OT: Anyone relocate for retirement/downsizing?

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

Providence is a bit more temperate (but last winter Jan - April sucked) and great foodie scene. Riding down in south eastern MA is nice, and for older set (me and my bad back) the east by bike path next door (.5 miles from house). I hate heat so being near water helps.

I was going to suggest Providence as well. Great food scene there.

And Austin, which was mentioned earlier.

Or my kitchen, intermittently.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by Birddog

Santa Fe real estate prices are off the charts. 1,000 sq ft fixer uppers are $250 sq ft. The rental market is almost in a shortage crisis.

Pueblo might become the new Boise.

Well, $250 a square foot would set off a buyers' riot here. I'd guess that $500-600 a foot would be common in San Diego for anything you would consider livable. A 1400 sq.ft. 2br. condo in my neighborhood came on the market a few weeks ago for $670,000 which I thought was a steal since a similar place sold a month earlier for $700,000+. An offer was accepted in less than a week. I chatted with the new owner who told me they bid $50,000 over asking but their offer was topped by another buyer. They told the seller to let them know if the first deal fell out. It did and these guys are THRILLED to get it for about $720,000. They were living in a 900 square foot condo a block away and loved the area but had a new kid and wanted more space. Oh yeah, they will also have $450 HOA fees per month. Taxes will be about $8,000 a year but annual increases can't be more than 2% so their future overhead is quite predictable assuming they got a fixed rate loan.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Anyone know of a city/area that has a great food and restaurant scene but it’s crazy expensive?

Both my wife and I worked in NYC for too long, where our bar for good food was set pretty high. It may sound crazy but quality of food is high on our quality of life yardstick.

Both Portland, OR and Austin have great food scenes but have gotten ragingly costly. Conversely, Portland, ME has great food, not crazy prices but...there’s winter. The Mrs is from Maine and has tons of family there. Summers there are wonderful but winters are a no go for me.

So...is there somewhere with year round riding, affordable housing and great food? Asking too much?

Get a fat bike (for the winter) and stay where you are! Lots of great riding locally and many food options within an hour's drive or less. Affordable housing? It's all relative...

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by likebikes

pueblo's got a long way to go. currently it's plagued by massive gang/drug violence.

have those that are suggesting pueblo actually been there?

I have. My best pal/roomate from college days at Northwestern stayed in Chicago for 40+ years after we graduated. His hometown is Pueblo. I spent a couple of school vacations there in the 1960s. When he retired he moved back to Pueblo. Les and I visited Him and his wife a few years ago. They bought a new tract home that was under construction and were able to customize the floor plan for their adult lifestyle. I don't remember the price but it was MUCH less than anything in San Diego at the time.

He joined Pueblo Country Club which is pretty darn nice and VERY reasonable in every way. We got a tour of that and newly renovated riverfront area so I think the area is on the rise. He didn't mention gang/drug problems. They may be geographically isolated as is often the case in many cities. There are parts of San Diego where I don't go due to the same problems.

I would choose Colorado Springs over Pueblo but I'm sure housing is a lot cheaper in Pueblo so it might be a great choice for folks who can't afford some of the other places that have been suggested.

One of our neighbors is about to retire from The Marine Corps and they are moving to CO. Springs where they bought a GORGEOUS home that is kind of luxury ski lodge flavor on a large beautifully landscaped lot. It's 4br 3ba of at least 3,000 sq.ft. They paid just under $500,000.

[buddybikes]

>>I'm curious, how did you settle on RI as a retirement location? Was it a summer home? The Ocean State doesn't make many "best places to retire" lists. I need to stay near the ocean and prefer NE. My kid is starting university there soon and it would be nice to stay in the region.


Wife and I had some basic discussions about moving from central MA, very casual however. We had some family crisis year ago March (lost my brother in law, one of my dogs, one of my parrots, 2 friends/neighbors) so mentally wanted a change. We spent day around southern ME, love Scarboroug, but quickly realized our dream of near the water where we can launch our kayaks wouldn't happen. Then realized to me, when we put our boats on the car, we often headed south, as traffic was easier. Then I saw this place, 1/2 acre right on water in Barrington, near bike trail, and made offer on the spot. Yes, taxes are higher, but so is access to health care and keeping current doctors (many of them). My wife needed a place she could go eventually part time, and I work from home. Water access like the cape, but closer to things, if needed. I am new englander so moving totally away was out of the equation. We actually bought this place faster than I bought my last bike...almost impulse buy. Wild but it worked out. Let's hope the "big one" (hurricaine) doesn't want to come visit...

