Snowbirding

[HuskyHawk]

It's off season, despite the ongoing pace of portal activity, with a couple of huge signings this week. That said, I've been meaning to pick the minds of the best and brightest on the Boneyard about splitting living across two locations. It seems we are about to take that plunge. We've decided to get a place in Bluffton, SC and plan to live at least six months and a day there and the rest in Mass (will downsize/move in Mass later).

For anybody who has done this or who has friends or family that does, any tips, suggestions things to think about? That can range from expenses to logistics of filling two houses with clothes and furniture etc. How you manage cars: 2? 3? Also, how you manage leaving a house essentially empty for 5-6 months (security, other issues). I have a good sense of the tax implications and how to best manage those, and Beaufort County SC has some unique wrinkles on property taxes. Things like Doctors came to mind as well. I'd welcome any information anyone has to share.

Looking forward to maybe watching UConn storm through the 2025 NCAA tournament outside on a screened in porch.

 

[uconnfan68]

It's off season, despite the ongoing pace of portal activity, with a couple of huge signings this week. That said, I've been meaning to pick the minds of the best and brightest on the Boneyard about splitting living across two locations. It seems we are about to take that plunge. We've decided to get a place in Bluffton, SC and plan to live at least six months and a day there and the rest in Mass (will downsize/move in Mass later).

For anybody who has done this or who has friends or family that does, any tips, suggestions things to think about? That can range from expenses to logistics of filling two houses with clothes and furniture etc. How you manage cars: 2? 3? Also, how you manage leaving a house essentially empty for 5-6 months (security, other issues). I have a good sense of the tax implications and how to best manage those, and Beaufort County SC has some unique wrinkles on property taxes. Things like Doctors came to mind as well. I'd welcome any information anyone has to share.

Looking forward to maybe watching UConn storm through the 2025 NCAA tournament outside on a screened in porch.

I don’t know any particulars, other than some smart folks telling me it wasn’t easy to do. They stay in Florida, and I don’t know if that matters. It was weird stuff, like the size of the residence determining the official place of record, in addition to the 6mo+1 day.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don’t know any particulars, other than some smart folks telling me it wasn’t easy to do. They stay in Florida, and I don’t know if that matters. It was weird stuff, like the size of the residence determining the official place of record, in addition to the 6mo+1 day.

Hmm, well I am pretty sure that in Mass it is six months and 1 day. South Carolina doesn't care, they just want you to file your income taxes and claim it as primary.

 

[NJHusky]

Welcome to the club....I am still working and have been remote well before Covid, so took the plunge in 2017.

Feel free to DM me with any questions you don't want to share here.

Taxes: We are between FL / NJ, with FL being the primary for obvious reasons. I spoke with a tax attorney and he said the test in NJ was the balance of time between NJ & FL. So if u spend 5 months in NJ, 4 in FL and 3 in Europe, NJ will say you are a NJ resident even though less than 6 months...its time in NJ v time in FL...third party time doesn't count..Not sure how MA does it.

Cars: We leave 1 car in NJ, 1 car in FL and one that goes both ways (insert joke here). We drive as we have a dog. Generally leave Fl late May, early June and return late Oct. The dates are predicated on enough time in FL and the weather in respective places

Moving: We downsized from a 3k sq ft house to 2 smaller houses. Didn't think it was worth lugging furniture to fla with a mover (we don't have crazy expensive stuff), plus wife said style wouldn't work and it was $$$$ to move...I ended up getting the largest Uhaul trailer to lug down what we wanted to bring (clothes, personal items, etc) and bought all new stuff here. We moved other stuff to our downsized NJ home and donated a ton...

Plan early...it takes time to figure out what you want to take/move downsized local house/donate. We were only in our home for 10 years and it was amazing how much stuff I "found" when we were packing up...boxes that had never been opened...lol

House: Taking care of 2 houses becomes a PIA, and can get expensive if you need to do repairs...we just updated both kitchens within 3 years..ugh. We had a service that would come over every 2 weeks, flush toilets, run water in sinks and water plants....we canned them after 1 year. They watered the fake plants and left the shower running for a week..lol. First year we had no choice, now we have helpful neighbors that stop by to check on things...all it costs us is a few really nice dinners.

Need internet FT in both places for cameras and thermostats....so we use Hulu so I'm not paying 2 cable co for TV we don't use 1/2 time. Obviously, having security cameras allows me to see what's going on anytime i want...have the perimeter covered and 2 inside, just in case.

Make sure you turn off the water when you leave...a leak is why we did our latest kitchen reno...

