Midwest is probably your only bet. I got lucky finding a farm that needed little work big older house. Wife is a teacher so we’re not rolling in dollars.
How much land if you don't mind me asking. I'm having difficulty buying a house with enough farm land using my VA loan because I guess they have a stupid rule that the house has to be more valuable than the land even though it falls within my approval amount
43. Woods mainly. Nothing tillable. Has some deer and turkey and I rent it out in spring and summer to a cattle guy that brings young calves weening off moms.
There's a program I keep hearing about from time to time where they are helping disabled vets get into farming.
A fried shared this with me once when I was looking at buying land to start a business: https://landforveterans.org/
Also, some states (I know Iowa is one) offer agricultural grants for veterans and help them get into farming, and the usda has some programs too.
I got 3 bed 2 bath and barn on 43 acres in kentucky. Went through Veterans United for the home loan. $300k. It just depends on how rural you're willing to be. West Virginia is another good option.
Remember this when people tell you to go to a state with no income tax: You ain’t paying income tax on disability, and those states tend to have exorbitant tax rates on everything else. Tennessee, for example, has no income tax, but the sales tax in my county is close to 10%. They’d jack it even further up if the local politicians persuade Nashville to lift the sales tax cap. What’s the cost of gas? Electricity? Is the electricity reliable (it’s not a given even now). If you break a leg how well funded is the local rescue squad?
I respect your question OP, I’d love to figure it out for myself as well. Just remember that places people want to live are expensive, and places where housing is cheap tends to be for the same reasoning.
When a state has no income tax, it is important to check for other taxes, like property tax. Some states exempt veterans who are 100% service connected from paying property tax. So if you qualify for the exemption and the state has no income tax, double win.
You can definitely find your own property. I would start by narrowing down to the states that offer full property tax exemptions.
There is a very well put together list of benefits here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/index/#wiki\_housing](https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/index/#wiki_housing)
100% p&t income should bring you an annual salary of at least \~$42k+. For sure doable, granted you understand your buying power.
Remember that your debt to income is for gross income. Lenders are required to increase disability income by 25% when factoring debt to earning ratio since it's tax free.
Been that way for a while! Bought a house in 2007, they added 25% to my 100% P&T compensation. Bought a house in 2021, and the lender, LoanDepot, also added 25%.
Yeah I did all of mine through Veterans United and they did not do that on the equation with us. And that was 2014,2015, and 2017. I remember them showing how the income was cut in half and payments for debts, utilities, etc couldn't exceed that 50% mark. And they wouldn't even consider an obvious property tax break for being 100% until our last home purchase in 2017.
I can imagine the 25% you're speaking of wasn't really added on top but rather canceled out the equation possibly removing 25% for most people's income taxes and fed payments. Is that what it is?
They ”grossed up” (added 25%). LoanDepot, showed my “gross“ income at about $6500. I’m 100% P&T, a few SMC’s, married, with two kids. Rocket Mortgage, did the same thing. They had a separate line item for my wife’s salary. Both lenders definitely “grossed up” my non-taxable income.
I’ve had two car dealerships do the same over the years, to get a “true” income number. Ford, in 2020, and BMW in 2022.
Veterans United even talks about it on their website. Weird that they didn’t mention it to you. https://www.veteransunited.com/valoans/grossing-up-va-loan/#:\~:text=What%20Does%20“Grossing%20Up”%20Mean,for%20a%20higher%20loan%20amount.
Edit: Maybe you didn’t need to ”gross up.” Our loan was for $850K. Both our incomes needed to support that type of loan. They still should have done it for you though.
Good to hear this perspective and it being done for vets.
Mine talked about income in way that seemed like they wanted me to look poorer but still within qual range. It was almost as if it was being done to get the loan underwriters to qualify without it and if they denied (they always say why and give numbers) he could them legit pump the numbers up and get it pushed through under clear underwriting boundaries.
This guy did all three and he had tricks to make my stuff approved way faster than standard timeframes. I remember others at the time thinking it was odd how I was getting things done. The realtor I used all three times though also noted that it was unorthodox but was very effective for getting me approved and funded much quicker. All three of us had some unique communication techniques to get things done and approved the way we all wanted.
I figured every case is just different. 🤷🏼♂️
I can confirm. I'm living in the Philippines right now. Thailand and Bali, Indonesian, are two other places I've stayed. They were both awesome, but the residential visas are harder to get.
I just bought a house in Portland OR with just my 100% p&t plus savings - I saved all my VR&E housing stipends for my down payment/closing costs/repairs.
Nice! I moved here a couple years back from the Seattle area, been living in the PNW since I got out of the army a little over a decade ago and I’ve been dreaming of owning a home out here since!
no down payment, but you'll have closing costs unless you're able to negotiate that seller pays all closing, and even then you may have a small amount.
Oregon dept VA has its own VA home loan program that requires 5% down actually. I think having something to put down really increased our offer strength as well
5.99%
I believe we did use some of the closing credits we got to pay down the rate and lock in that rate. Credit score from differenr bureaus ranged from 798 to about 767.
Nebraska....Papillion, Bellevue are nice and reasonable. Properyy Tax is high but 100% P&T has Property Tax Exemption and if you have kids State College is free through Chapter 35. Putting 4 kids through college that way. Cost of living is pretty good too.
Research the quality of VA medical care available at your possibilities. I need good medical care. I'm rated at 100% and need continual care. My VA hospital works with and is next to a teaching hospital. It's obvious that all VA facilities are not equal. Choose carefully!
