....with a view.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

A hundred fifty maybe two hundred or so miles due west of there you can pick up homes for around 20k. Was Detroit MI on that list of where to live cheap?

Well we live in a city right now so probably not so much. More like a slice of the good life at a fraction of the cost kinda thing. Unless the city is Venice or something.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

If you're talking about half a mil to put down on a property, there's plenty of great places. However, you have to calculate in the total cost of living there...taxes, cost of groceries, utilities, etc. I'm sure you already know that, though.

With that kind of money to spend, I'd look for a patch of land and have a cabin built. PA, OH, KY, WV, TN...all have plenty of affordable land with great views. Pre-man log cabins will run anywhere from 60K to 200K, depending on what you want. They can be set on the foundation of your choice, including basements. Customability makes them attractive.

Personally, I'd look for a patch of land, minimum of 5 acres, pick the cabin of my choice, and go that route.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Is the $500K for a 2nd house, a down payment, to live on for the next 20 years or ??

I recently did a show in AZ and while it is way too hot to live in during the summer months, once away from the 2 big cities it is inexpensive and extraordinarily beautiful in a desert way. Anywhere in that area is a bargain. The areas around LV and Reno are also good buys *and* have great entertainment value.

The dry climate makes sunrises and sunsets amazing because light is not diffused by much humidity. It is also not so bad to be warm...

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Toyota is a leader only because their drivers block everyone behind them. Oh what a feeling.

Well heck I didn't mean for it to get so complicated. I guess if we sold everything we had we'd end up with 500k but really for two people who wants a big huge place and maintenance? So a lifestyle like..

Wake up in the morning, have coffee. Then to the store or something, light errands. Light lunch, nap, wake up, espresso and amaretti at the neighborhood cafe, chat with people, attend concert, supper, go home and go to bed. Repeat next day. Something like that.

A lot of chatting and a lot of coffee.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Delaware shore. Microscopic taxes, reasonably priced real estate, beach. And reasonable driving distance to Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC for anything else you need.

Kuala Lumpur

I don’t know if retirement is part of your plan but I messed with the numbers recently and don’t think it’s possible to retire on $500K if you plan to live more than about 15 years, due to cost of living issues.

I have read, but don’t know if it’s true that Costa Rica is considered a great choice as are some places in Mexico and even Thailand. These locations essentially require living off the grid, but it’s not too expensive to generate power at home and one can get internet access from satellite.

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Toyota is a leader only because their drivers block everyone behind them. Oh what a feeling.

A lot of factors to consider. We weighed everything and decided to leave an area of Canada that was to us getting too populated and all of the resultant issues. This was over forty years ago. So much is dependant though. Family, friends and aquaintenances left behind. Will locals accept you easily. Your age when you consider it.


The wife for instance has mentioned at least twice now that we could sell our current residence and move to the cottage. It is only 17 miles away but if we run out of milk or whatever the closest small store is 10 miles.


The two lane highway has steep ditches and is only sanded on the portion that passes through the towns well field area. Then in the winter there would be the isolation factor out there. We would be closer to nature perhaps but if we needed some form of medical care it could be less quickly available.


Then there are all the possessions to deal with as the cottage is only a thousand square feet. I guess we could dispose of many things but personally I do not have the desire to yet. There is nothing wrong with an old couple in a thousand square feet either but there is only a frost wall and no basement. Depending where you currently are there might be some area within reasonable distance that might prove practical and desirable.

Howdy All,
New Mexico

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

Haiti?

Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Uruguay, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia), Austria, Czech Republic, Poland.

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[GONE] - 1995 Mercedes E300 Diesel - 130k miles - Smoke Silver (702) over Mushroom leather (265) - Bladder blasting, coast-to-coast work machine.