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I would also make sure that you can find a PCP who accepts Medicare. When we moved we were lucky to find one, but most said they weren't taking more Medicare, which took us by surprise.
The longer you go for the more you'll get to experience the place under different circumstances. Hopefully long enough so you are out of "vacationing" or "visitor" mode and are doing EXACTLY the things you would do there. Going to the local grocery stores, retail store areas, hospital/medical plazas. Driving on the main highways as well as sidestreets at different times of the day.
And unless the weather is VERY similar in all seasons you really should go in as many seasons as possible. It may sound expensive (and actually BE expensive!) to take multiple trips, but it's a very expensive mistake to make if you end up being surprised because you only went in the "best" time of the year! This is a major investment...don't do it cheaply and regret it!
I agree. Don't do tourist things. Do things you normally do. Stay in a suite-style business hotel in a residential neighborhood instead of a fun hotel you might use on a vacation. If I could only afford one visit, I'd go at the worst time of year weather-wise so I could see if I can hack it.
Go to the supermarket. If you are religious attend a service of your faith. If you use the library or the Y or a mall, check them out. Eat in the price range of restaurants you would normally frequent. If you are a sports fan, check in at some sports bars and chat with people at the bar. If you run or walk, check out some local parks or trails. Read the real estate ads and go to open houses on Saturday and Sunday in neighborhoods where you might live (not dream houses you can't afford). Chat with the Realtors if they aren't busy. Yes, they'll try to get you to hire them but it's possible you will meet one you really like and could work with and you can put off the ones you don't care for by saying you haven't even decided if you're moving yet.
If you find neighborhoods you like, do indeed drive around them at night as well as during the day. Are they lit properly? Are people walking their pets even after dark? See how they are in proximity to other things you like about the town.
Consider transportation very seriously. If you are already retirement age, you need to think about a time when you might not be able to drive, even temporarily if not permanently. How would you get around? Is there public transportation? Is there transportation for the disabled? Are cabs or car services available?
What are elder care services like in this town or county? Long before you might need assisted living or serious care you will probably have some operations or illnesses that will keep you home-bound for some time. How will you get to your doctor appointments? How will you get your prescriptions? Is there a store that will deliver food to you? Are home-care nurses available? You might think those needs are long off and let's hope they are. But you never know. I was confined to a wheelchair for several months when I was still in my fifties and it was shocking to me how ill-prepared I was to deal with day-to-day life under that circumstance.
I would make a list of all the places I frequent and try to find a neighborhood that has easy access to those things. If you like museums and art galleries, music venues, ethnic foods, street fairs, spectator sports, etc., don't look for a home in the hinterlands. Even if you want a big yard or a garden, don't sacrifice contact with others as you will want to make friends. Some of the over-55 active-adult communities are really nice. Check them out especially if you are extroverted and will want to make new friends.
Our first visit to the city we plan on moving to later this year was for four days (after a lot of internet information). Drove all around it and the surrounding towns and included some fun things to do.
For the second trip, rented a house for a week and focused on talking to people. Luckily the people we rented the house from had moved there from Florida about ten years previously and had started a business there and were more than glad to give us their input. Then we went everywhere and started conversations with people. Like the local donut shop, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. My wife likes to sew, and there was a local business that sold fabric and sewing machines, so we stopped by. 90 minutes later we left with the perspective of a middle aged couple who had moved there from Texas and started the business.
I realize that not everyone is comfortable doing it, but I like to converse with people. Third day of stopping in the same convenience store for a newspaper, I told the young lady there "We really have to stop meeting like this." 30 minutes later (in between other customers) I had a feel for what it was like living there for a young couple with a little boy. Same thing in the grocery with an elderly gentleman in bib overalls when I remarked about the really bad thunderstorm the previous night. Or the college student working part time in the local museum and the volunteer ladies at another museum.
After a week of doing that, we felt that we would fit very well into the area. So then we went back a few months later for three days to really zero in on which areas we would like to live in. Looked at things like distances/routes to grocery, to church, hospital, etc. and sometimes we would look at each other and say, I could see us living here or I really liked some of the other areas better.
All three trips were at different times of the year to give us a bit of a different perspective. Up until now, we have stayed away from any realtors as we wanted to try to get a feel on our own of what it would be like to live there. Next step will be a visit in the autumn to get serious about buying a house there, so that is when we will be working with a realtor.
We plan on this being our last move, and so far we feel very comfortable with our decision. But I would not have wanted to do it with just one short visit for a couple of days or so.
Our research included many of the suggestions of others. The other time we have spent has been with a realtor; exploring neighborhoods and looking at housing and values. Jobs on Craigslist can also give you information, read local newspapers- talk to people even in a local pub. Grocery stores for some reason really give you a flavor of real life! Visiting a local senior citizen center will also afford some meaningful, informative info. Just an overnite and out to dinner at a non chain restaurant will enlighten some thought. We have done all of these things and now we have narrowed down a region in Florida, and found a furnished home to rent for 3 months - we have sold our home in California, and let's see if we will be ready to settle into our next adventure!
I'd recommend renting for at least 1 year in your new environment.
It's hard to qualify everything on just a few short visits. For example, you might discover a new allergy or you might have difficulty finding a good doctor.
Also, renting gives you the ability to find the best neighborhood in the community that will meet your needs.
We made at least 3 visits to the area we moved to (Sarasota/Bradenton FL); trying to remember if we bought the house on the third visit or a 4th visit - it all blurs together after a while!!
We also made 2 visits to another area that we were considering (southern CA), but ultimately decided was too far away from family on the east coast. (Oh but we loved it there.....)
Much of what is suggested can be done online. When I got here I drove around for a day and a half and then with a realtor for a day and a half. That was it. 3 days and made an offer that was accepted that evening. There is such a thing as overthinking this and never moving. I only had to see it in person since I more or less narrowed down the neighborhood online. I read newspapers, grocery ads, church bulletins, and everything else I could find before I came here.
One thing is if you are far left or far right politically you should check the political contributions of people in that zip code. For most people it doesn't matter but for some it does.
If you are retiring, please make sure that the people there are like you: politically, attitude-wise, open to new ideas, etc.
Just because its a pretty place or because the taxes are low doesn't mean that you'll like it unless you are an extreme hermit. And make sure that you are close to medical services, shopping, and even internet. Many very rural places only have dial-up or very slow and flakey DSL.
Make sure that there are a lot of other people there who came from somewhere else, and who are also retired. Older people generally don't go out of their way to make new friends, unless they also moved there as retired people from somewhere else.
My parents moved to a beautiful town when they retired 36 years ago. And then they lived the rest of their lives in intense loneliness in a very beautiful place.
Much of what is suggested can be done online. When I got here I drove around for a day and a half and then with a realtor for a day and a half. That was it. 3 days and made an offer that was accepted that evening. There is such a thing as overthinking this and never moving. I only had to see it in person since I more or less narrowed down the neighborhood online. I read newspapers, grocery ads, church bulletins, and everything else I could find before I came here.
One thing is if you are far left or far right politically you should check the political contributions of people in that zip code. For most people it doesn't matter but for some it does.
This makes a lot of sense to me. I've narrowed my search to just 3 small towns in the state I want to live in. The towns are within driving distance of each other. I already know the people in these town are conservative like I am from online searches. The crime rates in these towns are practically non existent so there is no "bad part" of town.
When it's time, I'll visit each town for a couple of days, attend church there, read a newspaper, look at houses, find the local watering hole and have breakfast or lunch there.
The last thing I want to do is spend what moderate amount of money I have traveling across country several times and renting a house when that money could be going to my new home and cost to move there.
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