Another Factor to Perhaps Consider in Retirement Relocation (2015, housing, best)
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Our sweet spot is to look at another urban area albeit one at lower COL than the crazy stratospheric Bay Area. That's admittedly a low bar for "low COL." Our "low COL" would probably be considered expensive by many. We know we can find a place to cash out to, that has perhaps even better services than here. Naturally the reason for the lower COL is the world may not be beating as much of a path to their door. By the time we retire we won't need to be in one of the top popular "no price is too high" types of places.
Ditto. I long to live in a small country town. After living in the Los Angeles suburbs nearly all my life, I want out. I want to relax, have a small garden, breathe fresh air, watch it rain and not worry about crime happening all around me.
There was a time, I wanted 'out'.
I got out when the getting was good for me.
Today is fifteen years later.
Today we have 150 acres, alongside a river, in dense forest.
We live in a large house on solar power.
We commonly see moose, deer, and wild turkey.
Some years a bear will hibernate on my land.
Our town is small with fairly low crime.
A sheriff deputy drives through town once a week.
Taxes are low, for my land and house I pay around $800/year.
The only store front in our town is a gunsmith.
Every family here hunts and fishes, boating in the summer and sledding in winter.
I raise a herd of pigs, and sell the piglets.
Our garden has been producing well this year.
We are about halfway thru blueberry harvest,
elderberry harvest starts in a few days,
apples and grapes will be ready to harvest in a month.
I can support a family on about half Minimum-Wage here.
Regularly eagle are seen overhead in our garden.
There was a time, I wanted 'out'.
I got out when the getting was good for me.
Today is fifteen years later.
Today we have 150 acres, alongside a river, in dense forest.
We live in a large house on solar power.
We commonly see moose, deer, and wild turkey.
Some years a bear will hibernate on my land.
Our town is small with fairly low crime.
A sheriff deputy drives through town once a week.
Taxes are low, for my land and house I pay around $800/year.
The only store front in our town is a gunsmith.
Every family here hunts and fishes, boating in the summer and sledding in winter.
I raise a herd of pigs, and sell the piglets.
Our garden has been producing well this year.
We are about halfway thru blueberry harvest,
elderberry harvest starts in a few days,
apples and grapes will be ready to harvest in a month.
I can support a family on about half Minimum-Wage here.
Regularly eagle are seen overhead in our garden.
My career was extremely difficult for me to stick with as long as I did, and to get the pension. It allowed us to save up enough nest egg for what we have now. We have been here a while now building up our homestead, to get to this point. We are finally nearing the completion of all projects. We already produce 90% of our food, I just need to get this house to be net-zero, ...
I don't know about this specifically but I have come to the realization that many of the states touted as being best COL for retirement; i.e. no taxes, low COL etc. are also often the states with high poverty and few services. No taxes? No services either. Not a problem if you are well off enough to live in the ritzier neighborhoods of the best one or two cities of the state.
I guess then it doesn't make as much a difference.
But if you live in no tax, low COL type place with say a higher crime rate due to poverty, you aren't as likely to have as much a police force etc.
There is a lot of truth to this. I picked a town in what is considered a high tax area but the town has a relatively low $10 per $1000 valuation property tax rate. My house is paid for. The property taxes are never going to be a huge burden. The town has a very long coastline lined with expensive homes and gated summer communities that mostly don't have children in the school system. The town also has a large "mall hell" inland where all the commercial property further helps the tax base. I have high COL region services but I'm not paying huge property taxes. When I retire, a significant slice of my income is going to be Social Security which is not subject to the state income tax. I'll be paying some state income tax on 401(k)/IRA distributions but it's not particularly burdensome. The town has extensive senior-oriented services. You get what you pay for.
Why would any senior citizen consider re-locating in retirement to a high crime rate area?
I insisted on a low COL , but certainly scratched any area off my list that had a high crime rate.
I fail to see the correlation between low COL and high crime rates.
As if low crime rate areas are going to remain low crime rate areas through your retirement years! With so many investor owned homes today, any neighborhood can go deteriorate, even in gated communities!
All it takes is one Neighbor from Hell, and down she goes!
As if low crime rate areas are going to remain low crime rate areas through your retirement years! With so many investor owned homes today, any neighborhood can go deteriorate, even in gated communities!
All it takes is one Neighbor from Hell, and down she goes!
What you said is true, but there are things you just can't predict such as who will move next door regardless of what town you live in. That being said, I'd rather take my chances in a town that has a proven track record going back several years of having a low crime rate rather than just moving to a town with an established high crime rate. That just seems like common sense.
What you said is true, but there are things you just can't predict such as who will move next door regardless of what town you live in. That being said, I'd rather take my chances in a town that has a proven track record going back several years of having a low crime rate rather than just moving to a town with an established high crime rate. That just seems like common sense.
What you said is true, but there are things you just can't predict such as who will move next door regardless of what town you live in. That being said, I'd rather take my chances in a town that has a proven track record going back several years of having a low crime rate rather than just moving to a town with an established high crime rate. That just seems like common sense.
And how many high crime rate neighborhoods, through gentrification, have gone to low crime areas, and low crime to high?
Harlem is a great example of that! Who would have ever thought that yuppies would have transformed Harlem into a safe In Place to live! And, from what I've read, they're even gentrifying parts of The Bronx.
I bear that in mind as I continue to search for my ideal retirement abode, what will the neighborhood be like even 10 years later? Will it then be too unsafe to take my early morning or late night walks, and I won't be able to sell the house and move to a safer part of town?
And how many high crime rate neighborhoods, through gentrification, have gone to low crime areas, and low crime to high?
Harlem is a great example of that! Who would have ever thought that yuppies would have transformed Harlem into a safe In Place to live! And, from what I've read, they're even gentrifying parts of The Bronx.
I bear that in mind as I continue to search for my ideal retirement abode, what will the neighborhood be like even 10 years later? Will it then be too unsafe to take my early morning or late night walks, and I won't be able to sell the house and move to a safer part of town?
"Low crime" is relative. You think people leave their doors unlocked in Harlem?
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