Women retiring alone to a new city/state -- where will you go and why? (pension, acquaintance)

[mollyblythe]

Originally Posted by anomaly
Ya know, Wisteria, I keep wondering why we don't just move to YOUR property!! My Goodness, think about it: 1) house by the ocean in Santa Cruz; 2) in the country with lots of land for pets and.. people. WOW!
Wisteria, you've got a pot of gold!!

I totally agree, anomaly! Okay, pack your bags ladies, we're all moving to Wisteria's!

Or how about a straight across swap, Wisteria, for a place in the warm,sunny fruit basket of Central California?

[Wisteria]

Dancingearth:
I'm considering buying again and found our abbey.
Santa Fe Properties

I love that old church! And, cheap, too!! I'm in!

anomaly: Ya know, Wisteria, I keep wondering why we don't just move to YOUR property!! My Goodness, think about it: 1) house by the ocean in Santa Cruz; 2) in the country with lots of land for pets and.. people. WOW!
Wisteria, you've got a pot of gold!!

Well, Anomoly, it sounds good in theory, but I don't have a farm...nor is it zoned commercial (no businesses....). For where I am in Felton (above Santa Cruz), it's a big piece of property. I don't have a lot of photos -- I need to take more. Mostly I have photos from my 35 mm camera (I was late in getting a digital camera!), so I'd have to scan those in...but here are a few.

Here is our community link for the area of Felton called Lompico in Santa Cruz County: Lompico, California - About Lompico

Also, my property is not commercially zoned, and a business can't be conducted out of there. I do, though, have a space for RV parking, and off-street parking, it is within walking distance to a lake, and it is only 15 minutes from the beach. Some redwoods would need to be cut for more sun for gardens, and, unfortunately, the house itself is not that large -- it is only a two-bedroom, one bath (just me and my daughter), plus the spare building and storage buildings. I do have some small trails that also need to be recleared (the former owner used them to walk her dogs). In order to do anything with others, the house would honestly have to be added onto, and that's an expense right there -- the building is not large enough for a lot of people. Santa Cruz is very, very particular about zoning -- they will not allow another building to be built -- get this, unless you have an entire full acre of land! No partial lots! It's crazy. They really prevent building. So, that's another reason. If I were legally able to attach the extra building to the septic I have, I'd do that. Or if I could run a business (I'd love to have a pottery studio there, Dancingearth!), I'd do that. I can only run workshops out of my extra building, and things of that sort. I feel kind of stuck. But, for what it's worth, here are a couple of photos. Maybe I'm just not thinking outside the box.... But take a peek at where I am, and you'll see why I want to continue living in a beautiful area -- I've been spoiled!

This first photo is of the porch and upper level patio. The second is the lower level patios. I also have an extra building that has electric but no water -- I use it as a meeting place/recreation room/guest house. I have a large piece of land in the back that needs to be cleared more and could be a garden space.

However.....the reality is, I cannot afford both the mortgage and to retire....thus, I need to sell in order to retire and reduce my costs. That's the rub.

I feel bad that I must leave, yet at the same time, it is interesting to think about a new place. Maybe a new set of eyes, ears and brains (yours and the others), can help!

This photo below is the "upper level patio" near the front porch, and to the left would be the extra building/cottage, but you can't see it here, although it is a smaller version of the house (it's 550 sq. feet for the extra building, and 1040 sq. feet for the house).



Below are the "lower level patios" -- it was formerly a horseshoe pit! And that's the side of my house -- the dark green one.


You can see my neighbor, Debra's, light green house (she's a massage therapist). These photos were taken at different times, and the ugly plastic chairs are now metal ones!



And here's a view of the lower patio from the upper one. I've got lots of nice tropical plants, a small lemon bush, bay leaf trees, lots of camillias, and nice, big ferns. Of course, I am surrounded by redwoods, too!
All in all, it is very peaceful!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

I love that old church! And, cheap, too!!

the church is very nice and very cheap

Originally Posted by Wisteria

... Maybe I'm just not thinking outside the box.... ...
However.....the reality is, I cannot afford both the mortgage and to retire....thus, I need to sell in order to retire and reduce my costs. That's the rub.

You have a very nice place, should be beautiful in variety of seasons.

