Life Isn't Cheap ...
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10/22/2006
A little background. I'm a Tampa native who grew up in Tampa, visits regularly, and has lived in: Ohio, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Colorado, California, and Alabama. In other words, I get around. Here's a little news for you to consider in your search for your "Best Place" based on what I've seen in my travels. Housing prices are insane EVERYWHERE. It's called a "bubble" and it's what happens when people are able to acquire ever greater amounts of money to supply their desires (desires usually based on some bogus notion of some place that "the grass is greener"). Real Estate properties are RELATIVE. In Alabama there is also a tremendous amount of pressure on housing costs. Since most people know that Alabama is not in the top 10 places most people consider a "Best" place to live, why is it that someone in Birmingham ALSO is paying much more for a house now than they had to ten years ago? Don't like it? Don't buy and contribute to the problem. Keep your existing house in that place you think you don't want to be anymore or rent elsewhere, OR pony up and pay the price. Also, there's a reason Tampa is not your dream place to live. Because your dream is based on a fantasy rather than on reality. Tampa (and all the other typical Florida cities) has never been a paradise. As long as I have been aware, Tampa has had all the same problems other large metro areas have; taxes, crime, traffic, pollution ... Oh and BTW, Tampa in August is FAR from a paradise unless you love 98 degree temps and 100% humidity. So, don't knock Tampa because it's basically a really hot version of whereever you came from "up North." Tampa has A LOT to offer, just like any other American metro. And THAT comes with a price.
CP | ,