5 ms·

The idea is sound. There are a lot of amazing places in Italy where I am from. Some of these towns sell houses for few thousands. Just think about it. No traffi

by kfk 7y ago

The idea is sound. There are a lot of amazing places in Italy where I am from. Some of these towns sell houses for few thousands. Just think about it. No traffic. No over-crowded restaurants. Your own property. Sun. Sea side. I think this is more an issue of community. Of course if you are the only remote worker in a place with aging population is not fun. But if some start up would be able to build a community of remote workers in a specific location, wouldn't that make a lot of sense? Also once you have a bunch of highly skilled people in a specific location it gets easier for companies to hire there.

asdfman123 7y ago
Another option is you can just find a job in Dallas or Atlanta or something. There's enough programming jobs in cities like that, the COL is relatively low, you can live in pretty much any part of town that suits your fancy, and they're probably much nicer to live in than you might imagine if you've never left the coasts. Personally if I were looking to move anywhere after leaving the bay I'd consider Raleigh or Nashville. Midsize-to-largeish cities are pretty cool.
- namdnay 7y ago
  I think it depends on each person. I briefly lived in Dallas, it's just way too ... flat? No sea, no mountains, no thanks :)
  - asdfman123 7y ago
    That's a good point, which is actually why I listed Nashville and Raleigh. Actually, Boulder would be pretty damn cool but without checking, I think it's essentially a high COL place by now.
    - jahlove 7y ago
      It is.
  - nkrisc 7y ago
    So all of the Midwest :)
    - ok_coo 7y ago
      No sea, but you can find some very beautiful places along the great lakes!
      - nkrisc 7y ago
        Absolutely, I grew up there. Who needs the sea when you can't see the other side of the lake and it doesn't stink like the ocean?
        bluesquared 7y ago
        Live there now, a block from Lake Erie. It's cool for 3 summer months, the other 9 months I might as well be in flyoverland cornfields...
        ok_coo 7y ago
        I agree that it can be harsh. At the same time, I enjoy having the different seasons. Although this year it didn't feel like we had Fall.
  - madcaptenor 7y ago
    I live in Atlanta and have to go to Dallas for work every so often. Compared to Atlanta, it's too flat and has no trees.
- Mountain_Skies 7y ago
  While not yet at coastal levels, the cost of living in the City of Atlanta has shot up in recent years, mostly due to increasing real estate prices. Some, but certainly not all, of the suburbs are getting expensive at a even faster rate than the city. The reputation for low cost of living is deserved but not as much as it used to be and probably will continue to change. If you don't need to commute into one of the business districts each day, there are good bargains to be found especially if you don't have school age children.
- jcomis 7y ago
  Just FYI the traffic in these midsize cities is ridiculous. Nearly all have seen no real investment in urban planning and infrastructure, but have jumped in size. IMO remote is the only real viable option in many unless you plan to live in very few places that have easy transport access or walking distance. And in those places the COL is much higher.
  - zeku 7y ago
    Yeah I'm in Nashville and the traffic is way worse than people probably expect. probably not LA or DC but way above what you want to deal with. Work anywhere near downtown? Live in one of our two most popular suburbs? 1.5 hours one way, so 3 hrs commuting a day. Housing is also shooting up, we're very firmly MCOL. We're selling shacks that need to be torn down for 350-400k on tiny lots anywhere within 10 miles of downtown. Our housing is more expensive than Atlanta, but unless you're working at the new Amazon office or remote your salary is going to go down to below Atlanta wages. Using Atlanta as it's an easy regional comparative. On the other side the city is pretty cool, evidenced by the fact that you have to hunt high and low to find a 'Nashville-native' or even someone from Middle Tennessee. People move here in packs.
RomanPushkin 7y ago
> Some of these towns sell houses for few thousands Name of the place or it didn't happen :)
- kfk 7y ago
  Here you go: https://casea1euro.it/case-a-1-euro-in-sardegna-a-15-minuti-dal-mare-ecco-come-fare-per-averle/ https://casea1euro.it/case-a-1-euro-in-sardegna-a-15-minuti-... You buy the house for 1 euro but then you have to fix it. So I guess you have to invest few thousands.
  - marcinzm 7y ago
    I don’t know about Italy but in the US fixing up an old house in bad condition can be extremely expensive and time consuming. Cheaper to buy empty land and build a new one.
    - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
      A significant portion of homeowners do a significant portion of the work themselves. I wouldn't say it's expected that you'll DIY everything but someone buying a house that needs substantial work without the intention of doing at least some of it themselves would certainly raise eyebrows.
      - marcinzm 7y ago
        Which is why I said time consuming. Since time is finite you also can't simply discount it versus spending money and consider it a net savings.
        dsfyu404ed 7y ago
        It's a massive net savings for most people because the opportunity cost of free time is very low. Very few people are forgoing income by spending their free time on home improvement versus other things. You're making the same error about opportunity cost as the classic "it's not worth Bill Gates' time to pick up a $100 bill" fallacy.

