Retirement in Texas (Corpus Christi, Houston, other)? Pros and Cons? (1 Viewer)

Seeking Alpha Social Club

Seeking Alpha Social Club

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Hey peeps!!

I'm looking for pros and cons from people that do, or have, lived in certain parts of TX. Specifically, Corpus Christi and Houston suburbs are at the top of our list right now, but we would consider any place in TX as long as IT DOES NOT REGULARLY SNOW AND GET COLD FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME in the winter.

Timeframe: 3 years from this May, so mid 2026.

However, we want to start visiting areas at different times of the year. Ideally, no humidity would be awesome, but that is a very distant secondary desire and not realistic.

We've done a ton of research, but I'm looking for insight from people that have lived in the Corpus Christi and Houston area. Again, we would live in the suburbs because living in the city sucks!! :)

Hit me with your pros and cons, as well as other potential TX options within the boundaries outlined above.

Thanks in advance!!
Kev
 
Seeking Alpha Social Club said:
Hey peeps!!

I'm looking for pros and cons from people that do, or have, lived in certain parts of TX. Specifically, Corpus Christi and Houston suburbs are at the top of our list right now, but we would consider any place in TX as long as IT DOES NOT REGULARLY SNOW AND GET COLD FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME in the winter.

Timeframe: 3 years from this May, so mid 2026.

However, we want to start visiting areas at different times of the year. Ideally, no humidity would be awesome, but that is a very distant secondary desire and not realistic.

We've done a ton of research, but I'm looking for insight from people that have lived in the Corpus Christi and Houston area. Again, we would live in the suburbs because living in the city sucks!! :)

Hit me with your pros and cons, as well as other potential TX options within the boundaries outlined above.

Thanks in advance!!
Kev
Click to expand...
Amarillo.

Pro: @Lil Tuna is there.

Con: @Lil Tuna is there. Hahahahahahahahahahah
 
Saoliver said:
Amarillo.

Pro: @Lil Tuna is there.

Con: @Lil Tuna is there. Hahahahahahahahahahah
Click to expand...
It would definitely be a pro, but my wife is done with cold winters. :)

Screenshot_20230424_153126_Chrome.jpg
 
So you’ve finally had it with that I95 traffic and that straight jacket of a traffic jam town huh? :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
Well if you make it to south Texas at least your only a couple hour flight from me. ;)

I must say I don’t miss Mid Atlantic humidity or traffic one bit.
 
Tonysquander said:
If you don't want humidity, stay the hell away from Houston. Corpus is probably better but then again you will have to deal with hurricanes, flooding and highly corrosive salt water. Hope you got the undercarriage protection :)
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Humidity is fine. Me just whining. However, I might change my mimd when I experience it im the summer.

I'll need to do some research on the frequency for hirricanes and flooding. Occasional is fine, we'll just head north, but it depends on how often.

Definitely didn't think anout the corrosive salt, but not a show stopper.

Thanks!!
 
Lil Tuna said:
So you’ve finally had it with that I95 traffic and that straight jacket of a traffic jam town huh? :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
Well if you make it to south Texas at least your only a couple hour flight from me. ;)

I must say I don’t miss Mid Atlantic humidity or traffic one bit.
Click to expand...
I'm fine with it, and love living in the boonies of the boonies, but Molly's sick of the cold weather.
 
Last edited:
Dumb question - and give me a chance to set the scene for you

We all know Texas as a "No Income Tax" state. But in all reality they have the same state expenditures as any other state. They compensate for no income tax by having elevated property tax.

In retirement, most people (might not be you but is true for most people) have a significantly lower income than they did before retirement, with a large portion of their wealth tied into their home and property they own.

Honest question - you want to retire in Texas and do this whole taxation thing BACKWARDS?!?
 
Lil Tuna said:
So you’ve finally had it with that I95 traffic and that straight jacket of a traffic jam town huh? :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
Well if you make it to south Texas at least your only a couple hour flight from me. ;)

I must say I don’t miss Mid Atlantic humidity or traffic one bit.
Click to expand...
Yes - ^^ I’ll never miss the I95 corridor or the humidity- lol.

But I do miss the region in general, the mountains, topology, and proximity to ocean/beach, mountains/skiing, hiking, and most of all tall fescue and TREES - lol.

My old backyard in VA:

IMG_2020.jpeg


All that said, I’d move back to Richmond, but you couldn’t pay me enough to move back to NoVA - lol.
 
tabletalker7 said:
Dumb question - and give me a chance to set the scene for you

We all know Texas as a "No Income Tax" state. But in all reality they have the same state expenditures as any other state. They compensate for no income tax by having elevated property tax.

In retirement, most people (might not be you but is true for most people) have a significantly lower income than they did before retirement, with a large portion of their wealth tied into their home and property they own.

Honest question - you want to retire in Texas and do this whole taxation thing BACKWARDS?!?
Click to expand...
There are a lot of numbers to consider. Yes, no income tax. Also, property tax may be higher than some states, not sure if we are above or below NY. I do believe the amount is locked at age 65 though and will not increase. I also seem to recall that property taxes can also be deferred from age 65 until after death and then settled by the estate. May mean your kids don't get much of an estate but they can get their own jobs :) We also have no tax on grocery/food items. Electric rates fluctuate b/c we are deregulated but you can shop around for the best price offered at least.
 
Seeking Alpha Social Club said:
I don't completely disagree, but (1) I'd like a couple acres of land and (2) no chance I could afford retirement in SD. :)
Click to expand...
yeah. the only redeemable quality of California is the Pacific Ocean and the weather along the coast. other than that, just about every other state wins.
 
tabletalker7 said:
Dumb question - and give me a chance to set the scene for you

We all know Texas as a "No Income Tax" state. But in all reality they have the same state expenditures as any other state. They compensate for no income tax by having elevated property tax.

