Posts By: Michael Turner

Thinking of Retiring in California? Consider This First

Posted February 25, 2025 by Michael Turner & filed under Executive Insights, Real Estate Insights.

There are a lot of things to love about California: the idyllic weather, the incredible landscape, fresh food and rich culture. There are also plenty of things to not love about California, including being expensive, dangerous and overcrowded in many popular areas. If you are retired or thinking of retiring in California, you might want to reassess that move.

“California has become an incredibly expensive place to live,” said Chris Motola, special projects editor at National Business Capital. “When looking through the lens of regional price parity, which compares cost of living to the national average, seven out of 10 of the most expensive metropolitan areas in the U.S. with populations greater than 300,000 are in California.”

“The trend of more retirees leaving for California than choosing to stay or move to the Golden State has been going on for years and will continue to get worse,” added Jason Lindwall, president of Move Concierge.

What’s causing this aversion to the biggest state on the West Coast? A few factors, actually. Here are three key signs you should not retire in California.

High Cost of Living

“Many point to the high cost of taxes on fixed-income households, but this is only a part of the reason as California offers several types of tax relief to seniors,” Lindwall said. “The big one is the astronomical cost of living compared to Texas and Florida, which is a common destination for elderly folks leaving California.”

Lindwall cited a Zillow report that showcased the average price for a home in California is up 3.2% year over year. “Retirees can sell and repurchase a new home in a cheaper state and use the proceeds for the cheaper cost of living they’ll enjoy elsewhere,” Lindwall explained.

“California’s cost of living is 42% above the national average, with housing, utilities and groceries significantly higher than in most states. Retirees on a fixed income may struggle to maintain their desired lifestyle, especially as prices continue rising,” said Yehuda Tropper, CEO of Beca Life Settlements.

Increasing Natural Disaster Threats

Earthquakes. Wildfires. Landslides. The list goes on and on with the natural disasters that California is currently dealing with and will most likely become more extreme in the future.

“More and more, the threat of natural disasters is factoring into where the elderly wish to age in place,” Lindwall said. “They don’t want a place where there is a high likelihood of evacuation.

“The Los Angeles wildfires burned around 35,000 square miles and scared the local population tremendously,” Lindwall added. “We should never underestimate the psychological toll something like this can take on someone who may have less mobility, chronic illness or other age-related ailments that can stress their health.

Tropper highlighted that in light of the recent wildfires, home insurance costs have gone up, as well as the number of policy cancellations.

Expensive Healthcare

While California is known for being a state that loves to embrace healthy living and clean lifestyles, it all comes at a cost. As retirees age and require more medical attention, the price goes up just to maintain a good bill of health, which can be quite costly in California.

“[The] monthly cost of nursing care, which is $11,437 in California versus $7,908 nationally,” Tropper added. “Unless you have a great long-term care insurance policy or a large nest egg that can cover the cost, another state is probably a better choice.”

Read the full article on GOBankingRates.com

Dallas and 4 Other Texas Cities That Retirees Will Flock To Under a Trump Economy

Posted February 20, 2025 by Michael Turner & filed under Executive Insights, Real Estate Insights.

The upcoming presidency will bring plenty of changes to the economy and it can influence where retirees relocate. Some Texas cities are positioned to benefit from the incoming administration, plus the influx of retirees that may come their way. Dallas is one of the big-name cities set to welcome retirees, but there are a few other places to keep on your radar.

Billy Snelson, chief marketing officer of Move Concierge, knows his way around Texas, as he previously worked as the vice president of marketing at Keller Williams Realty and vice president of brand strategy for NFP, an insurance company.

He grouped the Dallas and Houston Metro areas together when making his recommendation due to their similarities. He also made three additional Texas city recommendations which you’ll hear more about later.

“A big draw for retiring in major Texas cities is the abundant senior living communities that provide on-site healthcare at an affordable price. These are often located near grocery stores and restaurants if driving is a challenge,” he said. With the question of healthcare and inflation at the center of a Trump economy, this makes these metro areas popular among retirees.

“The cost of living in Texas is lower in most states and there is no state income tax. If you own your own home, additional tax benefits usually come with having your own property,” Snelson added. “Furthermore, the major metro areas of Houston and Dallas have plenty of hospitals nearby in cases of emergencies. Dallas has access to many lakes, while Houston is only an hour from the Gulf of Mexico.”

Read the full article on GOBankingRates.com.

Get to Know Our Team — Jason Lindwall, Move Concierge President

Posted February 18, 2025 by Michael Turner & filed under Executive Insights.

A huge part of what makes Move Concierge so incredible is the people who power it. People fuel our culture, and their ideas inspire new initiatives and creative partnerships that take our services to the next level. Jason Lindwall is no exception. His value to the Move Concierge team as company president is undeniable as a real estate veteran, restaurateur and passionate believer in the future.

While Jason’s extensive real estate industry credentials certainly contribute to his success, his enthusiasm for smart tech is a major influence on the way he approaches his role. A self-proclaimed technologist at heart who loves to “geek out” on the latest gadgets and innovations, Jason is always thinking about how the smart use of emerging technology can elevate our mission to make moving easier for clients nationwide.

