Delaware For Retirement (Dover, Rehoboth Beach, Ocean View: how much, Home Depot, quality of life) - (DE) - City-Data Forum

Charlie&Rose · 04-10-2019, 10:59 AM

Looking for feedback from those who have retired to Delaware. How is the health care, cost of living? Anything you can tell us about being retired in Delaware, would be appreciated. We are beach people, so that is important to us too.

elizabeth224 · 04-10-2019, 01:48 PM

I'm sure you will get quite a few responses. We are exploring as well. It might help to know the type of area and conveniences you have now. Example, are you close to an airport? Is that important? Do you have a choice of medical facilities?

We love the beach too. Overall, we have to compare COL as well. Property taxes are lower but we found some things that are included in our property taxes are separate costs in DE. Even if we don't choose it, we will continue to vacation there!

Charlie&Rose · 04-10-2019, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elizabeth224

I'm sure you will get quite a few responses. We are exploring as well. It might help to know the type of area and conveniences you have now. Example, are you close to an airport? Is that important? Do you have a choice of medical facilities?

We love the beach too. Overall, we have to compare COL as well. Property taxes are lower but we found some things that are included in our property taxes are separate costs in DE. Even if we don't choose it, we will continue to vacation there!

Thanks for posting. Hidden cost are good to know!. What is not covered in property taxes? Airports would not be important, as we would be just a six hr drive, from where we are now. Medical is important. We are not shoppers, just the basics. We like outdoor things, like concerts in the park, sitting on the beach for hours, fishing. The idea place for us would be an over 55 community, a short drive to a beach.

elizabeth224 · 04-10-2019, 04:04 PM

It sounds like DE would be a good fit for you. Airports are important to us so that's an issue. And we are very close now.

I would make a few trips and feel it out. If you like the beach area it is very developed with quite a few active adult communities.

nuts2uiam · 04-10-2019, 06:31 PM

We relocated from Long Island and live in Rehoboth Beach. My comments will be for the beach area.

In terms of cost, we have found little here to be more expensive than on L.I. Produce is expensive and our water is too, again in comparison. However, our taxes are over $9000 less, so that buys a lot of water and produce. We do pay a sewer charge here, that was included in our taxes at home and that is $348.

We have been ok with our medical treatment here, however, I can tell you that if you came from an area that had a lot of specialty medical care, you will probably return there. That is based upon our neighbors experience, many of whom came from the Baltimore, Boston,Philly and NY area. That said, I do know many here have received excellent care at Beebe. There is a brand new hospital BayHealth a little bit north of here about a half hour drive from Rehoboth.

I lived 16 miles, 20 miles and 32 miles from 3 airports. Here I have to go to Baltimore or Philly, both of which are between 1.5 and 2 hours away. That said, we don't travel a lot so it really is not a deal breaker for us.

Our shopping was phenomenal in NY. Here we have the Tanger Outlets and Peoples. Further north in Dover (50 minutes) is a small mall with Pennys, Boscov's, Dick's and Macys and further north (1.5 hour) the huge Christiana mall.

Funny story relating to shopping. We retired here a little over 6 years ago and at first the thought of driving to go shopping was insane to me. Having come from a huge mall 7 minutes from my NY home, so a trip to Dover would be the equivalent of a road trip for me. My sister is looking to relocate here, and about a year ago, we drove to Dover for something. She was astounded that I though nothing of the "trip". Fast forward to this past winter and we made a few trips there and she too now this little of it at all. In truth, we have all that we need and on occasion we will take a ride to Dover. So, if access to the latest in trends is your thing, then the beaches may not be for you. In fact, I said when we moved here, that I wish we had a local Trader Joes and I still wish we did. However, when we visit family in NY or they visit us, we make a request for something and we are ok with the lack of TJ's.

Charlie&Rose · 04-11-2019, 06:17 AM

Thanks so much for the info. As I said, we are not shoppers. Everything we need, we can get on Amazon. We are also concerned about are the winters. How cold does it get, and how much snow do you get.?

nuts2uiam · 04-11-2019, 07:56 AM

We get average of 12 inches of snow. We are here 6 years and only had one year that we had what we would call a significant snowstorm. The weather is generally between 30 -45. We have had days in 20 here and there and this year we did go to 8 one day, but that was truly an aberration. We bought a snow blower to do our driveway and didn't use it this past winter at all. Again, we are southern De.

Charlie&Rose · 04-11-2019, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

We get average of 12 inches of snow. We are here 6 years and only had one year that we had what we would call a significant snowstorm. The weather is generally between 30 -45. We have had days in 20 here and there and this year we did go to 8 one day, but that was truly an aberration. We bought a snow blower to do our driveway and didn't use it this past winter at all. Again, we are southern De.

Thanks!

DelawareLiz · 04-11-2019, 10:29 AM

I second Nuts2uim's post. Very accurate. I have lived here all my life (40-some years) and it sounds like the beach area (or areas nearby) would work for you given your hobbies: "We like outdoor things, like concerts in the park, sitting on the beach for hours, fishing. The idea place for us would be an over 55 community, a short drive to a beach."

Don't worry about the winters at the beach; they are pretty mild. Never shoveled snow at all this past winter and the snow was all gone the next day anyway.

I do find our groceries to be higher than other locations up and down the east cost when we travel--and all our domestic traveling is up and down the east coast (mostly down). Then again, if you are saving thousands every year in property taxes then this won't be as much of an issue.

Nefret · 04-12-2019, 08:24 AM

We have a second home in Ocean View and love the area----it's great at this point in our lives. We are in our 70's and are very active physically. Most of the people I've met moved there to live full time after vacationing or owning a second home in the area. Also physically active.

In considering whether to live there full time I have some concerns about what the quality of life would be like for a less physically fit senior. I don't see the very elderly out and about.

When I reach the the point of not being able to walk over the dunes to the beach with my dogs, or begin to dread the drive and associated traffic to get to Lowe's or Home Depot, then life there will be less enjoyable for me.

One can't entirely predict the future but one thing is certain---if we live long enough there is the chance that physically limitations will set in. As I always like to have mid- and long-range plans in mind, this is a concern of mine.