Preferred Housing

[yakers]

I have a single family home in Southern Cal. I would gladly trade it for the right condo, just would like something with less maintenance and more freedom to travel.
On the plus side its in a good location (Pasadena), paid for and any new replacement would involve higher taxes because of CA property tax structure.
One lotto ticket away from a big boat (just have those little kayaks now)

 

[W2R]

I have a single family home in New Orleans, and plan to move far away from this devastated region when I retire. I will probably rent for a few months and then get another single family home.

I really like the idea of having no lawnmowing, but I think a condo association, assessments, and such would be annoying. So, I am planning to hire someone to mow my lawns (as I do now), and working that into my retirement budget.

I toyed with the idea of renting for a few years, but if housing prices soar then I might have a problem buying after that. Plus, I can't get over the feeling that money for rent is money out the window. It would sure give me flexibility, though, and I wouldn't have yard work to fuss with.

 

[Tiger]

I have a single family home in Long Island, NY. I am retired and when my wife retires in four years we intend to sell our huse and buy a house for cash wherever we decide to move to.

Although I would prefer owning a house on a 1/2 acre or more I would consider a condo or co-op that consisted of 1 level ranch homes but not too many of them around.

 

[martyb]

Single family home (4 bdrm/2bath 1900 sq ft) in Bossier City, LA. We bought it new in '96 for $128k & I expect to get $200k when we sell this year. We're selling to buy a cheaper, smaller house to live in through retirement, paying cash for the smaller house & thereby freeing up a good bit more cash each month that can go to our 401's & Roth IRA's. After retirement, we may purchase a different home (cash) to retire in or....... who knows?

 

[Khan]

Presently in a small (paid for) house on outskirts of small city in OH. I'm thinking when the cat dies I'll leave. Maybe to trailer, RV, apartment, but I have no idea where.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

my preferred housing would have been sailing around the world with either my partner or my best friend as i had spent so many years planning, but god laughed.

single family house now in fort lauderdale. wanted to leave this area about 10 years ago but then alzheimer's started effecting mom and five years ago i was appointed guardian. now that mom is gone and as i never had kids and am single, the only encumbrance upon me is this house. still, i am conflicted as i've put a lot of time & energy into improving the house & gardens. but i think i could surrender it for something better.

after inherited house sells i would like to start summer travel but i'm afraid to leave this place by itself in the middle of hurricane season. also i really need, eventually, to use some equity (unless portfolio does amazing in next five years) to add to retirement funding. so i'm considering travel only in the u.s., canada & maybe mexico over the next few years so i could get back fairly quickly if need be.

i like the idea of a small house in a funky beach town near the ocean but again, hurricane issues. to mitigate that fear i'm considering a house in the middle of an acre in the middle of the state, where it would be relatively safe. or maybe a small condo or not even owning and just vagabonding for a while.

for the last few years i pictured myself trading the house for a boat but now i wonder if i was just trying to revive the boating life of my youth. if i had someone to cruise with me it would be a no brainer. but with all these choices, and being single, it is just a brain teaser.

so i'm voting live with my parents. that's really where i was happiest.

 

[Goonie]

I have an older (about 90+ years old) but nice single family house in an old quiet neighborhood in a fairly small town.....I love it!!! About 1250 sq.ft. It's far from fancy, decorated mostly in early American 'Sanford & Son'.

It's on a corner lot with only one 'close' neighbor....their house is about 20 feet away from mine. The neighborhood is a good mix of young families, retirees, nearly-empty-nesters, and empty-nesters. (there are only one or two 'dirt bags' in the 'hood....but we have a pretty good police presence to keep them in line) There are Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. We've got everything from newborns to preschoolers, grade schoolers, high schoolers, and college kids.

Everyone pretty much gets along, gabs across the fence, and helps each other out. Our neighbor across the street who's also retired, watches our house whenever we go traveling. He has the keys, and takes a walk through randomly everyday, and brings in the mail and paper.

My preferred housing? This is it! I wouldn't want it any other way!

 

[Nords]

"Dream house" on the edge of our ability to care for it. There's gonna have to be some changes when I don't feel like scampering up into the trees with power tools. And those 14 steps to the master bedroom might be a problem someday, although if Kirk Douglas can adapt to new knees and make it to 90 then I guess I can too.

