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Reading these posts has opened my eyes to the possibilities/realities of many of you.
Sadly, I seem to have shut the door in my mind to visualizing a "perfect for me" place to live.
I seem to be following the pattern of my mother and two sisters. Living in one-bedroom apartments in complexes.
I've been so restless over the years. Not really "loving" where I am. But not seeing a way to make it change. Thinking that now I'm too old to make a drastic move alone. And too poor.
I've been looking for my retirement dream house in Maine for two years now and haven't been able to find it. I have an idea of which town I think would be a perfect fit. It has a drive in movie, an indoor theater, a ski resort, and a good fishing lake. It's not as walkable as I'd like, but it looks like it has plenty of nice roads to ride our bikes on. I think an ice rink and roller skating rink are pretty close by as well.
Now if I can just find that spooky old Victorian with an ornate upstairs balcony that hasn't been ruined by some idiot modernizing it. It would be perfect if the neighbors houses were equally as old and beautiful and everyone on the block was as into Halloween as I am. One big block party on Halloween would be my ultimate dream come true.
It's out there some where. It's just not the right time yet.
My dream house would be in England too, in the North where there is family, but for sheer beauty and warmth of climate, I'd say Cornwall. Just a small place and in a good, walkable town, lots of footpaths to walk on also.
But in the USA, I had a beautiful house but now in retirement, I would NEVER want a big house with a lot of yardwork ever again. I had always dreamed of living by the sea so now I live in a renovated beach cottage, just about a 30 second walk from the ocean.
The little picture hanging on the bathroom wall says it all, "Of all the things that life can bring, I ask for only three. Bread for my need, books to read, and a house beside the sea."
This house and location have fulfilled the dream that I used to read about in books--of the lone woman who takes off for life on an island and lives there year round. Usually she writes a book but she always lives simply and is self sufficient.
Now I've seen the ocean in all its stages, year round. Winter is NOT too good! I always used to wonder about that. The little house has a screened in front porch, a small back deck, a little yard for flowers and a few vegetables. The kitchen is nice, there's a laundry room, and it's all one floor. It's cozy and just lacks a fireplace.
But now we're well into our 70s and it's probably about time to give up this lifestyle. We all know that things change, especially health. Living way out here, isolated in winter, isn't very practical. Now my dream house would be in an over 55 community, just an apartment with no lawn and no snow to shovel or bother calling someone in to plow. No more small town trips to the dump and a place where there are more people around and more things to do.
Dream houses change with life stages. In my mind I'll always have my gorgeous Cape with the huge central fireplace, cedar shakes, brick patio, dogwood trees, lots of room--but never again would I want to have the responsibility and work of keeping up a house.
I also like the little house by the water idea, but I'm working on a dream house to suit both of us. It's my husband that needs the elbow room of a bigger lot.
While not a custom build, my last two retirement homes were new builds with me being able to select the model, colors, options, etc. I wanted new so as to not have to worry about what happened before, what was lurking, what would need to be fixed, etc. I like new houses.
Well, if we are going to have a fantasy dream house- esp in England- then I want a house in Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire.
My cousin in the UK lives in one of those gorgeous villages in Gloucestershire! Ancient house but she suffers with some compromises such as a teeny kitchen, although she has a huge old fireplace, big living room, gorgeous old fashioned bathroom with a huge soaking tub, two bedrooms upstairs... and you walk out the front door and turn onto a dirt road loaded with raspberry bushes. We enjoyed strolling along, popping fresh raspberries last August. She's twenty minutes from London by train.
Unfortunately, she just had a small stroke but the NHS is great and she's doing so much better now. No worries about paying either. She's in her late 60s and on her own but there's always the local pub where she goes every day and people take care of each other. When I was visiting, it was a very special day at the pub: a local named Mary was having her 90th birthday and she was ushered in and there was a special chair all set up and waiting for her. Much singing, some drinking, lots of hugs.
The village is perfect for my cousin, the house is good enough, the stores are a short drive away and anyway, if she ever needed anything, anyone in the village would get it for her.
In England it seems the older you get, the more discounts you get too. TV, bus pass, rail pass, and more, I think. My daughter in law is a carer for the elderly in the north of England so sometimes I start to wish...
Our dream house was fairly simple...we bought an acre in 1995 and had the house built in 2005.
It's 1640 sq ft with a 1240 sq ft unfinished basement, just for storage. It has a 3 car garage and
a few other things I wanted..gas fireplace, walk in master closet, master bathroom (or ensuite),
kitchen island, ranch style (one level). 3 bd 2 bath. We've been here over 10 years and still love
it. We're 69 and living in Colorado.
Thanks In_NewEngland- now I'm really depressed. LOL. Glad your cousin is doing OK. Sounds like she has a very nice life there, and she's surrounded by wonderful neighbors.
We did exactly that. Bought 80 acres years ago and started saving. Now we live in our retirement home (that we designed) on those 80 acres. Well worth the time and effort. Should have the house paid off in about 6 years, at the age of 57.
Paradise for us after many years of very hard work.
So that makes you 51. IOW - you're just about a generation younger than my husband.
I think one issue this thread raises is how old you are when you retire. Someone your age can usually do a lot more physical work than people our age. It's one thing to buy a spread like yours (if someone is so inclined - I'm not) when you're young - and probably have at least a decade of decent years health-wise ahead of you. Quite another if someone is retiring at 65+.
Note that I've been retired for quite a while. And really like our current house. But my next dream place for whatever "later years" I have is a luxury condo in a big city with good weather. Like maybe Los Angeles. Would be nice to have a personal driver too . Robyn
I'll keep it short and sweet: Small, efficient, modern. Open floor-plan with a master suite and one guest suite. Walkable/public transit friendly. Might end up being a townhouse or something more than a 'house'. I don't need a yard. I'm only 31 but I've swung both extremes. Living in unincorporated areas to nice suburbs, to first ring urban, to directly in the thick of a city and I've found I respond much more positively to being in the more urban environments.
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. Robyn