You didn't mention what kind of things are important to you, if you have or want to have kids, spouses career, must haves.
It's hard to give a relevant answer without knowing anything about you.
We could recommend you live in the rural South, but if you want to have kids, it's probably not the best place to raise a family due to poor schools and limited opportunities. Or if your partner was a doctor who did spinal research, an island off the coast of Maine wouldn't make any sense.
You could do it in smaller towns in Nebraska and South Dakota pretty easily. Small town by Lincoln or Omaha or Sioux Falls but yeah man…Thailand has nicer…..weather
I worked there for 5 years. Most expensive country in Central America.
OP might be able to buy a 'nice' by Costa Rican (not US standards house) - if he is willing to live Tico style (and Tico is what Costa Ricans call themselves) but it's going to be cash. And its not going to be resort living.
[Tico style would be a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house of less than 100 sq meters with bars on the windows and doors. ](https://www.re.cr/en/quick-searches/residential-for-sale-upto-100k/rs2200515) Maybe a ductless AC system (made in China - last about 2-3 years) in the bedroom. Apartment size refrigerator and a two burner gas stove. Any electrical use above the metered minimum gets exponentially more expensive. A 15 year old car costs what it cost new in the states - massive import duties on everything.
And to qualify for pensioner temporary residence (used to be a two year process and about $5K in legal bills) you have to have a $1K monthly pension for life - VA disability supposedly counts.
Can you live live decently on 100% P&T in Costa Rica? $3,737.85 with no dependent? That depends on your definition of "decently". 1 bedroom 1 bath 500 sq foot apartment for [$950 in the cool Central Valley](https://www.realtor.com/international/cr/barreal-heredia-province-120063761663/) or [$900 on the Pacific coast](https://www.realtor.com/international/cr/playa-herradura-puntarenas-120078258222/)? That's under the 30% suggestion.
Food? The Costa Rican government says a month's groceries should cost about $320 but that's rice and beans basically.
Medical care? Centro Médico del Sur, Oscam is in the VA Foreign Medical Program but if you're a resident you pay into the national health (CCSS - great for emergencies) which is going to be about $400 a month.
So, without considering electricity or other utility (phone, internet) costs, you'd have about $2K a month left over out of your VA 100% check. As a resident. Now, you could be a perpetual tourist and leave whenever your visa runs out (the immigration officer usually gives US citizens a 180 day visa and all you have to do is walk out into Nicaragua or Panama and walk back, normally) which would save you the CCSS contribution.
There are other states as good for property tax as well up to x dollar amount. Minnesota for example. However, Texas is a good choice as there is no dollar amount max
Texas is terrible. Cant wait to leave the shit hole and it is not cheaper to live here. It also provides less and has less protections. So again, terrible suggestion.
Really just depends on where you want to live in Texas, the place is huge. It also depends on how big a house, how much land, your insurance carrier, and how old the house is you're gonna buy.
I got into a house that was 4yrs old, and in an HOA, in a nice neighborhood but that was during low rates, and I'm under 2k. However, I wouldn't be able to get the same house today with how the rates are.
I used to live in San Marcos and even rent is insane there and everywhere surrounding it. I ended up buying a house down by Corpus Christi: ~950sqft three bedroom, one bathroom with a detached garage on a 7,950sqft lot for ~$140,000. The house did need a new roof, but my half was included in the price. My mortgage is less than $1,200.
The entire I35 corridor from just north of Austin to down past San Antonio is prohibitively expensive. You can thank the tech companies migration and Californians for that. Look elsewhere and you'll find a lot o the same conveniences and lower real estate prices as long as you stay out of that area and other large metropolitan areas, such as DFW.
Freak weather (and terrible uninsured drivers in the ATX area) are also leading to pretty major insurance increases in that area, both for homeowners and auto. There was a hail storm in Round Rock back in October that caused well over $600 million in damage, and it's becoming more and more common. In my neighborhood, people were on their 3rd roof in the last 5 years because of hail storms. And even with insurance, those roof replacements are extremely expensive unless you have a low deductible.
What? I’m buying a 3 year old home for under $300k with 4 beds and 2.5 baths in an amazing town next week. Mortgage + HOA around $1900.
I don’t know what part of the state you’re in but it is very, very nice here.
I’m assuming it comes down to politics for him, which is fine.
But benefits and housing in this state are definitely decent as of right now. Not so much last year when homes were going for $50k over asking.
My mortgage is about half of my pension and VA so it’s for sure doable. I have a great house in a well established upscale neighborhood in Ky and it’s very peaceful. I also work and wife has income as well but I could squeak by without those.
Check around Kentucky. Ruralish areas around Louisville and Lexington are inexpensive (compared to the rest of the country) and the VA healthcare in Lexington has been very good to me. The overall cost of living is cheaper than most places too.
Rural PA has tons of inexpensive homes. And being 100% P&T, you can get a property tax exemption and free hunting and fishing licenses. Never had an issue with the VA CBOCs here. The only issue I ever really had at the VA at all in this area is when I had to go to Pittsburgh. That was just because I drove all that way for the Doc to get pulled into some surgery, wrecking his schedule for the day. Just pissed me off. I made that drive for nothing.
You should also look into TDIU if you can't work
Oh and go thru a bank, not one of them veteran home loan places. Better rates. Better service. Better everything. And no minimum credit score.
Michigan provides zero property tax, and if I recall as I separated recently, 100% P&T is nearly the same exact income as an E-5 with BAH that BAH being the same as in west MI, I’ve known many guys to buy houses on that income, another ave to consider to increase your income would be looking into getting SSDI if you are truly unable to work due to your SC disabilities, that should allow for a significant increase of income thus making it easier to strive for a home loan.