Doctors/Dentist: I still have my primary and specialty docs in NJ, as we are there for 4.5 months and try and schedule routine stuff in summer. We got referrals from our realtor for local docs...and have switched some based on friends we met and their suggestions. My dentist in FL...she's much better than my NJ doc and much cheaper. Most docs are comfortable working with an out of state doc for shared care IMO

We keep clothes in both places and got rid of a lot of winter stuff...but kept just enough for Christmas, etc. My wife will pack a suitcase or 2 that she brings up/down with stuff, (lots of shoes, etc)...we have large SUV that allows us to bring back/forth what we want...mostly personal items.

All in all...we love it...when we start getting tired of one place, it's just about time to leave. Plus we can host fam & friends that want to escape winter..

LMK if you have any other questions...

 

[uconnfan68]

Hmm, well I am pretty sure that in Mass it is six months and 1 day. South Carolina doesn't care, they just want you to file your income taxes and claim it as primary.

That sounds different than Florida. Good luck.

 

[NJHusky]

I don’t know any particulars, other than some smart folks telling me it wasn’t easy to do. They stay in Florida, and I don’t know if that matters. It was weird stuff, like the size of the residence determining the official place of record, in addition to the 6mo+1 day.

It's not that hard...It's time in a place, plus your "intent"...If you have young kids that go to school in MA and live with your wife there...hard to say SC is your primary. But if you vote, declare residency and spend more time in SC v MA, it;s done all the time. We have a friend whose wife works remote so she claims FL and he claims NJ...and their individual time in each place backs it up.

 

[Edward Sargent]

We snowbird between Florida and Mass. I have a buddy who lives in Bluffton and he loves it and SC by the way. I have been snowbirding since 2008. We spend Late October to early May in Florida, go back to Mass until early June when we come back down to Florida until middle of July. We own a home in Mass and a condo now in Florida. After July we take in all the furniture throw down the hurricane shutters and get away from hurricane season until October. One problem I had was that I was still working as a consultant up until 2021. Moving files for active projects was a bit of a pain. I am mostly retired now with one client so that isn't an issue. Back in the day I got paid by check and the USPS mail forwarding is terrible. I get my mail on time less than 50% of the time. We've since migrated to almost all on line bill pay. We have 3 cars one stays in Mass the other in a safe storage facility away from the water in Florida. We drive one car up and back as we are constantly bringing clothes furniture and other stuff back and forth. You do have to plan ahead for example we have 3 weddings this summer and early fall so my tux and shoes need to go north,We take a week or so to drive stopping to stay with friends, play a round of golf, see some sites etc. We have a couple who have been cleaning for us in Florida for nearly 20 years. They come by twice a month to check on our place (especially for damage/leaks after storms) flush the toilets so seals don't dry up, run water into showers and sinks so drain traps don't evaporate and make sure the air-conditioning is working properly. We keep the air at 78 and with the hurricane shutters down our electric bill is pretty good. Empty your refrigerator and your freezer. We once lost power and when it came back on blew the mother board in the frig. We thought we had cleaned out everything but missed a steak that sat in room temps for 3 months. Up until 3 years ago we had a home down here in the same town. I don't know about Bluffton but when we left for Mass I went to the police station and filled out a form and the police did house checks every other day. They would walk the property. We also had an alarm system (ADT) which is good and bad. Never had a break in but the occasional lizard walking in front of the sensor would end up setting off the alarm. In Mass we own a small cabin in the middle of a horse farm (its was the caretakers cabin and blacksmith shop). We hired a caretaker who comes and checks on the place weekly or more frequently if there are storms. We have a guy who cuts grass and comes buy and clears snow from the house (snowfall has been scant for two years). Most importantly we want to make sure the heat is on and no pipes are frozen. We keep the heat at 58. I belong to two golf clubs with men's groups in both. We've had friends from Florida visit us in summer and Mass friends visit us in Florida in winter. One thing we've notice is its sometimes hard to make new friends and some places are harder than others. We lived in Truro for 10 years and it was hard to get to know the locals. For health care I would establish yourself in one place. While we are close to Boston, we have some of the best health care in the country down here. If I have an issue I can set up a Zoom medical appointment with my doctor too. All in all I like going back and forth we will be starting our northern migration Thursday.
Good luck

 

[jibsey]

We do 7 and 5 Florida and Connecticut. My wife hates the cold and we just had an incredible April in Florida. Ct is less congested than Sarasota and while it’s great with more shopping convenience, beaches, golf etc, I like Connecticut better. Maintaining 2 houses is not fun but my grandkids are in Ct. so I’m looking forward to heading back. Of course my alligator on the lake misses me when I leave……

 

[storrsroars]

Always meant to visit Bluffton. My favorite cousin lived there for 15 years or so, but sadly passed couple years ago. I was amazed he could fit in down there as he came off as fast-talking Italian hotshot (his mom was Italian, dad was Lithuanian, a complete balloon knot, and my least favorite uncle) so they must have some restaurant down there with decent sausage and peppers and lasagne. Dude was an electrical contractor who used illegal labor long before it was fashionable, was a bit of a gambler and owned some trotters. If he didn't end up in jail in SC, you'll do fine.

