[RicT]

Hi Peeps! First post… been using the city data search a lot though.

Short story: I’m 53 now and getting fed up with my day job. I’m a widower and the kiddies are all grown up. (translation: they’re finally out of my hip pocket).

I currently live in Kansas - the arsehole of the state. Lived here most of my life – never liked it. (I'm told my ancestors settled here because their horse died on the way to Denver ).

The winter months here are horrendous – not so much the cold, it’s the freaking wind mingled with that cold that makes it so miserable. 25 degrees ain’t so bad with a 5 mph breeze but we never have a “breeze” here it seems. So anyway… I’ve recently been toying with the idea of just picking up roots and going someplace warm to live out my remaining days. I’ve got a modest tax free 401k built up and a few bucks in change. $200k isn’t much but with today’s housing plunge certain things may be possible now that weren’t a few years ago.

Here’s what I’d like to do:

* Move somewhere warm. It really doesn’t have to be Florida – any place where I don’t have to scrap ice off my testicles four months of the year would be just fine.

* I don’t want to rent. Over the course of 10-15 years, renting at $7-8k per year doesn’t make sense although it does has its perks.

*I can live pretty much dirt cheap whatever I do, I’m also in pretty good health right now.

* After 10 years (at 66) I’ll be drawing about $2000/month SS benefits – assuming the U.S. isn’t broke by then or the minimum retirement age doesn’t change to 95 or something. I could live on my savings for awhile and wouldn’t be opposed to getting some part-time “brainless” job just for a little extra income – this would actually be quite refreshing compared to what I do now. (I sometimes envy those cart-fetcher dudes at Wal-Mart).

Anyway… I’d like to buy some cheap fixer-upper for $20k and put another $15-20k in it myself. I can do advanced plumbing, electrical wiring, carpentry and just about anything else. It just depends on hard I want to work at this. There’s plenty of these homes on the market everywhere but the neighborhoods are kind of crappy as you would expect. I’m a white guy and have no problems living in a racially diverse area if I only knew my neighbors had the same philosophy.

Property taxes in Florida are crazy depending on the county. The further you get from the cost seems to help though. One thing I haven’t been able to determine is rough homeowner’s insurance costs. This “hurricane” stuff is new to me.

I’ve also looked at condo prices and even 55+ communities. The HOA fees are ridiculous though. It’s hard to find a townhouse/condo without a pool, tennis court, bingo parlor, etc. – all things I don’t need and don’t want to pay for.

And those Mobile Home Parks for old folks are laughable. A 40 year old “trailer” goes for $30k. And then you have to pay $300/month HOA fees and another $500 lot rent. (Plus taxes and insurance) What am I missing here?

So, just to warp this up… Am I crazy for entertaining this notion? If you were in my shoes with everything I’ve described, ($200k, single, modest needs, semi old farthood, etc.) where would you go and what would you do? I don’t expect any mind-blowing answers… just curious to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

[DailyJournalist]

Look at Albuquerque NM.

Albuquerque - Albuquerque New Mexico - Albuquerque NM

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

I would say it all depends on the things you like to do.

When you retire you want to find a place that fits your lifestyle.

There are some great buys in Florida but I cannot see finding a 20k home and fixing it up would be a wise choice.

For an home to be only worth 20k then the homes and neighborhood would be pretty bad.

[RicT]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

For an home to be only worth 20k then the homes and neighborhood would be pretty bad.

Not really. In some of the inland areas the surroundings seem reasonable as do the property taxes. I don't need beachfront property.

My first choice would be a condo/townhome but again, I don't need a clubhouse, pool, tennis court... all the ancillary crap associated with high HOA fees. These are hard to find.

[Momma_bear]

Here in Broward you really cannot find anything in a livable neighborhood for $20K. Even crappy houses in crappy parts of Broward seem to be worth $50K.

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by RicT

* Move somewhere warm. It really doesn’t have to be Florida – any place where I don’t have to scrap ice off my testicles four months of the year would be just fine.

Man, those winters in Kansas are brutal! I'd say any other state would do for you...just get some good thermals and you'll be fine.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by RicT

Not really. In some of the inland areas the surroundings seem reasonable as do the property taxes. I don't need beachfront property.

My first choice would be a condo/townhome but again, I don't need a clubhouse, pool, tennis court... all the ancillary crap associated with high HOA fees. These are hard to find.

With some searching I think you actually could find something close to what you are looking for somewhere in Florida, but you kind of need to prioritize what you need from an area - rural or urban, inland or closer to the east or west, north or south, etc.

[ngrome]

I heard the Dominican Republic or the Philippines are great places to stretch the dollar during retirement, seriously. But if you want to stay in the states, that's a different story.

[faithfulFrank]

The home I bought is in a 55+ community outside of Leesburg Fl. called The Plantation. They are very solid financially and is homeowner owned. Our HOA fees are $85.00 per month. They have some nice homes at the $150k range.

Frank D.

[cmor]

Here in Tampa you might get lucky with a $40k place in a livable neighborhood, (by livable I mean no door-to-door drug sales or random gun shots) or something in foreclosure. But for $80k you can do pretty well.. 3 bdrms, pool, the whole thing.. maybe rent out rooms to others?

That's funny someone said ABQ NM, I have friends who live there, LOVE it and say it's cheap. I'd check it out. But yeah, $20k. yikes. Maybe the center of the state with your own mobile and land..?