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There are things I don't like about where I live, and when I think about places with milder climates, or less traffic or whatever, they seem more appealing. When I give those places long, hard thoughts I think of drawbacks that might outweigh their advantages. No place is perfect. I've lived in the Chicagoland area about 2/3 of my life now, and for better or worse, it feels like where I belong. I'm on the outskirts of it now, and we might have one more move left in us, but it probably wouldn't be much farther away.
Over the years, vacationing, I've often thought, I like this place. I could live here. But I think part of that feeling just came from the fact that we were on vacation not working! If there was a maintenance issue in the room or cottage, it wasn't our problem to solve. In other words, we were relaxed and temporarily without responsibilities and I think that was a factor in the "I could live here" feeling.
I've traveled to places and thought "I could live here" as well and researched neighborhoods and communities on line~but have to agree that it's often the vacation mode of relaxation, nice weather, new things to see and do that make the environment interesting.
We are not staying here, after 23 years in this area I have no desire or strong ties that will keep me here. My brother (only immediate family) is 2 hours away and although moving closer to him would be wonderful, he has been completely absorbed by his wife's family, her two brothers, their children and in-laws. The children (cousins) attend the same school, church, swim club and there is some type of family gathering every weekend. We would be welcomed and included, but that's a little too intense for our lifestyle.
I was raised in upstate NY & NJ, parents sold family home and moved back to the midwest in the mid
80's for retirement, leaving my brother and me on the east coast. Thirty years later, they are no longer living, nor are husband's parents (also NJ raised). Our move will be towards my "roots", where my parents were raised and spent retirement, I attended college (just the 4 years of undergrad. but have maintained ties with roommates and college friends) and where my cousins and other relatives have never left. In all of my life, I never lived near any relatives but would visit for vacations and holidays. My cousin's and college ties have become the best of friends and are looking forward to having us in the family fold on a regular basis (just holidays and the occasional birthday, not every weekend). Husband is an only child and has no close relationship with any other family members, so he's looking forward to moving to a Big 10 university town and all it has to offer.
Each situation is different, we never had children, so the "home" that we have is just a house with good memories, good neighbors, a multitude of friends and acquaintances of all ages, an active social life, enriching cultural experiences, terrific medical care and proximity to many great attractions. If it weren't for the strong draw of family and connections already established 600 miles away, we'd stay. But life is for living and if we can have a few more adventures in retirement we're going for it.
in reading many of the posts, it seems that quite a few people are not especially satisfied where they are living, perhaps had planned to retire somewhere else, but will probably remain in their present location due perhaps to the real estate market, economic climate, proximity to family, etc. i'm wondering, if your decision is to stay, what are the reasons that are keeping you in an area that is not satisfying to you, and how do you adjust to an area that is really not a good fit for you? for example how do you live in maine if you really hate winters? how do you manage to live in the southwest when you would rather be in an area of more green, trees, and four seasons? also i wonder if someone is really living in an area that is the opposite of their basic nature, do they ever totally give up the dream of something else?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZDesertBrat
I'm pretty happy with where I live. The Southwest has a lot more green, trees, rivers and lakes than most people imagine.
Absolutely. I live in a large community in Las Vegas that is filled with trees, lakes and streams. The development includes both single family house communities and townhouse communities. Here is a short video of one of the townhouse communities that shows how green and lush the area is:
Although I don't live in that particular community, my house is surrounded by trees and shrubs. Here are some pictures of the greenery from the front and back views of my house. Click on the attachments to see the pictures.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuffaloTransplant
We bought the house when my husband was 25 and I was 20. ...(our friends still all live on this road), ... ( you want to see a guy with 40 years of tools pack? I shudder).(I ) ... I can always rent a place to vacation. I cannot just move and recreate a 40 year home.
Valid points, and applicable to 'some'.
Having been forced from 3 'farms' that I had significant time investments into... (Orchards, Soils, barns, water systems, Fences, weed control...) (Forced via tax hikes / development encroachment / annexation disallowing farming ...).
I'm not sure I have the strength or ability to do it all again, but... current property taxes have raised from $800/ yr to $12,000/yr in last 13 yrs (doubled in BOTH 2005 and 2006 AFTER retirement (I.E. financial planning / structuring for future).
BUT, no one seems to be beating down my door to buy a joint that is taxed at $33/day, so, like many others, I'm somewhat STUCK in present home / situation, so.... plan C is taking place. (developing alternatives with LONG RANGE planning for real estate / home / locations.)
Honestly, (@ current 'life' stage) my 'druthers' would be to have ALL my real estate assets rented and flowing positive cash while I lived (rented) wherever I want !!! (Paris, Prague, Polynesia )(I'm a young retiree, mid 50's, LONG way from medicare / SSN).
While I dislike 285 days of rain...(current abode). It is tough to beat living in a Nationally protected 'Scenic Area' Columbia River Gorge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (considered a 'paradise' by many), recreation is a step away, and I enjoy a beautiful unobstructed and changing view every moment of the day (clouds / weather / mtns/ and River...and wildlife galor)
20 minutes from a VERY small, nice, international, and CHEAP airport
20 minutes to tax free shopping and amenities of metro. Now... to be able to afford this joint (designed and built from scratch as a 'homeschool project'... VERY low cost basis, VERY high underutilized capital asset (?) at this point... house rich, cash poor) I never considered or used my home as an asset for financial planning, BUT it HAS become a very expensive liability.