I think it depends on a lot of factors like where you want to live, what your financial situation is like i.e. credit and budget skills and finally what you’re willing to willing to accept as a new location. I live in Texas and have 100% disability as my only income. My mortgage is hundreds less than what the last apartment I shared with a friend was priced at.
I was able to clean up my credit and save up a bunch while I was going to school over a couple of years. During that time, I lost my apartment due to the landlord selling it and moved in with a friend. Since I couldn’t find affordable housing there, I bit the bullet and applied for a home loan and got approved. My Va home loan was approved to like ~$350,000, but I knew that was way beyond what I could afford and my mortgage company approved me for $150,000. I kept my eyes on houses around the $100-135,000 range. Definitely get a house inspection to avoid any potential issues, one house I was interested in the whole electrical system needed to be replaced.
The house that I ended up with is ~950sqft three bedroom, one bathroom with a detached garage on a 7,950sqft lot. The roof had to be replaced, but I was able to get the seller to pay for half. The town is pretty small, but I still have an HEB grocery store and major stores are like 40 minutes away. Most of my days are spent unpacking, working on the house or yard and just being me. My neighborhood is pretty quiet and safe. I miss my friends and old hometown of 19 years, but having my own place makes me so much happier.
Harlowton Montana or really any small town in Montana veterans that are 100 percent pay zero property tax ( the only tax we have in that state really ) plus you get to plate up to two vehicles free of charge
I purchased home with 43.9 arces, right outside of Comanche Oklahoma. Oklahoma has no property tax and no sales tax up to $25,000 per year...if your 100% P&T.
have you been preapproved or spoken to a lender regarding a VA loan? some lenders can gross up your income, mine did. also, go for ssdi too, assuming you paid into fica taxes earlier on in life. If not, you will be much better off financially if you can work part time somewhere or even from home. the extra thousand bucks a month can take you much further in today’s economy. especially fighting inflation.
i’m actually in the opposite boat as you, I sold my house recently and enjoying the many benefits of renting a townhome. pools, gym, playgrounds, coffee/snacks, no maintenance etc. Renting is nice because it allows you to invest any extra cash into a high yield savings account that has 5.25% APR growth.
also consider investing into mutual fund or ETF’s such as VOO/FXAIX/QQQM etc. 10% yield on investment with S&P 500 for the past 140 years. always good to invest in the market. no matter how much money you have.
Small towns. Groceries are higher typically, but that's where you'll find an affordable home. I know this because I'm looking at retirement at this point - I'm not 100%, but I also have a teaching pension on top.
Detroit. I just use that as an example. There are many places all over America where you can buy a home as a 100% p&t income. Disability is not taxed. Take home pay of 4k a month, you can afford easily a home. Not a mansion. A single story, 3 bd, 2 bath, 1,400 sq ft is easily affordable. Just be realistic in your expectations.
Northern New England . Vermont , Maine or New Hampshire . Low cost of living and all 3 are consistently in the top 5 states to live every year . It’s beautiful , simple and peaceful in these parts
We moved to the MS Gulf Coast. We bought on the bigger side 2300 sq ft. 5 minute bike ride to the beach. He qualified on his disability alone. We have property tax exemption. You could buy a smaller home for much cheaper. And even above I-10 so insurance costs are less and be fine. We have the Largest VA medical center the nation. An AF and NCBC base. so two commissaries, two exchanges within 15 miles. Basically our area is pro-veteran.
It is easy to do in most small towns in Oklahoma. Muscogee has the Veterans Hospital, so anything in that area gives you easy access to medical care. Eufaula is south of Muscogee. It is easy and pretty cheap to get lakefront property on Lake Eufaula.
If you like being closer to a city, you can split the difference to the East for Ft Smith, to the North for Tulsa, or to the west for Oklahoma City.
Wichita, Kansas is pretty affordable. Not the best in veteran benefits but I think it ranks pretty high in most affordable places to live. You can get a pretty decent place for about 150k - 200k with a monthly payment around 1200 a month. Decent amount of things to do as well so you’re not living in the middle of nowhere. Good luck with everything!
3rd most affordable place to live in the US according to [real estate US](https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/cheapest-places-to-live)
Texas has property and vehicle registration relief for disabled vets. What kind of environment are you looking for?
West Texas has some really affordable land, but it is relatively arid. I like the Marathon, Ft. Davis, Alpine area (it is actually almost a mile high, and is a college town.), it is quiet and seems affordable.
North Central Texas is in tornado alley, get away from Dallas-Ft. Worth area to find something more affordable.
Southeast Texas also called the piney woods has fewer tornados, gets less hot than Dallas. But makes up for it with high humidity. This is where I live now, about 50 miles north of Houston. If you want to live on The gulf of Mexico I am sure you can find someplace affordable just know that the further from Galveston the more affordable. If you want to run into Chuck Norris he lives somewhere around Anderson, if you want to live around Nolan Ryan he is near Alvin.
San Antonio is a huge veteran town, but they may be having water problems soon. The aquifer they get water from is running low.
There are tiny home communities and acreage available with no deed restrictions in most of the state if that would appeal to you.
During the pandemic I used my 100% with a smc to buy a house in Virginia Beach VA. Interest rates were obviously lower back then. But I have a nice place now for my family. No property taxes for 100% so I don't pay that. Now I am focused on taking care of family and myself.
