Posted on 06/19/2023 4:13:21 PM PDT by ducttape45
Good evening fellow Freepers.
This is going to be an unusual posting. Long and short, I am recently retired, and I've been looking for someplace to retire.
I currently live in central Indiana, and I've been looking here but I'm not finding much. With the current housing market being the disaster it is, it's really hard to find someplace else to live. I know this problem is everywhere so I know Indiana is not the only state where people are suffering housing issues, but it also seems like there is a huge racket going on in Indiana to steal from the elderly when it comes to public or senior housing. I've discovered the following while searching for affordable housing in Indiana:
1. I make too much money to live in senior housing. Yep, I make over the allowable limit to get into senior housing. I won't go into how much monthly income I have coming in, but it's not that much.
2. Public/HUD Housing: They want 30% of your income. To me, that's a crime. That percentage should be no more than 20-25%.
3. Basic Market Rent: A one bedroom, one bath unit here costs on the average $900 - $1200 a month, many time more. For instance, in Kokomo, decent housing/apartments costs for such a unit is $1200-$1500 a month. That's a crime.
4. Crime: Lower priced housing, if it can be found, are crime infested. An apartment complex I once lived in about 15 years ago is now awash with crime; shootings, break ins, etc.
That list could be longer but that's the jist of what I'm encountering. Good, safe housing in Indiana, unless you can find a nice small town to live in, is nearly impossible to find.
All that said, I know that crime is everywhere. I know I'll not find a utopia to call home, but I also know there are better places to call home and with the lower taxes in South Dakota, and many friends saying it's a good place to retire to, I'm trying to find someone there who might be able to help put me in contact with folks/organizations to help me find a decent, affordable place to live, preferably in the western part of the state, west of the Missouri River.
Ok, I hope I didn't ramble too much. I'd prefer that anyone with information that can help me Freepmail me so the information remains somewhat confidential.
Thank you all for your time and assistance.
Sturgis?
are you looking to rent, buy or build?
Indiana winters and South Dakota winters are horses of a different color.
Think west river
Do you like wind in winter?
Oh I know, but I grew up in N/W Indiana 1960-1980 and trust me, I know all about winters and snow! I lived about 10 miles from Lake Michigan. :-)
No, but I can deal with it. However, that’s a big reason why folks say to live west of the Missouri River. Not as windy.
Right now, rent. I want to have the ability to pick up and move if I find I can purchase later.
Sturgis is a great town to live in 50 weeks out of the year.
Its close to Rapid city, deadwood lots of beautiful hill and great people.
Only on caveat.
There is a wide canyon that begins in spearfish and ends in Rapid city.
When the winds come out of the north west it brings very cold air and sometimes lots of snow.
The best weather in the state belongs to Hot Springs.
When the northern hills were buried in snow I was driving around in my convertible with the top down
I just watched both of those before making this post! :-)
Rapid City is 340 mi. west of Sioux Falls and has milder winters.
West River is dryer than East River.
Someone else suggested Sturgis as well, a veteran friend of mine, and I’ve been looking for information on that city and someone to contact to help find affordable housing.
Are you ok with cold weather?
I’ve thought about moving to one of the Dakotas. I don’t mind cold, but I am getting frail and a strong wind would knock me down.
😁👍
I’ve been looking at the area from Rapid City up to Spearfish. I’ve been told that Sturgis is a good city to check out too.
I can handle cold weather. I grew up in N/W Indiana back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s before the winters grew less severe than they are now. I still remember those -80 degree wind chills that we experienced. brrrrrrrr.
GMTA!
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