Best Affordable Places to Grow Old: Our Own Survey (relocate, conversation, 5 year old)
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He is a retired Doctor and always said he would just pull up to one of his children's abodes and park it.
He does use the address of his son in Oregon for a permanent address... saved a bundle on taxes and I think registration is very reasonable... has a daughter in San Diego and another in Fort Myers and relatives in Montana and Vermont...
The MH is very nice... fireplace, satellite, full master and bath suite and room for intimate entertaining...
I have another friend that lives very modestly on a 36 foot sail boat docked in the SF Bay Area... his living expenses are very low and he has a million dollar view of the SF skyline... not for everyone, but he loves it and says the boat keeps him young.
It does sound like a great lifestyle. Wonderful way to see the country.
22033 is Fairfax Va. One of the most conjested, expensive counties in Va. Horrible traffic. I live in Arlington, not far. It is alwful there too.
Yep, you nailed it right. Why do you think I'm watching this line off and on? Loved living here, but when it comes to retirement, I want to get out of Dodge, only we haven't figured out where yet. Think it most likely will stay Virginia but in much less hectic, chaotic area than here.
Yep, you nailed it right. Why do you think I'm watching this line off and on? Loved living here, but when it comes to retirement, I want to get out of Dodge, only we haven't figured out where yet. Think it most likely will stay Virginia but in much less hectic, chaotic area than here.
Amen to that!! There are many really quaint, smaller places to live in Virginia.
Four years ago, going on five. My problem is that I could never buy in. Houses were over a million and when the great bubble burst they went down 5% to 10%. Renting has no future, your landlord dies and your out.
Four years ago, going on five. My problem is that I could never buy in. Houses were over a million and when the great bubble burst they went down 5% to 10%. Renting has no future, your landlord dies and your out.
Not quite true... at least the part about the Landlord...
Most units in the city fall under strict rent control... I know people that pay only a fraction of market value and not much the owner can do except entice them to leave...
Four to five years ago, Bay Area prices were insane... 1200 square ft, 1920's Craftsman Bungalows in Oakland were routinely selling in the 500k+ range... many of these same home dropped as much as 80% and today are still down 65% from peak.
SF proper has always been a special case because it attracts those from all over the world... prices we think as high may be considered quite reasonable for some one in Paris, London, Beijing, etc...
Not quite true... at least the part about the Landlord...
Most units in the city fall under strict rent control... I know people that pay only a fraction of market value and not much the owner can do except entice them to leave...
Four to five years ago, Bay Area prices were insane... 1200 square ft, 1920's Craftsman Bungalows in Oakland were routinely selling in the 500k+ range... many of these same home dropped as much as 80% and today are still down 65% from peak.
SF proper has always been a special case because it attracts those from all over the world... prices we think as high may be considered quite reasonable for some one in Paris, London, Beijing, etc...
I believe I said MY LANDLORD DIED, his family sold the building.
Oakland is NOT San Francisco, Real Estate prices where I lived never went down more than 10% and are presently higher than they were at the peak of the bubble. Just Zillow around 94121
Any recommendations (see post #1) in the Midwest--Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, etc??
I don't really care for any of the 5 and I have lived in or been through the vast majority of the geographical confines of those states. The only one that I have seen that is "somewhat popular" with retirees is Missouri.
OK, so tell us where in Virginia! Would that be Salem? (where I visited on my find-a-place-in-the-south tour)
Where did you move to VA from? Do you find the place welcoming to outsiders?
I believe we have a city-data poster (formerly a VTer) who loves the area south of Roanoke, VA. It really is a very nice scenic region. Lots or people live in rural areas there and costs are moderate.
Like many, I'm tired of seeing these "Best Places to Retire" annual lists written up by leading mainstream money magazines, with recommendations that seem pretty far-fetched to me.
I also see a lot of assumptions about places that may not be true across the board--such as California and New England are unaffordable. As some point out, in specific places some things are pricey and other things are not, balancing out the question of "affordability."
Many things are more objective, such as quality of medical facilities, things to do for seniors, kinds of housing available.
The one thing that is definitely subjective is "affordability." What is easily affordable for one may not be easily, or at all, affordable for another.
IMO, the best recommendations are from those on the ground, those actually living in or at least knowing a place very well firsthand.
If we were to stick to 5 simple questions, based on your living there (current or recently) how would you rate your recommendation for where to grow old? (Please don't list where not to.)
1. Niceness of the area, aesthetically
2. Driveability (traffic factor, distance factor)
3. Ease in access to basics: supermarket, library, P.O., stores, entertainment
4. Quality of medical facilities and senior living options
5. Affordable (all things considered, all kinds of taxes) for retirees of modest income, say $50K or under/year
Looking forward to responses.
I think the first 4 are subjective except for senior living options. The 5th one isn't as much because you qualified it with the $50K.
I used to tell people in the state forums to quit asking "Are the schools good in town X?" and instead ask questions like "What percent of kids graduate high school?" or "Does the High School have a Science Club, a marching band, a Computer room, etc.?" or "What are the average SAT scores?" "What is the teacher turnover?"
They also ask "Do you get a lot of snow?" They should be asking, for example, "Do you get more than X inches of snow per snowfall?" or "Does it snow for more than X months of the year?" This way, you, not the responder can assess whether it's good or bad, too much or too little, worse or better than what you are used to where you live now.
Driveability, what does that mean? I get twitchy driving in towns with populations over 35,000 or ones with a lot of tourists. Others would laugh at that as they regularly drive in small cities with populations over 100K or live in tourist towns. I like highway driving. Others hate it. Distance to what?
Niceness to me is low population density and no parallel parking . I know that's not what other people think of in terms of "niceness." Spell it out if you are looking for a lake, mountains, beaches, malls, a marina, parks, museums, gated communities, etc.
What do you mean by ease of access? That the building is in the town? That it's in the next town less than X miles away? That it has plenty of handicapped parking? That you don't have to drive down an icy winding mountain road to get to them?
What entertainment? Opera, plays or ballet? Bluegrass music in the park? Jugglers on the street? Comedians in a bar? Monster truck rallies? The rodeo? Parades? Festivals? High school musicals? Big name entertainers?
Quality of medical facilities - that it's clean? That they get awards? That it has a lot of different specialists? That it has a good cure vs death rate? That it doesn't have a lot of lawsuits? That there are plenty of doctors in town? That doctors are accepting new medicare patients? That it takes your insurance/medicare? That the ambulance gets you there quickly? That you don't bleed to death in the emergency waiting room? That it has the latest equipment for whatever medical problem you have?
If you are more specific, you'll get better answers.
I believe I said MY LANDLORD DIED, his family sold the building.
Oakland is NOT San Francisco, Real Estate prices where I lived never went down more than 10% and are presently higher than they were at the peak of the bubble. Just Zillow around 94121
Even East Oakland is expensive.
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It does sound like a great lifestyle. Wonderful way to see the country.
Would that be Salem? (where I visited on my find-a-place-in-the-south tour)