I will continue work on Plan C, and formulate plan D. (keep / afford vs. dispose of beautiful (but too expensive) home). I need to be 'creative' any ideas welcomed. Only the Taxes are a burden, it is fairly low maint (except mowing every week w/ 120" of rain / yr...). Hate to rent it, as it has LOTS of very nice wood & stone work.
Maybe a 'senior' center / foster home for ME. (Significant tax break if majority of residents are qualified 'needy' seniors)
I could also restructure my Trust, and donate my HOME rather than LIQUID ASSETS to charities, thus THEY could pay the property taxes during my few remaining yrs.
thus NOT 100% happy (have I ever been), but am remaining PUT. ('the final answer', FTTB... )
Absolutely. I live in a large community in Las Vegas that is filled with trees, lakes and streams. The development includes both single family house communities and townhouse communities. Here is a short video of one of the townhouse communities that shows how green and lush the area is:
Although I don't live in that particular community, my house is surrounded by trees and shrubs. Here are some pictures of the greenery from the front and back views of my house. Click on the attachments to see the pictures.
I can only imagine the amount of water that it takes to get and keep things that green - and it really isn't that green. No offense, but it is all artificial and expensive to maintain....isn't water an expensive commodity in Nevada?
Absolutely. I live in a large community in Las Vegas that is filled with trees, lakes and streams. The development includes both single family house communities and townhouse communities. Here is a short video of one of the townhouse communities that shows how green and lush the area is:
Although I don't live in that particular community, my house is surrounded by trees and shrubs. Here are some pictures of the greenery from the front and back views of my house. Click on the attachments to see the pictures.
I moved away from Las Vegas in late 1972 and I know it's changed...a LOT! But even when I did live there we had plenty of green and trees. I had a HUGE tree in my front yard that got hit by lightning in a storm and split right down the middle. I felt so bad about that but we had enough trees that it didn't make a whole lot of difference. And our back yard was all green lawn so it was nice.
Honestly, (@ current 'life' stage) my 'druthers' would be to have ALL my real estate assets rented and flowing positive cash while I lived (rented) wherever I want !!! (Paris, Prague, Polynesia )(I'm a young retiree, mid 50's, LONG way from medicare / SSN).
You know of course the only good property manager is the person staring back at you when you look in a mirror... Getting someone else to manage it, especially when your'e in Prague, is akin to hiring a fox to guard the hen house.
But excellent and well thought out life plan in your post as a whole, I like the way you have explored a variety of options and are flexible in which way to go.
This thread is the very nature of my username and a big dillema for me. I think many people, myself included, ponder staying put because they know they have to find a buyer for their house, face the potential hassles of a sale, buy another one on the destination end, find a new dentist, doctor, barber, insurance agent, place of worship if applicable, etc. etc.
It's alot of effort and unless you REALLY have a true love for another area combined with a major dislike of present locale, the risk of the new location being equal to or less than where you are now makes it a gamble many aren't willing to take.
You win big of course if the destination locale is a major improvement from where you are now. Most stay sheltered in the harbor, so I'll leave you with some passages from Eric Bogle's song "Safe In The Harbor"...
"Some men are sailors, but most are just dreamers Held fast by the anchors they forge in their minds Who in their hearts know they'll never sail over deep water To search for a treasure theyr'e afraid they won't find So in sheltered harbors they cling to their anchors Bank down their boilers & shut down their steam And wait for the sailors to return with bright treasures That will fan their dull embers & fire up their dreams"
We moved across the U.S. to retire 3 years ago. We made lots of visits to our new state prior to moving. We love it more than you can imagine....we have a nicer home, cheaper cost of living, less crime, more friends and lots and lots to do....the down side is that two of our sons are out West and a third lives overseas. So we do spend time each year traveling to see our children and grandchildren...sometimes the grands and sons come here. We are so happy we moved - and yes, it was a lot of work and a little risky, but we did our homework and really like where we ended up.
We are in very rural Erie County. 3/4 of our land is taxed at agriculture rates (very low). Our house sits in what FEMA has recently declared a flood plain ( it isn't; some nitwit in a cubicle decided to draw the line to enclose us)... in 40 years, never a flood, just a wet floor when a sump pump died. No one in the entire area has ever had one either... Result? Taxes plummeted on my road. Love that nitwit in his cubicle!. My town has builders building subdivisions of expensive homes land these people are basically paying the taxes... if some fool wants to build an expensive home on a 60X120 ft. lot, they can pay the high taxes. I am delighted to have a little ranch under 900 sq. feet which backs up to a corn field and where 3 acres are considered farm.
Hey, one town in the south of where I live is full of windmills. They charge NO TAXES (Sheldon).
Surprise! Lots of NY State is rural.
That is why its surveyed everu y]once i wahile. mnay areas were never survey and other have changed since the last one. It really does matter because al it does is raise the cost to ensure if it chnages. I am surprised that taxes would change because the value may not change especially on agriculutre lands which many of the best are in high risk flood plans.Normal that is because they are located near rivers and very good soil from years of deposit before we used them. More likely the low taxes are based more on agricultural use.
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) ... I can always rent a place to vacation.
I cannot just move and recreate a 40 year home.
from medicare / SSN). 
). Hate to rent it, as it has LOTS of very nice wood & stone work. 
)
Getting someone else to manage it, especially when your'e in Prague, is akin to hiring a fox to guard the hen house.
