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We are retired and are quite comfortable and like where we are in New England. we considered relocating but have decided to stay put and happy with the decision. we are considering, with urging from our daughter, to rent a place where she lives near LA for a couple of months or more during winter.
our choice locations are Redondo Beach, Hermosa, and north Palos Verdes - places that are different from our suburban location, with cafes and good community services and activities and active and fun. we are looking for a furnished apartment, a sublet, etc
those of you who are experts at this can you share your experiences:
if you don't own a place how did you find a place to rent?
what do you do with mail?
how do you pack?
any other details that we should know?
We are retired and are quite comfortable and like where we are in New England. we considered relocating but have decided to stay put and happy with the decision. we are considering, with urging from our daughter, to rent a place where she lives near LA for a couple of months or more during winter.
our choice locations are Redondo Beach, Hermosa, and north Palos Verdes - places that are different from our suburban location, with cafes and good community services and activities and active and fun. we are looking for a furnished apartment, a sublet, etc
those of you who are experts at this can you share your experiences:
if you don't own a place how did you find a place to rent?
what do you do with mail?
how do you pack?
any other details that we should know?
thank you
I have no idea about the best way to find a place in SoCal I am not familiar with that vicinity. However, when we decided to spend last winter in AZ, we let all of our friends in Chicago know that we were looking for a place to rent. Several friends had some contacts that they had rented from in the past and were happy to give us all the details. We ended up renting from a lady in Iowa had had rented to friends. If you have a daughter in SoCal, she is in the best position to help. I would look at VRBO or AirBNB but realize that often, the low rates on those sites are occasionally not what the owners will rent the place for.
The USPS will forward mail. You can set it up for the princely sum of $1.06 (no kidding). It will take about 10 days for the mail to reach you. Also, if they forward a parcel, you will pay the postage to have that forwarded.
Packing will depend on the individual and how you are getting out there. We took a carload as we were driving.
It is hard in many parts of the country to find short-term rentals of good furnished apartments. I was looking in Chcagoland for a monthly rental for four moths and found I WA cheaper to stay in a hotel using Priceline.
We are retired and are quite comfortable and like where we are in New England. we considered relocating but have decided to stay put and happy with the decision. we are considering, with urging from our daughter, to rent a place where she lives near LA for a couple of months or more during winter.
our choice locations are Redondo Beach, Hermosa, and north Palos Verdes - places that are different from our suburban location, with cafes and good community services and activities and active and fun. we are looking for a furnished apartment, a sublet, etc
those of you who are experts at this can you share your experiences:
if you don't own a place how did you find a place to rent?
what do you do with mail?
how do you pack?
any other details that we should know?
thank you
One big plus you have on your side is that your daughter is out there and can go and see anything you might find before you take the jump.
Don't forget you'll need to prepare your New England home for your winter absence. If you live in a single family home, there are lots of things that must be done before you leave for warmer climes. If you're in a condominium or apartment building, there are fewer things you have to think about, but still there's necessary planning.
I quickly Googled "snowbird prepare home for winter" and this is the first thing that came up:https://www.travelers.com/prepare-pr...erization.aspx. I have no interest in Travelers insurance; it was just the first site that showed up. There were lots more.
These homes or condo's come totally furnished with everything. All you bring is your toothbrush and clothes.
However, don't expect to pay regular rental prices. The shorter term vacation rentals are considerably higher and include many amenities provided, like elec, water, heat, cable service and sometimes internet.
You can also call some realtors in the area you want to locate and they can find some for you.
We actually do a change of address for while we are gone. Our post office does this for free. We give our post office the completed forms a couple of days before we leave. It usually takes a couple of weeks before we start to get mail at our winter place. I always check with the post office in the winter place shortly after we arrive to see that the change of address has been entered in the computer.
We have rented using vrbo.com and been pleased. On their site you can do an advanced search to make sure things that are important to you are available at the rental you get. For example, we check "pet friendly" and "internet" as these are important to us. We only rent houses, but a condo might work well for you. We like a king size bed and at least 2 bathrooms. You might check out www.CaliforniaSnowbird.com. I got an email from this place today, but have not used them. We've also used a rental company in our winter area.
I just pretty much pack my clothes and some personal items. DH, on the other hand, packs lots of kitchen items, his photography equipment, his fishing equipment, and all his techie toys-and then there's all the stuff for our dog. We drive a van, so he has room for all that "stuff". When we arrive, I make a run to Walmart and stock up on groceries, paper products and whatever else we'll need.
If I were you, I'd pack some clothes and fly out and then rent a car. You could also send some stuff to your daughter's house via USPS or FedEx.
Although it is for RVers, I've found lots of helpful info in the snowbirding forum on rv.net.
Thank you all for the kind responses. I am looking for both condos and whatever else that is available. I am a bit nervous and want to make sure we have a good experience. Then we will consider a longer stay.
We have gone away for 3 weeks in winter and we usually keep the temp at 60 deg, get the driveway ploughed as well as the steps. But i will check out the Rv site.
Driving to california is tempting, something my husband has wanted to do. But it is winter and that may not be so much fun if we hit a storm.
Please keep the information flowing. If you rent, do you always return to the same place? What do you miss from your resident home? I would miss my regular activities, my hiking group, my books, my kitchen and special ingredients i cook with. But i am sure you can get used to doing things differently.
We are retired and are quite comfortable and like where we are in New England.
We considered relocating but have decided to stay put and happy with the decision.
...to rent a place where she lives near LA for a couple of months or more during winter.
if you don't own a place how did you find a place to rent?
Rent a guest house from some old folks that have an extra (or apartment above their garage, or in their daylight basement.
Or buy an RV ($3000) and park in the daughter's backyard. then sell it
This will be our 3rd year and we go to a new house each year. We have not been unhappy with the previous two houses, but now that we know the area better, we know other things to look for that we will like even better. If we decide this house is the best one in the area to meet our needs then we will likely go back there in all future years. Also, lots of snowbirds in our area make reservations for the next year before they leave in the spring. That makes it hard to get into your first choice the first year.
We find our life is pretty much similar to being at home, but just able to get out more in the winter. I go to water aerobics at the local community center and since so many are snowbirds, they tend to be friendly. I also got a card for the local library to check out books and magazines. You can go on the forums for towns you are considering on tripadvisor.com and ask about things you would like to have locally.
DH is our cook and he has certain things he likes to have. He takes his stock pot and cast iron skillet and prefers a couple of his own knives. He also prefers his own can opener and peeler and takes his cooking thermometer. He packs a plastic box of the small size of spices he uses a lot.
Since your DH wants to drive, that would allow you to take more the first year. Just watch the 10 day forecasts online. You will only need a few days to get south in clear weather and then can drive across the southern part of the US. If you still run into a storm, just stay in whatever hotel you are in until the roads are cleared. If you needed to, you could go a few days early and stay at your daughter's a bit-or stay in a hotel.
Our first year, I just considered it was a learning experience and tried to be flexible, I was really pleased how well it worked out.
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