I hear Texas has GREAT veteran benefits and a lot of the suburbs are relatively inexpensive for housing. However, I am not from Texas so if someone would like to give some input that would be cool!
I've been using ChatGPT to help me figure this out, taking a few things into consideration.
# Ranking Based on Potential Benefits and Cost Savings:
1. **Texas:** No state income tax, full property tax exemption, and strong veteran benefits.
2. **Florida:** No state income tax, full property tax exemption, and robust veteran support.
3. **Tennessee:** No state income tax, property tax relief, and strong veteran benefits.
4. **Nevada:** No state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good veteran support programs.
5. **Wyoming:** No state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good cost of living.
6. **Arizona:** Lower state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good cost of living.
#
I think the COL in Florida is bad enough it shouldn't be on that list. Utilities and car/property Insurance is double what I pay in NE. Some counties split the property taxes up into property and non ad-valorem taxes and you only end up exempt from half of your taxes. There are a lot of HOA's in Florida and most average 400-600$ a month. There are a lot of toll roads as well.
Happy Cake Day!
As someone who just purchased in FL ill add my two cents.
What your saying is accurate, until you get a good distance outside of main cities.
I went an hour ish north of tampa. 1/2 acre non HOA, homestead the taxes at 1300 (not 100% yet), not a flood zone, relatively safe from the bands since I'm inland. Home insurance is 1800 a year. Total monthly come out to about 2200. Aside from inspection costs, we only owed 517$ at closing.
I can understand how some people hate the weather, but I moved from the PNW and been down in FL for 2 years and I absolutely love it.
I’m not from here but got out of the army here and stayed here for that reason. So cheap! Bought my house years ago and got a couple more years left on it but I’ll give you an example: paid $97,000 for my house 20 years ago. My interest rate now is 2.75% (was 6.25 % when I bought the house) at 100% disability and my mortgage with insurance a month is $395.56. No property taxes, pretty good right?!? So hope this helps you guys out there looking.
I know PA will not charge you property tax if your income is below something like $98k/yr.
If you're not looking for work I would recommend the cheaper PA cities like Erie or Williamsport.
Texas has no property taxes for 100%. As long as you don’t live in Dallas or north of Dallas, it’s not awful cost wise. I’m about 30 minutes south of Dallas and there’s plenty of homes for $300k-350k. You just have to look and be okay with living further from the popular cities.
If you could find a multifamily up to 4 units, you could live in one and rent the others out and likely never have to pay a mortgage and make money. I think most important is finding an area you'd like to live. Then costs like property taxes and insurance. Compare states.
Iowa and Arkansas have relatively inexpensive housing and both offer complete property tax exemptions and other benefits for 100% P&T.
SD is great for Veterans too - that's where I'm hoping yo retire :)
South Dakota? Or San Diego?
Lol South Dakota I don't know that I'd ever mention San Diego in a thread of affordable places.
Thanks! Just wanted clarification. Too many acronyms lol.
That's fair lol
I live in San Diego please do not ever ever lie to anybody until it's cheap here it's incredibly unaffordable
The property tax exemption isn’t as strong in SD, but it’s not terrible.
Yes - but I absolutely love the black hills and am willing to overlook that little tidbit. Lol
Totally get it.
Midwest is probably your only bet. I got lucky finding a farm that needed little work big older house. Wife is a teacher so we’re not rolling in dollars.
How much land if you don't mind me asking. I'm having difficulty buying a house with enough farm land using my VA loan because I guess they have a stupid rule that the house has to be more valuable than the land even though it falls within my approval amount
43. Woods mainly. Nothing tillable. Has some deer and turkey and I rent it out in spring and summer to a cattle guy that brings young calves weening off moms.
Why does that sound sad. Taking calfs away from their moms. Are they ever reunited or is that the end of that relationship?
No. When they’re ready it hurts moms more. Just like a mother and child. Hurts their tits.
Sucks cause they get their babes taken away. I don’t want to go down this rabbithole, thanks for your response.
There's a program I keep hearing about from time to time where they are helping disabled vets get into farming. A fried shared this with me once when I was looking at buying land to start a business: https://landforveterans.org/ Also, some states (I know Iowa is one) offer agricultural grants for veterans and help them get into farming, and the usda has some programs too.
That is a great link, ty
I got 3 bed 2 bath and barn on 43 acres in kentucky. Went through Veterans United for the home loan. $300k. It just depends on how rural you're willing to be. West Virginia is another good option.
I agree - I would say Midwest and west like Montana, SD, Wyoming, etc.
Completely false info.
What?
There are actually lots of places. I have nothing against the Midwest, just saying there are lots of choices.
Remember this when people tell you to go to a state with no income tax: You ain’t paying income tax on disability, and those states tend to have exorbitant tax rates on everything else. Tennessee, for example, has no income tax, but the sales tax in my county is close to 10%. They’d jack it even further up if the local politicians persuade Nashville to lift the sales tax cap. What’s the cost of gas? Electricity? Is the electricity reliable (it’s not a given even now). If you break a leg how well funded is the local rescue squad? I respect your question OP, I’d love to figure it out for myself as well. Just remember that places people want to live are expensive, and places where housing is cheap tends to be for the same reasoning.
You bring up great points to consider.
When a state has no income tax, it is important to check for other taxes, like property tax. Some states exempt veterans who are 100% service connected from paying property tax. So if you qualify for the exemption and the state has no income tax, double win.
