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Thanks. That was almost three years ago, and I had even forgotten that it was also a poll. One conclusion is that we participants in this Retirement Forum cannot be taken as typical of retirees in general in the United States. This has been pointed out in other contexts as well, such as our relative affluence (not my personal affluence, but posters here in the aggregate).
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.
This is a very good post and gave me a perspective to share. We transplanted at age late 59. We are now 68 and doing so now gives us greater reason to pause. We had owned four homes prior to transplanting and lived in two apartments early in our marriage. Our new home in NC was not going to ready until months after we had settle and moved out of our house. Thus another apartment and two more moves out and in. All of our previous moves we had done ourselves with friends. We had lived in our last house over 23 years so along with friends we were younger. It only took the promise of beer and Pizza and Bada Bing! Other than packing the motivated good number of workers made it a piece of cake. We recently explored moving to several active 55 Del Webb or mixed aged recreation communities. The downer was not wanting to move again when we didn't move to. The next and final move at some point will be to a CCRC. We're we to be making our initial transplant decision now not sure what we would have done. Might of stayed put or gone to Delaware like many others we know. Perhaps a local active 55 or eventual CCRC. Your post makes we wonder how much age and health drives/influences our interest in transplanting. If so retirement age is probably a major factor along with the resources to pack up and start over. Not sure transplanting to a golf community near coastal NC or SC is the same draw at 75 as it might be at 62 or younger.
I had only a little desire to move when I retired, because I already lived in a pretty great place. The house is all updated and remodeled, the setting is beautiful, and life is peaceful. If I could take my 90 acres and plunk it down within half an hour of a major city it would be perfect, but then my property taxes would go through the roof. It's easy enough to just check into a B&B for a week or two when I want a change, or just catch a local flight to SF or Seattle. There is a roofer putting a 30 year roof on the house today, which will be the last roof I ever have to bother with.
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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.
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Exactly. We were finally free to choose a location without overriding job and children-raising influence. We moved.
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.
This is sort of tangential, but what is the deductible on your homeowner's insurance? Most homeowner clams are small, so if you go to a $5,000 deductible you can save big bucks on insurance premiums. You live in a continual disaster zone, so maybe it won't be such a big savings. My homeowner insurance is only $800/year, and that includes riders for art, firearms, farm equipment, outbuildings and $1m umbrella liability. I can't imagine relocating because of insurance premiums. I picked a $5k deductible because I can just write the check on that without blinking. I recouped the $5k in less than 10 years on lowered premiums.
For all the years I have lived in Dallas, I have never thought "this is city is exactly where I belong."
I have felt that about specific houses, but absolutely never about the city -- a place that has provided a great career and side business, too. But its just not that place for me. It has friends and family and I am deeply connected to the community in many ways.
Still, with hopefully 10+ years ahead of being active, I desire to find that place on earth where I will fell emotionally and financially safe AND joyful about the natural beauty of my town when I step outside my doorstep.
I am hopwful that the huge number of retirees who don't want to move are, in fact, living that contentment now.
For all the years I have lived in Dallas, I have never thought "this is city is exactly where I belong."
I have felt that about specific houses, but absolutely never about the city -- a place that has provided a great career and side business, too. But its just not that place for me. It has friends and family and I am deeply connected to the community in many ways.
Still, with hopefully 10+ years ahead of being active, I desire to find that place on earth where I will fell emotionally and financially safe AND joyful about the natural beauty of my town when I step outside my doorstep.
I am hopwful that the huge number of retirees who don't want to move are, in fact, living that contentment now.
That is why lot and house selection when transplanting is so very important. The amount of time there increases tremendously and will be your view of your life and your place in it.
My reason for relocating was to find a place that had a lower COL. Had I stayed where I had previously been living, I would have been one of the multitudes of homeless people living on the streets.
Many people are forced to live in places they do not like for employment. Do I like living in Indianapolis? I don't hate it, but I'm here because the economy is good. If I was retired, I wouldn't plan to be in a landlocked state with virtually no recreational water, bad winters, and little in the way of natural beauty.
That is why lot and house selection when transplanting is so very important. The amount of time there increases tremendously and will be your view of your life and your place in it.
While I do agree that its important to like the specific house/lot, when someone is making a career relocation often the actual city and property availability is not going to be ideal. Wonderful when it is!
Since I have lived in my city 30+ years, I have been able to move several times and I own many investment houses. I've owned & lived here on golf courses (2x) and canal, a small lake, and now an expansive city view. All that helps but, in fact, we each have our own idea of beauty. For me, I am happiest in a place where the actual city has a beautiful natural setting. Places with natural beauty (vs. manmade) like shore lines, ocean, mountain views, etc. do it for me! These are often secondary in the "earning" years.
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