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Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 10:15 pm
by Sir Henry
My home is under contract with a closing around November 17th. I need to be out by then. So I’m no longer at the looky-lue phase. I’m in full steam I need to find something now.
In Wisconsin I’m finding a couple dozen candidates. I can fully get into moving there and going places I’ve never been before. The big problem is the getting part. Finding vans is proving to be impossible. Buy or rent they just are not in stock. Right now moving to Wisconsin would mean selling most everything I own that wasn’t metal and wood and makes loud noises.
Montana has fewer places I can afford but it’s within a long days drive. I could haul most of my things over in multiple trips. The other thing about Montana is my friend in the Army wants to move back to Great Falls when he retires in three years. Living close to each other would mean a lot to both of us.
I need to make some important decisions that will affect the rest of my life.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:01 pm
by John E Davies
Are you asking for suggestions? I have mentioned this before, now is a fantastic time to sell, especially in the Seattle area, but a terrible time to buy another home. Rent a small place in a small rural community, with a very low cost of living, put your bigger stuff in storage, then spend a year or two searching for the perfect location for when the market has recovered.
I vote Montana. Hang in there.
John Davies
Spokane WA
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:40 am
by RanchRoper
Montana.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:51 am
by BigAl52
Montana would be my choice of those two
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:59 am
by Hatchdog
Never been to Wisconsin so I really can’t weigh in but in my opinion western Montana is about the prettiest place in the world. (Okay, fine, I haven’t been to very many places but I have spent lots of time in western Montana
)
My son and DIL are doing something along the lines of what John Davies said. They are putting their home up for sale and plan to put everything in storage and then moving temporarily to Arizona to live with her folks. I’m wondering if storage units are in short supply like the vans you can’t find as many are doing the same. That could be another road block. If all this is reality a direct move from home to home might be necessary which would eliminate Wisconsin.
I also wonder if home moving companies like United are swamped and not available too.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 12:19 pm
by Sir Henry
John E Davies wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:01 pm
Are you asking for suggestions? I have mentioned this before, now is a fantastic time to sell, especially in the Seattle area, but a
terrible time to buy another home. Rent a small place in a small rural community, with a very low cost of living, put your bigger stuff in storage, then spend a year or two searching for the perfect location for when the market has recovered.
I vote Montana. Hang in there.
John Davies
Spokane WA
Two years is 20% of my remaining life and I don’t want to spend it becoming richer. I have enough money and having $200K more in the bank will not change my life.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 12:26 pm
by Sir Henry
When people say Montana they are thinking Marlboro man leaning up against a fence smoking a cigarette. In reality Montana is more about CCR’s and HOA. I find a nice place there and I can’t shoot on my own property. And then they want an arm and a leg for it. Wisconsin is still affordable and I can shoot most anywhere.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:02 pm
by Sir Henry
Some of the better properties in Wisconsin are overpriced. I would buy this house if it was $100K less.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3687 ... 6359_zpid/
This is all I really need and this one would make a good base camp. A central place I could run the backroads from.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/W336 ... 4726_zpid/
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:30 pm
by markiver54
Wisconsin...
Don't know; maybe it's your region, but there are several places around here chock full of U-Haul trucks and trailers.
Also lots of storage facilities and several more being built as we speak. Probably because so many people are trying to move here.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:33 pm
by John E Davies
Sounds like you were not really asking for suggestions, so just go to Wisconsin. If the cost of the house is not a main factor, more power to you. Not many people can say that. Find a storage unit there in Puget Sound, put all your big stuff there, move to WI, rent some basic furniture until you can figure out how to ship the rest of your stuff back east. With the money you save by NOT buying a MT property, that should be simple enough, financially speaking. Or just sell your furniture outright to an estate buyer who will remove it all for you in half a day….,and buy all new furniture when you get there. You won’t get much for it, but the convenience factor is high. I sold off my mom’s entire household furnishings when she went into a nursing home, it was super easy.
https://m.yelp.com/search?cflt=estatel ... ttle%2C+WA
5 acres isn’t normally enough for safe shooting, unless it is long and skinny property and you can shoot down it into a hillside….
John Davies
Spokane WA
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:01 pm
by North Country Gal
Tough decision, but it really is your decision, of course. I think much of it where you've lived, before. As much as I love Wisconsin, I still very much miss the great wide open spaces the west. Not just taking about the pretty postcard western landscapes. I actually love the high plains areas of the Dakotas and eastern Montana, the places people pass by in a mad rush to get to the mountains.
And winters are very different between Wisconsin and Montana. In Wisconsin, it gets cold and it stays cold for long stretches at a time. It can be relentless. We don't get Chinook winds like Montana and it's always a damp cold, here. No blizzards like what you see out west, but plenty of snow, day after day. Spring comes late this far north and we expect big snows in April and some snow into May. The worst part of winters, here, though, is the lack of sunshine. We can go weeks without a sunny day. Seattle has nothing on us for gloom in the winter.
