Moved after Retirement and Happy with your choice (relocating, spouse, marriage)
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I had lived in Manhattan (NYC) for over forty years, but knew that I did not want to retire there. Spent a lot of time researching and decided on Santa Fe or the mid-state coastal region of California. But once I'd made my choices I wasn't at all enthused, so I decided to consider foreign countries.
I decided on Portugal and moved here in January 2000. Have loved living in southern Europe. Did go back last year for five weeks to check out retirement/CC places....I lasted five weeks and fled the U.S. back to sanity. Would only go back to check into a hospice.
Curmudgeon, I lived in the show-me state for 7 years. I liked much of it but not the constant threat of tornadoes! Just curious....what is the risk where you are in the Ozarks?
Virtually none! We're situated on a peninsula jutting into the lake which is in a ki9nd of a hollow (holler ) and the closest a tornado has come to this area occurred in the much flatter area across the lake from us and several miles away. I'm not saying we couldn't have one but there's no history of tornados in the 30 years our community has been around and I don't anticipate any. We're watchful but stop short of cautious and miles shy of concerned.
I had lived in Manhattan (NYC) for over forty years, but knew that I did not want to retire there. Spent a lot of time researching and decided on Santa Fe or the mid-state coastal region of California. But once I'd made my choices I wasn't at all enthused, so I decided to consider foreign countries.
I decided on Portugal and moved here in January 2000. Have loved living in southern Europe. Did go back last year for five weeks to check out retirement/CC places....I lasted five weeks and fled the U.S. back to sanity. Would only go back to check into a hospice.
To Kevxu:
Can an American just stay in Portugal without having to leave and come back every few months? Also how does one pay for medical treatment?
To Kevxu:
Can an American just stay in Portugal without having to leave and come back every few months? Also how does one pay for medical treatment?
As in most (all?) countries you have to apply for a visa that allows you to stay long-term. There are various types of visas, suitable for various situations, but a visa for a retiree is fairly easy to come by.
The essential requirements are:
1. Proof of a steady income.
2. Proof of a private health insurance policy, it must be one that pays benefits for persons living abroad, not a policy limited to the U.S. or some other foreign country.
Most American insurance companies that I looked at years ago for this type of insurance were lousy and expensive. British companies provide much better options.
4. A rental lease or a deed for owned property in Portugal.
3. A valid passport, and various piddling documents...a current police record, a physician's statement that you are in good health....small stuff.
Thanks! When I watch all these House Hunters shows on TV and all of these Americans are buying homes in foreign countries, I have always wondered how they do it. Portugal looks beautiful.......
My brother "retired" after 20 years working for govt. in Wisconsin- married an old friend and moved to Brazil. He has ties there (his new wife has a ranch in Brazil).. He's poor - but happy.
I moved from suburban Maryland to suburban Tennessee and did not go back to my Long Island roots. I was specifically looking for a place that offered classes for retirees that weren't foo-foo clases. I'm a suburbs kind of person. I like sprawl. I like to drive. I like to park in lots, not on the street. I wanted a mixed age modern apartment complex. The town population had to be under 35,000 with low population density. I wanted to be within a reasonable driving distance of nature.
I knew what I wanted to do in retirement and found a place where I could do those things. I visited one other place that was absolutely the wrong fit for me. I think one of the hardest things about relocating is knowing what's important to you so you know enough to ask about those things/find out about those things. You ask about some things before you move but there are some things about where you currently live that you just take for granted will be the same in the new place. That's a big mistake I see a lot in C-D state forums. The place that was wrong for me had people I didn't like, had a lot of non-natives who had relocated from large northern cities with urban values, had too much traffic, had too many tourists in the summer, was pretentious, had awful zoning, felt crowded for a mountain town, had foo-foo retiree classes.
