Retirement Housing

[runbikeswim]

We are looking at a winter house before we retire, We sail, so that limits our choices, but right now we are considering Antigua, South Carolina/Savannah area, Tampa, or Fort Meyers/Naples. We may sell our Chicago house and move to a Maine seaport city for primary residence.

 

[MeanDean]

As you can see I live seasonally in Iowa and Florida. Primary residence in Florida (no state income tax). Quite easy to do, driver's license, car registration, voter registration and spend 6 months there. I go around 1 November and come back to IA around 1 May. I absolutely love the ocean so was lucky enough to find a condo on the water back when prices were depressed about 8-9 years ago. I absolutely hated Midwest winters.

The house in Clarence will probably be going on the market and I will be finding a smaller place closer to family but still in IA. It is not that bad having two places. There are companies (usually couples) that will look in on your place in FL for a small monthly fee, or even a neighbor.

Of course there are hurricanes but at least the season is basically over by 1 November as long as your property survives. I did some research to find an area not too congested but still mostly south in the state to maximize the warm days.

I feel I am doing it right. I really look forward to going to Florida in the late fall and I also look forward to coming "home" to Iowa in the Spring.

 

[capitalcityguy]

plan to maintain residence in Iowa (most likely Des Moines). Retirement....all the more time to attend ISU games. Will likely winter for 2-3 months in AZ or maybe Texas.

 

[Jmarsh13]

Will have something at the Ozarks on the water. Not sure if it will be a house or condo. Will depend on how many millions I have in the bank when I retire.

Thought you were supposed to stack all your cash in the walls of a cabin when you are in the Ozarks...

 

[Cybirdy]

I’ve always wanted to retire in Ames because of the many sorts, art, senior classes etc.

This is what my parents did. Even before they moved they had season tickets to every sport including volleyball and wrestling. It was an hour trip each way when they came down. Now they are just minutes away, live on a quiet cul-de-sac in a twin-home with outside maintenance taken care of. They have already taken OLLI classes (lifelong learning classes offered by the alumni association), have season tickets to Stephens and another local acting group, and have met a lot of people. They travel a lot and try to take one trip somewhere warm during the winter.

 

[Clone Head]

I retired in 2011 and started spending 2 to 3 months each winter in Tucson Az starting in 2013. Rental prices were around $2600 per month. In 2013 there were approximately 90 rentals available in the community I was staying, but today there are less than 50 rentals available and all are rented a year in advance. Demand for rentals is so high, rentals are for a minimum of 3 months. The community started building houses in 1992 and many of the original home owners are selling and moving into nursing homes. With 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day, housing demand in retirement communities is increasing rapidly.

Because the rental market was getting so tight, we decided to buy a house in 2017. We spend 4 to 5 months each winter in Tucson. I like Tucson better than the Phoenix area largely because of the horrible traffic in Phoenix and the golf rates. In my community I can play unlimited golf after 1:30 PM for $175/month on 27 holes. My house has appreciated 20% in two years.

I would suggest start looking a year (or more) ahead of when you plan to retire.

 

[azclone1]

We retired and left Cedar Rapids IA for Az in March of 2005 and haven't regretted it for a second. It doesn't snow here! Bought a place on a golf course in Goodyear (West edge of Phoenix) in an "Active adult" community. We have 54 holes of golf that are all included for one price. Three outdoor pools, one indoor pool, two ballrooms, two bars and 2 restaurants. There is a club for pretty much anything you're interested in (quilting, woodworking, guns, painting, ceramics, dining, wine, politics, Irish, Italian, and numerous other things). It gets hot in the summer (110+) but those of us that live here full time still golf several days a week. Just have to get out early. All major sports are available in the Phoenix area with NFL and NHL games about 20 minutes from our community. NBA and MLB are downtown. PGA is in Scottsdale. There is an HOA fee that's covers all community maintenance currently about $2550/yr. If you're interested in that sort of retirement look up Robson Communities on the internet. There are several in Az and some in TX.

We have a bunch of snow birds from the Des Moines area that are here every Winter.

Hope you enjoy retirement, We are..