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I am widowed but , Widow seems like such an aweful word.
I wish there was a word for unmarried retired ladies because
it just doesn't feel right to describe ourself by death,divorce ect.
Anywho...what I would love to hear is your living situation and what you like or don't like about it. I need to downsize this spring from a large house & property and I cannot decide if I want a small house & yard or a townhouse.
I want community where I chat with neighbors when I walk the dog.
I want a dog when I get settled but had a large dog in my 20's in a townhouse and it worked out great. I enjoy planting a few tomatoes & flowers but its not a huge passion. I love the outdoors, fishing, camping, ect but could have more time to travel and do these things if I had less yardwork.
Where I am now is so overwhelming that its hard to know what it would be like in a well maintained house with a small yard.
Another plus for the townhome would be a pool for the grandkids but some neighborhoods have that also.
I am a few years from retirement but want to move only one more time.
I am widowed but , Widow seems like such an aweful word.
I wish there was a word for unmarried retired ladies because
it just doesn't feel right to describe ourself by death,divorce ect.
Anywho...what I would love to hear is your living situation and what you like or don't like about it. I need to downsize this spring from a large house & property and I cannot decide if I want a small house & yard or a townhouse.
I want community where I chat with neighbors when I walk the dog.
I want a dog when I get settled but had a large dog in my 20's in a townhouse and it worked out great. I enjoy planting a few tomatoes & flowers but its not a huge passion. I love the outdoors, fishing, camping, ect but could have more time to travel and do these things if I had less yardwork.
Where I am now is so overwhelming that its hard to know what it would be like in a well maintained house with a small yard.
Another plus for the townhome would be a pool for the grandkids but some neighborhoods have that also.
I am a few years from retirement but want to move only one more time.
"Townhomes" in the Northeast anyway are 2 or 3 floors of rooms, not all on one level. "Condo" can be several floors or all on one. That is something major to consider, along with the townhouse/condo monthly fees in addition to property taxes, if you are planning on staying there for the rest of your life. What part of the country?
I am in Raleigh , NC. Plan to stay here I think .
Maybe I should rent a townhouse for awhile and see if it
bothers me not to have a yard. You take things like a yard for granted
and its hard to know if you would miss it.
I would really like to have a downstairs master and there are some townhomes with a downstairs master but not many.
One other thing I really love is my hottub.
Between wanting a hottub with a bit of privacy , downstairs master, space for a dog maybe a small ranch style home with a small yard would work best for me.
I am widowed but , Widow seems like such an aweful word.
I wish there was a word for unmarried retired ladies because
it just doesn't feel right to describe ourself by death,divorce ect.
Anywho...what I would love to hear is your living situation and what you like or don't like about it. I need to downsize this spring from a large house & property and I cannot decide if I want a small house & yard or a townhouse.
I want community where I chat with neighbors when I walk the dog.
I want a dog when I get settled but had a large dog in my 20's in a townhouse and it worked out great. I enjoy planting a few tomatoes & flowers but its not a huge passion. I love the outdoors, fishing, camping, ect but could have more time to travel and do these things if I had less yardwork.
Where I am now is so overwhelming that its hard to know what it would be like in a well maintained house with a small yard.
Another plus for the townhome would be a pool for the grandkids but some neighborhoods have that also.
I am a few years from retirement but want to move only one more time.
Have you ever thought about one of the "over 55" communities? I know that Del Webb has one in your area and they have both small houses (all on one floor) as well as what they call "villas", which are actually 2 or 3 units connected together. The difference between them is that with a small house you are responsible for any repairs/maintenance to the outside as well as inside the actual house, where in the villas you are only responsible for the inside and your own belongings. The HOA covers the outside maintenance as well as insuring the building itself (HOA fees are a bit higher per month to cover these expenses). Also, your HOA fees cover most if not all the yardwork. It all depends on whether you plant any of your own landscaping, which they will not trim. They mow, fertilize, prune builder planted landscaping (unless you choose for them not to prune them}. If you do any planting on your own, they won't prune that, but do replenish the pine needles around everything. You can do some things to the outside of a villa, but not as much as you can to one of the single family homes.
You might want to look into renting there as well. There are usually a bunch of owners who rent their homes out until time for them to retire. You could try renting a villa for awhile and see how that works out for you. Here is a link to the info on that community:
We live in the Del Webb community near Charlotte and really enjoy it. Lots of things to do, clubs to join, or else nothing at all. If this community isn't a fit for you, I'm sure there are other of the same types of communities in the area.
Thanks for that info Rothbear.
I don't know alot about those villas but will check them out.
I might be a square peg in a round hole in one of those. We have lived in the county where we have no restrictions or homeowners rules.
I think what I am weighing out is the social & community that would be great in a place like that but giving up the privacy that a yard can give. Where I am now I can sit in my hottub and watch the stars & moon and watch deer come through the back of our property. We have a hawk that watches over the woods & an owl I love to hear at night.
My husband & I were going to retire on our 40 acres we had bought in Virginia in the middle of nowhere and build a cabin by the pond. Living alone I need neighbors but want space too.
Am I making any sense?
We downsized from 4b/3ba, 3car garage and pool/spa to a 2b/2ba, 1 car condo.
Likes: No yard work
no exterior maintance
Everythings new like carpets, appliances
Community pool/spa, BBQ area
Close enough to walk to the beach
Overlooks golf course
Lots of security & gated
Dislikes: Neighbors above us, we can hear them walking
We're so close to the community pool that we can't
keep our windows open as the pump is so loud
Lack of storage w/ 1 car garage
Monthly HOA fees that keep rising. Now in excess of $700 per mo
Limited guest parking
We are thinking about buying a single family home again next year, but one without a pool. Too much maintence and cost.
No thanks LOL
I have a great realtionship with them but don't care to live with them.
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