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View Poll Results: What kind of living space are you retiring on?
Home size - 100 sq.ft - 999 sq.ft 23 8.39%
Home size - 1,000 sq.ft. - 1,799 sq.ft. 96 35.04%
Home size - 1,800 sq.ft. - 2,499 sq.ft. 76 27.74%
Home size - 2,500 sq.ft. - 3,499 sq.ft. 46 16.79%
Home Size - 3,500 sq.ft. - 5,000 sq.ft or more 33 12.04%
Voters: 274. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-02-2016, 07:17 AM   #121
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We're enjoying our house size at 1780 sqft. with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an office.
For a few years we thought about buying a cabin in the mountains and the kids could take their summer vacations there with us. Finally realized they won't want to drive/fly 1200 miles and spend their only vacations there with us each year. So we are currently thinking of either a lake house/condo or hunting property about 1 hour drive from each of us. It'll give me a get away place and them a weekend place easy to get to.
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Old 01-03-2016, 06:50 AM   #122
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Originally Posted by REWahoo View Post

Cleaning those windows isn't going to be an easy DIY job.
Why do you say that ? As with any task, its just a matter of having the proper tool.

One of the 'joys' of having a farm - you get to justify having more toys than you ever could of imagined when you were playing in the sandbox at age 5.

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Old 01-03-2016, 07:25 AM   #123
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One of the 'joys' of having a farm - you get to justify having more toys than you ever could of imagined when you were playing in the sandbox at age 5.
LOL! I had lakefront acreage for 10+ years and that's exactly how I rationalized my purchases and rentals of such things as a front-end loader, concrete mixers, golf cart and Yahama mule, a wealth of power and specialty tools, etc.....
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Old 01-03-2016, 07:38 AM   #124
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I wonder how many people buy too big because of expected visitors and then find too few visitors to justify all that extra space?
My parents did it right- they retired to Myrtle Beach but paid cash for a modest 3 BR house. My 4 siblings and I do visit, but rarely at the same time and DH and I prefer to have our own space in a nearby hotel.

A few months ago Mom and Dad managed to house my brother, SIL, my nephew and his wife, and their 3-year old twin girls for a few days. My brother and SIL are great guests, though; my brother fixes anything that's broken and SIL has been known to do the cooking and weed gardens for her hosts.

Last month, DH and I visited Mom and Dad, and and DS and DDIL and their 19-month old were flying in from their city. The plan had been for them to stay with my parents for 2 days before we arrived, then move to the hotel with us. They spent one night in the hotel (with a balcony on the ocean, mind you) and decided to go back to staying with Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad were thrilled. It warmed my heart even though DH and I had to eat the cost of the unused hotel room because it was too late to cancel.

Sometimes the big house isn't all that important.
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Old 01-03-2016, 07:54 AM   #125
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So we are currently thinking of either a lake house/condo or hunting property about 1 hour drive from each of us. It'll give me a get away place and them a weekend place easy to get to.
This is what we did. Lake house a couple hours from Toronto, where our daughter lives. Family time there is wonderful. Hopefully any grandkids will really enjoy it as well. Helps to be accessible or won't be used much, so no islands.
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Old 01-03-2016, 07:59 AM   #126
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I wonder how many people buy too big because of expected visitors and then find too few visitors to justify all that extra space?
I think this is pretty common. But hasn't been our experience in Arizona. Multiple visitors every winter. House has been full several times and it's a fairly big house. Has a charming "Casita" out by the pool that is perfect for guests. They have their own self contained little house so we don't have to see them first thing in the morning. Hard part is enforcing the "4 night maximum" rule.
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:03 AM   #127
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Wow.

Cleaning those windows isn't going to be an easy DIY job.
Ad cutting all that grass, unless they put in artificial turf like a neighbor did!
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:14 AM   #128
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I can't afford a second home, and I'm not sure I'd want the headache, so my 1650sf "ranch" is my retirement home.

