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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by City__Datarer
For a retiree who doesn't need to depend on the local economy to earn a living... beautiful beaches/sunsets, and on the whole very nice people. ...-my impression is there are a lot of good places to choose from for retirees.)
Beach retirement in a foreign location is totally affordable. Often less than $500/ month for housing, and food can set you back about $3/ day eating out.
Our average day time temperature is 77 in the winter and 82 in the summer. Ocean water temp is between 77 and 80, year around. We do need an air conditioner, in fact don't even own one. Last hurricane was more than 20 years ago. We get enough rain that we rarely water anything on our land. Only trouble is, this is not anywhere near the east coast.
A caveat for anyone who is thinking of buying a house either ON or very close to (meaning within a mile or two) of the water along the East coast: Pay very close attention to the flood maps and also get at least one homeowners insurance rate quote on the house you're considering. You don't want to have gone to contract on a house and then find out, two weeks before the closing, that you either can't get normal (affordable) homeowners insurance at all, and that you'll have to end up paying triple for a high risk policy instead; or that if you want flood insurance it's going to cost you $$$$.
Be aware, if you've never lived on the coast or in a flood zone before, that premiums for flood insurance are going to rise dramatically over the next few years because FEMA will no longer be subsidizing them. Although you may not be required to have flood insurance, because you don't have a mortgage, you may nevertheless want it for peace of mind because no homeowners insurance covers flood damage.
Hurricane Sandy changed the insurance landscape for coastal areas just as much as it changed the physical one.
Sandy just changed what people where warned in the past. Standards of home building on most of southern coast where already much higher than effected areas .But then floods also effects any area near major rivers every year. High elevation can suffer as we have seen far from coast in sandy because of run off patterns. So basically the flood insurance is going to effect most home owners as flooding is often a matter of when one gets a rain or water of some type that floods the area. There are many more flooding events in areas not near the cost caused by rain fall very year.
For me it would be Wilmington/Southport NC
Hubbie wants SW FL....I hate Fl with a purple passion, but he says NC isn't warm enough in winter, maybe so, but it can't be as cold as NJ.
I've now asked him if he wants that much warmth to check out the AL and MS gulf coasts..I'd be miserable in FL
I would love feedback from the thousands of us out there that are researching where to retire along the Southeastern coast. From VA to NC to SC to GA to FL. Where have you looked, what has made an impression? What are the top priorities on your check list and what communities are in the lead?
Thank you. Sharing will hopefully eliminate a lot of leg work for everyone!
Doesn't matter what our top priorities are. What are yours ? Weather - size of place - amenities - price range - etc.? You're talking about > 1200 miles of coast line on the Atlantic side (more if you count the Florida gulf coast) - and that's a lot. Robyn
For me it would be Wilmington/Southport NC
Hubbie wants SW FL....I hate Fl with a purple passion, but he says NC isn't warm enough in winter, maybe so, but it can't be as cold as NJ.
I've now asked him if he wants that much warmth to check out the AL and MS gulf coasts..I'd be miserable in FL
Depending on the part of NC you're looking at - it can be almost as cold or as cold as NJ in the winter (if you're not talking about the western part of the state - the part with hills/mountains - it is *somewhat* warmer - which means that instead of snow storms - you wind up with ice storms). Also - except in the western part of the state - it's every bit as hot as Florida in the summer. My late inlaws lived in Southern Pines (near Pinehurst) and it had zero to less than zero weather advantage over other parts of the SE IMO.
IMO - all of the SE (except the small part that's at "altitude") is hot hot hot in the summer (if you're right on the coast - it's a little cooler than inland - but not much). The only difference will be the severity of the winters (which can of course vary year to year). Robyn
We wanted to be somewhere warm where we could be outside every day gardening, walking the dogs, biking, and being active. Real trees, not just palm trees, were on our list. Affordable, sustainable, and walkable to the library, grocery, small restaurants, our doctor, dentist, community pool, and other things we use on a regular basis was a high priority. We also desired close proximity to I-75, an international airport, and within an hour of the beach. We researched for years and make countless exploratory trips before we found a location that fit our hit list. The Carolinas and Georgia were lovely, but just too cold. Texas was great and came in second to Florida for various reasons. We've been in Florida almost three years now and we are very happy with our choice. I've decided this place is my climatic paradise. I just love it here. Do your research and you'll find your perfect spot. Best wishes.
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