Don't jump till you think this through (which I know you are doing). I've left some nice places and am sure it was not the best thing to do (looking back of course..., bad habit. Beautiful settings, locations, and homes are not that easy to find or create). If you have preferable "prop 13" taxes it might be wise to keep it. The biggest issue I see is the gardening / maint chores, but some folks really like to do this work, and it is quite nice.

so... consider 'fractional ownership' amongst your group, (similar to timeshare, but w/o the fees and more equitable use). This would free some (or all) of your own financial obligations. Undoubtedly some of the group would like to spend time in your location, and it could be a 'reprieve' from the desert on occasion, and fairly accessible by cheap airfares. (within an hr of variety of airports)

I haven't fully investigated fractional ownership, but it is becoming 'fashionable' for pristine places and changing demographics where folks don't want to stay put 12 months / yr. There was a family in PNW that wanted a vineyard, but they were too expensive in USA, so they bought one in France (complete with caretaker). They liked it so much they started a business doing 'fractional ownerships' of foreign vineyards, thus you could buy 25% and have the place for 3 months, or owners can 'sublease' their time to others or trade time for other places (within the rules, which primary owner drafts). I know some who schedule on rotations that shift the season, so you are not perpetually stuck with a bad month, and others that assign "Weeks" during high season and "Months" during low season, to give everyone a chance at enjoying the best time. If you have restrictive leasing in the city, this could be a problem, but I would suspect you could work within the rules, as you are not renting the place out nightly, most occupants would stay a month or more.

The down side is the property not being 'self-sufficient' (paying it's own way as it could if commercial / residential rents were coming in). Possibly your site would be a 'premium' location (more expensive to reflect costs). Extra space could be found using the building for a 'sleeping' / guest house, and the RV spot also. The septic limitation is an issue. I would get very creative if it was the only 'roadblock' (maybe adding a line late at night, or using a composting toilet and a supplemental drainfield / gray water treatment system). If the system is working correctly there are some other methods of reclaiming gray water from shower / kitchen that would keep it working with more occupants.

just some options,
and good luck!

[Dancingearth]

What a beautiful place Wisteria! It would be tough to leave.

I know I'll be in the same situation when I retire. This Friday I'm talking to my real estate agent in Santa Fe about buying closer to my job (although not overly optimistic that there is actually something I can afford.) Sharing a house and not having a studio is motivating me to at least try.

My housemate is getting on my nerves--just those small things--always critical without the balance of saying something good. I was pretty excited about finally finishing a storybook wall hanging and trying to decide if I want to keep it to hang in a dark bland hallway or give it to my granddaughter for her 4th birthday. I'm pleased with how it turned out and all he had to say was "did you come up with the pictures yourself?" I showed him the folk tale children's books they came from last week. Then he made an attempt at a joke about the nativity scene being a folk tale (Mexican folktale about the poinsettia.) I was annoyed with myself for explaining it to him--especially when I offered that it was my choice of fabrics and adding embroidery and sometimes redesigning the graphic to make sense on one panel. Grrr....like I owe him an explanation. Next time he offers a critique on my art I'm going to ask him now that he told me what is wrong with it, to tell me what he likes about it. He hasn't made one remark about food since the time I offered him a oatmeal chocolate bit cookie warm from the oven and he said (as he was eating the cookies) "the shortening is made very bad" or something about it killing you and I said "you are very negative--something is always wrong...the water...the celery...the chicken." If you listened to everything you read we would stop eating and breathing. Haven't heard anything else about the food. He is a nice guy with a bad habit--makes me even more aware of looking for the good. It's not something I want to live with long term--if I can't buy I'll start looking for another rental.

I found a community ceramic studio in Los Alamos for $50 a month! Kiln and a wheel and 24/7 access. What a deal. I'll add LA to my list of buying possibilities. I think the senior center in Las Cruces had a studio or maybe it was metal working. Nice studio though.

I'll share a studio with you Wisteria - I find I can only throw once or twice a week and then spend the rest of the time trimming, decorating and glazing. I have a wheel, a banding wheel, some glazing equipment, and a friend is building me a wedging table. Slowly getting there. My theory is get the equipment and then the perfect place to put it will show up

[desert_spirit]

Dancingearth -- where do you live in Santa Fe? I lived in Santa Fe and environs from 1990-97 -- my favorite areas were Abiquiu where I last lived and El Rancho. The church in Vallecitos is beautiful! I looked over the Santa Fe properties... there's a small passive solar house in Abiquiu on 10 acres for 184K... too much for me alone, but something like that to buy as a group when the time is right... hmmm I'd love to move back to NM.

[nancy thereader]

Are you sure you would want to leave, wisteria? It looks so pretty and it sounds wonderful.That is a good idea, though, to post where we are coming from and compare. Here is where I live right now. On Long Island, New York (great for 5 months a year, from May to October , but has cold winters and a very very high cost of living ).

Village of Babylon Long Island New York 11702

[nancy thereader]

Her sister also runs a small fudge company there (you may see their small packages in the local stores), although she and her husband live and work full-time in Albuquerque during the week. I love the idea of a small complex of apartments/cottages there. ...


mmmmmm, fudge. I love it already!

