Best states for "Home Address" for car registration, driver's license, mailing address, low taxes, and remote working online & taxes?

[afblangley]

I think eventually some day it would be kinda neat to have a home office in a small downtown where the rent is cheap and then I can travel and have a home base whenever I wanted.

I think much has been already said and educated on how to potty in a bucket and how to shower in a minivan but when it comes to making life fit together into a lifestyle that can be comfortable and affordable there is STILL much confusion and much guessing game, at least there was for me!

It is cheaper (and easier) to stay in place than it is to be nomadic. Apart from employment provided and co-housing situations, the least expensive type of rental housing are mobile homes in trailer parks. There are parks with lot rents of $200/mo and mobile homes that are free (in exchange for fixing it up). For travelers, one of the advantages of parks is that they are closed communities, where it may be safe to leave a place unattended for long periods of time.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17-Taylor-Dr-Aiken-SC-29801/68396891_zpid/https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/800-Rue-Dauphine-St-Bonne-Terre-MO-63628/116250041_zpid/
The downside to renting is that lack of control creates uncertainty. This can become an issue at an inopportune time (eg. changes in age, infirmity, income). At the low end of the housing market, it is cheaper to buy than to rent.
https://www.noradarealestate.com/blog/cheapest-housing-markets-in-us/
In every state, there are houses that can be bought for less than the price of a new car. In some areas, $2000 down and a $200/mo mortgage is possible.
https://www.realtor.com/realestatea...port_IL_61032_M89286-20290?from=srp-list-cardhttps://www.realtor.com/realestatea...burg_MS_39180_M84982-36195?from=srp-list-card
Its possible to find deals with seller financing that eliminates the need to get a loan from the bank:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatea...rona_CA_93562_M25884-23844?from=srp-list-card
Being without a home base may be the definition of a full timer, and the aspiration of many. But I'd rather keep my home base, I'm happy to be an any timer.

 

[rruff]

Being without a home base may be the definition of a full timer, and the aspiration of many. But I'd rather keep my home base, I'm happy to be an any timer.

Mixed feelings. I swore I'd never have a house again, because it was better to be free... but I became tethered to someone else's life and the house made sense then. Now I'm too lazy to get rid of it. But... while I've been dithering, the place has supposedly gone up in value well in excess of the cost... in fact over the 11 years I've been here the appreciation has exceeded the costs... like being paid to own it and live in it. Hard to bitch about that!

But it can't continue... or if by some quirk of insanity RE keeps outstripping incomes, only the rich will own and the rest will be unable to afford anything.

The motives for going nomad are very diverse.... For me the wilderness is a place to get away from the human noise... provided that I'm able to be quiet myself. The less distraction, the better. No plans. Nothing to do, nothing to think about, nothing to be.

 

[afblangley]

Mixed feelings. I swore I'd never have a house again, because it was better to be free... but I became tethered to someone else's life and the house made sense then. Now I'm too lazy to get rid of it. But... while I've been dithering, the place has supposedly gone up in value well in excess of the cost... in fact over the 11 years I've been here the appreciation has exceeded the costs... like being paid to own it and live in it. Hard to bitch about that!

But it can't continue... or if by some quirk of insanity RE keeps outstripping incomes, only the rich will own and the rest will be unable to afford anything.

Housing affordability ebbs and wains. There are market corrections from time to time, but over the long run, real estate prices generally keep pace with inflation. For the average person, under most circumstances, there is no better vehicle to park your money.

You can own a house and still be nomadic. My house frequently sits, patiently waiting for my return.

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^If you have money to park! lol!!! Living simply and therefore cheaply in an RV can make that possible but you still must learn or have good money management. Buying a house that isn’t going to produce income or sit vacant, especially if you have a mortgage isn’t really a good idea in my opinion.

 

[rruff]

Housing affordability ebbs and wains. There are market corrections from time to time, but over the long run, real estate prices generally keep pace with inflation. For the average person, under most circumstances, there is no better vehicle to park your money.

That used to be pretty true... very little upward creep in housing. But since 2000, the CPI is 1.77x while the US house price index is 3.05x... so prices have nearly doubled in real terms. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/csushpinsa

If you think that housing will drop to the prior long term trend, then it would be a terrible time to own. Even if you believe it will level off to matching CPI again from here, it wouldn't be a good idea financially... to have the expense of a home that you don't live in most of the time. If you want to park money, a simple SP500 index fund, rental housing, and farm land are much better investments.

 

[afblangley]

That used to be pretty true... very little upward creep in housing. But since 2000, the CPI is 1.77x while the US house price index is 3.05x... so prices have nearly doubled in real terms. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/csushpinsa

Yes, but... Home prices are very sensitive to interest rates. Over the past 20 years, historically low interest rates resulted in a historic rise in price. Housing affordability is pretty good right now.
https://www.yardeni.com/pub/houseafford.pdf

If you think that housing will drop to the prior long term trend, then it would be a terrible time to own. Even if you believe it will level off to matching CPI again from here, it wouldn't be a good idea financially... to have the expense of a home that you don't live in most of the time. If you want to park money, a simple SP500 index fund, rental housing, and farm land are much better investments.

