Late 50's retirees looking to retire to NC (Wilmington, New Bern: for sale, real estate)

[scsiguru]

My wife are both retired and drawing pensions. We have discussed moving to a warmer climate and North Carolina is high on our list. We are not wanting to make the move probably for another two years or so. Within the next few months we are going to take a trip down south and look at some of the areas.

Some of our requirements are:

1. Relatively close to the ocean (w/in 45 minutes) but not ocean front.
2. House in price range of $275K - $325K (must be brand new or newer - few years old AND one floor living)
3. Area where there are other retirees (preferably live in a "retirement community")
4. Good healthcare
5. Good shopping
6. Golf available (but not necessarily on a golf course).

Thanks for any suggestions!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by scsiguru

Some of our requirements are:

1. Relatively close to the ocean (w/in 45 minutes) but not ocean front.
2. House in price range of $275K - $325K (must be brand new or newer - few years old AND one floor living)
3. Area where there are other retirees (preferably live in a "retirement community")
4. Good healthcare
5. Good shopping
6. Golf available (but not necessarily on a golf course).

Thanks for any suggestions!

Brunswick County will check most of your boxes, except that your prices range is a bit low for a brand-new house. Please read through the numerous discussions on Leland, Southport, Bolivia, Shallotte and the various plantations.

BTW, most of the "plantations" are not age-restricted but they will have mainly retirees living there.

[goldenage1]

You could also look at the Del Webb community at Riverlights in Wilmington if being in an age-restricted community is important to you. Their prices start at about $311K. To get a house with reasonable options will cost more like $350K.

When you visit, you will probably find the you should adjust your price range up to at least $350K to get a new house. If you budget is really restricted, you should look at attached villas (one-story townhouses) or resales a few years old.

Please also be prepared to pay about $3000/year for homeowner insurance to cover hurricane risks. Property taxes will run about $2500-3000.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by scsiguru

2. House in price range of $275K - $325K (must be brand new or newer - few years old AND one floor living)

I also suggest using the website CarolinaPlanations.com to get an idea of what houses sell for in the more popular plantations. I have set the link to one of the lower cost plantations which has golf and is near a beach. Meadowlans and has some newer homes among the upper-priced listings. Meadowlands is located in Calabash, near Sunset Beach: Meadowlands Real Estate - Meadowlands Homes For Sale

You can also use Realtor.com for some of the towns I suggested, but it will usually not identify "senior communities". You will find lots of new build homes in Leland, Southport, Shallotte and Calabash which will attract younger families.

[Slade51]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

I also suggest using the website CarolinaPlanations.com to get an idea of what houses sell for in the more popular plantations.

I agree. We started our search by contacting Carolina Plantations. They put together a huge binder of info about the area based on what we were considering. When we came down to look, Melissa arranged a few ‘discovery packages’ for great deals on accommodations in exchange for a short tour of different developments. No pressure tours of both new and close to new homes in the range we wanted.
Definitely deal with a buyers agent instead of directly with the seller’s salespeople.

We moved into Brunswick Forest 2 years ago, and love the lifestyle and our neighbors. Don’t be scared by the wind & hail insurance. Add it all together and it’s still cheaper than we paid for an older home on a smaller lot back in NJ.

[scsiguru]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and valuable information. I know this is a coastal North Carolina forum, but I'm wondering if there are any other places "further inland" that would be around one to two hours from the beach, that might be less expensive, and insurance would be a "little less," and still offer some of the things we are looking for? I know this might be a stretch and I may be asking for too much, but close to the beach (like in Wilmington proper) is not a deal breaker for us. Thanks again!!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by scsiguru

I know this is a coastal North Carolina forum, but I'm wondering if there are any other places "further inland" that would be around one to two hours from the beach, that might be less expensive, and insurance would be a "little less," and still offer some of the things we are looking for? I know this might be a stretch and I may be asking for too much, but close to the beach (like in Wilmington proper) is not a deal breaker for us.

I have read that everywhere east of I-95 is subject to the same high wind and hail insurance, and that means roughly 2 hours from the ocean. The inland areas like Wallace, Rose Hill and New Bern had terrible experience with flooding during Florence.

If you are willing to be further inland, I suggest Southern Pines, Pinehurst and other communities in Moore County. There are plenty of retirees, excellent healthcare, and plenty of golf courses. There is expensive housing, but if you shop carefully, you can find numerous houses priced less than $325,000. These areas are more like 3 hours from the beach.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Slade51

..... Don’t be scared by the wind & hail insurance. Add it all together and it’s still cheaper than we paid for an older home on a smaller lot back in NJ.

Add this information to the mix: Our homeowners insurance has gone up 10% per year over the past 4 years. There is no way to predict future increases.

We also have a larger, newer home than we had in Maryland, but out insurance and property tax bill is about the same.

[pinkjewel]

Check out Fairfield Harbour in New Bern. It is mainly a retirement community with an active social calendar, golf course, gated, marina, and very friendly people. Although parts of it did flood badly, not all areas flooded. You should be able to find homes in your price category, but finding a newer home might be challenging.