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My wife said over the weekend that she would like to move, and specifically mentioned a home on a small lake with a pleasant view. Build a small home just for the 2 of us, and enjoy our final 20-30 years there.
I think I found the perfect lakefront lot last year. Still for sale! The opposing three sides of the lake are wetlands or steep embankment that cannot be economically developed, and the lake is one of a string of 5 lakes. The next closest lake is "Trolling Motors Only", this lake can use larger motors but is too small for crazy stuff. Those boats need to travel through the canals to the other three lakes. Located about 40 miles away in the area where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I don't have an http copy of lot photos to post.
Murphy's Law says jet skis will drill holes in the water in front of your retirement cottage every day.
I never said they weren't Clueless about many things, but until today they had never done anything like this.
They keep their interior garage lights ON 24 hours per day, and they did the same with the exterior light next to the garage pedestrian door which shone into our bedroom. Until I used a gloved hand to loosen the hot incandescent lamp 8 years ago. Still not illuminated!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MI-Roger
My wife said over the weekend that she would like to move, and specifically mentioned a home on a small lake with a pleasant view. Build a small home just for the 2 of us, and enjoy our final 20-30 years there.
I think I found the perfect lakefront lot last year. Still for sale! The opposing three sides of the lake are wetlands or steep embankment that cannot be economically developed, and the lake is one of a string of 5 lakes. The next closest lake is "Trolling Motors Only", this lake can use larger motors but is too small for crazy stuff. Those boats need to travel through the canals to the other three lakes. Located about 40 miles away in the area where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I don't have an http copy of lot photos to post.
They probably couldn't find the light switch and just forgot about it.
Don't forget to check the FEMA Flood Maps if you want to buy any waterfront property.
sounds really delightful. Congratulations. Maybe you can post pics later? I often wonder about building a lake house for retirement. But usually old people need hospitals, so you need to make sure there is medical care close-by.
Shore level looking East across the lake:
Drone level looking to the West. Lot is the empty corner, allowing views of the lake and canal to the next lake.
Looks beautiful! Is there good access to medical care?
Well.......... this is the area where I grew up and where one of my sisters still lives. Her experience with local Doctors and Medical Care has been abysmal!
But drive 35-40 miles East, where we currently live, and there are two Research Hospitals.
So local is horrible, but within an hour is excellent. How does one describe that with a single term?
We started parking in front of the neighbors house when they parked in front of ours. The kids are all older and all five of them drive. The mom loves to park in this one spot in front of her home. I get home earlier and when her kids were parked in front of our home, where we always park, I took the moms spot. It did not take long to notice that the kids were parking further down the road.
As far as the neighbor kids using your yard, That is why I love fences. We will be putting one in next summer. I have been wanting a fence that surrounds our lot. Currently only the back yard is fenced in. We are allowed to put upto a 6 foot fence between the homes, that can come out to the home closest to the street. Luckily for us the neighbors home is closest to the street. In the front of the lot you can have a fence that is 42" tall between the property lines and in front of your lot up to the sidewalk. Additionally for us, we have a manicured lawn and the neighbors don't always cut their grass. My wife is all in because of the neighbors dogs using our yard to take care of business.
I avoided parking in front of another property b/c I didn't want to escalate issue, although one day I did tell next door neighbor I didn't think expecting to be able to park in front of my own house was an unreasonable expectation. That got around the neighborhood, I'm sure, because things changed for the better - especially this year.
On fences, we aren't allowed anymore than a fence 12' in length in front yard between properties, no higher than 47". Our front yard stretches 40' from house to walk. No restrictions on shrubs. My son was insistent we plant relatively tall arbor vitae b/c guy next door is over 6' tall and plays in front with his kids all the time - which means no privacy on our front porch. Trees were over 5' when they went in and are now close to 6' - and do a good job of shielding activities in that yard. I've told our yard service to keep trees trimmed to under 6 feet. Our city has a spite ordinance which says nothing over 6'. Should those trees get that tall, someone would complain, I'm sure of it.
When trees went in last spring, woman on the corner w/three little kids stood on our front walk right in front of my picture window, talking to another woman at length, continually pointing to the trees. Her kids were always running through our yard to play w/kids next door. I think she was unhappy b/c she could no longer see if her kids were in that yard from her house on the corner. I'll bet they called the city on this. They were ticked, as was my next door neighbor - but too bad.
The year they first moved in (2017), I found balls everywhere in front and back (beach, soccer, baseball, tennis, football, etc.) in window wells, shrubbery, etc. On top of that, my yard guy that fall said he found eight balls in my back yard in the shrubs and asked wth was going on. Following January 2018, I contacted landscaper to put me first on list to get trees in before school summer recess. As I said, those trees made quite a statement - a real wakeup call. Of course, the young couples on the street don't talk to me. Truth.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 09-20-2019 at 06:04 PM..
Health in one's 60's is very different than 70's and 80's. Physically one can deteriorate very quickly in one's 70's. My sister 70 y/o died on August 30th, eight weeks after a major stroke. Another relative, late 70's, not feeling well for a while just found something on her lung. Time creeps up really fast. I've seen it so often the last ten years, even though I'm good health and rarely doctor, I would not choose isolated rural as a retirement home - especially if decent medical care was so far away. I live urban suburban and love the convenience. Close to all shopping, numerous hospitals/doctors/clinics within no more than five miles. Good walk-in clinic I've used a few times for small things five blocks away, major teaching hospital 1.5 miles away, another super heart hospital four miles away. The drawback, of course, is one has to put up with people.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 09-20-2019 at 07:00 PM..
Murphy's Law says jet skis will drill holes in the water in front of your retirement cottage every day.
Yes, that is a concern. Jet Skis from the small "No Wake" Lake next door may play all day in the bigger body of water that allows wakes.
A second concern is the larger home next door which might be a weekly rental for large groups of party-ers. That home appears to have been expanded three times, and their long dock 'might' be erected on the corner of the empty lot that is for sale.
I understand the OP's position perfectly, and I don't think that anyone should try to dissuade them from whatever retirement course they (or anyone) choose. One of the main reasons we decided to "go rural" is to get away from incompatible neighbors and to have plenty of quiet and semi-isolation. I know that many, many people don't mind condo or retirement village living (or to continue living in their urban or suburban home), but we knew a long time ago that is not what we wanted for ourselves. (Our home will be on 1.5 heavily wooded acres in a subdivision consisting of only nine such lots. However, we are practical in that a major medical center is only ten minutes away and a large grocery store is just two miles away.)
People need to decide for themselves what is right for them, although I hope they will not enter into any kind of commitment "blind" -- that they do plenty of research and consider as many of the pros and cons that they can.
In short, not everyone is the same or wants the same things, and THAT IS FINE!!
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