The housing economy is cyclical. I believe home prices will drop in some markets and stagnate in most of the others. But that still doesn't make it a bad investment. Depreciation is only realized when a property is sold, so if buying and holding for the long run, say 5-7 years, whatever correction that may occur will be finished, and we will be in a different cycle. If buying using a mortgage there are other factors at work. The first is inflation- if the mortgage payment is fixed and your income increases with inflation, you're paying the mortgage using cheaper dollars. The second is amortization- each payment increases equity.

Most people who are full timers will reach a point where they no longer want or can't be mobile all the time. It's good to have a home base. It can take many forms, and I wouldn't suggest anyone buy a single family house that sits vacant most of the time. It's much smarter (and cheaper) to do some form of house hacking: buy a multifamily and rent out the other units; buy a house with a ADU that you can live in or a driveway you can park in when you're in town. The important thing is to have a plan and some resources for whatever lies ahead.

 

[NctryBen]

My experience is no matter how conservative I build the tax man’s whole deal is to tax you off your property.
I’m thinking of setting up my domicile out west for health insurance reasons. I don’t want to be kept captive in Minnesota in the winter by doctors… I can use outside doctors, but I’m not covered as well… kinda giving up on things there anyways.

 

[rruff]

Yes, but... Home prices are very sensitive to interest rates. Over the past 20 years, historically low interest rates resulted in a historic rise in price. Housing affordability is pretty good right now.
https://www.yardeni.com/pub/houseafford.pdf

According to that chart, housing affordability is the worst it's been since the early 80s, when mortgage rates rose to over 16%... and I think they are missing the latest data. Even the current 6.9% is below the long term average. Yes, the decline in rates over the last 15 years, along with insane pandemic stimulus, created another housing bubble, but I wouldn't bank on 3% mortgages in our future.

If you keep it long term, buying a house is better than renting... almost always. But as a place to "park cash", that's only true in hot markets, buy low sell high, flipping, getting real lucky, etc. If you aren't renting it out, or otherwise generating income from your capital it is not a viable investment. You may have other reasons to own though, and if you can afford it, that's totally fine.

I could afford a house... and I found a particular 5 acre lot that seems damn near ideal with great year round climate (and owned by a friend), and it's a good domicile location too. I'd build to my specifications, something I've never done but would like to do... small, simple, cheap, low maintenance hovel, plus a shed.

I'm having a hard time talking myself into it though. Having a home base is nice if you only take occasional trips, and not for so long... and you have community/family there. And the time when that would really become important is if medical services and care are necessary. All of that is lacking in the place I mentioned above... and would be anywhere I wanted to live. The flexibility of being mobile makes more sense for me, even if I need care... I can travel to where that is best.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

One of my reasons for buying a house was I was locking down my 'rent' for 30 years. I was gambling on rent keeping going up (it has) and housing values going up faster than inflation (they have). Housing prices will continue to increase in the long term as our population keeps increasing.

There are pro's and con's to all different kinds of housing. With a house I can be mobile when I want and stationary when I want. All of the people that I know that were snowbirds/migrants have tapered off travel when they reached their 70's. Being close to family, doctors, and community becomes more important.

 

[Carla618]

I was surprised at afb's post above saying housing was affordable right now, so I did a search and this popped up about BLM land in Nevada. No idea if it affects the land nomads use:

“Clark County has long advocated for more land to alleviate affordable housing challenges and recently worked with the BLM to negotiate the process reflected in the MOU,” a county spokesperson told the Review-Journal.

https://www.housingwire.com/article...al-government-is-selling-land-for-dirt-cheap/

 

[SLB_SA]

I wonder what "affordable housing" in the Las Vegas metro area will cost. Will one have to buy Raiders tickets as well?

 

[dustytrailhead]

I use Dakota Post for SD residency. Works for most of what I need but the one negative is that most banks/credit card companies don't recognize your Dak Post address as a "physical" address so you need to provide them two: mailing address via Dak Post and a physical street address of someone who knows you (I use a relative's.) It's due to the way most financial institutions interpret the Patriot Act. The recent news about SD cracking down has more to do with voting. Nothing has passed yet but they are looking at making hard to vote in local elections if you are a wanderer.

I have two bank accounts, one is with a credit union and the other is with one of the largest US banks. I use my PMB for both. I did get some resistance from my credit union during the course of one phone call. I pointed out that it was a private mailbox and not a post office box. And, well, that there was NO OTHER address. After a brief consultation with a supervisor, my PMB was accepted as my home address. I think if one escalates this issue someone at the financial institution will know that the Patriot Act only proscribes US Post Office mailboxes.
As for voting, my domicile state is not prejudice against wanderers, yet. Nevertheless, as a consequence of voter registration, jury duty notifications need to be dealt with in a timely manner, requiring that mail be forwarded periodically.

