Anyone ever relocated in retirement...and regretted it? (beach, moving, spouse)
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I assume this was your "beach retirement dream" which so many of us share and plan for years in advance. Did you buy property in the new location and, if so, was it problematic reselling it and/or finding something when you returned home?
I had vacationed there many times, Charleston SC, which has so much more to offer than beach. Yes, I bought a townhome but almost immediately despised that neighbors knock and visit whenever they choose and the supposed adults whine and fight like little kids.
In the three yrs prop prices significantly increased so I made a profit plus sold it to the first person who laid eyes on it.
I think some people move several times in retirement. My observations are that they tend to move within their retirement community or to a community in the general area. Some may buy a summer home in another retirement area or just retain their work home. The lesson for a new retire is to put a lot of planning into what you want in a community, the area of the community you want to live in and the amenities you want in your home. Seems like the trend is to get a big retirement home after a couple of years in the new retirement community. Pay attention to storage space and the size of the garage (extra storage).
Toward the end of retirement or when one spouse dies their is the possibility that you will want to move back to the area your family is in.
When you look at the community pay attention to the surroundings. Bumper to bumper traffic? (don't forget vacation season if you are in a resort area), food shopping, restaurants (and wait time), doctors, HOA and zoning restrictions.
If you can rent to test out the area. If you can move into a rental for a year and use some of the time to check out all the retirement places in the area.
Yes, but it wasn't a regrettable regret. We retired, still in our 50s, to Florida. We built a nice home, lived in it for six years, then sold it to return to MA. We were grateful for the experience. Two years ago we purchased a snowbird home, again in FL, used it for two winters and we just sold it. We were grateful for that experience too. We're now 68 and 71 and talking with realtors about moving again but staying in MA. What's the big deal?
Well, for some, moving (selling your home, leaving your community, uprooting your whole life after many years) is a big deal. I guess in an increasingly mobile society it's seen as "no big deal" to others.
It's funny because in another thread I was just mentioning how I know quite a number of coworkers who retired, did the beach thing or Florida and moved back within a year because they simply missed their family. mainly grandkids.
lol, I read a book called "the florida move guide" by Ron Stack. You'd be surprised by the number of seniors that live out their bucket list fantasy of moving to Florida, only to end up moving back to where they came from (for various reason)
I've known a few people who've done the same, and it was a bit embarrassing for them... Sort of a "shaking the dust of this town off my feet and livin' the dream" only to come (not crawling, but come) back a year or two later. I guess you don't know what you don't know, but I'd like to be as well-prepared as possible in order to make a success of any move I make in retirement. Moving is a lot of work and expensive, and especially if you end up taking a hit on real estate transactions on either end of it.
Then there was the couple who posted here for advice who had moved from the Philadelphia area to South Carolina to be by their children and grandchildren and to buy a large retirement home. It was a big culture shock and they missed their friends but would have lost a lot of money selling their year old home and could not afford to move back. I often wonder what they did and if they stayed and grew to like South Carolina. I plan to rent for a year if I relocate even if it costs me more in the short term.
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