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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,726 posts, read 58,079,686 times
Reputation: 46195
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Spearfish, SD or NW WY (I would choose Burgess Jct, a very favorite spot of mine, but few others venture there.)
N ID, NW MT, and NE WA are pretty, remote and filled with wildlife and close to BC for an extraordinary outdoors experience.
Taxes.... that is tough to guarantee, today there was a radio program about buying and fixing up farms in remote Italy, they were affordable ($50k) and had low taxes ($600). You can zip over to Switzerland for some nice photography options.
One of my (farmer) friends bought a smaller home nearby and rented it to an immigrant family, They took over his farm AND yardwork, and he got a share of their crop revenue. They both did very well.
Another friend set an nice Disability Equipped double wide modular in their backyard, and they first rented to caregiver, then eventully moved into the modular and rented out the BIG house.
You could easily find a young family who would trade 'your care for their equity interest upon your death ' (of course you need to be VERY careful (legally to protect your interests), but this can work well).
Think 'Community Garden' project
or Master Gardener 'display' garden, or horticulture / grounds Maint training for local school.
I know the Heavy Maint some homes are (I'm in a climate of 80MPH winds and freezing rain, 'submarine' quality house is REQUIRED). Many friends built log or cedar homes (they are really sorry come maint or resale time).
IF I ever gain enough strength to build again... it will be a Rammed Earth structure (QUIET and warm), AND have multiple living spaces, everything passive / annualized solar w/ radiant heat (with several sources of heat for boiler), off-grid capable, and very LOW TAX.
Thanks for your suggestions, Stealth. We have a good rammed earth community about 100 miles north of us (near Taos New Mexico) and that kind of thing appeals to me. But with a need to be in fairly close proximity to medical care, I'm leaning very heavily toward getting a few acres 10-15 miles east of Albuquerque and building a net-zero green home.
We would be tied to a grid, purchase some power in the winter and sell our surplus in the summer. I've done the calculations for what we would build. We would keep the landscape totally natural...no yard work. All I have to do now is convince my wife this is all a good idea. She says she is willing to go along but I can tell she'd much rather just stay where we are and not think about the future. I'm much more of a proactive planner than she is, and I can see our present situation will not be sustainable (for example, paying for health care AND home and yard maintenance 10 years from now)...
I sold my house and downsized long ago due to a divorce. Money from that house is long gone (I got back together with him and he took everything) so I can't afford to buy.
I wouldn't buy anyway at my age. As far as renting, rents here start at abt $1500 for a one BR and that doesn't include heat. That makes housing a huge problem for me.
Still, in my mind, I've thought a lot about what I would do. Fortunately I traveled when I still could afford to. As a result of past travels and reading A LOT, not only on CD but everywhere I could, I'm now pretty sure I just want to stay here where I am.
I love it here.
Nowhere is going to be perfect. I have to get used to the fact. New England has horrible winters.
If you live in the south you have horrible summers, same with the southwest. Northwest is rainy. I'm used to New England, I know my way around here, I love the beaches, the woods, the scenery, the culture. if I had any family left, that would be a determining factor, but there are very few and they are here. I'm going to stay in a place I know and love.
Besides, there are great medical facilities here and that's going to be important. A dream would be to move to England for a year or so if I could afford it and then, probably move back here. If I won the lottery (fat chance since I don't buy lottery tickets) I guess I'd do the England thing. I don't know if I'd do the house in Florida/house in New England thing that my parents and other relatives did. They all complained about all the hassle of going back and forth.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,726 posts, read 58,079,686 times
Reputation: 46195
Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
I... I can't afford to buy.
..., I'm now pretty sure I just want to stay here where I am.
I love it here.
... A dream would be to move to England for a year or so if I could afford it and then, probably move back here. ...
I'd look into Co-op housing in New England areas, there are some affordable options, or a spot in a ROC (resident owned community Mobile Home Park) http://rocusa.org/
Get to England while you still have health and greenback is of some value. There are affordable places to rent on the outskirts of cities, and lots of folks have rooms to rent. Probably cheaper than staying in USA. Spend $500 on a ticket and GO
I sold my house and downsized long ago due to a divorce. Money from that house is long gone (I got back together with him and he took everything) so I can't afford to buy.