 

[NctryBen]

I heard South Dakato was a good one but I heard they were cracking down. I have a few months before I hit the road again mostly in the desert south west of the states but I'm OK with twice yearly road trip to check the mail lol.

Looking for low taxes, low registration, insurance rates, and ease of not having a physical address. I know nothing is perfect but what are the best options?

Some day I would like to buy a small clump of land and live on it for a few weeks of the year and have a physical address even if I can't stay year-round (due to weather or camping limits) but right now I'm not in a place where I can slap down 2-10+K for some dirt.

I don't have friends or family I trust well enough to mix my address in with theirs so that is out of the question. Any advice be helpful so I can do further research. Thanks in advance.

That I hear is false information on South Dakota... they changed one aspect, but it wasn’t geared against nomads and they are welcoming still... I’m leaning on where it makes the best sense for health care... I basically turned my place over to kids. I got some from them... but I don’t want to burden them either. I’ve always been a Minnesota resident... so this will be a big step for me.

 

[rruff]

Healthcare is mess. If you aren't 65, HC is generally state based ACA or medicaid. If you are 65+, medicare should be national which makes it easier. Biden made ACA plans nearly free for a couple years, but I don't know if the subsidies are still happening. If your income is below the poverty line, medicaid will be free in states that have expanded it, with no deductibles or copays. They won't check assets, only income.

If you are a nomad and need to be state based, NV is pretty good for western dwellers. If you are below the poverty line there may be better options.

Anyway, income, age, and where you want to be camping are important considerations.

 

[wayne49]

The issue in South Dakota is about who can create and sign petitions to place local issues on a ballot. It isn't about the right to vote in an election.

The citizens who live there full time, don't want people who don't live full time there, affecting their quality of life, a reasonable concern.

Nomads are guests, SD is doing them a favor.

This may be a made up issue, where no harm has actually happened, fear and panic.

 

[LargeMarge]

... "affordable housing" in the Las Vegas...

.
What will desert property be worth after residents cannot get water at any price.
What will desert property be worth after truckers have no fuel to bring provisions from hundreds of miles away.
What will desert property be worth after hijackers divert fuel tankers and food trucks.
What will desert property be worth after bureaucrats scribble a new 'law' requiring electric vehicles and rolling black-outs simultaneously.
.
The worst problem with the American military is they are stuck in 1938 preparing for The Great War of 1914.
I think expecting a desert to continue supporting massive populations is unrealistic.

 

[rruff]

What will desert property be worth after residents cannot get water at any price.

No reason for that to happen. The CO river water "crisis" is entirely due to overestimating availability (based on a historically wet period). Over 80% is used for irrigating crops, and the water is so cheap they are using it for flooded crops like rice. It will be sorted out. The worst that could happen is that the price of residential water will go up, but it will still be reasonable.

 

[cybrcamper]

I live presently in Eastern Oregon; not too many of us get mail at our homes because they do not deliver to our houses. I have a PO box, my employer has one. We don't have too many issues with mail until some Amazon seller tries to mail a package to my home address (Amazon deliveries usually do just fine because they use UPS, but some sellers want to ship on the cheap so they try the PO) and the local post office catches the packages and either puts them in my box or gives me a yellow card and I pick up at the counter.

Now I will be moving into an Travel Trailer soon and will be in a small park. I am not sure what they will give me for a street address, but there has to be something because I will be able to register to vote. I don't think I will have too much trouble though.

 

[RonDean]

.
What will desert property be worth after residents cannot get water at any price.
What will desert property be worth after truckers have no fuel to bring provisions from hundreds of miles away.
What will desert property be worth after hijackers divert fuel tankers and food trucks.
What will desert property be worth after bureaucrats scribble a new 'law' requiring electric vehicles and rolling black-outs simultaneously.
.
The worst problem with the American military is they are stuck in 1938 preparing for The Great War of 1914.
I think expecting a desert to continue supporting massive populations is unrealistic.

Good questions.
I don't think it will get as bad as all that. But it could! That area is certainly more likely to dryer than wetter.
As far as military thinking, we are always getting ready for the last war. But as far as armed conflict, I worry more about domestic terrorists than foreign armies.

As far as rruff's more optimistic opinions... I wonder if way back when there was an Anasazi indian that was saying the same to his friends and family. Archaeologists now generally agree about what they call the “push” that prompted the Anasazi to flee the Four Corners region at the end of the 13th century. It seems to have originated with environmental catastrophes, which in turn may have given birth to violence and internecine warfare after 1250.

 

[rruff]

I wonder if way back when there was an Anasazi indian that was saying the same to his friends and family.

It's likely they were quite realistic regarding their vulnerability, just as I am regarding our lack of it.