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Does anyone here maintain two separate homes, or residences since they retired and travel between them? What has been your experience exactly? Do the costs of maintaining two homes eat up your retirement income? Is it manageable? Does the driving back and forth bother you?
Interesting (to me) that I haven't been on this board in awhile and this is the first thread I see. Coincidentally, my wife and I just bought and moved into a second residence in Miami Beach just two weeks ago. We drove from Las Vegas to Miami in July for an extended visit with the intent of staying for three months. We rented a condo that we found on vrbo and just before we were scheduled to move out, a similar unit to the one we were renting went on the market. Since we really like the area and the building, we decided to buy it. It probably doesn't make sense from a financial standpoint, but I acquiesced to SWMBO. (I thought that we could continue to rent off and on, but DW wanted a place she could call her own down here and decorate as she saw fit.) We are right on the beach with direct ocean views, but also have views of the Intercoastal Waterway and the downtown Miami skyline. Here is a link to the vrbo property we rented. If you scroll down to the bottom, you'll see a series of 14 pictures that describe the unit and show the views. The unit we bought is almost directly below this unit, so the views are the same.
Although we drove cross-country to get here originally, our plan now is to leave one car here and one in Las Vegas. We will most likely spend half the year in LV and half in Miami (spring & fall in LV, winter & summer at the beach), and fly back and forth between the two residences. We are fortunate that our sfh in LV is in a guard-gated community and the guards come by to check on our house once each shift when we're out of town to ensure that nothing is amiss. The condo will be easy to "close down" when we're not here. Alternatively, we could rent the condo seasonally, but I'm not sure I want to bother with that. Other similar units in the building go for $2,500 - $4,000/month.
Having a residence in Miami makes it much easier to take advantage of last-minute cruise sales and will also cut down on travel time when we want to fly to/from Europe. It will also cut down on travel when we want to return to the DC area or visit other East Coast cities.
Another advantage to me is that I still have ~7 casinos within 20-25 minute drive of our condo and the poker players down here are some of the worse I've ever seen, lol. I've been doing even better at the tables down here than I did in Vegas!
There must be tens of thousands of snowbirders, which means tens of thousands of people with lots of money - in any case enough money to either maintain two residences or let one sit vacant while another one is rented. Rather than have money sunk into two places which will be occupied only 50 percent of the time, has anyone thought of just moving to a place, such as California, where the climate is livable year round? Living in California couldn't be that much more expensive - probably not any more expensive - than having two residences.
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I've never understood what the draw of Florida is. Yes, I get it that folks are tired of winters in the snowbelt, tired of shoveling snow, etc., but is Florida just a way to escape something, or is it actually an attractive place to spend six months (provided it's not the summer months, of course)? There must be something awfully nice about it, or people wouldn't flock there.
When you live in the north, Florida is lovely in the winter--winter is tougher and tougher to deal with as you get older. Florida is full of other snowbirds, a very friendly lot, and the living is easy. It's about 74 degrees here right now, and it's around freezing back home. Yes, we miss our friends and activities back home, but we are creating new ones here, and we really love it. The air is easier on our lungs too, and we rarely get colds or flu. We're able to be outside every day inside of trapped inside because of the weather, so we're healthier and fitter. And it's affordable compared to many more exotic locales, and accessible--we drive here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marcopolo
Personal preferences speaking here: Coming from Nebraska, which is basically brown or snow-covered from November through sometime in April, Florida is a paradise. Something is blooming every month of the year. If you like the sea, beaches, birds fishing and fish jumping, greenery and blooms, it makes a great deal of sense to winter in Florida. An hour more of daylight and moderate temperatures are fabulous life improvements--I swim nearly every day in Florida when I am there, outdoors, regardless of the season. (heated pool at the condo complex). The next guy might not value these things, but I and my bride value them highly.
To the OP: I'm not retired, but have some flexibility as to where I work. So we spend about twenty weeks a year in Florida. For us, it makes sense to maintain homes north and south. Have roots and kids and business up North. The concession we made (after two years) was to downsize up north, go the townhouse route with exterior maintenance provided. The Florida arrangement costs a grand a month to carry, times twelve months. And it is a condo, no worries when we leave it. I would not under any circumstances attempt to maintain a free-standing home on either end.
I have a snowbird neighbor in Florida who pays $6400 rent for an identical condo to mine--for four months. He has a standing opportunity to re-up at the same place for the following year, and that is what he does. But we spread our time in FLA out over much of the year, including of course Jan-Feb-Mar. We get to have our own stuff, the bed we want, the chairs that are comfortable for us, the decor we prefer, etc., etc. My neighbor's deal is right for him; our deal is right for us.