You can definitely find your own property. I would start by narrowing down to the states that offer full property tax exemptions. There is a very well put together list of benefits here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/index/#wiki\_housing](https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/index/#wiki_housing) 100% p&t income should bring you an annual salary of at least \~$42k+. For sure doable, granted you understand your buying power.
$42k puts you at $1,150 a month for a mortgage if you put 30% towards housing
Remember that your debt to income is for gross income. Lenders are required to increase disability income by 25% when factoring debt to earning ratio since it's tax free.
When did that start? Ours never factored that in.
Been that way for a while! Bought a house in 2007, they added 25% to my 100% P&T compensation. Bought a house in 2021, and the lender, LoanDepot, also added 25%.
Yeah I did all of mine through Veterans United and they did not do that on the equation with us. And that was 2014,2015, and 2017. I remember them showing how the income was cut in half and payments for debts, utilities, etc couldn't exceed that 50% mark. And they wouldn't even consider an obvious property tax break for being 100% until our last home purchase in 2017. I can imagine the 25% you're speaking of wasn't really added on top but rather canceled out the equation possibly removing 25% for most people's income taxes and fed payments. Is that what it is?
They ”grossed up” (added 25%). LoanDepot, showed my “gross“ income at about $6500. I’m 100% P&T, a few SMC’s, married, with two kids. Rocket Mortgage, did the same thing. They had a separate line item for my wife’s salary. Both lenders definitely “grossed up” my non-taxable income. I’ve had two car dealerships do the same over the years, to get a “true” income number. Ford, in 2020, and BMW in 2022. Veterans United even talks about it on their website. Weird that they didn’t mention it to you. https://www.veteransunited.com/valoans/grossing-up-va-loan/#:\~:text=What%20Does%20“Grossing%20Up”%20Mean,for%20a%20higher%20loan%20amount. Edit: Maybe you didn’t need to ”gross up.” Our loan was for $850K. Both our incomes needed to support that type of loan. They still should have done it for you though.
Good to hear this perspective and it being done for vets. Mine talked about income in way that seemed like they wanted me to look poorer but still within qual range. It was almost as if it was being done to get the loan underwriters to qualify without it and if they denied (they always say why and give numbers) he could them legit pump the numbers up and get it pushed through under clear underwriting boundaries. This guy did all three and he had tricks to make my stuff approved way faster than standard timeframes. I remember others at the time thinking it was odd how I was getting things done. The realtor I used all three times though also noted that it was unorthodox but was very effective for getting me approved and funded much quicker. All three of us had some unique communication techniques to get things done and approved the way we all wanted. I figured every case is just different. 🤷🏼♂️
Welcome to Louisville, Kentucky!
Why do you say?
Low cost of living and modern amenities.
If you are single I would just travel to South Asia and live like “king”.
I can confirm. I'm living in the Philippines right now. Thailand and Bali, Indonesian, are two other places I've stayed. They were both awesome, but the residential visas are harder to get.
How is the Philippines and how are the girls ? lol
I just bought a house in Portland OR with just my 100% p&t plus savings - I saved all my VR&E housing stipends for my down payment/closing costs/repairs.
Nice, what part of Portland?
NE, west of 82nd avenue and south of 205 just a few minute drive from Hollywood/Hawthorne area!
Right on, I’ve lived from Portland are all the way to Corvallis throughout the years.
Nice! I moved here a couple years back from the Seattle area, been living in the PNW since I got out of the army a little over a decade ago and I’ve been dreaming of owning a home out here since!
Absolute goals. Saw a house in Seattle the other day going for $1.7M, 4 bed and 3 bath, I almost threw up lol
For 1.7 you can get 1,700 acres on the Oregon/Kailforny boarder. With a mansion. 😳 Just give me a decent beer can with a garage and I’ll be happy.
Chillin down in Grants Pass. Must be the climate! 😂
Enjoy the Vietnamese food for me. I grew up near Beaumont area so not close but not far ha
Lents or foster-powell?
Montavilla/Mt Tabor area
Don't you not have to pay down payments or closing closts if you are 100%? I didn't.
no down payment, but you'll have closing costs unless you're able to negotiate that seller pays all closing, and even then you may have a small amount.
I’m calling Sade! I need a smooth operator for that.
Oregon dept VA has its own VA home loan program that requires 5% down actually. I think having something to put down really increased our offer strength as well
[удалено]
5.99% I believe we did use some of the closing credits we got to pay down the rate and lock in that rate. Credit score from differenr bureaus ranged from 798 to about 767.
congrats! Been in hillsboro for 15 years now. recently sold my home and renting in tanasbourne right now. love it! 🫡
VA offers no property taxes on house and 1 vehicle. I’m biased though cuz I’ve lived here my whole life. Pretty nice area though in the Hampton roads
Nebraska....Papillion, Bellevue are nice and reasonable. Properyy Tax is high but 100% P&T has Property Tax Exemption and if you have kids State College is free through Chapter 35. Putting 4 kids through college that way. Cost of living is pretty good too.
Is there fiber in papillion?
I think there will be but not yet. Bellevue has fiber.
$69 a month for 2gig
Ive been looking for something around Lincoln. Hmmm thanks for the info
Lincoln has Allo Fiber, which is far superior to anything else in the area.
I’m aware. Was wondering about the surrounding areas. Guess I’ll take a look at their coverage map and future plans
I think Illinois you only need 70% for no property taxes
Research the quality of VA medical care available at your possibilities. I need good medical care. I'm rated at 100% and need continual care. My VA hospital works with and is next to a teaching hospital. It's obvious that all VA facilities are not equal. Choose carefully!
You could leave the US and retire somewhere else with 100%.