I tell people that before they relocate in retirement they should read the town's newspaper online or subscribe for at least 6 months and when they visit, visit like a future resident, not like a tourist. Look at photos in the newspaper and attend a public event and look at the people. Do they look like your kind of people? Are you the sportswear type, make up and hair done type and they are the jeans, tee shirt and no make-up type (or vice versa)? Do you drink your served drink in a glass and they prefer beer in a bottle? Do you drive a pick up truck and they drive a Lexus? Do you like bluegrass/country concerts in the park and they like classical concerts/rock and roll? Do you like to hunt and fish but the newspaper stories are all about golf and sailing? Read the town planning meeting stories. Are they planning to build a new school at the end of your street, put a hotel up around the corner, widen the road near your property? Do they have what you like in the stores? Your brands? Are a lot of younger people also moving to the town? Will your property taxes go up if they need new schools? If you are a church go-er, attend a service while you are there. If you like to fish, fish when you visit. If you like to bowl, go to the bowling alley. If you like to read, see if the library carries your kind of books and if they are current.
Watch the local TV news when you visit.
Does it rain and roads flood a lot but you've only been asking about snow and the cold? Are you used to a lot of sunshine and they have a lot of grey days in a row? Do you like to walk but there are no sidewalks or trails/greenways? Do you go to movies a lot but the only theater in town isn't a multi-plex? Do you drink and it's a dry town? Is there a playhouse but it's only open 6 months of the year?
Buy a street map when you visit and mark on it the neighborhoods you think are seedy or other things you notice. When you get home and read crime stories, also mark the locations on your map. You will probably see clusters of crime locations so when the real estate office calls you about a house, you will know if the house is in a bad neighborhood.
Buy a street map when you visit and mark on it the neighborhoods you think are seedy or other things you notice. When you get home and read crime stories, also mark the locations on your map. You will probably see clusters of crime locations so when the real estate office calls you about a house, you will know if the house is in a bad neighborhood.
I moved from suburban Maryland to suburban Tennessee and did not go back to my Long Island roots. I was specifically looking for a place that offered classes for retirees that weren't foo-foo clases. I'm a suburbs kind of person. I like sprawl. I like to drive. I like to park in lots, not on the street. I wanted a mixed age modern apartment complex. The town population had to be under 35,000 with low population density. I wanted to be within a reasonable driving distance of nature.
I knew what I wanted to do in retirement and found a place where I could do those things. I visited one other place that was absolutely the wrong fit for me. I think one of the hardest things about relocating is knowing what's important to you so you know enough to ask about those things/find out about those things. You ask about some things before you move but there are some things about where you currently live that you just take for granted will be the same in the new place. That's a big mistake I see a lot in C-D state forums. The place that was wrong for me had people I didn't like, had a lot of non-natives who had relocated from large northern cities with urban values, had too much traffic, had too many tourists in the summer, was pretentious, had awful zoning, felt crowded for a mountain town, had foo-foo retiree classes.
I tell people that before they relocate in retirement they should read the town's newspaper online or subscribe for at least 6 months and when they visit, visit like a future resident, not like a tourist. Look at photos in the newspaper and attend a public event and look at the people. Do they look like your kind of people? Are you the sportswear type, make up and hair done type and they are the jeans, tee shirt and no make-up type (or vice versa)? Do you drink your served drink in a glass and they prefer beer in a bottle? Do you drive a pick up truck and they drive a Lexus? Do you like bluegrass/country concerts in the park and they like classical concerts/rock and roll? Do you like to hunt and fish but the newspaper stories are all about golf and sailing? Read the town planning meeting stories. Are they planning to build a new school at the end of your street, put a hotel up around the corner, widen the road near your property? Do they have what you like in the stores? Your brands? Are a lot of younger people also moving to the town? Will your property taxes go up if they need new schools? If you are a church go-er, attend a service while you are there. If you like to fish, fish when you visit. If you like to bowl, go to the bowling alley. If you like to read, see if the library carries your kind of books and if they are current.
Watch the local TV news when you visit.
