Yesterday I watched as the mailman made his way down the neighborhood stopping at each of the mailboxes that sit curbside in front of our houses. Like clockwork, some of my neighbors came out to see what he delivered, like they do each day. It's part of the daily ritual for some in a 55 and over community.
I didn't think much of it until my neighbor retrieved her mail and looked at me and said, "Oh, the tax bills came", and proceeded to open hers up. And then she said, "They went down again this year....". So I joined my neighbors and went to see what was waiting for Theresa and I. Back home we didn't do taxes, well we did, it's just they were part of our monthly mortgage payment. But each year we would receive a notice, usually that they were going up.
So like someone waiting for a check to come in the mail I hurriedly opened it up. My eyes quickly went to "Total Taxes $3,833.14". I said to myself, "Mmmm", way cheaper than back in New Jersey, but, I know down here, if you don't carry a mortgage, they are due in full in January. So I opened the letter and started to read, much to my surprise, with feelings like I just hit the lottery.
A quick glance had me do a double take. Is the "Pay this amount" a quarterly figure? I looked over to my neighbor and asked, "Is this for the year?", to which she replied, "Yep, that's why you moved here". So our real estate taxes for the year in South Carolina are $1,385.10, which is far less than we paid each month to live in New Jersey. That comes out to $115.42 a month. Needless to say we'll be paid in full by January 15th, before the taxman recalculates the amount. Last year the taxes on our home here were $1,692.70, so they went down. Where do taxes go down? I feel like we're getting away with a crime.
So the naysayers of buying into a 55 and over will point out, "But then you have those HOA's". And they are correct. HOA's can be a big expense and are a big consideration when people home shop, especially when they downsize and move into community living. Some get a good bang for their buck, while others don't get much.
We're still trying to figure out things financially, as in what the monthly and yearly costs are and when they are due since everything gets paid separately. So I revisited the HOA's here in Sun City to get a full picture. Our yearly fees are $2,820 which includes just about anything you could want here inside the bubble. We have 8 pools, 3 amenity centers, a Town Center, four restaurants, three golf courses with driving ranges and putting greens, a huge theatre, indoor and
outdoor tracks, three gyms and a NBA sized indoor basketball court, more pickle ball courts then you can count, a wood shop, over 210 clubs, and 24 hour security. All that costs us $235 a month, and that includes garbage pick up. We chose to buy in one of the newer sections so we pay and additional $867 a year, and that includes landscaping. So we're in for $307. 25 a month, which gets paid quarterly.
Theresa, and others, always say, "You put out to much on that stupid blog", but really these figures aren't disclosing the balance in our checking account, it's all public knowledge stuff. Besides, it might be more of a public service announcement to readers of this blog. It can show what life is like on the inside a bubble, and outside of the exorbitant costs they're paying where they currently live. I'm not saying this life is better for anyone else, but it surely puts into perspective the lunacy of us remaining and maintaining that big old house in New Jersey. And what's crazy down here is that we don't pay school taxes, don't ask me how, and I'm not asking anyone anyway.
And now to fishing. Below is what I found when I went for a quick outing on the outgoing tide. If I could describe the below scene in one word, besides the water looking boring, is bugs!
The water was like glass which means there was just about zero wind. And where there's no wind there's bugs, and a lot of them. I thought by the time I was done I needed a blood transfusion. So going forward I'll always have bug spray in my sling pack.
I was there a little earlier than I was a day before on the tide. I was up against a job interview via Zoom at 130, which wound up not being a good fit, so I couldn't commit like I'd had done two days ago. But what I was able to do was take a shot and find my path through the higher water and grass to get to the other side. I got wet but it was well worth the effort.
By going I was able to see a different look as the water, and a lot of it, emptied from the flat, well entire estuary, behind me that empties into the river. It empties here, and then there, and even in a different spot as the water recedes. I could only imagine predator fish setting up in different spots in the current looking for a meal. And the good thing about getting there with more water is it's clean, before the mud and everything else gets carried out. I fished for a bit but didn't get a bite.
I would think, while not maybe an all out blitz, I would see an explosion from time to time where fish are set up. The dolphins set up outside in the deeper water but there was nothing to see, in fact, the reddish egret, above, didn't make a move the entire time I was there.
And then in The Fly Barn news. I had to run up to Ridgeland for yet another Facebook Marketplace transaction. This time I was on the money making side. I think the last time I gave it a rough estimate I had moved about $80,000 worth of stuff since 2018. So with all the headaches Marketplace brings it's been good to me.
Perched up on a shelf inside the shed was an old gun cabinet. I'm no gun guy, and this wouldn't be repurposed into an anything I could think of and it just took up valuable space. So I listed it, and got about 500 bullshit back and forths before a young guy said, "I want it and I'm coming", and that was it.
One thing I can say that with all the things I've donated, given away, and sold, the thing that brings me joy, besides some money, is when people truly appreciate what you had, and now they have. An example where it wasn't good was when I sold my entire Lionel train collection to a guy who had no idea what he was buying. That just killed me. But this kid was happy.
It was just an old gun cabinet, with the glass in the doors painted over. It still had the original key which is a big thing when it comes to gun security. He said he would be fixing it up and was happy to pay the $50 I was asking for it. Luckily it wasn't as heavy as it looks up there and within minutes he was on his way.
When I got back home my phone pinged. It was a message with an attached photo. This kid must have ran home, got out a razor blade and some Windex, and went to work. It looks really good, and he even has his guns on display already. I'm just happy I didn't decide to load into the dumpster at the county dump, which is included in my yearly taxes. That's 7-day a week access to get rid of anything and everything, including daily garbage if you don't want to pay for curbside pickup.
I think I can used to this Lowcountry living, but it does take time to physically and mentally find your way trying to figure out a new normal in a new part of the country. We still feel like we're in the Witness Protection Program, but that will hopefully change sooner then later.