 

[superjohn]

Always meant to visit Bluffton. My favorite cousin lived there for 15 years or so, but sadly passed couple years ago. I was amazed he could fit in down there as he came off as fast-talking Italian hotshot (his mom was Italian, dad was Lithuanian, a complete balloon knot, and my least favorite uncle) so they must have some restaurant down there with decent sausage and peppers and lasagne. Dude was an electrical contractor who used illegal labor long before it was fashionable, was a bit of a gambler and owned some trotters. If he didn't end up in jail in SC, you'll do fine.

If you're a nice and interesting/fun person I think you can fit in anywhere in the states and from my experience people tend to find people from another region of the country interesting.

 

[MexicoHusky]

come to mexico. forget south carolina

 

[HuskyHawk]

Always meant to visit Bluffton. My favorite cousin lived there for 15 years or so, but sadly passed couple years ago. I was amazed he could fit in down there as he came off as fast-talking Italian hotshot (his mom was Italian, dad was Lithuanian, a complete balloon knot, and my least favorite uncle) so they must have some restaurant down there with decent sausage and peppers and lasagne. Dude was an electrical contractor who used illegal labor long before it was fashionable, was a bit of a gambler and owned some trotters. If he didn't end up in jail in SC, you'll do fine.

One realtor lady we talked to at an open house (she wouldn't stop chatting) said nobody there is from anywhere except "up north". The realtor we're hiring is from NJ. Her boss is from Ohio. Bluffton is an interesting mix of old south with the live oaks and palmetto trees and relaxed pace, but is largely populated by people from the northeast and midwest.

All I knew of it was the outlet mall 30 years ago. These gated communities sprang up. Didn't think I wanted that, but changed my tun. The downtown area is eclectic and funky. Lots of shops, restaurants and bars, brewery, distillery, along with art galleries and it's pretty fun. Went to a meadery/cider place. Amazing mead made by this old couple from New Jersey who moved down 20 years ago.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Welcome to the club....I am still working and have been remote well before Covid, so took the plunge in 2017.

Feel free to DM me with any questions you don't want to share here.

Taxes: We are between FL / NJ, with FL being the primary for obvious reasons. I spoke with a tax attorney and he said the test in NJ was the balance of time between NJ & FL. So if u spend 5 months in NJ, 4 in FL and 3 in Europe, NJ will say you are a NJ resident even though less than 6 months...its time in NJ v time in FL...third party time doesn't count..Not sure how MA does it.

Cars: We leave 1 car in NJ, 1 car in FL and one that goes both ways (insert joke here). We drive as we have a dog. Generally leave Fl late May, early June and return late Oct. The dates are predicated on enough time in FL and the weather in respective places

Moving: We downsized from a 3k sq ft house to 2 smaller houses. Didn't think it was worth lugging furniture to fla with a mover (we don't have crazy expensive stuff), plus wife said style wouldn't work and it was $$$$ to move...I ended up getting the largest Uhaul trailer to lug down what we wanted to bring (clothes, personal items, etc) and bought all new stuff here. We moved other stuff to our downsized NJ home and donated a ton...

Plan early...it takes time to figure out what you want to take/move downsized local house/donate. We were only in our home for 10 years and it was amazing how much stuff I "found" when we were packing up...boxes that had never been opened...lol

House: Taking care of 2 houses becomes a PIA, and can get expensive if you need to do repairs...we just updated both kitchens within 3 years..ugh. We had a service that would come over every 2 weeks, flush toilets, run water in sinks and water plants....we canned them after 1 year. They watered the fake plants and left the shower running for a week..lol. First year we had no choice, now we have helpful neighbors that stop by to check on things...all it costs us is a few really nice dinners.

Need internet FT in both places for cameras and thermostats....so we use Hulu so I'm not paying 2 cable co for TV we don't use 1/2 time. Obviously, having security cameras allows me to see what's going on anytime i want...have the perimeter covered and 2 inside, just in case.

Make sure you turn off the water when you leave...a leak is why we did our latest kitchen reno...

