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People who are retired are on fixed incomes usually. Even if they have a few million stashed away, most don't spend it like there's no tomorrow. It's not easy for them to sell their house and buy a new one. First off, their house is usually paid off before they retire....LONG before they retire for most people. Many can't afford to sell their house and buy a new one where their children have relocated to. Most people also have more than one child so how on earth would they relocate and follow each child?
Moving is also far from cheap! Especially moving to another state. It's physically demanding as well. Even if one hires a moving company, there's a great deal of prep involved long before moving day arrives.
Travel is much easier on your folks than older folks. Seniors frequently have many medications, minor and major health issues, and travel is very difficult for them. Being away from their doctors is also problematic. The taking off of shoes at the airport is very challenging for many seniors.
It's not as easy as you make it sound. I'm not a senior yet. I've been relocated several times and many people in my family have relocated for various reasons. It's never a party. it's hard work and incredibly stressful. Stress is not something seniors need!
Often retirees can easily afford a place near where their child or children live because they no longer need a large family sized home, they just need a small condo (which is also a safer living space for a senior and easier to maintain) and they don't need to worry about school districts. And sometimes one of the reasons the child left the hometown is because it's too expensive.
If they don't want to move for whatever reason, they certainly should never guilt trip their kids for not visiting enough and for not living in the hometown. Their kids have to worry about jobs, and school districts, and housing that's good for a family, and many things that they no longer have to worry about.
Often retirees can easily afford a place near where their child or children live because they no longer need a large family sized home, they just need a small condo (which is also a safer living space for a senior and easier to maintain) and they don't need to worry about school districts. And sometimes one of the reasons the child left the hometown is because it's too expensive.
If they don't want to move for whatever reason, they certainly should never guilt trip their kids for not visiting enough and for not living in the hometown. Their kids have to worry about jobs, and school districts, and housing that's good for a family, and many things that they no longer have to worry about.
It's amazing how you know what retirees need and can afford! Because yes retirees from Akron, OH can easily sell their home and buy a condo in Boston and not have to worry about finances. Never mind the fact that condos in decent neighborhoods in Boston can cost over a million dollars. Add in the condo fees and taxes. Sure that's a piece of cake! Same goes for Seattle, Portland, etc. MANY cities are NOT cheap to buy housing. They're just not.
Why do you think retirees just need a condo? Many retirees own houses. They're paid for and they're not worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Condos have monthly fees. And the property taxes frequently are not less than they are currently paying.
You're hung up on people guilt tripping others. Many people don't guilt trip. Some just ask if you're planning a visit anytime soon so they can catch up. And with things like Facebook, email, text, cell phone, Skype, etc available today, visiting isn't as big of a deal.
Stay in Boston. We moved my daughter from CT to Louisiana when she was 13. Our entire situation has been better here than in CT, but she never really got over it. She too was well adjusted in elementary and middle school, and we figured moving her when she was ready to start high school was the way to go.
She has adjusted and has many friends and a decent job here in Louisiana, but she has never really gotten over that big move. It's like we picked her up from everything she knew and dropped her in a place she really didn't like, and still doesn't.
You only have a few more years before they go off to college, then they will settle down in their own lives.
Stay. If your life in MA is good, stay. Retire to CA if you are still of a mind at that time.
It's amazing how you know what retirees need and can afford! Because yes retirees from Akron, OH can easily sell their home and buy a condo in Boston and not have to worry about finances. Never mind the fact that condos in decent neighborhoods in Boston can cost over a million dollars. Add in the condo fees and taxes. Sure that's a piece of cake! Same goes for Seattle, Portland, etc. MANY cities are NOT cheap to buy housing. They're just not.
Why do you think retirees just need a condo? Many retirees own houses. They're paid for and they're not worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Condos have monthly fees. And the property taxes frequently are not less than they are currently paying.
You're hung up on people guilt tripping others. Many people don't guilt trip. Some just ask if you're planning a visit anytime soon so they can catch up. And with things like Facebook, email, text, cell phone, Skype, etc available today, visiting isn't as big of a deal.
You're speaking of specific situations that would cause difficulty. I'm obviously talking about parents who are annoyed that the kids don't visit more or that they won't settle in their hometown, and who COULD move closer to their kids with some minor changes. Traveling with children and having to work around two parents work schedules and children's school schedules is very difficult, not to mention expensive. They will visit when they can. If Skype keeps everyone happy for contact with grandkids and no one wants to relocate, then obviously those aren't the people I'm talking about.
Living in a large home, one and that requires maintenance, landscaping, clearing snow and ice in winter, high utilities bills and has stairs (falls on stairs are a huge cause of injury especially in seniors) is not an ideal place to plan to live until age 90. Yes, retirees can become attached to their home and refuse to move and it is very stressful for their kids who worry about getting that call that they've fallen on the stairs or injured themselves trying to tend to the lawn.
You're speaking of specific situations that would cause difficulty. I'm obviously talking about parents who are annoyed that the kids don't visit more or that they won't settle in their hometown, and who COULD move closer to their kids with some minor changes. Traveling with children and having to work around two parents work schedules and children's school schedules is very difficult, not to mention expensive. They will visit when they can. If Skype keeps everyone happy for contact with grandkids and no one wants to relocate, then obviously those aren't the people I'm talking about.
