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Interestingly enough that was probably done because this forum was basically started so that people could share experiences and possibly look to see if the grass is greener elsewhere and where that might be. It is basically what drew me here. I think I am going to be one of the 17% who does move. I know even if I do not go far away from here I will downsize.
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Originally Posted by s1alker
I don't believe in retiring just to relocate to some podunk small town because of a low COL. For me, retiring isn't about doing less, it's about doing more. And major metro areas have everything I need and a non stop stream of activities to keep me occupied. Sure it's expensive, but you get when you pay for.
Actually the best reasons is not to move away from anything but to move towards something. Not everyone wants 24/7 city noise and a lot here on this particular forum seem to be rural or bedroom community folks. So a move to some Podunk town where they have access to better weather for the activities they want to do is pretty common.
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Originally Posted by Escort Rider
Interesting, Golfingduo. Since City-Data started out as a relocation forum before general interest forums such as history, economics, and psychology were added, that still remains a major focus here. Also, it stands to reason that people who are happy where they are and so wish to remain where they are in retirement have little need to post about it here in the Retirement Forum. It is natural that we can get the false impression that most people want to relocate because there are so many threads about same, and understandably so.
Lots of folks have followed careers and job opportunities, so once the employment thing is in the rear view mirror, they find they don't care to remain where they are for a huge variety of reasons including but not limited to cost of living, weather, and distance from family.
However, lots of us (as your article points out) were fortunate enough to be able to live in a place of our choosing even as we put in three or four decades in the work force. That describes me, and that is why I never gave even the slightest thought or consideration to moving after retirement. It seems to me I even started a thread about that a few years back, with a title something like "Who else stayed put in retirement?", but I am too lazy to look for it.
One additional thought: Moving is a hell of a lot of work, and I decided after my last (local) move 15 years ago that I didn't want to move ever again, even if it's one mile away!
It is funny I felt the same but now that I have this huge back yard and to me a large house that I hope will empty out some day I decided at least to downsize. Since I like golf I think I will like a more southern location but that is up in the air still.
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Originally Posted by MichiganGreg
^^ this. We live in a subdivision (1-5 acre lots), where the neighbors are literally driving us absolutely bezerk. The guy on the left is retired, and only has one thing to do in life. He bought into our subdivision which is heavily treed, cut down nearly all the trees, and when is not running around on one of his yard tractors, then walks around with a leaf blower- chasing one leaf at a time- off his property. This goes on from 7:00am to 9:00pm, 7 days a week starting in April, and it will continue like that till the first snow.
The guy on the property behind is a gun crazy nut-job. He starts shooting rifles, pistols, semi-automatics starting about 8:00am and continues until 9:30pm, every single day, 7 days a week. He only stops in three of the coldest months of the year; December through February, then starts back up. We wake to leaf blowers, then the yammer is joined by the rhythms of AR-15s and glocks.
Our dream is to move, and only be able to see the nearest neighbor through a telescope.
In your case I think I would move before I started pulling my hair. However I can say you do not necessarily need to move out into the middle of absolutely nowhere and have to take a left at even further out. I would say though before you make a move out there that you live in the area a bit. That would go the same if you were thinking of say suburbs of Nashville or Atlanta. There are going to be things in any place that are not quite to your liking. Something to consider.
On this article I am wondering if anyone noticed that it would seem that they sort of hit the point of homes and seem to be ownership. It also hinted at the fact that the homeowners stayed in their homes for sentimental reasons and were also hesitant to use the equity of the home for income. I did rightly think they did a good job with the end of the thesis to point out the expenses and trouble of house maintenance and upkeep especially at an older age.
Since 95% of my family lives near me here in Florida and many people retire to Florida I will be staying put. However, if I ever come into some $$$$ I will buy a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina.
That earlier poll done here reflected what people who frequent this forum have done. As others have pointed out, this site's primary purpose is providing relocation information; forums are just an add on. No surprise that it is very different than a poll of random people.
Another major point in the article's referenced polls is that the question is about moving at or during retirement. I think odds are that I will move between now and retirement to the place I want to retire. I would not be surprised to find that lots of others move to a retirement destination before actually retiring.
But, I do think it is true that most people don't move or don't move far. Sometimes it is because of family and friends in the area and I think sometimes it just makes the most financial sense. It can be very expensive to move. Also, some people who have been in their houses a long time are a little disheartened when they talk to a realtor about selling and find out they need to sink a lot of money into upgrades or they will have a tough time selling (or have to take less than hoped).
I will move. We bought a big house/ farm and the taxes are crazy (over $7K) and I feel all we do is pay for the expensive mortgage. Plus as we get older I find it harder to get around when everything is so far away.
