Chasing Bases for Retirement

[Todd Lemery]

I’ve personally been looking into Pueblo CO. Although a bit West of where you’d ideally probably want to be (I’d rather chase towards home than turn around and head back after a long chase), it has everything I would need and only a short drive into the mountains when there is no chasing to be had. It’s also a great location for the winter when I’m trying to take the edge off of a Michigan upper peninsula winter. Housing prices are decent too.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

(close to good medical care, services, etc).

This was going to be my point. My wife and I talk about retiring to a little island in the caribbean but, the point of issue is that as you get older, you need to see more doctors and just plain need more medical care. Smaller towns just can't provide that. You need to be in distance of a ambulance ride to decent medical care.

 

[James Wilson]

Pratt KS might be an option for you Dan from what you posted.

 

[Verne Carlson]

I did this for awhile with a chase base house in Russell, KS and one in Amarillo, TX. In the end it was just too much of a hassle keeping the grass mowed, worrying about frozen pipes, roof leaks, etc. Now I just camp in the back of my car. Much cheaper and less stress.

 

[JeremyS]

I'm always looking and dreaming, despite the impracticalities. Ideally I'd want something an hour or less west of Wichita for retirement (close to good medical care, services, etc).

Here's an example of what you can find on the Plains. This is actually the lowest-priced house I've seen that wasn't a total dump and actually minimally livable as-is (with some paint and new carpet): $9k for this in Arnett, OK:

114 W Ferguson Ave, Arnett, OK 73832 | Zillow

Recently sold: $5,000.

www.zillow.com

I love the numbers listed on Zillow for this house, lol!
Estimated monthly payment: $46
Property taxes: $4
Home insurance: $3

 

[Robert Prentice]

I strongly recommend not purchasing a retirement home base for chasing. After an exhausting chase, it’s no fun or safe having to drive back home to your base, often on flooded roads at night. Day 2 often begins near the end of your Day 1 chase. Not many people want to live in the desolate Great Plains and it’s expensive to own two homes. It’s best to pony up the cash for a nearby motel.

 

[James K]

Here's an example of what you can find on the Plains. This is actually the lowest-priced house I've seen that wasn't a total dump and actually minimally livable as-is (with some paint and new carpet): $9k for this in Arnett, OK:

I love the numbers listed on Zillow for this house, lol!
Estimated monthly payment: $46

Amazing you can even get a house that cheap!
They're talking payments ... just pay cash for it. LOL

 

[Dan Robinson]

After I moved to the Midwest in 2010, it took 3 years for my house in West Virginia to sell. It was a major pain to have to take care of it from 500 miles away. I had to hire someone to cut the grass and trim the weeds. A huge limb from one of my trees fell on the house and punctured the roof. I had to file an insurance claim, get a tarp put up and hire someone to fix it.

That all was pretty effective in talking me out of the second home in the Plains idea. Moving there outright (to retire for example) would be different.

 

[Quincy Vagell]

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)?

 

[JamesCaruso]

I strongly recommend not purchasing a retirement home base for chasing. After an exhausting chase, it’s no fun or safe having to drive back home to your base, often on flooded roads at night. Day 2 often begins near the end of your Day 1 chase. Not many people want to live in the desolate Great Plains and it’s expensive to own two homes. It’s best to pony up the cash for a nearby motel.

@Robert Prentice OMg so awesome to see you back on here Bobby!!!

 

[JamesCaruso]

This was going to be my point. My wife and I talk about retiring to a little island in the caribbean but, the point of issue is that as you get older, you need to see more doctors and just plain need more medical care. Smaller towns just can't provide that. You need to be in distance of a ambulance ride to decent medical care.

Which also begs the question, once you’re retired (assuming we’re talking about the traditional age 65), how many years of chasing will you have left in you? Hopefully another 10, but once you hit 70 those long drives and late hours may not be practical or safe. Could be time to revert to chase tours.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Must be nice to have that kind of money. I'm still working on house #1 (that is, coming up with money for a down payment).

 

[Paul Lemery]

With living in the upper pennisula of Michigan I was always very jealous of those that lived in the plains. They could frequently chase even after a day of work in some cases, which was something I could rarely do because of a lack of storms. I finally made the big change and moved to Topeka, KS late last year. Ive already got a couple of chase days in and couldn't be happier. After 35 years of chasing I finally feel like this is where I belong. Contrary to some others, I chase more now and my passion for it has increased over the years.

 

[Mark Blue]

Ha. I retired and moved to southeast CO in 2007. My zip code is Holly, but I live on 2½ acres surrounded by alfalfa fields on a dirt road out in the county. My nearest neighbor is 1000 feet away. The second-nearest is a mile away. I can wake up in my own bed at, say, 7AM and chase anything from around Childress TX to Valentine NE to Emporia KS the same day. Not to brag, but it's pretty sweet. I encourage any other chaser to move to this county (Prowers) who is able. Houses are cheap here, the lifestyle is as laid-back as you could imagine, and the people are friendly.

Hey Bob, had you moved to Holly prior to 03/28/07? We drove through there in 2008 and there was quite a bit of evidence of bark being stripped from the trees. Here’s the SPC reports for that evening, or should I say night: Storm Prediction Center 20070328's Storm Reports. I was just wondering if you were able to witness that bad boy?

 

[JL Gacke]

(referring only to my situation as we obviously all have to do what's comfortable individually).

I'm going through something similar as I turn 65 in 4 months. Planning on moving off the now crowded front range of N-CO and buy something v-inexpensive in eastern CO. I already spend so much time out there year-round anyway. My son still lives here so another state is out.
Build a storm shelter and ride/chase into the sunset. Living somewhere within 30 miles or so of a larger town is fine as I tend to live my life more today than tomorrow.

Figure I'll have to switch to a storm chasing bicycle at some point once I can't drive – I'm not giving up without a fight! (hail guards for sure!) :+)
At least I'd be in good position on my front porch for some of those wonderful gangs of Colorado landspouts.
(Might have to look you up Bob and check out Prowers Co)

Side note: Ran across David Hoadley chasing in Nebraska last season – very cool!