by kfk 7y ago

asdfman123 7y ago

Another option is you can just find a job in Dallas or Atlanta or something. There's enough programming jobs in cities like that, the COL is relatively low, you can live in pretty much any part of town that suits your fancy, and they're probably much nicer to live in than you might imagine if you've never left the coasts. Personally if I were looking to move anywhere after leaving the bay I'd consider Raleigh or Nashville. Midsize-to-largeish cities are pretty cool.

namdnay 7y ago
I think it depends on each person. I briefly lived in Dallas, it's just way too ... flat? No sea, no mountains, no thanks :)
- asdfman123 7y ago
  That's a good point, which is actually why I listed Nashville and Raleigh. Actually, Boulder would be pretty damn cool but without checking, I think it's essentially a high COL place by now.
  - jahlove 7y ago
    It is.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  So all of the Midwest :)
  - ok_coo 7y ago
    No sea, but you can find some very beautiful places along the great lakes!
    - nkrisc 7y ago
      Absolutely, I grew up there. Who needs the sea when you can't see the other side of the lake and it doesn't stink like the ocean?
      - bluesquared 7y ago
        Live there now, a block from Lake Erie. It's cool for 3 summer months, the other 9 months I might as well be in flyoverland cornfields...
        ok_coo 7y ago
        I agree that it can be harsh. At the same time, I enjoy having the different seasons. Although this year it didn't feel like we had Fall.
- madcaptenor 7y ago
  I live in Atlanta and have to go to Dallas for work every so often. Compared to Atlanta, it's too flat and has no trees.
Mountain_Skies 7y ago
While not yet at coastal levels, the cost of living in the City of Atlanta has shot up in recent years, mostly due to increasing real estate prices. Some, but certainly not all, of the suburbs are getting expensive at a even faster rate than the city. The reputation for low cost of living is deserved but not as much as it used to be and probably will continue to change. If you don't need to commute into one of the business districts each day, there are good bargains to be found especially if you don't have school age children.
jcomis 7y ago
Just FYI the traffic in these midsize cities is ridiculous. Nearly all have seen no real investment in urban planning and infrastructure, but have jumped in size. IMO remote is the only real viable option in many unless you plan to live in very few places that have easy transport access or walking distance. And in those places the COL is much higher.
- zeku 7y ago
  Yeah I'm in Nashville and the traffic is way worse than people probably expect. probably not LA or DC but way above what you want to deal with. Work anywhere near downtown? Live in one of our two most popular suburbs? 1.5 hours one way, so 3 hrs commuting a day. Housing is also shooting up, we're very firmly MCOL. We're selling shacks that need to be torn down for 350-400k on tiny lots anywhere within 10 miles of downtown. Our housing is more expensive than Atlanta, but unless you're working at the new Amazon office or remote your salary is going to go down to below Atlanta wages. Using Atlanta as it's an easy regional comparative. On the other side the city is pretty cool, evidenced by the fact that you have to hunt high and low to find a 'Nashville-native' or even someone from Middle Tennessee. People move here in packs.

RomanPushkin 7y ago

> Some of these towns sell houses for few thousands Name of the place or it didn't happen :)

kfk 7y ago
Here you go: https://casea1euro.it/case-a-1-euro-in-sardegna-a-15-minuti-dal-mare-ecco-come-fare-per-averle/ https://casea1euro.it/case-a-1-euro-in-sardegna-a-15-minuti-... You buy the house for 1 euro but then you have to fix it. So I guess you have to invest few thousands.
- marcinzm 7y ago
  I don’t know about Italy but in the US fixing up an old house in bad condition can be extremely expensive and time consuming. Cheaper to buy empty land and build a new one.
  - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
    A significant portion of homeowners do a significant portion of the work themselves. I wouldn't say it's expected that you'll DIY everything but someone buying a house that needs substantial work without the intention of doing at least some of it themselves would certainly raise eyebrows.
    - marcinzm 7y ago
      Which is why I said time consuming. Since time is finite you also can't simply discount it versus spending money and consider it a net savings.
      - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
        It's a massive net savings for most people because the opportunity cost of free time is very low. Very few people are forgoing income by spending their free time on home improvement versus other things. You're making the same error about opportunity cost as the classic "it's not worth Bill Gates' time to pick up a $100 bill" fallacy.