Living in a large home, one and that requires maintenance, landscaping, clearing snow and ice in winter, high utilities bills and has stairs (falls on stairs are a huge cause of injury especially in seniors) is not an ideal place to plan to live until age 90. Yes, retirees can become attached to their home and refuse to move and it is very stressful for their kids who worry about getting that call that they've fallen on the stairs or injured themselves trying to tend to the lawn.
There are parents who would be annoyed if their adult children moved 3 houses away because then they couldn't just walk next door. all. the. time. There are parents who get annoyed because their child move for a job.....god forbid they aren't homeless. Some parents just complain. Many people don't like change and have an extremely difficult time with it.
Many seniors don't live in large homes. Some homes don't require a ton of maintenance. Most people aren't doing that maintenance themselves anyway. Landscaping? Mowing a lawn is easy. Can't do it? Pay a kid on the block to do it. Heck my neighbors have been known to mow my lawn, plow my driveway, leaf blow my yard, etc and I have never asked any of them to do anything nor am I elderly. We all pitch in and check on our elderly neighbors.
High utility bills? Totally depends on the house, location, and utility company. My utility bills in SC were more than DOUBLE what I pay in NY. I built a brand new house in SC. My NY houses have been 15 years old and 70 years old. They're all roughly the same square footage. They're all different styles of house.
I have had many seniors in my family who have 2 story homes that were 100% paid for years ago. Once stairs became difficult, NONE of them used the upstairs. In fact, they closed all the doors and closed the heating vents. They either rearranged furniture and made a bedroom for themselves or took over a first floor bedroom.
I have a grandmother who wanted to be closer to her young grandchildren so she moved out of her one story house that was 100% paid for. Her taxes were VERY low. She now has blown her retirement funds like they're water. She now truly regrets ever selling her house. It has hurt her financially. She's stuck paying $1500 a month in rent. That's typical rent for her area for a decent apartment complex. Her utilities aren't any less. Two months of rent would have covered her taxes for the entire year. Finances are really challenging for most seniors.
There are parents who would be annoyed if their adult children moved 3 houses away because then they couldn't just walk next door. all. the. time. There are parents who get annoyed because their child move for a job.....god forbid they aren't homeless. Some parents just complain. Many people don't like change and have an extremely difficult time with it.
Many seniors don't live in large homes. Some homes don't require a ton of maintenance. Most people aren't doing that maintenance themselves anyway. Landscaping? Mowing a lawn is easy. Can't do it? Pay a kid on the block to do it. Heck my neighbors have been known to mow my lawn, plow my driveway, leaf blow my yard, etc and I have never asked any of them to do anything nor am I elderly. We all pitch in and check on our elderly neighbors.
High utility bills? Totally depends on the house, location, and utility company. My utility bills in SC were more than DOUBLE what I pay in NY. I built a brand new house in SC. My NY houses have been 15 years old and 70 years old. They're all roughly the same square footage. They're all different styles of house.
I have had many seniors in my family who have 2 story homes that were 100% paid for years ago. Once stairs became difficult, NONE of them used the upstairs. In fact, they closed all the doors and closed the heating vents. They either rearranged furniture and made a bedroom for themselves or took over a first floor bedroom.
I have a grandmother who wanted to be closer to her young grandchildren so she moved out of her one story house that was 100% paid for. Her taxes were VERY low. She now has blown her retirement funds like they're water. She now truly regrets ever selling her house. It has hurt her financially. She's stuck paying $1500 a month in rent. That's typical rent for her area for a decent apartment complex. Her utilities aren't any less. Two months of rent would have covered her taxes for the entire year. Finances are really challenging for most seniors.
I'm talking specifically of single family homes vs. condos. In a condo, the many shared walls mean much better insulation from both heat and cold, and there's usually a downsizing in the square footage of the home as well. And there is NO maintenance. If a neighborhood kid can't help out with every aspect of maintaining your home you aren't screwed because you aren't responsible for anything. And having a vacant second floor gathering dust and critters sounds like an awful idea, and that's your best case scenario. I have friends whose parents refuse to stop using the stairs even though they've been told it's dangerous. One friend whose elderly father crawls up the stairs some days when he can't climb. Some don't have full bathrooms or bedrooms on the first floor, and even when they do they don't want to give up the second floor. My friends lose sleep over worrying about their parents falling on the stairs or injuring themselves because they insist on shoveling snow or some other nonsense on their own. I plan to move to a small maintenance-free condo as soon as I retire. You have no way of knowing what type of stubborn ideas you'll have as you get older and older and less rational. I don't want my kids to be forced to fight me on this.
And yes, if it's impossible to afford to live near your kids and grandkids, you obviously can't be homeless to be near them. But if I can swing it, I would do it. Life is too short. And with a small condo, no concerns about things like school districts, and a lot of cash from the sale of the family home, a lot of cities become affordable.
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Same goes for Seattle, Portland, etc. MANY cities are NOT cheap to buy housing. They're just not.
