Satinleaf Properties

Given a choice, where in America would you like to live?

The answer depends on your personal circumstance an your preferences. Young singles prefer urban centers with fun and games, and families with kids gravitate to suburbs with parks and good schools. High tech crowd calls California home; financial gurus reside in New York and Chicago. If you like art museums and Michelin star dinners, Miami is your cup of tea, but if camping and hiking is your thing you will feel more at home in Colorado Springs.

However, there are two objective criteria that appeal to everyone, regardless of circumstance: safety and affordability,.

Practically everyone lists safety as their highest priority when choosing a place to live. Streets filled with inebriated or homeless people, or people pushing drugs on subway trains are a huge detriment to your quality of life. Car break ins, panhandling, and businesses closures would make even the most beautiful city like San Francisco undesirable.

Affordability may not matter as much to you if you are well off financially, or if your paycheck makes up for high cost of living. Highly skilled professionals in California and New Jersey earn enough to justify paying high taxes, and they are happy to pay for the amenities these states offer. However, people who work in service industry, construction, or retail still earn the same amount or slightly more than their out of state peers. Many high wage earners still prefer to keep most of their money rather than giving it to the state. Thus, high taxes and high expenses contribute to your dissatisfaction with the place you call home.

Clever Real Estate survey found Tampa, FL, as the city most people would like to live in, given a choice. Florida cities have been continuously gaining population. With law enforcement making their presence known and visible, there is a general perception of safety even in large population centers.

As far as cost of living is concerned, Florida reflects the national average. While housing prices increased significantly over last few years, they are still way below the most expensive states. Outside of South Florida housing is still quite affordable. Insurance cost is high, but many other essentials cost less.

While safety and affordability are the two objective measures that are high on everyone’s list, people still consider other factors when deciding to change their state of residence. Most common reasons people move are family and jobs. If you are considering a move, remember that everyone’s circumstance and preferences are different. Here is a list of some things to consider before you start calling moving companies. And, when you choose your most desirable place, going there and staying for a few weeks as a local makes all the difference. Remember the old saying: “Immigration is different from tourism.”