[enr1co]

Looking fwd to downsizing in 7-8 yrs and moving back “home” to Oahu from the SF bay area.

As part of the plan, Just closed on a single fam, single level, early 2000 build home in turn key condition in HI . Will rent it out for now while we get our daughter thru college, continue to build the nest egg, pay off the CA house etc.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by KarlC

This is interesting, we have always bought the bad house in the best location we could find, fix it up and live in it for a few years then sell. This has worked very well for us, but Im not sure we want to do this more then 1-2 more times.

Selling our home and buying a smaller fixer would leave us plenty of cash to buy and sell fixers on the side, its something to consider.

How do you find out about the tax foreclosure auctions ?

.

They post signs and there is a site called nysauctions.com who the counties use to get rid of the foreclosed properties. You have to be careful and view the properties carefully to know what you are getting into. Some of the other places are just listed with the banks who foreclosed on the property.


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[Seramount]

$250/sf housing in any place that isn't an utter hell-hole sounds very enticing...

real estate in AUS is heading towards wack-a-doodle levels. a totally roached 1K sf '50s ranch-style house in my 'hood had a sign in the front yard recently...'Bulldozer Ready!' so, basically the buyer would get a 1/4-acre lot for $465K + demolition fees.

one week later, the lot was scraped clean. today, there's an ugly-ass two-story replacement on the lot that's probably going to be priced in the mid-$700s.

$600/sf is pretty standard for vintage abodes in my area (which is nowhere near the snootier parts of town)...

[Bradford]

Sounds like the OP and Climb are looking for Fort Collins. The Front Range is chock full of expat north easterners (like me) and mid westerners who don't want to give up the good things about winter but don't want to brutal part.

The front range is a year-round outdoor recreation area with a short drive to winter in the skiing months. I ride year round, ski 30 days a year, and don't remember this humility thing people keep talking about. Golf is also a year round sport.

Denver is too expensive, Colorado Springs is too weird, which leaves Fort Collins as the last great place to live on the Front Range. Come soon before it fills up.

[William]

Providence/RI

Providence is not for me. My parents had a nice place next to Brown and it was nice to visit...but I wouldn't live there. There are some great areas in Ri and I've met some great people here, but the State government/taxes/business climate absolutely SUCK. It's one of the reasons we are considering a possible leave.






William

[tkbike]

My wife and I are making our 3rd trip to the Ft Collins area next month, We are also spending a couples days in Colorado Springs,never been there. The wife is really sold on Ft Collins, close to the Rockies and we both love the Snowy mountain area of Wyoming.
We are avid hikers, backpackers and bikers(mostly touring, MTB and a little road thrown in). Being from upstate NY, Saratoga area... I’m a little concerned with the lack of winter...but at least it is close by!
We sold our large house last year and our currently living in an apartment(1500 sf) so we are partly downsized already! Kid’s are in Pullman Wa area and Atlanta, so the Denver airport is kind of central to both. I have been trying to talk the wife into Boise but it’s not working so far. But being that we are 58 & 56, Ft Collins may only be the first stop...or not!

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by bigbill

Nothing to keep me in this small town so we're selling the big house and I've been job hunting but not aggressively....

If I lived in the same town as Nastassja Kinski, I would never move. Just saying....

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by William

Providence/RI

Providence is not for me. My parents had a nice place next to Brown and it was nice to visit...but I wouldn't live there. There are some great areas in Ri and I've met some great people here, but the State government/taxes/business climate absolutely SUCK. It's one of the reasons we are considering a possible leave.






William

Can you give specific examples? Not a loaded question at all, but I’m genuinely curious when people say things like this. I also hear it frequently from co-workers who live in Illinois.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Get a fat bike (for the winter) and stay where you are! Lots of great riding locally and many food options within an hour's drive or less. Affordable housing? It's all relative...

Yes, riding here is great...most of the year. Great routes are all around. But winters, particularly the last few, are wearing on me (maybe I’m a wimp!) And food? We may have to agree to disagree there. But maybe NYC skewed my yardstick!

[bdb]

For me it's Europe, northern Spain or southern France.

Low cost of living. Closer to family in Ireland, and some fantastic bike riding.