We enjoy the travel between places. Got to see spring in Alabama with the dogwood and wisteria in full and glorious bloom, fall foliage in Tennessee, etc. She prefers driving; I have to jump on a plane every so often to attend to business and that doesn't bother me a bit. (I must be good-looking because sometimes the TSA fondles me twice.)
If one could afford a single $250,000 home, it isn't that much different to own a $100,000 place and a $150,000 place in different states--and can be much much better, depending on your aims. Florida is a huge bargain now.
I know retired teachers and middle managers that own two places. It takes a little money, but does not require a fortune.
When we can no longer travel, we'll sell out up north and stay down south. (Yes, we've spent months of the summer in FLA. We already know it is warm.) Our time-splitting years have given us the perspective we need to know where to settle if/when we have to narrow it down to one place. One certainly would not want to get in frail health first, and then try something dramatically new in a faraway place.
I agree with everything you say here except the last bit--we'll be stuck up in Canada when we can't travel any longer, but while we're young enough, the split year is perfect. And no, it doesn't take a fortune. It helps that our two places up north were fully paid-for long before we retired, and our place in Florida cost, frankly, a pittance in the grand scheme of things. And yes, if we couldn't have afforded to buy here in Florida, we could have rented quite reasonably. But I do l ike to be able to equip my own kitchen and decorate the way I like.
Yes, I have been to Florida, maybe half a dozen times, but never for more than a few days at a time. I visited the National Naval Air Musuem in Pensacola twice, but that's almost in Alabama. I was in Gainseville in April of 2006. Tried to jog out of doors and almost passed out from the heat and humidity. It must have been an unusually early heat wave. Right on the coast itself (what you are talking about) is probably not so brutal.
There's no "probable" about it. Being on the coast is significantly better weather-wise than the interior of the state. In fact, even among coastal cities, there is a significant difference between being right on or near the beach and being as little as 10-15 miles inland.
On a related matter, it really doesn't make much sense when people (not you) talk generically about Florida weather without reference to specific cities since it is over 800 miles from one end to the other. Even Gainesville is 300+ miles north of Miami and has little in common with it. It is brutally humid in the summer and fairly cold in the winter. We stopped there for a couple of days in July on our way down to Miami Beach and I was miserable. I can't believe that I actually lived there for several years when I was in school.
Interesting (to me) that I haven't been on this board in awhile and this is the first thread I see. Coincidentally, my wife and I just bought and moved into a second residence in Miami Beach just two weeks ago. We drove from Las Vegas to Miami in July for an extended visit with the intent of staying for three months. We rented a condo that we found on vrbo and just before we were scheduled to move out, a similar unit to the one we were renting went on the market. Since we really like the area and the building, we decided to buy it. It probably doesn't make sense from a financial standpoint, but I acquiesced to SWMBO. (I thought that we could continue to rent off and on, but DW wanted a place she could call her own down here and decorate as she saw fit.) We are right on the beach with direct ocean views, but also have views of the Intercoastal Waterway and the downtown Miami skyline. Here is a link to the vrbo property we rented. If you scroll down to the bottom, you'll see a series of 14 pictures that describe the unit and show the views. The unit we bought is almost directly below this unit, so the views are the same.
Although we drove cross-country to get here originally, our plan now is to leave one car here and one in Las Vegas. We will most likely spend half the year in LV and half in Miami (spring & fall in LV, winter & summer at the beach), and fly back and forth between the two residences. We are fortunate that our sfh in LV is in a guard-gated community and the guards come by to check on our house once each shift when we're out of town to ensure that nothing is amiss. The condo will be easy to "close down" when we're not here. Alternatively, we could rent the condo seasonally, but I'm not sure I want to bother with that. Other similar units in the building go for $2,500 - $4,000/month.
Having a residence in Miami makes it much easier to take advantage of last-minute cruise sales and will also cut down on travel time when we want to fly to/from Europe. It will also cut down on travel when we want to return to the DC area or visit other East Coast cities.
Another advantage to me is that I still have ~7 casinos within 20-25 minute drive of our condo and the poker players down here are some of the worse I've ever seen, lol. I've been doing even better at the tables down here than I did in Vegas!