I do plan to use something like VRBO to explore other areas, and may someday downsize to something more turnkey, but one home is it...
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:15 AM   #129
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Ad cutting all that grass, unless they put in artificial turf like a neighbor did!
Yep, although in my area there is another "natural" alternative...
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:26 AM   #130
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Originally we had a custom built a home back in 1999 while we were still working raising our family 5.5 acres, 3800 sqft home, with a 40x80 Toy Shed/Man Cave.

2009 Kids are all moved out, we had purchased a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo 850 sqft at Lake of the Ozarks and used this during the summers on weekends.

2011 We decided it was time to make plans to downsize and retire within 3 to 5 years. Sold our large home and purchased a 1400 sqft home in town, thinking our son would purchase this house once we did finally retire.... (He changed his mind and did not want the house after 18 months)

2013 sold the 1500 sqft home in town, moved full time to the lake in the 850 sqft condo. DW retired in 11/13.

Quickly realized living at the lake in a 850 sqft condo was just to small. Purchased a 1550 sqft Condo in May of 2014, sold the smaller Condo in June of 2015, I retired in January of 2015

After spending one winter at the lake, we decided nothing was keeping us from SW Florida, so we purchased a retirement PM home in a 55+ community in Fort Myers

We had planned the down sizing and it took us 5 years to accomplish this, we found 1500 sqft to work well for our condo at the lake, 3 bedroom, 2 baths, garage..... room for the kids and friends when they visit ........

Our Fort Myers home is now our primary residence due to taxes, sun, and it is just so much nicer during the winter. We have 800 sqft, 1 bed, 1.5 baths......it is great for the two of us, we have a pull out bed and futon for the kids and guests

It was amazing how much "STUFF" we had accumulated over 40 years, it took a bit to down size, but we did it over 5 years and 5 moves ..... It has been an adventure the past couple of years ......
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:30 AM   #131
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At what point does maintain your toys become work?

About one's idea of a dream home, here's mine: a roundhouse for a 360-degree view on a suitable waterfront lot in the Puget Sound. Not too large. About 2000 sq.ft. of bliss.

My 2nd home in the high-country of AZ has only a 180-degree view from a high point, and of the forest while my preference is water. That had to do, because my pocket is not that deep, and I wanted to ER.



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Old 01-03-2016, 08:35 AM   #132
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I can't afford a second home, and I'm not sure I'd want the headache, so my 1650sf "ranch" is my retirement home.

I do plan to use something like VRBO to explore other areas, and may someday downsize to something more turnkey, but one home is it...
Keeping up with one home is enough for me in retirement, too. I just don't want any extra chores or maintenance to deal with, and then there's the property tax.

Good idea to stay put for now. One nice thing about retirement that you have probably already discovered, is that there are no deadlines.
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:38 AM   #133
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wingfooted, where's the garage? That was always my dream, to have a 10 car garage or something like that.

Our house is either 1700 sq ft or 1680 sq feet. One in WA, the other in CA. We'll move into the one in WA and then decide which is the right place for us and sell the other in a few years. The one in WA doesn't have a garage at all, so I'm trying to figure out how to afford to build one. It will likely only be a two car even though my dream is a 10 car.
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:45 AM   #134
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Really do love our lake view from our condo
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Old 01-03-2016, 08:48 AM   #135
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We live in 2,300 space now and we will downsize to 1,000 to 1,300 in retirement.
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Old 01-03-2016, 11:26 AM   #136
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Where do people find new small, quality-built houses in good neighborhoods and climates? Around here, all new houses are either enormous, or they are townhouses.
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Old 01-03-2016, 11:33 AM   #137
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In nice and desirable locations, I see plenty of nice small homes of 1,500-2,000 sq.ft. They are just not cheap, with asking price in the neighborhood of $1M. Waterfront lots on Bainbridge Island are an example. Or on Mercer Island.
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Old 01-03-2016, 12:12 PM   #138
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There are houses in the PNW near the San Juan Islands that are less than $500k available.
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Old 01-03-2016, 04:42 PM   #139
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I forgot to add "waterfront with low banks" ...
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Old 01-03-2016, 04:57 PM   #140
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2700 sq ft.
We pretty much use the downstairs of about 1800 sq ft
which would be perfect (along with a basement) .
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