I also love the ideas of small cozy cottages.

[Wisteria]

Dancingearth: I'll share a studio with you Wisteria - I find I can only throw once or twice a week and then spend the rest of the time trimming, decorating and glazing. I have a wheel, a banding wheel, some glazing equipment, and a friend is building me a wedging table. Slowly getting there. My theory is get the equipment and then the perfect place to put it will show up.

I'd love to do that! Seriously! I got rid of my electric kiln when I lived in Colorado and have not replaced it. I loved using the gas kilns at the Boulder pottery lab -- that was my favorite. I'd love to get my hands back into clay -- and drawing again (now I'm only teaching art, but I'd like to have time to make art). Even if I didn't make a living (or even close to a living) with it, it'd be fun. I always felt so absorbed and peaceful working with clay -- something so sensual about it.

desert_spirit: I'd be interested in something like you described -- ten acres is a lot of land -- depending on if it is cleared, is there water (and water rights), electric, etc. If one has to start from scratch, then it could be very expensive.

Anomoly -- if we have enough people here who are sincerely interested, then maybe we should meet up in the next 6 months and see how we feel in person. See where our talents lie, our time frames, any financial concerns, etc. If we were all able to pool a certain amount to obtain a piece of land and live on it, that could work. New Mexico might be more flexible in its planning regulations. Santa Cruz County has pretty much made it impossible for people to expand or build, which is too bad.

Nancy thereader: Just saw your post after I posted mine -- I know what you mean about Long Island -- NYS has such high property taxes. NYS is beautiful in areas, and you being near the City is really nice. It's just the weather and those darned taxes. I am under Prop 13, as mentioned by Janb, so my taxes are low compared to New York State. The whole idea is for us to work together to get something in a nice area, good weather, reasonably priced, and to be able to be a ready-made support system for each other -- a way to combine strengths, talents, and companionship -- and a shoulder to lean on, and friends to laugh with! I don't relish the idea of being an old lady all by myself!

If we had enough women who were self-sufficient -- and it sounds like we have some very strong, independent women here -- we could maybe get into an emerging artistic community -- Truth or Consequences might be it, though, with having some services already established there. Or a very young emerging community where it's really cheap -- before the entire U.S. is unaffordable. Ten acres, ten women, ten thousand dollars each -- that's $100,000....certainly enough to get something with a small mortgage, but not prohibitively expensive. Cheap enough to keep going, but if someone wanted out, not a huge sacrifice to have someone take their place. Just thoughts....

I think it's important that women work together, especially as we get older. This is a good starting point, and you just never know -- we may be a model for future generations!

[desert_spirit]

The people I met in Arivaca, where I almost bought property, have built their houses very inexpensively, but very labor-intensively. They are cob houses, totally off-the-grid, and very sweet. I've also been researching yurts -- the kind with wood or other panelling rather than fabric -- they are relatively inexpensive and go up very quickly -- like in a couple of days -- and require either a platform or a simple foundation.

The solar equipment isn't as expensive as I thought for a small house. So if there's no water, the biggest expense is having a well dug (in rural Arizona about $15,000 including solar pump). There are alternative septic systems which are about $2,000. A large yurt, about 750 sq. ft., might cost $35-50K max including everything. A cob house can be made for under $10,000. Or mobile homes... So if a group of women bought land together and paid for one or two wells... there'd be a lot of work to do but it's possible to do it relatively inexpensively. And no utility bills!

The trick is finding the right land with the fewest restrictions and close enough to good medical facilities etc.

Getting together is a good idea. I'm sure there are going to be sub-groups with different interests.

[Dancingearth]

desert_spirit - I live about a mile from the plaza. A great house--lots of room and light and the location is excellent. I've walked to work. Abiquiu is beautiful. I went to a clay workshop at Ghost Ranch last summer and camped in the campground. Wonderful experience. I think I'm still adjusting to living with another adult--overall he's a very nice person. and I've appreciated not living alone when I just moved here. But my independent streak is coming out -- having to wait on another person to do what I want (clean out the garage and set up a workspace.)

I think it would be fun to start an artist community. I find it very interesting how a town can remake itself using tourism as a tool. On the artist town thread a little town in NY was trying to attract artists to revitalize their town thinking it would attract tourists. I think it qualifies as cultural tourism--the culture of the artist. I asked if there were jobs to support myself and my art and the answer was no. If people don't have jobs how do people buy the art? At least in New Mexico, it has the reputation already for art.

I do want to see Happy Belly Deli in TorC. It's the drive down that isn't appealing to me -- don't like to drive. I'll have to wait until a friend comes to visit and then go down--take some of those vacation days I set aside for her and take her along. I'd want to stop at the Bosque del Apache and Silver City. I need more vacation!