--insert 500 comment thread about CA real estate values, taxes, debt, and public services here--
Proximity to I-95, I-75 and every other place east of the Mississippi (with family, history, existing home)
Peak season weather -SOUTH Florida is at least as nice as CA then-
(the other 7-9 months and especially the summer you can have)
Being near 95 is a true gem and I have all of my adult life. Can be crowded at times but it is a shot north and south for millions. Makes it easy for others to visit you and for you to visit others. That makes Florida and other warmer climate states along the way very popular for transplants coming from the North.
When you live in the north, Florida is lovely in the winter--winter is tougher and tougher to deal with as you get older. Florida is full of other snowbirds, a very friendly lot, and the living is easy. It's about 74 degrees here right now, and it's around freezing back home. Yes, we miss our friends and activities back home, but we are creating new ones here, and we really love it. The air is easier on our lungs too, and we rarely get colds or flu. We're able to be outside every day inside of trapped inside because of the weather, so we're healthier and fitter. And it's affordable compared to many more exotic locales, and accessible--we drive here.
I've traveled to Florida on a number of occasions. I've seen most of the state. I've driven most of the panhandle. I've been to central Florida a couple of times with the wife and kids to go to Disneyworld. I've been to places like Fort Myer, the Kennedy Space Center, Tampa, and I've even been to the Everglades and out to Key West.
I would characterize Florida as sort of a "poor man's Hawaii". Having been to both, I'd choose Hawaii. However, Florida has some advantages that Hawaii doesn't once you get away from beaches and good weather. (BTW, I think the best beaches are around Tampa on the Gulf side of Florida) Its connected to the rest of the continental USA. There's more to see, but far more people too. The humidity would ruin it for me really quickly in the summer. But, I'm used to very dry climates. If I must have hot weather--make it both hot and dry. I can do yard work in a 100 degrees (if I have too) in this kind of climate as long as I have nice cotton clothing.
Its a nice winter destination, but I don't like crowded places and Florida is crowded. For that matter, Southern California is very crowded too.
I can't imagine staying there in the summer, but different strokes for different folks.
Got that t-shirt. Had another residence just 100 miles from current one. It was located in one of the most gorgeous valleys in the North GA mountains. Had it for 2 years. Was never so glad to sell something in my life (not counting 2 boats). Two sets of "books". Two of every sort of property issue. Two roofs. Two sewage systems. 7 toilets. 2 water heaters. Two local governments. An HOA in the distant property. Two insurance policies. On and on. Never mind furniture. One is enough for me. That was just a 100 miles. Now, it was a single family house, not a condo.
My thinking now is I can and will only live in one place at a time. If I want to be in Coeur d'Alene for a summer, I'll find something to rent and then give the keys back to the owner when I leave. They can deal with all the other "stuff".
Lastly, I concluded that if I became disabled or died, my wife would be stuck dealing with a second residence which she could not handle. If yours can, fine, but my DW isn't made like that. If we both died, then my children would have zero interest in using the place and would be saddled with disposing of it. Just too hard to do for our family. I did make a good buck when I sold it at the top of the market. I'm still relieved.
That is just me and my experience. I won't do it again.
I doubt being from Las vegas that Op is woried about crowded/touristy area .But anyone from cold climate and wanting less crowded area would like Destin for winter stay.Not warmth of south Florida but very popular and growing so with winter crowd.In winter one can rent a great condo right on the beach every cheaply compared to most areas and not have the hassle of condos like in the summer time.
My parents did this between Rochester, MN & AZ for many years. They liked it - but they sold their house and moved to a condo in MN before buying the AZ place. They woud have gone batty sitting in MN all winter (and they would have driven me batty).
I absolutely don't want 2 places to care for but would like to rent something somewhere (FL?) for a few months during the winter. This is when renting makes sense to me. A different location (St/town) every winter would be ideal.
After DH passed away I was seriously considering buying a small place in the mountains of Va, my home state, and a condo in California, where most of my family lives. After thinking long and hard I decided against it. First of all I am a worry wart and I know while I was living in one place I would constantly worry about the other one. I am also a person who likes to be very involved in church and community and dividing my time between two areas would make that rather difficult. I would never feel like I truly belonged in one place or the other.
I also wanted my retirement to be as stress free as possible as I have dealt with enough very high stress situations over the years, why purposely take on more stress and worry?
So I decided on California and so far I am happy here. Property taxes are high but I think I can do ok if I am careful with my money. I am close to family, the weather is wonderful, no high heat along with humidity like in the east. Traffic in my community is not bad at all. There are so many parks and hiking trails nearby that it is easy to stay fit.
As much as I miss my beautiful home state of Virginia, I am content with my life in California.
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