Poll: Retire and relocation

[nwsteve]

We downsized and moved from the Seattle metro area, 300 miles East to the "dry side" and university town living. Love the activities and vitality of university town life, not too mention a substantial cost of living drop from leaving the "big city". REALLY do not miss the congestion of Puget Sound but still find ourselves battling for visits to DD and DW family. At least we do not commute in it any longer. ;-)
Nwsteve

 

[kz]

One moment DH and I want to purchase a vacation/second home somewhere in the mountains and the next we just want to rent a place (in different locals) for a few months each year. Not sure if we'll ever be able to pull the trigger on this decision.

 

[NW-Bound]

I noted the spelling difference (but online you never know), but I had to Google that one to make sure your second home wasn't north of China.

Thanks for pointing out my misspelling. Doggone it! One would think I can remember to spell it right after being in the state for 37 years.

For the record, the Mogollon Rim (not Mongollon) was named after Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, governor of the province of New Mexico in the 1700’s.

The proper Spanish pronunciation is moh-goh-YOHN, but the locals say muggy-YOHN.

 

[freebird5825]

I want to leave this area eventually, but not enough to do something concrete about it. Inertia is the order of the day.
Mr B and I have discussed moving to MA or NH, and then realized it would not w*rk out too well financially.
Our latest discussions involve letting him finish his college courses, sit for the CPA exam (which I know he will pass), and then plan on what we really want to do.
He will either w*rk independently as a CPA (using a spare bedroom in the house as his office) or sign on with a small local firm for PT w*rk to increase his SS earnings a bit. He can collect SS in less than 2 years. I have 2.5 years until I can collect on my own FERS deferred retirement.
Snowbirding could only happen if we relocated into a condo locally. The winters here are too harsh to leave a single family house unoccupied. I know of people whose vacant homes were ruined by bursting pipes and snow/ice damage of all sorts. I do not wish to tread that path.

So for now we do nothing...

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, here's a classic example on the Web as to what could happen.

 

[Moemg]

I relocated in 1995 with my late husband when he retired . We moved to Venice ,Fl. I loved the area but unfortunately he only had two years in retirement before he passed of a sudden heart attack .I thought about moving back to New Jersey but my life just formed in Florida so here I am .I moved to the northern border of Sarasota in 2001 and have been here ever since .Moral of the story . Never move to an area you would feel uncomfortable living alone in .

 

[Walt34]

My original "retirement plan" was to put the snow thrower in the back of the pickup truck and drive south until people started asking what that machine was for. Alas, it was not to be.

DW didn't want to go that far from family, and in hindsight she was right. She'd have been miserable, and as every guy knows, "if she ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".

But my major incentive to move was escaping the insane Washington, DC area traffic and having to plan every move around it. DW's criteria was to be within an hour of family so where we are in WV met both major criteria. Even better, as family is now an easy 35-minute drive for her vs. an hour where we were before.

And really, it's only too cold two or three months of the year so I can live with that. All of my family has since moved to DE so there are no ties to the DC area now anyway.

 

[Rambler]

Will move from Japan to our home in California at the end of this stint, and wind-down my career from there. I imagine that in about 10-15 years, we will sell the big house, downsize, and move closer to one of the kids, if they are stable and if it doesn't look like they'll need to move for career purposes. We may also try to rent a place in Hawaii for a few months a year, when we are done here. We'll at least do it once, and if we like it, we'll either rinse & repeat, or buy a small condo there.

R

 

[DougViages]

Belmont, NC Here we come!

On April 2nd the DW and I move out of our SOLD house in MI, and head down to our brand new home in Belmont, NC. The new house is our "present" to ourselves, and is designed just for us (with some space for visitors). The area is green and rolling, the climate is nicer, and the COL is reasonable. We'll be semi-retired for a few years, maybe working two days a week each.

My brother and SIL are already retired and live less then ten minutes away across the Catawba River in Charlotte. Downtown Charlotte is only 20 minutes away, so we have the benefits of a sophisicated city, with good medical infrastructure. Belmont is a charming town of 10,000 and has a nice downtown, festivals, and a friendly reputation.

 

[haha]

I might do a little of that too. Head to the mountains during August. Maybe I can talk Brewer into renting me that cabin he plans to build. Are mountain lions on the prowl during the summer?