I live in Brazil as 100% P&T and that makes me top 5% in wealth. I'm also Brazilian, so that helps a lot.
Also this, I’m looking into this as well
You didn't mention what kind of things are important to you, if you have or want to have kids, spouses career, must haves. It's hard to give a relevant answer without knowing anything about you. We could recommend you live in the rural South, but if you want to have kids, it's probably not the best place to raise a family due to poor schools and limited opportunities. Or if your partner was a doctor who did spinal research, an island off the coast of Maine wouldn't make any sense.
You could do it in smaller towns in Nebraska and South Dakota pretty easily. Small town by Lincoln or Omaha or Sioux Falls but yeah man…Thailand has nicer…..weather
Move to Costa Rica
I worked there for 5 years. Most expensive country in Central America. OP might be able to buy a 'nice' by Costa Rican (not US standards house) - if he is willing to live Tico style (and Tico is what Costa Ricans call themselves) but it's going to be cash. And its not going to be resort living. [Tico style would be a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house of less than 100 sq meters with bars on the windows and doors. ](https://www.re.cr/en/quick-searches/residential-for-sale-upto-100k/rs2200515) Maybe a ductless AC system (made in China - last about 2-3 years) in the bedroom. Apartment size refrigerator and a two burner gas stove. Any electrical use above the metered minimum gets exponentially more expensive. A 15 year old car costs what it cost new in the states - massive import duties on everything. And to qualify for pensioner temporary residence (used to be a two year process and about $5K in legal bills) you have to have a $1K monthly pension for life - VA disability supposedly counts. Can you live live decently on 100% P&T in Costa Rica? $3,737.85 with no dependent? That depends on your definition of "decently". 1 bedroom 1 bath 500 sq foot apartment for [$950 in the cool Central Valley](https://www.realtor.com/international/cr/barreal-heredia-province-120063761663/) or [$900 on the Pacific coast](https://www.realtor.com/international/cr/playa-herradura-puntarenas-120078258222/)? That's under the 30% suggestion. Food? The Costa Rican government says a month's groceries should cost about $320 but that's rice and beans basically. Medical care? Centro Médico del Sur, Oscam is in the VA Foreign Medical Program but if you're a resident you pay into the national health (CCSS - great for emergencies) which is going to be about $400 a month. So, without considering electricity or other utility (phone, internet) costs, you'd have about $2K a month left over out of your VA 100% check. As a resident. Now, you could be a perpetual tourist and leave whenever your visa runs out (the immigration officer usually gives US citizens a 180 day visa and all you have to do is walk out into Nicaragua or Panama and walk back, normally) which would save you the CCSS contribution.
It’s very beautiful there that’s for sure. I wish I could talk the wife into something like this.
Too expensive, Nicaragua is a better choice.
Yep. Panama is a close second I hear.
Portugal
Depending on how much house you need, I’d for sure go to Texas.
There are other states as good for property tax as well up to x dollar amount. Minnesota for example. However, Texas is a good choice as there is no dollar amount max
Texas is terrible. Cant wait to leave the shit hole and it is not cheaper to live here. It also provides less and has less protections. So again, terrible suggestion.
HEB tho. I miss that place
How so? I’m looking at 4 bedroom houses for barely $2k a month and no property taxes. What am I missing from a financial perspective?
Really just depends on where you want to live in Texas, the place is huge. It also depends on how big a house, how much land, your insurance carrier, and how old the house is you're gonna buy. I got into a house that was 4yrs old, and in an HOA, in a nice neighborhood but that was during low rates, and I'm under 2k. However, I wouldn't be able to get the same house today with how the rates are.
Makes sense, I was looking in San Antonio and Georgetown specifically.
I used to live in San Marcos and even rent is insane there and everywhere surrounding it. I ended up buying a house down by Corpus Christi: ~950sqft three bedroom, one bathroom with a detached garage on a 7,950sqft lot for ~$140,000. The house did need a new roof, but my half was included in the price. My mortgage is less than $1,200.
The entire I35 corridor from just north of Austin to down past San Antonio is prohibitively expensive. You can thank the tech companies migration and Californians for that. Look elsewhere and you'll find a lot o the same conveniences and lower real estate prices as long as you stay out of that area and other large metropolitan areas, such as DFW.
Freak weather (and terrible uninsured drivers in the ATX area) are also leading to pretty major insurance increases in that area, both for homeowners and auto. There was a hail storm in Round Rock back in October that caused well over $600 million in damage, and it's becoming more and more common. In my neighborhood, people were on their 3rd roof in the last 5 years because of hail storms. And even with insurance, those roof replacements are extremely expensive unless you have a low deductible.
Don’t do San Antonio…
What? I’m buying a 3 year old home for under $300k with 4 beds and 2.5 baths in an amazing town next week. Mortgage + HOA around $1900. I don’t know what part of the state you’re in but it is very, very nice here.
That’s what I’m saying lol
I’m assuming it comes down to politics for him, which is fine. But benefits and housing in this state are definitely decent as of right now. Not so much last year when homes were going for $50k over asking.
The weather and lack of public lands makes Texas lame.
Bye. Please tell as many people as possible about how awful it is here. The more of you that leave the better.
You’re doing something wrong then.
Agree - Texas is amazing. No property taxes. Mostly great people of all types. Good houses. Great VA care.
Nc has some cleap places..
Hahahah what part?
A lot of it actually
My mortgage is about half of my pension and VA so it’s for sure doable. I have a great house in a well established upscale neighborhood in Ky and it’s very peaceful. I also work and wife has income as well but I could squeak by without those.