Does it rain and roads flood a lot but you've only been asking about snow and the cold? Are you used to a lot of sunshine and they have a lot of grey days in a row? Do you like to walk but there are no sidewalks or trails/greenways? Do you go to movies a lot but the only theater in town isn't a multi-plex? Do you drink and it's a dry town? Is there a playhouse but it's only open 6 months of the year?
Buy a street map when you visit and mark on it the neighborhoods you think are seedy or other things you notice. When you get home and read crime stories, also mark the locations on your map. You will probably see clusters of crime locations so when the real estate office calls you about a house, you will know if the house is in a bad neighborhood.
Just some suggestions.
I forgot one more thing. After you house hunt/apartment hunt in the daytime, go back to the location at night and observe what it's like there when kids are home from school and adults are home from work. I know someone who didn't do that and discovered that baseball field nearby was a teen hang out on some nights and the bright lights from the field shone right in her windows.
I moved from suburban Maryland to suburban Tennessee and did not go back to my Long Island roots. I was specifically looking for a place that offered classes for retirees that weren't foo-foo clases. I'm a suburbs kind of person. I like sprawl. I like to drive. I like to park in lots, not on the street. I wanted a mixed age modern apartment complex. The town population had to be under 35,000 with low population density. I wanted to be within a reasonable driving distance of nature.
I knew what I wanted to do in retirement and found a place where I could do those things. I visited one other place that was absolutely the wrong fit for me. I think one of the hardest things about relocating is knowing what's important to you so you know enough to ask about those things/find out about those things. You ask about some things before you move but there are some things about where you currently live that you just take for granted will be the same in the new place. That's a big mistake I see a lot in C-D state forums. The place that was wrong for me had people I didn't like, had a lot of non-natives who had relocated from large northern cities with urban values, had too much traffic, had too many tourists in the summer, was pretentious, had awful zoning, felt crowded for a mountain town, had foo-foo retiree classes.
I tell people that before they relocate in retirement they should read the town's newspaper online or subscribe for at least 6 months and when they visit, visit like a future resident, not like a tourist. Look at photos in the newspaper and attend a public event and look at the people. Do they look like your kind of people? Are you the sportswear type, make up and hair done type and they are the jeans, tee shirt and no make-up type (or vice versa)? Do you drink your served drink in a glass and they prefer beer in a bottle? Do you drive a pick up truck and they drive a Lexus? Do you like bluegrass/country concerts in the park and they like classical concerts/rock and roll? Do you like to hunt and fish but the newspaper stories are all about golf and sailing? Read the town planning meeting stories. Are they planning to build a new school at the end of your street, put a hotel up around the corner, widen the road near your property? Do they have what you like in the stores? Your brands? Are a lot of younger people also moving to the town? Will your property taxes go up if they need new schools? If you are a church go-er, attend a service while you are there. If you like to fish, fish when you visit. If you like to bowl, go to the bowling alley. If you like to read, see if the library carries your kind of books and if they are current.
Watch the local TV news when you visit.
Does it rain and roads flood a lot but you've only been asking about snow and the cold? Are you used to a lot of sunshine and they have a lot of grey days in a row? Do you like to walk but there are no sidewalks or trails/greenways? Do you go to movies a lot but the only theater in town isn't a multi-plex? Do you drink and it's a dry town? Is there a playhouse but it's only open 6 months of the year?
Buy a street map when you visit and mark on it the neighborhoods you think are seedy or other things you notice. When you get home and read crime stories, also mark the locations on your map. You will probably see clusters of crime locations so when the real estate office calls you about a house, you will know if the house is in a bad neighborhood.
Just some suggestions.
Great post !
Great advice !
I would like to highlite something you stated as it is often overlooked....
----there are some things about where you currently live that you just take for granted will be the same in the new place----
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Just curious....what is the risk where you are in the Ozarks?
) and the closest a tornado has come to this area occurred in the much flatter area across the lake from us and several miles away. I'm not saying we couldn't have one but there's no history of tornados in the 30 years our community has been around and I don't anticipate any. We're watchful but stop short of cautious and miles shy of concerned.