Doctors/Dentist: I still have my primary and specialty docs in NJ, as we are there for 4.5 months and try and schedule routine stuff in summer. We got referrals from our realtor for local docs...and have switched some based on friends we met and their suggestions. My dentist in FL...she's much better than my NJ doc and much cheaper. Most docs are comfortable working with an out of state doc for shared care IMO

We keep clothes in both places and got rid of a lot of winter stuff...but kept just enough for Christmas, etc. My wife will pack a suitcase or 2 that she brings up/down with stuff, (lots of shoes, etc)...we have large SUV that allows us to bring back/forth what we want...mostly personal items.

All in all...we love it...when we start getting tired of one place, it's just about time to leave. Plus we can host fam & friends that want to escape winter..

LMK if you have any other questions...

Good stuff from the Jerz! We lived in NJ for 25 years loved it. I second everything you say but have one question. How are the internet thermostats working? I looked at them and got concerned about the number of times we lose power and need to reset. No one here to do that so I decided against it

 

[HuskyHawk]

We snowbird between Florida and Mass. I have a buddy who lives in Bluffton and he loves it and SC by the way. I have been snowbirding since 2008. We spend Late October to early May in Florida, go back to Mass until early June when we come back down to Florida until middle of July. We own a home in Mass and a condo now in Florida. After July we take in all the furniture throw down the hurricane shutters and get away from hurricane season until October. One problem I had was that I was still working as a consultant up until 2021. Moving files for active projects was a bit of a pain. I am mostly retired now with one client so that isn't an issue. Back in the day I got paid by check and the USPS mail forwarding is terrible. I get my mail on time less than 50% of the time. We've since migrated to almost all on line bill pay. We have 3 cars one stays in Mass the other in a safe storage facility away from the water in Florida. We drive one car up and back as we are constantly bringing clothes furniture and other stuff back and forth. You do have to plan ahead for example we have 3 weddings this summer and early fall so my tux and shoes need to go north,We take a week or so to drive stopping to stay with friends, play a round of golf, see some sites etc. We have a couple who have been cleaning for us in Florida for nearly 20 years. They come by twice a month to check on our place (especially for damage/leaks after storms) flush the toilets so seals don't dry up, run water into showers and sinks so drain traps don't evaporate and make sure the air-conditioning is working properly. We keep the air at 78 and with the hurricane shutters down our electric bill is pretty good. Empty your refrigerator and your freezer. We once lost power and when it came back on blew the mother board in the frig. We thought we had cleaned out everything but missed a steak that sat in room temps for 3 months. Up until 3 years ago we had a home down here in the same town. I don't know about Bluffton but when we left for Mass I went to the police station and filled out a form and the police did house checks every other day. They would walk the property. We also had an alarm system (ADT) which is good and bad. Never had a break in but the occasional lizard walking in front of the sensor would end up setting off the alarm. In Mass we own a small cabin in the middle of a horse farm (its was the caretakers cabin and blacksmith shop). We hired a caretaker who comes and checks on the place weekly or more frequently if there are storms. We have a guy who cuts grass and comes buy and clears snow from the house (snowfall has been scant for two years). Most importantly we want to make sure the heat is on and no pipes are frozen. We keep the heat at 58. I belong to two golf clubs with men's groups in both. We've had friends from Florida visit us in summer and Mass friends visit us in Florida in winter. One thing we've notice is its sometimes hard to make new friends and some places are harder than others. We lived in Truro for 10 years and it was hard to get to know the locals. For health care I would establish yourself in one place. While we are close to Boston, we have some of the best health care in the country down here. If I have an issue I can set up a Zoom medical appointment with my doctor too. All in all I like going back and forth we will be starting our northern migration Thursday.
Good luck

Great stuff. Didn't think of food, but even non refrigerated food would be something to watch. I'll have a garage in SC and might try to get by with a golf cart + car we take back and forth. But in Mass that's a valid point. I'd probably want at least a one car garage to store a car.

On the security side, I'm really only worried about Massachusetts, because Bluffton will be in a gated community. We like the Cape and one bonus if we go there is that empty houses in winter is pretty much the norm there. We have a lot of friends already in Falmouth and Yarmouth.

 

[Edward Sargent]

If you're a nice and interesting/fun person I think you can fit in anywhere in the states and from my experience people tend to find people from another region of the country interesting.

Totally agree. I also love the politics. In Florida I am the damn Democrat from Massachusetts and in Mass my golf group is all Republican!

