Using a Realtor site, post a link to a home you'd retire to

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LeavingOhio

Recycles dryer sheets
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May 11, 2012
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At age 45, I am dreaming of age 60 when I plan to retire. I fully realize my plans may change between now and then, but here are some homes for sale in an area I would consider living in retirement:

Criteria - Surprise, AZ (made a couple of "best places to retire" lists). Homes under $150,000, 3+ bedrooms, 1.5+ baths, single story no basement.

For $150,000 - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/16758-W-Weymouth-Rd_Surprise_AZ_85374_M11914-60863

For $120,000 - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/17541-N-169th-Dr_Surprise_AZ_85374_M28769-53952

For really inexpensive deal at $87,900 - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/15545-W-Banff-Ln_Surprise_AZ_85379_M20353-96769

Surprise is a town just to the west of Phoenix. Pros are: no snow, in an area that has lots of retired people, so there are tons of services for them, low housing costs, short drive to elevation for cooler temps in summer. Cons are: water will always be an issue, very hot in the summer (though I like that), air quality isn't great, need to watch drug trade crime rate.

Anyway, got an area you have targeted?
 
Nice new houses for those prices, LeavingOhio!

We were thinking of Springfield, Missouri, but decided to stay put for now. So, I don't have any particular houses to show you.

There are a lot of houses in Springfield built in the 1960's and 1970's that haven't been updated and are selling for low prices, so that is probably what we would have ended up buying had we moved there.
 
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I am always astounded at what you can get for reasonable prices around the country. But I never want to live in any of the good deal places.
 
donheff said:
I am always astounded at what you can get for reasonable prices around the country. But I never want to live in any of the good deal places.
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Most people don't want to leave where they are, it seems. But for those who do, there are many options.
 
W2R said:
Most people don't want to leave where they are, it seems. But for those who do, there are many options.
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Yeah, I am in the minority of those who wants to leave where I am. I moved around a lot as a kid and then as an adult I've lived in CA, MI, MD and OH, so I'm not tied to any one area. Would be nice to be close to my kids when they are older, but who knows where they will be then. I figure if I live on the cheap somewhere then I can travel to visit them frequently.
 
LeavingOhio said:
Yeah, I am in the minority of those who wants to leave where I am. I moved around a lot as a kid and then as an adult I've lived in CA, MI, MD and OH, so I'm not tied to any one area. Would be nice to be close to my kids when they are older, but who knows where they will be then. I figure if I live on the cheap somewhere then I can travel to visit them frequently.
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One of the more interesting facets of retirement, for some of us, is that we are no longer tied to one place. For the first time ever, some of us have the freedom to live pretty much anywhere. It is fun to consider the possibilities. :)
 
We will be leaving Las Vegas when we retire, but there isn't a house that draws us, it will be a place.

We haven't found the place yet, but we've eliminated several possibilities including Arizona, Texas and Tennessee.
 
This is pretty close to my dream house. I stayed in a place similar in design, but no where near as nice, when I visited Bali, a few years ago.
 
clifp said:
This is pretty close to my dream house. I stayed in a place similar in design, but no where near as nice, when I visited Bali, a few years ago.
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Very nice! Dang, I seem to be a little short of cash for something like that.
 
Some friends of ours plan to retire in AZ and another couple we've known for 20 years retired to San Tan Valley/Queen Creek AZ not far from your target area. They'e been there 3 years now and absolutely love it there.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill NC is #1 on our list at present, but our research is ongoing. When/if we relocate it'll probably be 2014 or later. Unfortunately we're in a state/city with a relatively low COL, above average fiscal health and ready access to a truly world class city/culture - which makes it harder to move. If not for winters, this would be a great place to end up. Maybe global warming will work in our favor - jk...
 
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bltkmt said:
You are right up the turnpike from me (Norwalk)...I like my area too.
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Almost any part of Connecticut is is a great place to live if you have sufficient resources.
 
Gumby said:
We love our town and plan to stay here. It's a beautiful place and the people are nice. We already have the house we want, but if forced to move to another house in town, we could probably make do with any of the houses on the first page of this site

Milford Real Estate | Find Houses & Homes for Sale in Milford, CT
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I can tell that you are young and also that your knees aren't bothering you at all! Seems like all those houses are huge, multistory Hearst-Castle-like places. Personally I'd rather have a cozy single story home like the ones LeavingOhio linked to.

Oh, and ClifP - - you'd need an army of servants just to clean and keep up a place like that (same for Gumby's selections). Goodbye privacy!

OK, I admit it - - I am pretty happy with the size of my present home. 1600 square feet is more room than I can use and it is all on one floor. I'd feel lost in one of those huge places.

P.S. - - I have never been to Connecticut but F. worked close to your location, Gumby, and said that while it is a little expensive, it is pretty nice.
 
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W2R said:
I can tell that you are young and also that your knees aren't bothering you at all!
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I do have a knee issue (torn ACL in 1979). We currently have a two-story Greek Revival style house. When I can't easily climb up to the 2nd floor anymore, we'll just live downstairs.
 
Gumby said:
Almost any part of Connecticut is is a great place to live if you have sufficient resources.
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Agreed. For about 20 years we had planned to retire around Mystic CT and volunteer at Mystic Seaport Museum. Most of the people that attracted me to the Seaport have retired now (surprise) so the attraction is not the same. And we finally decided it wasn't worth the COL whether we could afford it or not. Not to mention winters. But a wonderful part of the country indeed!
 
Midpack said:
Agreed. For about 20 years we had planned to retire around Mystic CT and volunteer at Mystic Seaport Museum.
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Back in 1985/86, when I was in the Navy, the young wife and I lived right downtown in Mystic. We really loved it there. My all time favorite house in the world is directly across the river from the Seaport.
 
Gumby said:
Back in 1985/86, when I was in the Navy, the young wife and I lived right downtown in Mystic. We really loved it there. My all time favorite house in the world is directly across the river from the Seaport.
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I'd bet I know exactly which house, my favorite too. Many years ago on a trip to Mystic it was on the market - for $2MM. That's about when DW and I let go of our plan to live in Mystic one day...
 
Gumby said:
Almost any part of Connecticut is is a great place to live if you have sufficient resources.
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Previously lived in Ridgefield and Monroe, left CT in 93. While DW would like to move back, I doubt we could afford to return to either of the houses we owned back then in those two towns. A few years ago, we did look at the Del Webb Oxford Greens community, but given the winters and taxes, I'm not sure it would be the right move.
 
Lisa99 said:
We will be leaving Las Vegas when we retire, but there isn't a house that draws us, it will be a place.

We haven't found the place yet, but we've eliminated several possibilities including Arizona, Texas and Tennessee.
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Three of the states you have eliminated are three on my very short list of possibilities (I would add SC, NV and maybe NC to that list). So that I can acquire knowledge, care to elaborate on why you have eliminated Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee? For full disclosure, if we went to Texas, it would have to be in or around Austin for us.

Thanks!
 
I haven't decided yet where to settle down permanently. Part of the reason is I am still pretty young, and part of the reason is I find many types of lifestyles appealing. DW and I have just finished downsizing our household by 60%, and having less stuff opens up a lot of options for the future. For the next few years, we will be living "downtown" in a condo. After that? we'll see. A beach house sounds good to me. Or an Alpine chalet maybe. Or living in an RV for a while...
 
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