TALLAHASSE, FLORIDA

Average age in Tallahassee, FL is 26.8 years.

from Gary North's forum:  

Our son-in-law and daughter have mixed feelings about Florida. They dislike the heat, humidity, and the bugs. However, one big thing stands out that they have mentioned: healthcare.

When they moved, they called to get new physicians. They were told their records would have to arrive from Tennessee first, and they weren't allowed to make appointments until those records were received. This took up to 6 months.

Once our daughter got in with a new doc, he wanted her to have a thyroid biopsy. It took 2 months for her to get the negative results and gave her/us a lot of worry. Ridiculous.

Since we're older, this has made me wonder if a move to Florida would be wise.

Another odd thing is the mail service. Tallahassee residents have trouble getting their mail in a reasonable amount of time. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/money/2019/01/25/usps-officials-put-notice-tallahassees-poor-delivery-service/2678368002/

Hoping to hear from anyone who has any experience about these matters. Thank you in advance.

A member replied,

Check the website of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. There's a database of physicians on there which is intended primarily for people who want to pay cash (IE not go thru insurance). But it also includes physicians who accept Medicare and other insurance but are ';patient-oriented'. Call up a few & ask them - see what what they say.

https://aaps.wufoo.com/reports/m5p6z0/

BTW - Leon County, FL is Blue territory - 64% for BiteMe - Gadsen County, directly west 68%. The counties surrounding Leon/Gadsen are Red.

CF the map in https://www.jacksonville.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-presidential-FL-0/

A few listings in Tallahassee:

$635 here, 

here, 

$650 here, 

$725, 2-bedroom house, 

$1,100 for a 3-bedroom, and here. 

$850 2-bedroom.  

$1,175, 3-bedroom, 1 bath.

$950, 3-bedroom, 2-bath house.  

With gold, you have no advantage geographically.

Dr. Gary North replied to a site member who asked whether it was wise to sell gold to free up money for real investment purposes?  

This was posted yesterday.

My wife and I are steadily saving cash for investment homes for when the time is right. We have one, now, that we own outright but want to rapidly pick up the pace as we are 40 yrs old now. My area of the country has a white-hot real estate market (which seems to be the story all over the country,) so we're just exercising patience and building our cash on hand at the moment.

At the same time, we have a decent (to us) amount of bullion that we could liquidate to help us accelerate the curve on our purchases when the time comes. I've been buying coins since I read some of your books in high school, and I've never sold them, it sort of goes against the grain. But I also remember how frustrating it was in 2009 when I was able to buy our primary residence at a good deal, but lacked the cash to get into any rentals.

A part of me wants to sell some coins, using that cash plus our savings to get into more rentals when the price drops, assuming that this may be the best time in my life (since 2009 anyway) to lock in properties. It seems like this can't keep happening every ten years, and if I play it super safe and only another house this next time, I may be kicking myself later.

Would you ever recommend selling a percentage of bullion for this purpose? If so, what percentage? . . .

Jget (reply)

My take, high end of the market for homes means good deals are hard to find. Look for them anyway. Failed deals are a good way to exercise your ability to execute all the aspects of your home buying mechanism. Research, title search, and rapid access to money that's not coming out of your pocket. When we are on the other side of this is not the time to discover where you are slow in executing steps or deficient in resources.

When selling gold I'd ask do you think we are near a top and if so, give me your source so I can sell too. Otherwise, what do you need the money for now vs. a point in the future when you are making a purchase?

North's reply is here: 

At present, John Schaub favors building up cash. I agree with him.

The advantage of selling gold now is that your capital gains tax is low. In my view, that is going to change next year. The Democrats are going to hike capital gains taxes. So, if you have a profit in anything these days, and you are looking to take advantage of it, now is the time to sell. You will pay less to the government after the transaction is completed.

There are major advantages of real estate over gold as an investment. First and foremost, local conditions vary. If you have accurate knowledge of local conditions, you are able to take advantage of this information. With gold, you have no advantage geographically.

The second advantage is leverage. If you can get a mortgage at a low rate, which these days you can, you can buy more real estate. Yes, the price is going up, but, in a recession, the mortgage rate is still going to go down. All long-term interest rates will fall. So, if you can hold off until rates fall again, and you are in the midst of a recession in which housing is also falling, you have a tremendous advantage as a buyer.