In retirement, most people (might not be you but is true for most people) have a significantly lower income than they did before retirement, with a large portion of their wealth tied into their home and property they own.

Honest question - you want to retire in Texas and do this whole taxation thing BACKWARDS?!?
Click to expand...
Can confirm. Property taxes are insane. Yeah, the value of my house has allegedly increased, but at this rate, I'll be priced out of my home in 10 years.
 
Tonysquander said:
There are a lot of numbers to consider. Yes, no income tax. Also, property tax may be higher than some states, not sure if we are above or below NY. I do believe the amount is locked at age 65 though and will not increase. I also seem to recall that property taxes can also be deferred from age 65 until after death and then settled by the estate. May mean your kids don't get much of an estate but they can get their own jobs :) We also have no tax on grocery/food items. Electric rates fluctuate b/c we are deregulated but you can shop around for the best price offered at least.
Click to expand...
I am definitely not suggesting you retire in my area - retirement age and blizzards don't mix. But if you look at Arizona or New Mexico you can have lower property tax, avoid their income tax by being retired, and have your low or no humidity and no real snowfall. Sounds more like a win - win than Texas to me.
 
How about the Austin hills? Less humid.

If you go Houston, there are options, but I’d ask how you plan to spend your retirement? My cousins (retired) live in Spring (between Cypress and Spring, in the NNW part of town). They’ve moved further and further out over the years. It’s quieter, but still growing and typical Texas suburb life. My in-laws live near the SW corner of the 610 loop- I’d avoid that area due to hurricane flooding.
 
tabletalker7 said:
Dumb question - and give me a chance to set the scene for you

We all know Texas as a "No Income Tax" state. But in all reality they have the same state expenditures as any other state. They compensate for no income tax by having elevated property tax.

In retirement, most people (might not be you but is true for most people) have a significantly lower income than they did before retirement, with a large portion of their wealth tied into their home and property they own.

Honest question - you want to retire in Texas and do this whole taxation thing BACKWARDS?!?
Click to expand...

This is a very valid point. The property tax is getting to be a bit silly. From 2015, my property appraised value (and hence tax) has doubled. So you really should look carefully at the property values and tax rates at various locations.

This is mainly a function of the school tax which is essentially 3/4 of the tax burden. Property tax is governed by your county and if you're home lands within a "city". For my county (Fort Bend) there is a general tax 0.44% of the value of your property, drainage (0.013%) and Lamar School District (1.24%). I don't come under a "city" but if I did, the nearest is Richmond and would add 0.68%.

There are also MUD taxes - Municipal Utility District (these are taxes that developers can levy to pay for neighbourhood water/drainage utilities). If you are one of the first people to buy a house in a new development, this can be very high - as much as 2% - but it's supposed to go down a the investment is paid off but the reality is that it never truly disappears.

Go to HAR.com and have a look - each of the listings will have the appraised values and tax burden at the bottom. You'll see that many taxing districts are no where near the true value of the house - you can buy a house for 900k and be taxed as if it's 450k. In my case, the appraised value is close to the actual and the appraisal district won't budge so I'm paying a lot more than my neighbours. Sadly when you buy your house, you can't really argue as to the value as they will automatically value it at the sales price and keep increasing from there.

The best thing to do is buy a piece of land and build - there is plenty of land so it's pretty easy and you get exactly what you want. And then they will value your house with the comparables rather than how much you spent. Keep your living square footage down and add additional space that is taxed less - e.g. build a detached 2000sq ft barn for your man cave and it's not included in the living sq footage of your house.
 
tabletalker7 said:
Dumb question - and give me a chance to set the scene for you

We all know Texas as a "No Income Tax" state. But in all reality they have the same state expenditures as any other state. They compensate for no income tax by having elevated property tax.

In retirement, most people (might not be you but is true for most people) have a significantly lower income than they did before retirement, with a large portion of their wealth tied into their home and property they own.

Honest question - you want to retire in Texas and do this whole taxation thing BACKWARDS?!?
Click to expand...
Not looking necessarily for tax purposes. Top of the list is warm winters for my wife. I (think) we ruled out FL. Doesn't get us any closer to family, in CO, and is full of old people. Nothing against you old bastards, but you suck and make me want to punch somebody in the throat!! :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

In all seriousness, just looking for somewhere warm in the winter that isn't the desert....or FL :)
 
CraigT78 said:
Can confirm. Property taxes are insane. Yeah, the value of my house has allegedly increased, but at this rate, I'll be priced out of my home in 10 years.
Click to expand...
Like how insane? We have pretty high property tax in VA, but no where near NJ or NY. So, for example, my property tax on my house is about $5100 per year on a $700k house. Way worse than that?
 
Budha said:
Yes - ^^ I’ll never miss the I95 corridor or the humidity- lol.

But I do miss the region in general, the mountains, topology, and proximity to ocean/beach, mountains/skiing, hiking, and most of all tall fescue and TREES - lol.

My old backyard in VA:

View attachment 1124487

All that said, I’d move back to Richmond, but you couldn’t pay me enough to move back to NoVA - lol.
Click to expand...
Now that's what I'm talking about!! Very nice!! I need to be able to do that. Not that nice but I need a yard big enough for a riding mower and area for a garden!!
 
tabletalker7 said:
I am definitely not suggesting you retire in my area - retirement age and blizzards don't mix. But if you look at Arizona or New Mexico you can have lower property tax, avoid their income tax by being retired, and have your low or no humidity and no real snowfall. Sounds more like a win - win than Texas to me.
Click to expand...
Thanks, but we grew up in the south west corner of CO, I was born in Albuquerque and my wife was a teacher on the Navajo Reservation. If it has sage brush and red dirt...pretty much a no go. :)
 

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