I haven't decided yet. Still exploring all my options, including renting here another year or two while I save up a bit more.

But I'd like to start planning to trip to AZ to check things out, maybe in March or April.

Thank you all for the advice. So far I'm thinking Arizona, mostly due to the weather. I want HEAT. My Raynaud's affects me so badly...it's torture living anywhere that experiences winter, however mild.

I'm hoping to visit AZ over the winter, specifically Tucson area. I like that it's spread out with a decent population, and there are affordable housing options in styles I actually LIKE unlike the East Coast which are all colonial types with siding (which is not me at all). I'm not worried about it surpassing 100 degrees, but since having lasik surgery, my eyes tend to dry out in winter with the dry indoor heat. So I'd have to see how I do in summer which it's severely hot.

A few "back up" cities are Santa Fe, Dallas, and Austin, but Tucson appeals to me the most. I guess I'll see what I think when I visit...

Whatever I decide, I'm not sure the best way to go about it. I guess it would be better to move out there and rent for a little while so I can actually view houses, but that raises all sorts of other issues...putting my excess furniture in storage, having to deal with potentially noisy tenants (I vowed I'd never rent again after the current situation I'm dealing with). Has anyone else ever bought a house across the country? If so, how did you do it?

It's no secret that Connecticut is in fiscal ruin, and now that I'm ready to buy a home, it just doesn't make sense to buy in CT. Since we have members in pretty much every state and I'm not terribly well-traveled, I'd be most indebted for any advice you might be generous enough to give (cities/counties/states). I work from home 80% of the time and would do so 100% of the time in another state, so the right home and land is incredibly important to me since I'll be spending almost all of my time there. I'll provide some of my general criteria below.

Weather - Winters here are harsh and long, so a more moderate winter would be ideal. I don't mind a bit of rain and I love the heat (though not the humidity), as long as we're not talking Death Valley temperatures.

Housing - I'm a big fan of contemporary and mid century modern homes, none of which are common in CT. I would like a nice chunk of land as well, and houses not too close together. Property taxes are insane here...$6-10k on average! A town/city with substantially lower taxes would be ideal.

City Size - I'd prefer the suburbs or a more rural setting, but with easy access to a larger city.

Amenities - I'm a fan of the arts and a variety of good restaurants, and it would be nice to have some decent options for when my friends from out of state visit.

Community - While I'm a loner, I'd still like to easily make new friends in whatever community I belong to! So, a friendly and welcoming community wouldn't hurt.

I can't think of anything else at the moment! I know that no city/state is perfect, but there are an infinite number of better options than Connecticut right about now!

bump for sale

Updated

Red Roses plushie added. Feel free to make an offer if interested in multiple ponies!

Woah, that’s a crazy amount! Somebody must really want him. How come you are selling your collection Tuney? Are you no longer collecting?

Good question! I've been downsizing all my collections for a while - ponies, kaiju, dolls, LPS, etc. Most recently, I've been focusing on high end resin dolls, which are pricey, so the rule is I must sell objects from my existing collection to pay for new. I'm aiming to buy a house in the next six months and every sale helps as well!