That's exactly our situation. We just paid the mortgage off, but our property taxes and insurance is so high it's like we're still making payments. And because we're in a MUD district, our water bill is very high too, and we have a moderate HOA fee as well. And since we live out in the sticks outside of Houston, it's a 25 minute drive just to go to the bank. We are currently on vacation in New Mexico and are considering relocating here.
I'd be content to stay in my community, and that's what my husband and I are planning, but as much as I like my house, this is not where I intend to spend my golden years. We will be selling the family home and moving to a smaller abode.
Tuborg, your literalism is getting in the way of understanding Mr5150's post. I took his statement about the dentist to be an example of all the different ways in which we have roots in a community. If we have a mechanic we trust, a dentist we trust, a handyman we trust, a plumber we trust, etc., then life is simpler. As for his statement about following someone else's dream, I took that to mean why move simply because we think that's what people are supposed to do when they retire?
If we are motivated to move, if there are positive things which are drawing us to a place, well then of course we will end up finding another dentist, another mechanic, etc., and it will be worth it.
As Jrkliny pointed out, it is possible that people stay put because of intertia. But it is equally possible that people stay put because life is good for them where they are. Life is not ipso facto better because people move. But it will probably be better if strong reasons to leave a place go along with strong reasons to desire another place. Mr.5150 is saying that he has neither. How can anyone argue with that?
You missed my response. I was agreeing with him about the dentist. from childhood to graduating from college I had only had one dentist ever treat me. He was a family dentist and his practice was near to where we lived and he was part of the community. Upon graduating from college and relocating for marriage and work finding a dentist was one of my real fears and I mean fears as I don't like dentist. After relocating we followed recommendations and tried a well recommended dentist who treated us for over 30 years. When he added a dentist I was concerned but did after awhile allow him to treat me. I always joked with the dentist that he was only the second dentist I had ever had and that I don't really like dentist except for him. Relocating to NC finding a dentist was a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeallllllllllllllllllll concern and fear. I considered travelling back to where we came from to stay with the same dentist but that was foolish. I followed a recommendation for a dentist and that was a disaster. I decided to try a local dental chain owned by one dentist who was from the North East and attended Duke and never left. It was highly rated and he had about five offices. State of the art equipment and very good service and a thriving practice. We are very happy and what I realized is that my twice experienced fear of losing a family dentist was not really a negative in hindsight and our new found reality. As I am sure you know fear of doing something new is often the seed of stagnation. Transplanting isn't for everyone as it is not everyone's goal to build something new this late in life but for those who want to, I would hate for fear to stop them. For those who want to stay great, for those who want to experience something new great also.
My main concerns about relocating are finding a new health care team, i.e. MD, eye and dental in addition to old age services. I know what's available here for assisted living and nursing homes and of their reputations. Making the decision to move away from that is proving difficult.
My main concerns about relocating are finding a new health care team, i.e. MD, eye and dental in addition to old age services. I know what's available here for assisted living and nursing homes and of their reputations. Making the decision to move away from that is proving difficult.
And well it should, very much should be a top concern. It is easier to do a few years prior to age 65 if you have the health insurance. Some practices will keep you as a client when you hit Medicare but not take you as a new one. One of the attractions of the Raleigh Triangle is the location of top Universities and top tier hospital and medical services. This makes it attractive for the reasons and concerns you have. It was a major concern on our list. Many of the Universities are now offering integrated medical services and building new locations to provide the services.
One additional thought: Moving is a hell of a lot of work, and I decided after my last (local) move 15 years ago that I didn't want to move ever again, even if it's one mile away!
This comment shouldn't really be an afterthought. It's major.
We are still recovering after a move four years ago to a place 20 or so miles from our last location. We've unpacked long ago but are still making house upgrades (you almost always do when you move), which you either pay to have done or do it yourself (hours, days, weeks, months....) Either way it's costly, time consuming, and above all energy consuming. Before the move it was months and months of fixing up and touching up the former house to get it ready to sell, lots of physical and minute labor in nitpicky detail. Not to mention the ordeal of the showings and then all the transactions and then the final cleanout...
Whether you move a few miles or across country, it's much the same. Some among us still have that kind of energy. I cannot imagine doing it all over again. I may be motivated to, if we came across the perfect situation for old age, but it would be an elective, not an essential, move. I can absolutely see how many seniors want to stay put and make plans and adjustments around doing so.
Many seniors want to move for a lower COL. I did an analysis and found these advantages in staying where we are:
- My state does not tax pensions or SS; many do
- No tax on groceries or clothing (clothing up to a high amount) - not so in some other states
- Easy transportation and cheap senior transport if ever needed
- Medicare advantage plans highly affordable
- If we were to move out of state, we'd have to pay in "travel back" expenses what we'd save in property tax (or more)
- Close-by first class medical, no need to travel far
- etc
If cost is the driving factor in a move, do the analysis.
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