I wouldn't buy anyway at my age. As far as renting, rents here start at abt $1500 for a one BR and that doesn't include heat. That makes housing a huge problem for me.
Still, in my mind, I've thought a lot about what I would do. Fortunately I traveled when I still could afford to. As a result of past travels and reading A LOT, not only on CD but everywhere I could, I'm now pretty sure I just want to stay here where I am.
I love it here.
Nowhere is going to be perfect. I have to get used to the fact. New England has horrible winters.
If you live in the south you have horrible summers, same with the southwest. Northwest is rainy. I'm used to New England, I know my way around here, I love the beaches, the woods, the scenery, the culture. if I had any family left, that would be a determining factor, but there are very few and they are here. I'm going to stay in a place I know and love.
Besides, there are great medical facilities here and that's going to be important. A dream would be to move to England for a year or so if I could afford it and then, probably move back here. If I won the lottery (fat chance since I don't buy lottery tickets) I guess I'd do the England thing. I don't know if I'd do the house in Florida/house in New England thing that my parents and other relatives did. They all complained about all the hassle of going back and forth.
Some people think New England is terribly humid in summer. Somewhat, but Nowhere Near as Bad! as any place directly south of here, or the Midwest. I toured parts of the south a few summers ago and nearly died getting out of the car in Knoxville and also Greenville SC (the latter by far the worst!). HUMID plus.
Others think our winters are awful. There are days, yes, when it's [retty bad, but if you're retired you can stock up and stay in. My ideal temperature range is 30 - 70 degrees, humid or dry. I can get a lot of this range in New England. If I weren't tied to family here I would move back to Missouri. Nothing like a Missouri spring or fall--and a Missouri peach (other than a Georgia peach). Missouri has its challenges too--tornados--but overall the winters where pleasant.
When my husband and I first started talking about or possibilities in retirement, we wanted someplace with moderate weather and a low cost of living. We had been to Mexico, and decided that was the place for us. The cost of living there is very low, but they do have a sizeable ex-pat population and there is a lot to be said for the cultural and health aspects in Guadalajara. Good medical care with modern hospitals, museums, restaurants, theatre, etc. And an extremely low cost of living. But the inability of the government to manage the extreme lawlessness due to the drug cartels, combined with the corruption in government and law enforcement eventually forced us to look elsewhere.
Fast forward to now...quite a few years ago we decided on Maine, for much the same reasons we decided Mexico was good in our initial planning discussions. About the only difference, aside from language, is the weather. However, the weather in the area of Maine we were considering isn't much different from where we live now so that no longer mattered as much to us. We still wanted access to good quality health care and a low cost of living, and Maine really fit the bill. On top of that, the state is beautiful, with lots of wildlife. And we would be free to build as we wanted, without a lot of ridiculous rules.
Our plan is 40-120 acres of mainly forested land. We are planning on living off-grid (not tied in at all), in a small (800-1200 sq ft) cabin/cottage, with a nicely sized greenhouse to extend the garden growing season. A few chickens, maybe a pig or three, and a few sheep for eating. And the sheep have a bonus! I can get some yarn from them too. We want to live a smaller, quieter life, and not worry about paying our light and heat bill versus perhaps affording to pay for prescription medications when we're old, or eating. We are pretty self-sufficient, and want to stay that way as long as possible as we age, as we will be living on a small pension with healthcare benefits. So staying active, and living a healthy lifestyle should keep us going for a good long time. An added benefit is that there just aren't a lot of people in Maine, so we can live a quiet and peaceful life without the population trying to encroach upon our space constantly. It doesn't get much better than that really, now does it?
THe summers here *are* much too humid. No sun, just grey muck. I had to powerwash my house for a full day to get rid of mildew this year.
I say this as someone who is getting ready for our weekly snowstorm and wondering if I'll get stuck at work (hospital) and am sick of digging out my car at work and then at home. But this is an unusual winter, and the grey sticky summers seem to be evermore the norm.
