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Isn't it funny to look back sometimes? When I was 20 or so, I dreamed of apartment or condo living. Wow - just to be on my own away from the family home!
Well, I did find myself doing that (with all the expense) - rented for 3 months (condo), college (lived in an apartment complex), then bought a condo (catwalks, 3rd floor) - found it lonely, however and I had to go downstairs and do laundry (not the safest). My father was on my back about buying a single family home - all the time. Never let up.
I moved, sold the condo, bought a townhome with a 1 car garage (this is when the interest rates were almost 18%), stayed there 1 year, then bought a zero lot line place with a 40 foot pool (glorious) and a 2 car garage. I had a roommate but then wound up getting married. (Still, my father nagged at me).
After having a child and figuring out that my current neighborhood became a place for 55 plus (it was advertised for young professionals at the time), I needed to find a family friendly neighborhood. Well, I was afraid in a sense - always had someone "next door, close" - just felt safer. Finally found the neighborhood, single family home - fell in love. The first night we stayed there I woke up feeling it felt like home for the first time since I left my family home. (My parents now came over a lot more too)!
The other thing I realized is that when we went away for a weekend, I no longer dreading coming home b/c my home was just as nice as the nice hotel we were staying in! That's when I knew we were "home"! -
So, even though our DD says we don't fit the demographic of the neighborhood anymore (young children), we are staying put. (Now, if I could my sweet dog Murphy to be well again.....) (What our daughter doesn't get is that most are not leaving - most on our street fit OUR demographic - youngest child on the street is now 13.
We always knew we wanted to be in a warmer climate and have done the pros and cons of different living arrangements in our chosen area ad nauseum. Nothing is perfect!! At least not in our budget.
The community we chose is gated, so offers SOME protection for our property when we'll be away. (we like to travel in our RV) No land rental, that was a primary consideration---we own our flat, almost quarter acre. HOA fees are $515.00 a year. Taxes will be below $400.00/year. Home is on a brick foundation, and the streets are set up like a neighborhood, rather than a typical park. The home is larger than our first one, where our 4 children spent their first few years!! Plan on adding a very large screen porch/Carolina room once we can be down there. We realize that the home will depreciate, but we will have no mortgage and will be living in an area that we have visited for 23 years and love, so decided, who cares? We did consider renting first, but this opportunity came up, so we jumped at it. Our home taxes alone are $525.00 a month here------sorry to ramble! I have that tendency.
So good that you have found your ideal retirement situation. Where is the community located? Sounds perfect for you.
Lived in houses most of my life, in my last ten years working we moved into a large townhouse. We hated the HOA constantly making rules, changing them, increasing the monthly maintenance, and missed working in a garden. We retired, bought a house with 3+ acres and absolutely love it. I can have my workshop, bird houses, gardens and am happy. Should the time come we can't handle it, we'll either hire people or go to independent living. Our neighbors help each other out, which is something you don't find too much with everyone working. Our 83 year old neighbor has same acreage and does all his own work and takes care of his wife who has Parkinson's disease.
Very nice situation that people help each other out. Where are you located?
I was living in a 3200 sq ft house when DH passed away and the upkeep was almost overwhelming. The yard was large, uneven, and on a slope and dragging the lawnmower out of the basement, pushing it through the yard, and back into the basement again was exhausting, not to mention trying to keep the house clean and maintained.
This past summer I moved cross country to be near kids and grandkids. I bought a condo townhome in a small gated complex. It is 1300 sq ft and is just the right size for me. I have a nice sized patio where I can do container gardening and have a view of the ocean. I think the walls must be pretty thick because I rarely hear the neighbors.
I always felt uneasy at night in that large house all by myself. Now I feel much more secure.
The area is very walkable and there is plenty to do. I wouldn't go back to that big house for anything.
I was living in a 3200 sq ft house when DH passed away and the upkeep was almost overwhelming. The yard was large, uneven, and on a slope and dragging the lawnmower out of the basement, pushing it through the yard, and back into the basement again was exhausting, not to mention trying to keep the house clean and maintained.
This past summer I moved cross country to be near kids and grandkids. I bought a condo townhome in a small gated complex. It is 1300 sq ft and is just the right size for me. I have a nice sized patio where I can do container gardening and have a view of the ocean. I think the walls must be pretty thick because I rarely hear the neighbors.
I always felt uneasy at night in that large house all by myself. Now I feel much more secure.
The area is very walkable and there is plenty to do. I wouldn't go back to that big house for anything.
I went from living in the woods in a very rural area to living in a small apartment, but it was because of divorce. We lived an hour from the cloest decent size town. Both places are 3 bedroom, but the house was definately larger. I like living in town and not having to drive so far to food shop etc. I like not having yard work I have to do or plowing of snow, having better internet, paying less for gas each month and wear and tear on my vehicle, and living close to my oldest son. I miss the quiet and beauty of the woods, miss having a larger place that fits my stuff (now I have to pay monthly rental on 2 storage units, and miss the animals I use to see all the time. Overall though, I am glad I live in town, it suits our life better.
For many who are "downsizing" from a large single family home, a garden home might be a better fit than going to an apartment or condo. That way you don't have a lot of yard upkeep but still have a private home along with at least some of the ammenities of many apartments, such as swimming pools, tennis courts, club houses (depending on where you live).
I was living in a 3200 sq ft house when DH passed away and the upkeep was almost overwhelming. The yard was large, uneven, and on a slope and dragging the lawnmower out of the basement, pushing it through the yard, and back into the basement again was exhausting, not to mention trying to keep the house clean and maintained.
This past summer I moved cross country to be near kids and grandkids. I bought a condo townhome in a small gated complex. It is 1300 sq ft and is just the right size for me. I have a nice sized patio where I can do container gardening and have a view of the ocean. I think the walls must be pretty thick because I rarely hear the neighbors.
I always felt uneasy at night in that large house all by myself. Now I feel much more secure.
The area is very walkable and there is plenty to do. I wouldn't go back to that big house for anything.
Ah, now this is a great example of how to find an apartment or condo that would suit a retiree. Many years ago I lived in RPV and know the area well. It's perfect for retirees--the whole PV Peninsula is peaceful and serene. It's serene because it strictly residential and it's difficult to commute to jobs from there, so it tends to attract retirees and people who prefer being away from it all in a quieter neighborhood. If you have chosen an apartment in some of the nearby towns, such as Hermosa, you'd be more likely to have noisy neighbors.
If I ever rented an apartment, I'd look for a town like RPV. Interestingly, the rents aren't much higher than in the beach towns, in fact might even be lower since RPV is considered out of the way.
Sorry it didn't work out, but I applaud your approach. Imagine if you had bought an urban condo? You avoided a lot of potential heartache and $ loss with how you went about it, and now you know (won't have to always wonder 'what if').
We plan to do the same thing when we relocate (to NC), though we won't be reducing sqft as drastically. Having lived in suburbs our entire lives, the urban life looks very appealing, so renting for 6-12 months seems ideal to give the lifestyle a trial run. After that we'll either buy an urban home/condo or go back to a close in suburb, a lifestyle we know all too well. I'm sure some folks are not meant for an urban lifestyle, while others thrive...
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