Best Part of Living in a Red State?

[avebury]

71. I used to think that but not anymore.

I moved from the NE to the red state of Oklahoma. Last winter was the coldest winter since I moved here. It was ridiculous. And summers can be a roller coaster ride on how hot it can get and how dry. In 2011 I think I mowed my lawn maybe 5 times all year long but we had a total of 63 days with a temp greater then 100. If you decide to buy a house, take into consideration:

1. How well the house is insulated (to deal with hot/cold temps)
2. Tornadoes (while tornadoes can be erratic, I have noticed that they often to follow kind of a set route depending upon where they start). For example, I would personally never buy a home in Moore, OK because it is a tornado magnet (I don't care what anybody else thinks).
3. Now you have to take into account earthquakes which seem to becoming more frequent events. A friend and her husband built a new house within the last 5 years and they already have a crack in the ceiling of their garage from earthquakes. An area has to be earthquake free for a set number of days before you can qualify to buy earthquake insurance.
4. Water quality might become an issue between droughts and fracking.
5. Fleas and ticks are difficult to get rid of. You need 3 straight weeks of temps below 32 degrees to kill them off and it just doesn't happen here.