Sorry to complicate things but if you live in the middle of the country now and have no strong tie to any coastal location you have two big choices to make and picking a boat probably should be the second of the two. First you should decide where you want to be. If you plan to live on a boat and occasionally take it out for some local sailing then think about what type of community and climate you want to be in. If you envision more of a mobile lifestyle moving about from place to place as mood strikes you then think about the body of
water you want start in. The
PNW, CA,
New England, Chesapeake, SE US, etc. all are different experiences. Don't get hung up of the idea of living on a boat without thinking about where the boat will be.
It makes no sense to buy a modest boat on the opposite coast from where you want to be. Even the cost to have a
delivery crew move the boat to where you want it may be unpalatable if it is a long way from where you want it.