When my husband and I first started talking about or possibilities in retirement, we wanted someplace with moderate weather and a low cost of living. We had been to Mexico, and decided that was the place for us. The cost of living there is very low, but they do have a sizeable ex-pat population and there is a lot to be said for the cultural and health aspects in Guadalajara. Good medical care with modern hospitals, museums, restaurants, theatre, etc. And an extremely low cost of living. But the inability of the government to manage the extreme lawlessness due to the drug cartels, combined with the corruption in government and law enforcement eventually forced us to look elsewhere.
Fast forward to now...quite a few years ago we decided on Maine, for much the same reasons we decided Mexico was good in our initial planning discussions. About the only difference, aside from language, is the weather. However, the weather in the area of Maine we were considering isn't much different from where we live now so that no longer mattered as much to us. We still wanted access to good quality health care and a low cost of living, and Maine really fit the bill. On top of that, the state is beautiful, with lots of wildlife. And we would be free to build as we wanted, without a lot of ridiculous rules.
Our plan is 40-120 acres of mainly forested land. We are planning on living off-grid (not tied in at all), in a small (800-1200 sq ft) cabin/cottage, with a nicely sized greenhouse to extend the garden growing season. A few chickens, maybe a pig or three, and a few sheep for eating. And the sheep have a bonus! I can get some yarn from them too. We want to live a smaller, quieter life, and not worry about paying our light and heat bill versus perhaps affording to pay for prescription medications when we're old, or eating. We are pretty self-sufficient, and want to stay that way as long as possible as we age, as we will be living on a small pension with healthcare benefits. So staying active, and living a healthy lifestyle should keep us going for a good long time. An added benefit is that there just aren't a lot of people in Maine, so we can live a quiet and peaceful life without the population trying to encroach upon our space constantly. It doesn't get much better than that really, now does it?
I explored (and know) Maine quite a bit (not the far northern reaches though). Be prepared for a lot of in the car trips to wherever you need to go. If you haven't done so yet, spend a week in your possible destination and see what it's like (now and when you're 80) to go to the grocery, doctor, library, stores, etc. Is there any senior transport? How close is the nearest hospital? I found that what I wanted in Maine in my 30s and 40s did not hold up practically in my sixties. Now there's others like Forest Beekeeper who have made Maine work just fine. This was just my own personal realization based on my own needs as I age.
THe summers here *are* much too humid. No sun, just grey muck. I had to powerwash my house for a full day to get rid of mildew this year.
I say this as someone who is getting ready for our weekly snowstorm and wondering if I'll get stuck at work (hospital) and am sick of digging out my car at work and then at home. But this is an unusual winter, and the grey sticky summers seem to be evermore the norm.
My goodness, we live in the same state but might as well live in different countries. In WMass it is not as humid as you experience, the summers somewhat--but not as bad as anywhere I've traveled south or midwest. I am very adverse to humidity but have not experienced so many "grey sticky summers." Could it be you're nearer the coast?
Yes of course the snow but out this way we have had many sunny, fine (though cold) days this winter. Could Worcester be the great divide??
My goodness, we live in the same state but might as well live in different countries. In WMass it is not as humid as you experience, the summers somewhat--but not as bad as anywhere I've traveled south or midwest. I am very adverse to humidity but have not experienced so many "grey sticky summers." Could it be you're nearer the coast?
Yes of course the snow but out this way we have had many sunny, fine (though cold) days this winter. Could Worcester be the great divide??
I moved from WMass ten years ago to live in EMass and be closer to the ocean and for better weather and air quality.
We have slightly cooler summers out here than in WMass, moderated by the sea. We have absolutely no ozone/air quality alerts where I live now. Back around Northampton I couldn't even go outside on certain days during the summer due to the air pollution. One of the last winters I lived in WMass we had a blizzard every weekend! Spend Sunday night digging your car out so you could go to work the next day and then by Friday we'd be into the next blizzard.
This current winter is bad everywhere, I am hating this, but it's not the norm. And Worcester, I think they have the worst weather in the state! They're always having dangerous storms there in summer with killer lightening. I always have to pull over when driving through. If there's a tornado anywhere, it'll go to Worcester. Where's the place that has the gray sticky stuff?
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