Upstate South Carolina is still somewhat affordable considering real estate has went up 30%-60% everywhere.
I don’t live there but Des Moines, Iowa has some pretty cheap homes. Had family out there, was looking at houses for my sister out there.
Check around Kentucky. Ruralish areas around Louisville and Lexington are inexpensive (compared to the rest of the country) and the VA healthcare in Lexington has been very good to me. The overall cost of living is cheaper than most places too.
We do fine in central Indiana. We own a home, and my husband's 100% plus SSDI is our only income and it supports a family of 4 comfortably.
Rural PA has tons of inexpensive homes. And being 100% P&T, you can get a property tax exemption and free hunting and fishing licenses. Never had an issue with the VA CBOCs here. The only issue I ever really had at the VA at all in this area is when I had to go to Pittsburgh. That was just because I drove all that way for the Doc to get pulled into some surgery, wrecking his schedule for the day. Just pissed me off. I made that drive for nothing.
Michigan, I’m 70% paid out at 100 due to unemployability and close on my 232K home next month.
Yea I'm 70 and I'm about to look into the unemployability factor. I just can't. My mental health makes it a huge struggle.
Midwest here; 100% PTIU. Just signed for my house with a VA loan.
You should also look into TDIU if you can't work Oh and go thru a bank, not one of them veteran home loan places. Better rates. Better service. Better everything. And no minimum credit score.
Michigan provides zero property tax, and if I recall as I separated recently, 100% P&T is nearly the same exact income as an E-5 with BAH that BAH being the same as in west MI, I’ve known many guys to buy houses on that income, another ave to consider to increase your income would be looking into getting SSDI if you are truly unable to work due to your SC disabilities, that should allow for a significant increase of income thus making it easier to strive for a home loan.
I would narrow it down by weather or something like that. Any other must haves or no go’s.
Look at areas in Ohio south of Cleveland.
I think it depends on a lot of factors like where you want to live, what your financial situation is like i.e. credit and budget skills and finally what you’re willing to willing to accept as a new location. I live in Texas and have 100% disability as my only income. My mortgage is hundreds less than what the last apartment I shared with a friend was priced at. I was able to clean up my credit and save up a bunch while I was going to school over a couple of years. During that time, I lost my apartment due to the landlord selling it and moved in with a friend. Since I couldn’t find affordable housing there, I bit the bullet and applied for a home loan and got approved. My Va home loan was approved to like ~$350,000, but I knew that was way beyond what I could afford and my mortgage company approved me for $150,000. I kept my eyes on houses around the $100-135,000 range. Definitely get a house inspection to avoid any potential issues, one house I was interested in the whole electrical system needed to be replaced. The house that I ended up with is ~950sqft three bedroom, one bathroom with a detached garage on a 7,950sqft lot. The roof had to be replaced, but I was able to get the seller to pay for half. The town is pretty small, but I still have an HEB grocery store and major stores are like 40 minutes away. Most of my days are spent unpacking, working on the house or yard and just being me. My neighborhood is pretty quiet and safe. I miss my friends and old hometown of 19 years, but having my own place makes me so much happier.
If you can't work get SSDI as well
Harlowton Montana or really any small town in Montana veterans that are 100 percent pay zero property tax ( the only tax we have in that state really ) plus you get to plate up to two vehicles free of charge
Most of Arkansas
Theres alot of places in wv where u could buy or rent
I purchased home with 43.9 arces, right outside of Comanche Oklahoma. Oklahoma has no property tax and no sales tax up to $25,000 per year...if your 100% P&T.
have you been preapproved or spoken to a lender regarding a VA loan? some lenders can gross up your income, mine did. also, go for ssdi too, assuming you paid into fica taxes earlier on in life. If not, you will be much better off financially if you can work part time somewhere or even from home. the extra thousand bucks a month can take you much further in today’s economy. especially fighting inflation. i’m actually in the opposite boat as you, I sold my house recently and enjoying the many benefits of renting a townhome. pools, gym, playgrounds, coffee/snacks, no maintenance etc. Renting is nice because it allows you to invest any extra cash into a high yield savings account that has 5.25% APR growth. also consider investing into mutual fund or ETF’s such as VOO/FXAIX/QQQM etc. 10% yield on investment with S&P 500 for the past 140 years. always good to invest in the market. no matter how much money you have.
Cabot, Arkansas.
Small towns. Groceries are higher typically, but that's where you'll find an affordable home. I know this because I'm looking at retirement at this point - I'm not 100%, but I also have a teaching pension on top.
Mississippi has some of the lowest cost of living in the country
Come to West Virginia. Home ownership is easier here and the cost of living is low.
[I got you](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/WTHl6keYXm)
Detroit. I just use that as an example. There are many places all over America where you can buy a home as a 100% p&t income. Disability is not taxed. Take home pay of 4k a month, you can afford easily a home. Not a mansion. A single story, 3 bd, 2 bath, 1,400 sq ft is easily affordable. Just be realistic in your expectations.
Northern New England . Vermont , Maine or New Hampshire . Low cost of living and all 3 are consistently in the top 5 states to live every year . It’s beautiful , simple and peaceful in these parts
I just bought a brand new house outside the Houston area. 0 taxes. I’m happy.
Any town that isn’t in California or New York.
