Four and a half years ago, I packed all of our stuff into a moving box...
My wife and I sent it off to meet us at the end of our journey. Then, we packed up our cars.
We made the trek from California to Florida. The big box arrived, right on schedule... And in the following days, we settled into our newly rented house.
We did all this because I'd just accepted a job – working here with Steve Sjuggerud.
"North Florida provides some of the highest quality of life to lowest cost of living you can find in the U.S.," he told me at the time...
Steve was right. We originally signed a three-year lease on our rental... but after only a year, we knew we'd be buying a home in Florida. So, with the help of a talented real estate agent, we decided to put down roots in a beautiful 1920s craftsman-style house.
But that decision meant one thing: another move.
Now, I always tell myself, "Next time, we'll just hire movers." I envision myself kicking back and relaxing while other people do the work. But being frugal and neurotic always seems to get in the way.
This time was no different. My wife and I rented a box truck, packed it up ourselves, and moved into our new home.
I like to think I'm special. But the reality is that my story is just a drop in the bucket of a much larger trend – one that has accelerated over the years since my own move to Florida.
Let me explain...
People are moving to the Sun Belt. It's a new "American Migration." And Florida is one of the top winners of that trend.
Since 2011, the state has had net inbound flows of new residents. So have Texas and Arizona.
Similarly, California has seen net outbound flows every year since 2013. And we see similar outbound patterns from other high-cost, high-tax states like New York, Connecticut, and Maryland.
Despite the rampant cynicism in the world today, people aren't dummies. They try to do the best they can for themselves... And that includes moving to high-quality-of-life, low-cost-of-living states.
Steve knows this. And he has been writing about Florida real estate for years because of it.
Just think about my story... The home my wife and I live in cost us less than a third of what it would have in California. There's just no getting around that economic reality. And we can capitalize on big investment winners as a result of it.
But again, my story isn't unique. Thousands of people are making similar moves each year. And there's no reason to expect that to slow anytime soon.
This is telling us something important about the housing market... specifically, the markets that will do well versus the markets that could suffer.
Now, I'm darn excited about housing as a whole right now. The market is short on supply and full of buyers. And that almost guarantees higher prices in the years to come.
Certain markets will do even better, though. And I'm betting the states on the receiving end of the new American Migration – Florida, Texas, and Arizona – will be the big winners. At the same time, the high-cost, high-tax areas like New York and California will likely lag.
That's a big change from what we've seen in the housing market in recent decades, when everyone wanted to move to the big coastal cities. But this trend isn't ending anytime soon. And it makes these specific markets darn attractive right now.
Good investing,
Vic Lederman
Further Reading
"Even after years of soaring home prices, I'm betting we've only seen the tip of the iceberg," Steve writes. Buying physical real estate is a strong bet today. But if you don't want to purchase physical properties, you can still take advantage of this red-hot housing market... Read more here: Two Ways to Profit in a Housing Boom... Without Buying Property.
Houses everywhere are selling almost immediately above their listing prices. So you might wonder why Steve is still so excited about the housing market. It's simple: this trend can go on longer than most folks can imagine... Learn more here: Don't Lose Your Mind... This Is a Faux Mania.
Not all Northern states will struggle in the great American migration. In fact, one place is likely to thrive. And you can bet on this real estate hot spot while earning a 2.6% yield today...
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