Subject: Re: Taxes and Retirement
IP,

Thanks for the info.

Actually I moved to Arizona a few years ago. A decade or two ago when I was also living in Arizona the heat didn't bother me as much but I was also working and out of the heat 5 days a week.

I've never had interest in buying a new home. I watched too many coworkers nearly go crazy trying to monitor a new build. Contractors seldom do what they say they will w/o fairly close monitoring.

The school district/taxes in PA can be quite expensive depending where you live.

One new advantage back east that I'm missing out west is being so much closer to Europe for vacation. Coming from AZ means another good 4+ hrs in the air and almost always means a connection which adds another few hours at a minimum. So an extra 6+ hrs of travel. Last year we got lucky with a non-stop Paris-Phoenix flight. A long 10+ hrs in the air but better than connections.

Maybe if I had to do it over I never would have bought in Arizona but my wife has a ton of family here while my family is mostly gone. I do still have some friends back east. My greatest regret in housing was selling my Scottsdale home in late 2020, both in terms of losing out on a ton of money, as well as missing that location but it might be out of my reach now. Too much stress back then with jobs and family medical issues going on.

Thanks.
Rich