By Ethan C. Nobles
Arkansas Realtors® Association
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According to the state Department of Parks and Tourism, there are quite a few requests for information about Arkansas from people looking to retire or relocate here.

Of course it's hard to pin down exactly how many people are interested in moving to Arkansas, but the folks at Parks and Tourism do receive a number of requests by people considering buying a home in the Natural State. Every year, Parks and Tourism publishes a relocation guide called Moving to Arkansas that is full of information about the state and is free for the asking.

Last year, the state shipped out 36,287 of those magazines, and it's fascinating to see where the people requesting them live. Parks and Tourism tracks those requests by state. Arkansas tops that list with 4,596 requests, but it is followed in order by Texas, Illinois, Florida, California and Wisconsin.

Here at Arkansas Realtors® Association, we've received a lot of phone calls from people considering moving here and the most frequent question we've gotten has to do with weather. A man from Texas, for example, called and said he's tired of dealing with the oppressive heat he's put up with for years and wanted to know if he'd enjoy cooler weather in the hills of northwest Arkansas.

On the other hand, a lady from Minnesota called and wanted to know if she could move to Hot Springs and escape the frigid winters that are common in her state.

Hunter Ray, a Realtor® with Cooper Homes and president of the Hot Springs Village Board of Realtors®, said he deals with a lot of people wanting to retire or relocate to his area; that makes sense because Hot Springs Village has been marketed as a great place to retire or enjoy a community with a lot of things to see and do. Ray said people, when inquiring about Hot Springs Village, ask about the climate almost every single time.

"We've got four, really nice seasons that are fairly temperate," he said, adding that Realtors® in Hot Springs Village are typically armed with a fact book that details what the typical high and low temperatures are every month in the area.
Of course, weather isn't the only thing that interests people about Arkansas. For example, a couple living in California might sell a home for $750,000 then buy one that's considerably nicer in Arkansas for half the price or less and still have money to put in the bank.

In addition to the relatively low home prices, Ray said he's visited with people who are attracted to the cost of living, cost of recreation, low real estate taxes, natural beauty and cleanliness of Arkansas.

He pointed out there are more than a few people who have a low opinion of Arkansas, but they are pleasantly surprised when they get to know the state and what it has to offer citizens.

"They really don't realize what a gem this place is," Ray said.

House to House is distributed by Arkansas Realtors® Association.