Welcome to the 907th Metamorphosis Monday! I am often asked in comments if I will ever sell the Georgia house to move to Ohio full-time. Spoiler Alert: If you don’t want to read this post and just want the answer, the answer is: No. There are multiple reasons why I wouldn’t want to sell the home I’ve lived in for the past 36 years in Georgia and move to the Dollhouse cottage in Ohio, but the two biggest reasons are the outrageous Ohio property taxes that continue to go up substantially every year, and the cold, snowy Ohio weather. Here’s a statistic for you: the property taxes for the Dollhouse, a home that is smaller, and worth a good bit less than my home in Georgia, are almost 9 times higher than the property taxes for the Georgia house. Let me repeat that: I pay close to 9 times higher property taxes for a smaller, less-expensive home in Ohio than I do in Georgia.
Most of the counties in Georgia have fairly reasonable property taxes, except maybe Fulton County, which includes Atlanta proper. The average real estate tax in Georgia is $2,554 per year, which is around $660 less than the national median. The county I live in (in Georgia) values and cares for its seniors, so once you turn age 62, you no longer pay school tax. That greatly reduces the tax burden on seniors. Several counties in Georgia have reduced property taxes for seniors, but the county I live in actually eliminates school tax once you turn 62.
When I purchased the Dollhouse, I knew the taxes were going to be higher than in Georgia, but I was shocked to learn that Ohio taxes are the eighth highest in the United States! (Read more about that in this article: Ohioans are paying the eighth highest property tax rate in the U.S.) I can’t find the article now, but when I was first researching this topic last winter, I read an article that said when the Ohio budget was being created, there were attempts made to reduce property taxes across Ohio. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed all 67 of the recommendations, saying that the schools would suffer. Some governing body overrode a very small number of his vetoes, but those changes would not have any effect on the existing property taxes for the Dollhouse. So, in summary, it doesn’t make sense to retire permanently to a state where I would be paying 9 times more in property taxes every single year, while living in a smaller home that’s valued at a lot less than my current home. The property taxes here have gone up every single year that I’ve owned this house, so it won’t be long before I’ll be paying 10 times what I pay in Georgia. Even the sales tax is higher here than in Georgia. Here’s another way to look at it: If I purchased a home here in Ohio that was similar to my home in Georgia, I would be paying over $20,000 a year in property taxes, probably closer to $25,000!
I asked some of the local tradesmen who have worked in my home (electricians, plumbers, handyman, etc.) how they feel about the property taxes. They hate the taxes and the Ohio weather as much as I do. I asked why they stay, and the answer is what you would expect: for family. They have older parents or siblings, so they stay, but many have told me that they hope to move in the future. Another statistic I found about Ohio is that with each passing year, Ohio is losing population. Ohio saw a small increase in population in a few cities this past year, but overall, Ohio is expected to lose around 675,000 people over the next 24 years. The most common reasons cited for why people are leaving were job opportunities, property taxes, and weather.
2. The Weather! My second biggest reason for not wanting to live out my golden years here in Ohio is the weather. It rains here a lot! Plus, it’s often cloudy and dismal during the winter months. If the sun comes out for a day during the winter, everyone is talking about it everywhere you go…the grocery store, UPS, etc. Also, as you may know, Ohio gets a lot of snow each winter, and with that comes additional expenses. Every winter, I have to hire someone to remove the snow from my driveway at least 3-4 times during the winter season. If they have to come out twice for one storm, as they did this winter since it kept snowing and snowing and snowing, they of course charge you for each visit. That adds up after several snow events. I spent around $600 one winter for just snow removal from the driveway and front walkway.
It’s not uncommon to have a snowstorm in north Georgia during the winter, but the big difference is the snow is here and gone in just a few days—and I mean completely gone. That’s how I like my snow: here today, gone tomorrow. lol In Georgia, the temps always warm back up to above freezing in 2-4 days, and the snow completely melts away, leaving nary a trace.
The longest I’ve ever been trapped in my home in Georgia due to a snow or ice storm was 4 days. I can only think of two times that has ever happened. Normally, it’s all gone by the third day.