 

[NJHusky]

Good stuff from the Jerz! We lived in NJ for 25 years loved it. I second everything you say but have one question. How are the internet thermostats working? I looked at them and got concerned about the number of times we lose power and need to reset. No one here to do that so I decided against it

They are fine. If we lose power they come back on when power does. U can get them with a battery backup, but won’t matter since no power = no internet. Same with cameras

I also second your point about removing all food from fridge..I forgot to mention that

Another thought in cars…up north use a battery tender Or have someone start your car periodically. Put in fuel stabilizer and leave the tank full in any car sitting. And make sure u drive it enough for the stabilized fuel to get into injectors before u park it

 

[Edward Sargent]

Great stuff. Didn't think of food, but even non refrigerated food would be something to watch. I'll have a garage in SC and might try to get by with a golf cart + car we take back and forth. But in Mass that's a valid point. I'd probably want at least a one car garage to store a car.

On the security side, I'm really only worried about Massachusetts, because Bluffton will be in a gated community. We like the Cape and one bonus if we go there is that empty houses in winter is pretty much the norm there. We have a lot of friends already in Falmouth and Yarmouth.

Balance the cost of building a one car garage and storing. I got guys who charge me $125 month in both places for indoor storage with battery on a trickle charger. Watch out for vandals on the outer Cape. We had a neighbor who didn't put in an alarm system and a bunch of kids had a party in their place. Drank or spilled all the wine in the cellar took knives and etched crosses in every window and dis a bunch of other stupid damage.

 

[jimva]

We were looking at the Charleston area for a while but settled on Florida. We are buying on Amelia Island which is north of Jacksonville on the Florida/Georgia border. A lot of the feel of the low country you get in SC with the benefit of Florida taxes. Only a 30 min drive to Jacksonville airport from the island.

 

[husky429]

Buy 4000 cartons of cigarettes in SC. Sell loosies in MA. Profit.

 

[uconnfan68]

It's not that hard...It's time in a place, plus your "intent"...If you have young kids that go to school in MA and live with your wife there...hard to say SC is your primary. But if you vote, declare residency and spend more time in SC v MA, it;s done all the time. We have a friend whose wife works remote so she claims FL and he claims NJ...and their individual time in each place backs it up.

I seem to remember the biggest issue was getting CT to acknowledge they weren't the primary residence (as expected... who wants to let taxes go away).

 

[Edward Sargent]

Buy 4000 cartons of cigarettes in SC. Sell loosies in MA. Profit.

Buy 4000 cartons dump ‘em and save a life

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

My parents (residents of CT) used to rent a condo on the beach every year on Hutchinson Island in FL. They had a good relationship with the owners, such that the condo was available every year except one, during their snowbird years. They would drive 1 car down and leave the other in the garage in CT. My dad would pay someone to plow the CT driveway if it snowed. The condo was completely furnished, so there was no expense of having to buy furniture or appliances. Plus, with just renting, there were no house-related expenses (no repair bills or HOA dues) except for cable/internet, electricity, and water. They made long-lasting friendships with other snowbirds living in the same condo complex. It was a perfect situation for them.

 

[storrsroars]

Buy 4000 cartons dump ‘em and save a life

Betting if Edward has ever barhopping in Southie, he stayed on W. Broadway and didn't go near E. 8th.

 

[storrsroars]

One realtor lady we talked to at an open house (she wouldn't stop chatting) said nobody there is from anywhere except "up north". The realtor we're hiring is from NJ. Her boss is from Ohio. Bluffton is an interesting mix of old south with the live oaks and palmetto trees and relaxed pace, but is largely populated by people from the northeast and midwest.

All I knew of it was the outlet mall 30 years ago. These gated communities sprang up. Didn't think I wanted that, but changed my tun. The downtown area is eclectic and funky. Lots of shops, restaurants and bars, brewery, distillery, along with art galleries and it's pretty fun. Went to a meadery/cider place. Amazing mead made by this old couple from New Jersey who moved down 20 years ago.

That actually sounds like a community I'd love. Only thing is, we'd want to downsize considerably to a ranch on a small plot for gardening & dog. Not ready to go condo, and really don't want to dump our entire profit from selling our current place into somewhere we'd only be half a year. Our idea is to travel a ton. Not liking our options.

 

[Hoophound]

As a guy who has made a career off of snowbirds, I think it’s overrated. I have homes in 3 locations. I only spend a lot of time at the main residence. I like to be in one place and prefer shorter stays (3 weeks at most) in the other places. However, I actually like where I live full time. I would say that’s the big issue. If your Mass home is truly “home”, it will be tough. If you are dying to be elsewhere, you’ll have no issues.

My dad has always said, “There’s something to be said for staying in one place”. It’s a very wise theory from my perspective. For clarity, my parents are also snowbirds, but ironically, they bought my father’s childhood home in Vermont to be their northern home. Just like I love CT, he loves VT. Your body just loves the soil it grew up on.