We cashed out to free up time and money for kids and business opportunities (‘mid-century’ homes in the hills are time/money pits), as well as to get out of a poor school system.
Besides speculating on the RE bust, we are renting for many other reasons. With one kid about to start kindergarten and another behind him, renting allows us the freedom to try the public schools in one town, but easily try another if things don’t work out. It also lets us afford private school without becoming house & school poor. Mortgages for decent homes in good school districts would run us about $4-5k, and private schools around here (at least the good ones) are ~16-20k per kid . Even though make decent money, after investments, and college funds, etc, that pretty much wipes us out.
I know I could do much better if I moved to somewhere like upstate NY, as I think lostkitty did. I grew up in NYC area and spent six years in the Buffalo area–lostkitty can have NY (no offense, I am glad you like it–I think your brain may have been frostbitten (jk)–but I am happy you like it.
I also spent five years in Atlanta and some time in NC. It is fun to visit, but I will never live in the South again. I have nothing against the people there, but No Thanks.
Washington DC was nice for three months–too bad I spent a year there. There is a reason Congress is not in session in August (OMG). It is no longer hard to believe DC was built on a drained swamp.
Anyone ever lived in Portland or Seattle?–I think I am getting that wanderlust again.
