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Two friends and I were sitting around talking about our situations. We're ages 65 (me) and 67 and 68. They are single, I am not. All three of us feel we do not want to stay in the SFHs we are in now for the rest of our lives, but we resist the idea of a condo and cannot afford a CCRC this early. The feeling is, for each of us, to sell within a few years and downsize to another SFH, something easy and more manageable.
I got to thinking about the whole thing and began wondering about whether going into another SFH at age 70+ is a good idea for the most part. The ten years between ages 70 and 80 are going to fly by, like the last 10 years did. I cannot imagine taking care of a SFH and property at age 80 perhaps even with the ability to job out everything. Sure there are plenty of 80+ year-olds who do, but probably fewer who are single.
This made me wonder about the advisability of either staying put more years till age 80, or moving sooner (like now) into a condo or CCRC, rather than taking that interim step into another house. Are 10 good years in another house going to work for, or against us in terms of expense and hassle?
I know the answers here will be widely varied. Just curious to know your thoughts at this stage after you've contemplated your own alternatives.
I would stay put until you start having physical issues.
However the real estate market now is good for sellers.
So you have to weigh the risks of staying versus selling in this
Better market.
We are staying here SFH for another 10 years. Same ages.
I got to thinking about the whole thing and began wondering about whether
going into another SFH at age 70+ is a good idea for the most part.
For the most part... it's not.
Other conditions might mitigate that way ...but not many or for very many.
The time to have done that move was 10-20 years prior.
Quote:
This made me wonder about the advisability of either staying put more years...
If your "in place" works... sure.
That's what having that 'retire in place" place is all about.
Which is the question YOU have to answer: Does the current place work for YOU?
Location, access, services, friends, family... and familiarity too.
And if it isn't perfect (no place is) is it good enough?
What modest changes/differences might get that gestalt closer to ideal for YOU?
I am not at your age yet, hope to get there one day, but I know that I will want to move to a smaller house or townhouse. I had a 2 story townhouse before and it was nice, not a condo, felt like a house and was only sharing one wall with a next door neighbor. I think in 10 years I will start looking for one similar to it but single story at that time, don't think my knees will let me go up and down by then . The HOA was taking care of the outside maintenance and the cleaning wasn't bad. I had nice small patio where I had my flower and veggie garden.
I bought a townhouse (which is a condo without anyone else either above or below you) about 13 years ago while I was still working full time with the idea it would be my last move. It has worked well for me, on the whole, and I do not regret my decision.
All exterior maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowners' association - roofing, painting, gardening, pool, etc. I have no trouble either doing, or hiring, whatever has to be done in the interior.
Leaving on trips is easy; I just arrange for the newspaper and the mail, lock the door, and go. The insulation between the units is excellent and I never hear my neighbors, of which I have one on either side (shared walls). The water and sewer charges are paid by the association, but the units are individually metered for natural gas and electricity.
I look out of the master bedroom window and see trees and grass on the neighboring property and mountains in the distance. The view out of the guest bedroom is not that great, however - one sees the units on the other side of the driveway. Well, nothing's perfect and I don't live in the guest bedroom.
We just moved to our community last year (a SFH) and we love it here. There are homes within the community that are townhomes (SFH and duplex) that have yard care, and there are condos also. We are thinking that when we move next time (10+ years), we will go the condo route, preferably a RENTED condo. That way we will not be tied to a place forever, and if needs change we can be flexible. At this time we think we would find one in our community, but by then we may be ready for a change.
i'm 71 and have been in the current townhouse for 8 years. i actually like it and the area better than i did a couple of years ago, which tends to complicate things for me. i've thought and talked about a ccrc as a part of my future for a while now, but i have to say that in the last year, i'm less certain this is what i want- or want now. it is a very final move , and my history is such - living in many houses- that it does not lend itself well to that scenario. the truth is i like selected change and age hasn't changed that for me. i do think that if i really wanted to stay where i am , i could work out a first floor bedroom and bath, but again, i don't really know if , in the long run, that i will want to remain here either.
NEg, i think at age 65, if i made a move it would be to a condo,or townhouse with possible first floor bedroom, etc. but not a single, detached home. i think you might have 10 years + in that kind of setting, so if you're going to make a move, it probably should be soon. i still think about a house myself- another one- partly because i'm used to changing where i live, but , realistically, i don't see myself doing it. it would probably not be the "final move" and i don't think i could count on having enough years there to justify the move.
currently,i have the opportunity to purchase a cottage in a ccrc, one i have looked at several times as a viable option, but i just don't think i'm ready- famous last words. i don't think i'd be content there now for the long haul, at least at this point in my life. i think i will probably stay where i am for the foreseeable future, unless there are drastic changes in my situation, and keep aware of what other options might arise which aren't choices now. i think the next five years will see changes- primarily more flexibility, more rental situations,-that baby boomers will demand.
i'm thinking of ages 75-76 as years when final changes, if they are to be made, should be put in motion. so, we shall see if and when i change my mind again.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Let's consider my parents as an example. They moved to Port Angeles WA from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002, at ages 73 and 69. The property they bough is 5+ acres, with a big 3 stall garage/shop, barn, pasture, and woods in the back 1/3.
They have a llama, and put up two greenhouses. Every year I go up for a weekend to plant their vegetables and 2-3 other times for at least a day to help out, but other than that they have managed there and been very happy for 12 years. Now at 85 and 81 they are having a harder time keeping up but I'd say another 2-3 years before they go to assisted living. I'm currently hoping to make a similar move, smaller house with more property when I retire in a few years, keeping it up is one way of remaining active, if you enjoy that kind of work. I can't imagine just sitting around all day.
Are 10 good years in another house going to work for, or against us in terms of expense and hassle?
No way to know what your personal health situation or market conditions will look like 5-10 years down the road.
DH & I have decided to get out of the SF home-owning business in about 5-7 years, when we'll both be ca 70. We are both in excellent health and he's the rare person who genuinely enjoys house maintenance and yard work. But we know how things turn on a dime and we want to plan/make our move while we're both still physically and mentally on our game.
Selling and buying homes and moving can be enormously stressful and exhausting endeavors. That's not what I want to be doing at 80.
Let's consider my parents as an example. They moved to Port Angeles WA from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002, at ages 73 and 69. The property they bough is 5+ acres, with a big 3 stall garage/shop, barn, pasture, and woods in the back 1/3.
They have a llama, and put up two greenhouses. Every year I go up for a weekend to plant their vegetables and 2-3 other times for at least a day to help out, but other than that they have managed there and been very happy for 12 years. Now at 85 and 81 they are having a harder time keeping up but I'd say another 2-3 years before they go to assisted living. I'm currently hoping to make a similar move, smaller house with more property when I retire in a few years, keeping it up is one way of remaining active, if you enjoy that kind of work. I can't imagine just sitting around all day.
i know some people, ages 80+ who live a similar kind of lifestyle, and it is one they have enjoyed for a number of years. however, it takes the interest and commitment of the two of them to pursue this and keep it going. also, i feel it would be more difficult for a single person, even one who wants this kind of life. having children and grandchildren nearby to lend a hand at times also makes it more doable.
although i love animals and appreciate a natural setting, i am not a person who wants or has ever wanted acreage and "farm animals" to maintain. i would have run in the other direction if this kind of a life was proposed to me at 30. if your parents choose it, enjoy it, and can maintain it, that's great for them. but there are, of course, varied ways to live, and there are many satisfying life styles in the middle, in the balance between maintaining a small farm and "sitting around all day."
catsy girl
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. The HOA was taking care of the outside maintenance and the cleaning wasn't bad. I had nice small patio where I had my flower and veggie garden.