Sure; but they love beer.

Ha

 

[Alan]

I might do a little of that too. Head to the mountains during August. Maybe I can talk Brewer into renting me that cabin he plans to build. Are mountain lions on the prowl during the summer?

We were walking in the mountains in Colorado during a long stay in May 2010. We were also wondering about mountain lions, and one day we started talking to a couple we met on a trail and they said that they owned a propery near by, and "just yesterday" had seen their first mountain lion of the year from their back window. But that is not what was concerning them at present, it was snakes. "Don't hike the southern facing slopes at this time of year", they told us, as the snakes come out to catch a few rays and it's really easy to step on one accidentally.

 

[NW-Bound]

Ah, mountain lions are a dime a dozen in Colorado. See the sign below.

I took that photo in our RV trip last year. That warning sign was in a residential area, just 1/2 mile from the downtown center of Golden. See photo below.

 

[sengsational]

On April 2nd the DW and I move out of our SOLD house in MI, and head down to our brand new home in Belmont, NC. The new house is our "present" to ourselves, and is designed just for us (with some space for visitors). The area is green and rolling, the climate is nicer, and the COL is reasonable. We'll be semi-retired for a few years, maybe working two days a week each.

My brother and SIL are already retired and live less then ten minutes away across the Catawba River in Charlotte. Downtown Charlotte is only 20 minutes away, so we have the benefits of a sophisicated city, with good medical infrastructure. Belmont is a charming town of 10,000 and has a nice downtown, festivals, and a friendly reputation.

And you will be minutes from an excellent home brew store.. Alternative Beverage, homebrew beer making and winemaking

 

[NW-Bound]

As my jesting post about mountain lions in Colorado might scare some people from visiting the state, I must post some corrections here.

No, I did not lie about the warning sign being only 1/2 mile from the town center. But I felt no danger, not did any local or tourist around me. Mountain lions can be dangerous, and have killed people, no doubt about it. Still, it seemed that the state had to put up some warning sign wherever some sightings were reported, and I do not know how long the sign has to stay up. Perhaps some CO residents can tell us.

Anyway, Golden was a nice place for us to stop for a couple of nights before heading further up north in our trip last year. Clear Creek is a fast and clear stream that starts somewhere to the west of Golden, and flows right through the city center on its way to Denver. I drove upstream to investigate, but stopped at Georgetown about 40 mi. to the west. Georgetown was an interesting historical place too, but I digressed.

On a weekday late afternoon, I took some photos of a group of kayakers practicing on this stream, right about where I took the photo of the mountain lion sign.

I have read that Coloradans (not Coloradoans, a long story) are into outdoors, and if the citizens of Golden are examples, I would agree heartily. People were about in the parks and along the creek banks, on a weekday evening. In most cities, workers would be too tired to venture outside after a day of work. A few miles from Golden, I snapped this photo of a rock climber, who was there with a group of others. This was on a weekday late afternoon too.

There was a bike path along the creek that went from Golden downtown all the way to Denver. Bicyclists would enjoy that, though we rode only a couple of miles.

Coors factory is on the bank of the creek, and but 2 blocks from downtown. We did visit and had some samples. Now, I see how Coors has been claiming that its beer is made with Rocky Mountain spring water. While I do not drink regular Coors beer, they did have other brews that were tastier.

 

[obgyn65]

I plan to stay where I am at, but plan also to travel a lot during retirement, both to Central America and Europe (possibly up to 6 months a year when I fully retire).

 

[Lsbcal]

DW and I plan to stay where we are -- excellent amenities for aging in place. We are considering renting in different places for a month or two in the winter. Next year probably Naples, Fl, then maybe San Diego, Maui...

Just coming to this thread a little late.

The "rent for a month" caught my eye. This sounds like an interesting idea I actually hadn't considered yet. Most of our travels are shorter term.

Any thoughts on how this is done? I guess there are places like extended stay hotels. Don't know about rent cost though. DS is in college in San Diego and had a lot of trouble getting a short term rental there last summer but maybe winter months are easier?

