I think that if we're being realistic, some of the best places to buy a retirement home (not a second home or chasecation home) may be on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, Wichita or Denver/Colorado Springs. In those locations, one would be close to urgent medical care, but could still live on the edge of town and be close to prime chase real estate. I understand the argument about having a long drive after a chase, but it depends. If you have a permanent home on the Plains, you don't have to go back to your home base every night. As mentioned by others, it may not be safe or otherwise worth it to do so. On the flip side, there will be many times that coming back home is not far out of the way. Case in point Oklahoma City/Wichita. Most chases will probably take place west of I-35, but as storms move east through the evening, a lot of times you'll naturally come back toward home. This is why when I chase, I end up coming back to Oklahoma City probably between 25-50% of the time, especially in April/May. If I'm debating between an extra 2-3 hour drive or a hotel stay, the drive home is preferred. If I'm on a multi-day chase trip, especially if I'm out on the High Plains or up in western/northern Kansas or Nebraska, it does not make sense to drive home, unless the next chase day is in Oklahoma.
As we get older, unless you like the snow/cold, I'm not sure a Colorado home is preferred. Taxes are also higher as well there. I know that Oklahoma's relatively low cost of living and lower tax rates are a selling point. I have also grown fond of the milder winters, having spent most of my life in New England. Yes, Oklahoma gets cold in the winter, but usually it's fairly short-lived and plenty of days in the 50s/60s pop up through the winter, even in January. I sometimes go back and forth on the Kansas idea, since it is colder in the winter than Oklahoma, but it's also closer to late season chase targets in June/July, so who knows.
I have also floated the idea of splitting a home with other chasers on the Plains, but it doesn't seem like a practical idea. There's the issue of chaser convergence in May/June, you better hope it's a big place, and then who lives there or takes care of the property in the off-season? What if someone wants to back out or doesn't keep up with their chunk (of cost and/or maintenance)?