Even his home demonstrates this passion for tech-enabled ease and efficiency. Free of the usual buttons or switches on the walls, everything throughout his house—from the lights to the TV, thermostat and even garage doors—is voice-activated and customized to his family’s routines.

Keenly aware of technology’s power to simplify, Jason is determined to develop more robust tech-enabled services at Move Concierge. Streamlining the complexity of the moving process will maximize satisfaction for our clients, providing greater value to our partners, too. And he knows that gleaning insights from customer data to better understand their needs will yield exceptional experiences for clients and partners alike.

It takes more than just shiny tech to deliver mind-blowing experiences, though. Customers also want to feel treated with care. That emphasis on hospitality is something Jason carries over from his second gig as a restauranter. For more than a decade, he has been an investor in Dallas-area restaurants, supporting local establishments that offer quality service while dishing out everything from Tex-Mex to seafood to classic American fare.

Jason compares running a good restaurant to building a successful team at Move Concierge. Since every customer may have different needs or tastes, he says it’s about creating a team that can quickly and efficiently identify and adapt to these needs to create the best experience possible.

When he’s not working, you’ll either find Jason eagerly toying with the latest gadgets and gizmos or hanging out with his wife and three grown kids. Whether nestled into a diner booth or off traveling the world, you can count on Jason and his family to be searching for their own amazing experiences—in particular, continuing their never-ending hunt for the world’s best burger.

Building a Legacy of Service: Move Concierge’s Path to Reshaping Home Services Support

Posted February 7, 2025 by Michael Turner & filed under Executive Insights.

When Gabe Abshire founded Move Concierge (formerly Utility Concierge) in 2009, he wasn’t just starting another home services company – he was addressing a fundamental challenge he’d discovered firsthand in the real estate industry. After years of running a successful satellite installation business across multiple states, Abshire noticed a recurring issue that was costing his company both time and money: technicians would arrive at homes only to find they couldn’t complete installations because basic utilities weren’t set up or TVs were still in moving trucks.

“That’s when the aha moment happened,” Abshire reflects. “We really understood that there was this little part in the moving process that was stressful as hell, and you really didn’t have someone to help you.”

This revelation led to the creation of a company built on three core principles: operating as a referral-based business focused on real estate professionals, giving customers genuine choices rather than pushing specific products, and maintaining transparent, efficient communication throughout the process.

The company’s streamlined approach begins about two to three weeks before closing, when real estate agents share their clients’ information. A dedicated concierge reaches out on behalf of the agent, immediately establishing trust and continuity in the home-buying process. What follows is a focused 30-minute consultation that covers everything from basic utilities to home security systems.

“We’re going to call you on behalf of that real estate professional,” Abshire explains. “We gush over our referral partners. When we have a conversation with you, we’re like, ‘Hey, Steve referred you over. We’re part of his process. He knows that moving is stressful, and he wants to help you.’”

In markets like Texas, where homeowners might face choices between 45 different electricity providers, this guidance proves essential. The concierge team helps clients navigate these decisions efficiently, presenting clear options based on the client’s specific needs. After the initial consultation, a separate team handles all the necessary connections, freeing the client to focus on other aspects of their move.

This systematic approach saves clients an average of eight hours of phone calls and approximately $1,000 in their first year through optimized service packages. But beyond the tangible savings, it’s the stress reduction that clients seem to value most. “Moving is often a happy experience – you’re moving to the next opportunity, a change in your life,” Abshire notes. “And if it’s not a happy experience, if you’re moving for another reason, we don’t want you to have to worry about this stuff.”

The company’s commitment to customer service has earned them over 20,000 positive reviews. Their approach is refreshingly straightforward: “We tell our concierges to recommend things that you would recommend to your mother, and talk to your clients like you’re your best friend,” Abshire explains. This philosophy has resonated particularly well with first-time homebuyers who may not have established service provider relationships.

Looking ahead, Move Concierge is expanding its service offering while maintaining its core focus on customer care. The company recently brought on Jason Lindwall, former COO of RealPage, as president to help drive growth into the multifamily and property management sectors. They’re also developing a tech-enabled platform to complement their high-touch service model, recognizing that some customers prefer digital solutions.

The company’s “concierge for life” concept represents its next strategic evolution. Through partnerships with premier moving companies and carefully vetted service providers, Move Concierge aims to become the go-to resource for all home-related services, from moving day and beyond. Unlike other platforms that might sell customer information to multiple vendors, Move Concierge maintains its commitment to curated, high-quality recommendations.

“We’re not trying to skip to the post-close services like refinances and insurance – we’re focused on taking care of the customer and getting them into the house first,” Abshire emphasizes. “We’ve mastered that over the last 16 years. We are the best in the world at it.”

For real estate professionals seeking to enhance their client relationships, Move Concierge offers a service that simplifies a traditionally complex part of home buying. By managing utility and home service setups, agents can focus on their core expertise while providing lasting value that extends beyond closing day. The result is an experience that has become indispensable for agents in today’s demanding market.

Read the full article on KeyCrew Journal.