The two winters I’ve experienced here in Ohio seemed to never end. The snow stayed on the ground for weeks. The roads in my neighborhood were always cleared within 24 hours, but I still had to hire a company to clear the foot of snow on my driveway, and sometimes multiple times for each storm. When visiting a grocery store, there would be mountains of dirty snow piled high where the parking lot had been scraped. And the dirty gray mountains stayed there for weeks. The sides of the roads were gross and messy for months. I constantly worried what effect the stuff they put out on the roads was having on the underside of my SUV. Ohio is the only time in my entire life that I’ve experienced snow on Halloween. One year, when trick-or-treating with my grandson, it was so cold, and it was snowing so hard, we had to stop and go back to the house to thaw out before going back out again.
My son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons love the snow and get excited when it starts. They are made for winter weather! They love it here during the winter and even go for long walks in the snow! We are so different! My goal last winter was to leave and head back to Georgia immediately after our New Year’s celebration. I got stuck here until mid-March due to the epic snowstorms all across the Southeast AND staying to take care of pets and kids while family members were out of town for winter ski and beach trips. My goal (once again) this year is to leave either right after Christmas or immediately after New Year’s, and not return until mid-May. Spring arrives about 4 weeks later here than it does in Georgia, and fall arrives about a month earlier. So my favorite seasons, spring and summer, are shortened here.
There are a lot of other reasons that I would not want to continue living in this particular neighborhood, although it’s considered the safest and nicest area in which to live here in the Dayton area due to the great schools, the police presence, and the beautiful historic homes. Here’s one of many reasons why living in this particular neighborhood is expensive: I was surprised to learn that if the public sidewalk in front of my home ever shifts upward more than the acceptable amount, or needs a repair, I will be required to pay for that. It will be my responsibility to have it repaired/repoured. I saw some paperwork indicating that happened in front of my house quite a few years back, and the family who was living here at that time had to pay for the repairs. It wasn’t cheap—I think around $1,500, if I’m remembering correctly—and that was many years ago. No telling what it would cost today. If you don’t take care of it within a certain period of time, the city will make the repairs and send you the bill. So far, I haven’t had that issue come up, but it’s unreal to me that homeowners here are responsible for the public sidewalks, especially on top of the insane property taxes we pay! Every which way you turn, living here is a lot more expensive than living in Georgia, or many other southern states for that matter.
3. In the End, I like the Georgia House Best: The 3rd main reason I don’t want to sell my home in Georgia to move full-time to Ohio is that I like the Georgia house better than the Ohio house. The Ohio house is adorable, and if property taxes were normal here, I would keep it indefinitely. There are so many features I love about the Dollhouse, but between the two houses, I still prefer the Georgia house, over the Dollhouse.
The Best Part: Of course, the best part of living in the Dollhouse is seeing family a lot more often since they are just a few homes away. But, if I’m realistic, how much longer will my grandsons want to hang out with Mimi. lol They spent the night with me last night and are still here enjoying the movie room with friends. They just got back from taking the kitties around the block for a stroll, but I know the day is coming when they will be too busy to visit as often as they do now. That time is coming fast as they are quickly growing up.
Do I have plans to sell the house this summer? Probably not. The more repairs I make here, the more I love this house. But all in all, it’s not practical to move to a state with the 8th highest property taxes in the union. I do enjoy the summers here, though—not because of the weather, but because I’ll get to spend more time with my grandsons. I’m looking forward to some summer cookouts and games of cornhole in the backyard.
I hope this answers the question: Will I one day sell my home in Georgia and move to Ohio full-time? No, I won’t. I may eventually sell the Georgia house to move to the Georgia mountains or to move further south, but definitely not for a move farther north. Check out THIS CHART to see which states have the lowest and the highest property taxes. Per that chart, Ohio has the 6th highest property taxes.
Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects, like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects, and even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings; save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address (that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog) into the “URL” box for InLinkz when prompted.
It seems that the two houses are perfect for you now. We have low property tax in Alabama. The cold weather would be hard to get use to after living in the South. I do love your classic home in Georgia!
If you can afford two homes, then go for it. Sounds like the best of both worlds.
But…what about the insane heat and humidity in the Georgia summers? That would kill me. When it’s cold, you can put on a sweater. When it’s hot, there’s only so much you can take off….