The wife and I are in Charlotte. Since the stolen election, we’ve been discussing a move to SuperRed WV. I know there’s a big meth problem up there. LOL...I look at the local mugshot pages and the perps all seem to be white...busted for drugs. But, the cost of living seems to be phenomenal.
Is it a good game plan to consider WV? We need to be somewhat close to Charlotte for family. Somewhere below Charleston, probably near I-77 is what we’re looking at.
Neighborhood matters.
Neighborhood matters.
Much depends where you are I suppose.
I only have firsthand experience of the area North of Charleston up to and including Parkersburg/Marietta, mostly Wood, Wirt, Roane, Jackson counties.
Cost of living isn’t as great as it seems unless maybe if you live in a decent-sized town. Otherwise, selection is limited and everything is far away so what you save on costs you spend on gas. It’s difficult to find decent tradespeople if you can’t do things yourself - there’s just not the demand to keep them at work unless they’re in the towns or cities.
Regulation is all but non-existent and usually not even enforced when it exists. Roads can be mediocre to awful off the beaten path. Very few people own the mineral rights under their land and some don’t own the timber rights so be careful before buying.
We wanted 25-50 acres when we first came down. Turns out that’s sort of a sweet spot and difficult to find. 1-5 acres is no problem. 100+ is no problem. Also, much property only sells between locals and is never advertised. It’s a bit of a catch 22 - you have to live there to be able to buy property but you can’t live there until you do. I’d recommend finding a place that you think you’d like, renting a house, hopefully with some acreage for a year or so and spending as much time there as you can before you make the big leap.
If you plan on working, that’s another whole topic. I’m in IT so my options are severely limited and with the oil jobs suddenly gone there’s a big pool of skilled guys looking for work. But if you’re retired, it might be a good move.