Speaking as a landlord, I don't think that we're comfortable with landlords.

Condos bring us just a little too close to our neighbors. Our neighborhood HOA is a bit ham-handed at times but with 14,000 homes they can't do too much. OTOH small condo associations can get way too far off the beaten track way too quickly and require too much voter participation. Being on the board once was more than enough.

As for living with/near parents-- I sincerely hope never again!

 

[chinaco]

I voted condo. I would not call it my dream house, rather more travel friendly. We are also considering renting.


Our preferred dwelling is a ranch style dwelling (single not a duplex) with a small managable yard.

If we do the condo or rent. It will probably be for a period of time in ER when we travel most.

If I could figure out a good way to keep the house secure and looked after when gone for 3 months at a time, I would not get a condo.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I live in a 1300sf house on .2 acres in the Los Angeles area.

I retired 7 months ago, and expect to move to a somewhat larger
house on a much large lot on the outskirts of a town in NW
Washington (Port Angeles? Bellingham?) in the next few years.

 

[linkerbink]

I live in a condo with (for now, at least!) a GREAT association board. I have no complaints, especially when the snow flies and I can just sit inside and wait for the crew to come by and start shoveling. I would consider downsizing, as I live in a 1800 sf place and it's just me (and the cat). The problem is that all the nice homes/condos around here (eastern PA) are very expensive, or at least more than I would want to spend at this time of my life. All the 55+ places are $250,000 or more...they seem to think that all seniors/boomers are wealthy or willing to sink a lot of money into a house. So I'll just sit tight for now...I'm happy here.

 

[happy2bretired]

I live in a small (1300 sq ft) single family house on the edge of a medium sized midwest "city". I am comfortable here, however, the yard work is being hired out so at some point I could decide to move. My yard guy also helps with extra things around the house that I don't feel comfortable doing....that's very nice of him....of course I pay him. When my daughter moves after completing college I may rethink my housing needs.

 

[Sandy]

Home. I expect we will relocate to a different home, hopefully smaller and on a lake. I cna't see a condo, but then when I am in my 70s and DH is in his 80's who knows.

 

[paradiseken]

Bought a house in SW Florida soon after ER. It was at the height of the boom and we paid cash. According to Zillow, it's down about $40K in value over what we paid.

Love ER on the Gulf Coast, except now FL has so many wildfires going on. Breathing was a chore yesterday with all the smoke from up north. Better today.

 

[Martha]

We have been looking for a home about 150 miles away. The price differential between here and there is disconcerting so we are looking at the possibility of getting a condo instead of a single family home. We would spend a hundred to hundred a fifty thousand less. That is big money.

There are a number of small buildings, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, etc., that have been converted to condos and are reasonably priced. I am staying away from these types of buildings. Being part of a very small owner's association where you can't control who are the other owners is too risky. I have had too many clients involved in what became personal disputes in these types of situations. Give me a big, professionally managed building. With large reserves.

 

[calmloki]

Back in '93 our neighbor of 15 years died at the age of 93. We bought the house from his son for $30k - it was rough - like mostly no foundation, knob and tube wiring, pull chain lights, wood stove for heat, 3' diameter hole in the floor covered w/ plywood, falling down barn full of nutria, wallpaper and cobwebs curling off the walls, lots of leaks from roof, supply, and drain lines. Not much charm. Spent the next 6 years doing a complete redo - all new wiring, plumbing from water meter to street main sewer line. All new wood windows, sheetrock, trim and 8 interior transom window doors from a 1912 hotel, big 30's-40's schoolhouse lights, 3 1/4" oak flooring we salvaged from an old nursing home. And on and on - tore down the barn, reversed the 12" boards and sided a new garage with pottery studio for the girl with it. Did some pretty cool stuff. When redoing a house it's MUCH better living next door rather than in the house being worked on! We were in for Y2K. Much as I like this house I can imagine doing another one - got the hots for a house that incorporates a boulder or a cliff face, would kinda like to tweak my right angle brain with a 'dobe house - my clay loving honey would dig playing in the mud!

It's either that, or maybe a trailer in a park.