I'll take winter in Montana, any day.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:30 pm
by RanchRoper
Sounds like you've made up your mind, enjoy Wisconsin.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:37 pm
by BigAl52
Marlboro man never crossed my mind when mentioning Montana. But I think overpriced properties arent unique to just one area of the country. I think its all over with people moving around due to the situations of their particular area.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:41 pm
by Sir Henry
North Country Gal wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:01 pm
Tough decision, but it really is your decision, of course. I think much of it where you've lived, before. As much as I love Wisconsin, I still very much miss the great wide open spaces the west. Not just taking about the pretty postcard western landscapes. I actually love the high plains areas of the Dakotas and eastern Montana, the places people pass by in a mad rush to get to the mountains.
And winters are very different between Wisconsin and Montana. In Wisconsin, it gets cold and it stays cold for long stretches at a time. It can be relentless. We don't get Chinook winds like Montana and it's always a damp cold, here. No blizzards like what you see out west, but plenty of snow, day after day. Spring comes late this far north and we expect big snows in April and some snow into May. The worst part of winters, here, though, is the lack of sunshine. We can go weeks without a sunny day. Seattle has nothing on us for gloom in the winter.
I'll take winter in Montana, any day.
I miss spending the winters in Ephrata where it would get down in the teens. Nothing like starting the wood fire up every morning for heat, then the coffee pot the the shower, then the local greasy spoon for coffee with the gang. Then on to the city owned rifle range.
Having southeast exposure is important to me. Especially in the winter when the trees loosttheir leaves.
Above all I’m looking for a change and adventure. A base camp where I can explore new places. I’ve been on most paved highways in Washington, Northern Idaho and Montana.
The web has been a big help and I’ve read about countless small towns in Wisconsin. I know where I can get a latte and I’m not talking cup of coffee from McDonald’s. How many restaurants are within 30 miles? What about gas? And groceries. I know where I can get all of these things near some of the places.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:18 pm
by GeoBoy
Gene, with climate change and the west getting dryer, droughts, fires, etc. I would move to a place that has seasons, plenty of good fresh, clean water and friendly people. The Midwesterner’s for the most part are that.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:24 pm
by North Country Gal
GeoBoy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:18 pm
Gene, with climate change and the west getting dryer, droughts, fires, etc. I would move to a place that has seasons, plenty of good fresh, clean water and friendly people. The Midwesterner’s for the most part are that.
Very good point. We had more smoke this summer from northern and western fires than ever before, but nothing like all so many of my friends and family had to endure this summer.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:05 am
by dave77
Sir Henry wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:41 pm
I miss spending the winters in Ephrata where it would get down in the teens. Nothing like starting the wood fire up every morning for heat, then the coffee pot the the shower, then the local greasy spoon for coffee with the gang. Then on to the city owned rifle range.
I'm about 50 miles from Ephrata, we don't seem to be getting the really cold weather lately. Seems like mid-20's is pretty average for the last few years. I'm not complaining, I suppose that could change any time and get back down to the teens and zero's that used to be pretty common.
Seems like less snow too, this photo was taken in 2017 and was probably the most accumulation we've had for quite a while. Last year there was plenty of snow higher up but it went away pretty quick with the June/July heat wave we had. The heat really hurt the cherry harvest, was talking to the guy who manages the nearby orchard and he said they left close to 20,000 lbs. of cherries on the trees. These are prime Rainier cherry's, I've seen them in the local stores for $9@lb. When they were picking I'd hear them going up the road at 2 in the morning, they would have to quit before 10 on many days.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:48 am
by North Country Gal
Gene, if you decide to come to Wisconsin, be sure to budget for a good snowblower and the farther north you locate, the bigger the snow blower should be. In fact, we now use an ATV with a plow for our driveway.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 11:18 am
by Hatchdog
GeoBoy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:18 pm
Gene, with climate change and the west getting dryer, droughts, fires, etc. I would move to a place that has seasons, plenty of good fresh, clean water and friendly people. The Midwesterner’s for the most part are that.
Agree that this is a good point. I’ve had the good fortune of living in Eastern Washington all my 64 years and the climate here is definitely changing. As Dave mentioned this past spring we had a really nice above average snow pack but the early heat wave in June wiped it out way too soon. I’ve never seen a heat wave that hot lasting that long in June. Typically June is a cool wet month for us and summer used to always start the first work day after the 4th of July holiday.
As far as Montana goes for me, I really like the Flathead Lake area. Big forested mountains with plains below. My favorite is the transition areas in between these two areas.
Re: Montana or Wisconsin?
Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:14 pm
by Cowboy Gun Fan
Sir Henry wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 12:26 pm
In reality Montana is more about CCR’s and HOA. I find a nice place there and I can’t shoot on my own property. And then they want an arm and a leg for it.
That's been a big surprise to me. I would have never guessed it, but I also saw it in reality in some of your real estate listings that you posted. I'm wondering how that ever happened?