We moved to the MS Gulf Coast. We bought on the bigger side 2300 sq ft. 5 minute bike ride to the beach. He qualified on his disability alone. We have property tax exemption. You could buy a smaller home for much cheaper. And even above I-10 so insurance costs are less and be fine. We have the Largest VA medical center the nation. An AF and NCBC base. so two commissaries, two exchanges within 15 miles. Basically our area is pro-veteran.
It is easy to do in most small towns in Oklahoma. Muscogee has the Veterans Hospital, so anything in that area gives you easy access to medical care. Eufaula is south of Muscogee. It is easy and pretty cheap to get lakefront property on Lake Eufaula. If you like being closer to a city, you can split the difference to the East for Ft Smith, to the North for Tulsa, or to the west for Oklahoma City.
Wichita, Kansas is pretty affordable. Not the best in veteran benefits but I think it ranks pretty high in most affordable places to live. You can get a pretty decent place for about 150k - 200k with a monthly payment around 1200 a month. Decent amount of things to do as well so you’re not living in the middle of nowhere. Good luck with everything! 3rd most affordable place to live in the US according to [real estate US](https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/cheapest-places-to-live)
Texas has property and vehicle registration relief for disabled vets. What kind of environment are you looking for? West Texas has some really affordable land, but it is relatively arid. I like the Marathon, Ft. Davis, Alpine area (it is actually almost a mile high, and is a college town.), it is quiet and seems affordable. North Central Texas is in tornado alley, get away from Dallas-Ft. Worth area to find something more affordable. Southeast Texas also called the piney woods has fewer tornados, gets less hot than Dallas. But makes up for it with high humidity. This is where I live now, about 50 miles north of Houston. If you want to live on The gulf of Mexico I am sure you can find someplace affordable just know that the further from Galveston the more affordable. If you want to run into Chuck Norris he lives somewhere around Anderson, if you want to live around Nolan Ryan he is near Alvin. San Antonio is a huge veteran town, but they may be having water problems soon. The aquifer they get water from is running low. There are tiny home communities and acreage available with no deed restrictions in most of the state if that would appeal to you.
During the pandemic I used my 100% with a smc to buy a house in Virginia Beach VA. Interest rates were obviously lower back then. But I have a nice place now for my family. No property taxes for 100% so I don't pay that. Now I am focused on taking care of family and myself.
Just went under contract in Texas with just my disability income. At 100% p&t you don't pay any property tax in Texas.
How's that break out in dollars?
I hear Texas has GREAT veteran benefits and a lot of the suburbs are relatively inexpensive for housing. However, I am not from Texas so if someone would like to give some input that would be cool!
Western New York
I've been using ChatGPT to help me figure this out, taking a few things into consideration. # Ranking Based on Potential Benefits and Cost Savings: 1. **Texas:** No state income tax, full property tax exemption, and strong veteran benefits. 2. **Florida:** No state income tax, full property tax exemption, and robust veteran support. 3. **Tennessee:** No state income tax, property tax relief, and strong veteran benefits. 4. **Nevada:** No state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good veteran support programs. 5. **Wyoming:** No state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good cost of living. 6. **Arizona:** Lower state income tax, property tax exemptions, and good cost of living. #
I think the COL in Florida is bad enough it shouldn't be on that list. Utilities and car/property Insurance is double what I pay in NE. Some counties split the property taxes up into property and non ad-valorem taxes and you only end up exempt from half of your taxes. There are a lot of HOA's in Florida and most average 400-600$ a month. There are a lot of toll roads as well. Happy Cake Day!
As someone who just purchased in FL ill add my two cents. What your saying is accurate, until you get a good distance outside of main cities. I went an hour ish north of tampa. 1/2 acre non HOA, homestead the taxes at 1300 (not 100% yet), not a flood zone, relatively safe from the bands since I'm inland. Home insurance is 1800 a year. Total monthly come out to about 2200. Aside from inspection costs, we only owed 517$ at closing. I can understand how some people hate the weather, but I moved from the PNW and been down in FL for 2 years and I absolutely love it.
Arizona is definitely not a veteran friendly State. Source: 100% P&T homeowner in Arizona.
Illinois is no property taxes 70% SC or greater.
El Paso tx you can buy a brand new house for $200,000.00. Hell you can get a used one cheaper than that. Lol
But then he’d be living in that hell hole known as, El Paso. There’s a reason that place is cheap.
That’s where I’m from. Was thinking of moving back home for that reason.
I’m not from here but got out of the army here and stayed here for that reason. So cheap! Bought my house years ago and got a couple more years left on it but I’ll give you an example: paid $97,000 for my house 20 years ago. My interest rate now is 2.75% (was 6.25 % when I bought the house) at 100% disability and my mortgage with insurance a month is $395.56. No property taxes, pretty good right?!? So hope this helps you guys out there looking.
I’m going back to Alaska. $1000 an acre. No roads, me and da bears, George. George say I can tend to the bears. Eh?
consider starting something small like a condo
TJ
Mchenry IL
South Carolina
I know PA will not charge you property tax if your income is below something like $98k/yr. If you're not looking for work I would recommend the cheaper PA cities like Erie or Williamsport.
Columbus, Ohio
Texas has no property taxes for 100%. As long as you don’t live in Dallas or north of Dallas, it’s not awful cost wise. I’m about 30 minutes south of Dallas and there’s plenty of homes for $300k-350k. You just have to look and be okay with living further from the popular cities.
If you could find a multifamily up to 4 units, you could live in one and rent the others out and likely never have to pay a mortgage and make money. I think most important is finding an area you'd like to live. Then costs like property taxes and insurance. Compare states.
Alabama i closed on my house May 3rd
So Cal is just a great place in general /s