The third advantage of real estate in relation to gold is that it forces you to become an active manager. The very fact of becoming an active manager and an active shopper gives you an advantage over somebody who buys gold and holds it long-term. You are converting your knowledge into capital. You have to be active. You have to monitor the market. This takes many hours. Gold is passive. Gold is for people who want to buy and hold it and pass it on to their children. It is a long-term hedge against price inflation. But real estate is different. Real estate requires a lot of study, and a lot of courage, but the payoff is higher than the payoff in gold is going to be. This assumes that you know what you're doing. It also assumes that you're not buying in a white-hot market today.

I think it would be wise for you to sell a portion of your gold and put this money aside for purchases one year into the recession. You might make it two years into the recession. I'm saying this only on this assumption: you spend at least three or four hours a week examining the local market, viewing properties, and actively gathering knowledge about what constitutes a good deal.

SOUTH DAKOTA WAS THE ONLY STATE THAT DID NOT REQUIRE ANY BUSINESSES TO CLOSE

I try to monitor some trends, like those in job trends, real estate, certain industries, and so forth.  So I was particularly fascinated by an article by Gary North over at Specific Answers, dated June 9th, 2020, and titled, "The Next Migration Has Begun."  

North starts with a full re-post of a Bill Myers' post at his website in its twilight phase, called BMyers.com.  The opening line to that post reads

The next big migration has begun.  People are fleeing the big cities to smaller conservative enclaves. 

That is interesting, but I'd want to know where the conservative enclaves are.  Myers accommodates my curiosity by citing a few Florida towns

Homes in safe places like Venice and Sarasota and Englewood which haven't seen any protests or riots are selling for cash days just after being listed. Most buyers are from New York, New Jersey, Michigan, even Georgia. 

So people are moving out of cities ravaged by Democrats and gutted by social programs and pensions, including cities that have been lit on fire during the recent riots.  Dr. North highlights some of the benefits of moving to the South, but which states might depend more on what you're seeking, how old you are, or whether your family is going with you.  I don't know how people forsake their families.  Here's North, 

Property taxes are low in the South. They are astronomical in the Northeast. They are astronomical in Chicago and they're going to go higher. Why should people stay there whose jobs do not pay them large salaries? There is no good reason. Yes, they have families, and if their children and grandchildren are located within less than an hour's drive, and when there is a lot of visiting of the grandparents, this serves as an anchor. But not everybody is in that situation. 

Citing Ballotopedia, Dr. North shows which states did not cooperate in the lockdown, and what that means for future prosperity, including jobs.  Ballotpedia writes

Seven states—Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming—did not issue orders directing residents to stay at home except for essential activities in March and April 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This is in contrast to the 43 other states, which issued orders at the state level directing residents to stay at home except for essential activities and closing businesses that each state deemed nonessential.    Read more about those stay-at-home orders here. 

Here is a map of these states for visual effect.  We can see that it is the center of the country, not necessarily the most conservative of states but certainly fiscally conservative in that the tax commitment is low.  But does that low-tax profile translate into quality of life, like low-crime, good universities, fine establishments, and so forth?  Hard to tell; least, hard for me to tell.  You have to visit the cities to know better.   

South Dakota was the only state that did not require any business to close.  Remarkable.  

What's nice about the Ballotpedia article is that it lists which businesses were closed and which were not during the lockdown.  None were completely free, which means that none were perfect.  But Dr. North does point to a few that present opportunities now and down the line.  One thing for sure, 6 of the 7 states have cold weather.  How does one endure the weather at the price of keeping more of what you earn? 

North writes

The governors who resisted the siren call of issuing lockdown orders were courageous men. They took a stand against the medical establishment. They refused to act unconstitutionally. They left a legacy of liberty in their states that will last for at least a decade and maybe longer.

All seven of these states have Republican governors.

With one exception, they are contiguous states. They are in the Western side of the heartland.

Two of these states do not have state income taxes: Wyoming and South Dakota.

Arkansas is the only one that is warm. That's why I would move to Arkansas.

Arkansas has America's tax haven city: Texarkana. That is where I would move to.

Inside the city limits of Texarkana, there is no state income tax. The legislature has made a unique exception because the city covers both sides of the Texas and Arkansas border. There is no state income tax in Texas. The legislature in Arkansas recognizes that individuals and businesses on the Arkansas side of State Street have to compete with Texans. The best way to compete is not to have to pay the state income tax. So, Texarkana, more than any other city in America, is a tax haven. 

Here is a related article by Dr. North.

1-2 bedroom apartments in Fayetteville, Arkansas are not cheap.  They start at $900.

Little Rock is better.  I found a few at $500 to $600.  But the prices soon shoot up to the $900 and $1,200 range.

Texarkana.