 

[flyfishnevada]

DW and I are planning, and have been for the last couple of years, to full time RV. Not really a move, but we will sell out home and only have the RV. We don't know where we are going to end up after that, assuming there is an after that. We don't plan on RVing forever, but you never know. We might, or at least until we are too old to handle it.

We like Nevada and would be happy in Reno, but we might fall in love with another place. Who knows? The grass isn't always greener. Where we are now, about 90 minutes south of Reno, we are on the door steps of the Sierras, 7 hour drive from Las Vegas or Los Angeles, 4 hours from the Bay Area and an hour from Lake Tahoe. Reno is much the same. A little further from LV and LA and closer to BA and LT. We really love it, but we want to see the country first before we settle.

 

[Midpack]

DW and I are planning, and have been for the last couple of years, to full time RV. Not really a move, but we will sell out home and only have the RV. We don't know where we are going to end up after that, assuming there is an after that. We don't plan on RVing forever, but you never know. We might, or at least until we are too old to handle it.

We like Nevada and would be happy in Reno, but we might fall in love with another place. Who knows? The grass isn't always greener. Where we are now, about 90 minutes south of Reno, we are on the door steps of the Sierras, 7 hour drive from Las Vegas or Los Angeles, 4 hours from the Bay Area and an hour from Lake Tahoe. Reno is much the same. A little further from LV and LA and closer to BA and LT. We really love it, but we want to see the country first before we settle.

I know a couple who sold their house when they retired and bought a serious ocean worthy 42 sailboat. They literally sailed all over including around the world several times and had stories that will last them a lifetime. They had no timetable at all but after 8 years they'd both seen enough and gotten old enough (physically more challenged), so they sold the boat and bought a home in FL. I always envied their plan, but DW doesn't see it that way at all...likes boats, but doesn't want to live on one.

I [-]am jealous of[/-] like your plan a lot...

 

[NW-Bound]

I love to travel by RV, but have never seriously thought of full-timing in one. In reading RV'er blogs, I have found that many full-timers stop after a few years, and settle back down again. Several posters here have done exactly that. Same as traveling, only a few can be perpetual travelers.

To take up a vagabond life for a few years while one still can, before settling back down, is not a bad way to live. As for me, I am happy just to wander around a few months each year, then to return to my cocoon with all my "stuff".

 

[teekaymn]

Yes, here's a classic example on the Web as to what could happen.

Ow, Mommy, that stings!!!! I knew there was a good reason not to have my garage plumbed way back when. My loss would have only been a couple of used Civics, though!!

 

[teekaymn]

The idea of the RV travel is very appealing to me. DW and I are still about 5 years from making the jump (early 60's by then), but my dream would be to live south of the border somewhere in winter, and tour around the US in the summer -- maybe even find an occasional Workamp job. I would think we'd also tire of the road by age 70 or so, and then be ready to have a permanent address again.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been following a blog by a Canadian couple in their early 50s who have been spending a lot of time in Mexico in an RV. In case you have not seen it, search for "Kevin and Ruth". They have a very healthy and happy life, while not spending all that much. Not being as outgoing as they are, it is not for me, but they surely have a lot of companionship down there.

 

[teekaymn]

Thanks NWBound -- I'll look them up. I think we would opt for a rental home (or maybe buy) for our wintertime living, and only be on wheels during the summer, but I'd definitely like to look into RV'ng around Mexico, too.

 

[donheff]

Just coming to this thread a little late.

The "rent for a month" caught my eye. This sounds like an interesting idea I actually hadn't considered yet. Most of our travels are shorter term.

Any thoughts on how this is done? I guess there are places like extended stay hotels. Don't know about rent cost though. DS is in college in San Diego and had a lot of trouble getting a short term rental there last summer but maybe winter months are easier?

There are short and long term furnished rentals at various price points available pretty much anywhere you might want to try. Try Vacation Rentals by Owners to see the kinds of things available in places you are interested in.

 

[Lsbcal]

There are short and long term furnished rentals at various price points available pretty much anywhere you might want to try. Try Vacation Rentals by Owners to see the kinds of things available in places you are interested in.

Thanks Don, these look interesting. We've rented condos for one week a few times but I always wonder what would happen if we got into one we didn't want to stay at. If one committed for a month, that could be painful I suppose.