Where have you thought of retiring?

[Guest]

Well, retirement is a few years off, but I've been looking at real estate outside of my SF Bay Area, and it's amazing what things go for outside of popular California cities. I could sell my 3 bedroom townhouse and easily buy this beauty in Austin TX, with plenty left over:

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Austin-TX/pmf,pf_pt/70352582_zpid/10221_rid/30.526187,-97.461434,30.058397,-98.109627_rect/10_zm/

 

To escape the Texas summers, I could easily buy this home in Lasne, Belgium, one of Brussels ritziest suburbs, and apparently the richest city in Wallonia:

http://www.immoweb.be/en/ad/villa/for-sale/ohain/1380/id6501507

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasne

 

I love California, but am I missing out by being a stickler for this area? Sometimes it seems nuts to live here...

[Guest]

If I wanted to live in Boystown/WeHo, I'd need $2.2 million to afford this 1380 square foot dump, which is smaller than my townhouse...

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/West-Hollywood-CA/pmf,pf_pt/20517994_zpid/48424_rid/34.092322,-118.376795,34.078301,-118.397051_rect/15_zm/

 

I guess I'd need $2.8 million to get a house I'd like in WeHo...

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/West-Hollywood-CA/pmf,pf_pt/20534819_zpid/48424_rid/34.096973,-118.386231,34.089963,-118.396359_rect/16_zm/

[nebula]

now welcome to nyc's "billionaire row" 57th st, 2.8 million buys you a closet in buildings like park hyatt residences. if this makes you feel better about your dream house in weho. I chose to live in connecticut tolerate the daily traffic but have a life instead of being a slave of a tiny dorm.

[trav05]

I retired from San Francisco a few years ago. I bought a place in Ft.Lauderdale before I retired. The cost of living is so low, I retired a year earlier than I planned. It was costing me money to work. I love the Bay Area as does Unicorn, but you need a lot of money to retire there.

[JayCeeKy]

As someone who is semi-retired, I agree with trav05 that Ft. Lauderdale is very enticing, esp for those of us who live east of the Mississippi. I have also considered retiring to Mobile, AL or Gulfport, MS - the cost of housing is terrifically low, though I'm not sure that the gay opportunities abound in those areas. I currently live in Kentucky where property is super cheap (I recently saw a nice home on 20 acres with a lake/dock/cabana for $350k just outside Louisville ) though you'd have to put up with the likes of people like Kim Davis and certain Mountain Men who might try to make you "squeal like a pig"). I lived in LA for a number of years and miss the cosmopolitan ambience; but for sheer affordability you can't beat the south.

[marylander1940]

I'm already retired in MD.

 

May I advice yinz to retire to a city were money last longer?

 

As someone who is semi-retired, I agree with trav05 that Ft. Lauderdale is very enticing, esp for those of us who live east of the Mississippi. I have also considered retiring to Mobile, AL or Gulfport, MS - the cost of housing is terrifically low, though I'm not sure that the gay opportunities abound in those areas. I currently live in Kentucky where property is super cheap (I recently saw a nice home on 20 acres with a lake/dock/cabana for $350k just outside Louisville ) though you'd have to put up with the likes of people like Kim Davis and certain Mountain Men who might try to make you "squeal like a pig"). I lived in LA for a number of years and miss the cosmopolitan ambience; but for sheer affordability you can't be the south.

 

Louisville is very progressive and civilized, specially considering the rest of the state and the Eastern part of it, one of the poorest and most conservative regions of the country.

 

Many retirees just don't want to deal with more winters, your suggestion of Mobile (Redneck Riviera) is very affordable too.

[MikeyGMin]

@trav05 what are the property tax rates like in Ft Lauderdale? I won't be retiring for 12 years or so, but already thinking about it.

 

I love Austin. The cost of housing is very good. I traded my two bedroom condo in San Diego for a very comfortable home in the suburbs of Austin that will be paid for in 10 years. The problem is property taxes. They are quite high and go up every year when your property is reassessed. There is no such thing as a cap or locking in at the purchase price. Approximately 3% of your assessed value each year can really add up on a fixed income.

 

The offset is supposed to be the lack of a state income tax. However, Florida doesn't have a state income tax either, so if their property tax rate is lower I'm thinking that might be a better bet.

[craigville beach]

I would try to find a community to live in that is near a college or university. Those areas appear to me to have more to offer that others

[Rudynate]

Santa Fe calls out to me.

[mike carey]

I have retired recently and I have a number of potential influences on where I should live. Through circumstances I have three houses where I could live permanently or I could sell or rent them. Two factors come in, cost of living and the lifestyle available. If family are important to you, how close they are could also be a factor. One of my options is a small town (c 6000 people), and althought the quality of life is amazing, the potential social life is limited. Part of that is I'm not good at going out into a community and making friends quickly.

 

I'm not inclined to move to a new city and start over, although both Melbourne and Sydney have their attractions. Canberra, a small city where I have some contacts and which has a great lifestyle and many attractions is a strong possibility. If I were in the US, I doubt I would pick many places in the South because of the political dynamics, but being so far away I could be completely wrong. Rudy's suggestion of Santa Fe sounds good, and I would also be inclined towards Seattle and Portland. There is also a particular attraction to living in Hartford and thereabouts, but that's a one man attraction!

[marylander1940]

I would try to find a community to live in that is near a college or university. Those areas appear to me to have more to offer that others

 

Also some potential hires...

[Rudynate]

A FB and I were talking. He has a house in PS. I said I hadn't visited PS, and he said, "Oh, but you have to go! All those guys that you used to know that you never see on the street? They're all in Palm Springs." It made me think of the line of Oscar Wilde's, "It's an odd thing. Everyone who goes missing is said to be seen in San Francisco." Now, according to my friend, it should be "Everyone who goes missing is said to be seen in Palm Springs." Doesn't have quite the romance of the original.

[+ WilliamM]

I would try to find a community to live in that is near a college or university. Those areas appear to me to have more to offer that others

 

The exact reason I did not move when I retired. My apartment is 20 minutes from the University of Pennsylvania in Philly.

[Rudynate]

My brother and his wife had their sights set on Fairhope Alabama. They even moved there. My sister-in-law is an interior designer and she thought Fairhope would be a great place to build a business and eventually retire. It didn't work for them, they ended up leaving after a year or so.

[+ dutchmuch]

Before I retire, I want to see the election results on 9NOV.

I might cross the border to live that retirement thing.

[Kenny]

The Milken Institute does a biennial survey of best cities, large and small, for what they call " successful aging." I won't be taking up their suggestion of Iowa City, but there is a lot of useful information in the survey: http://successfulaging.milkeninstitute.org

[mike carey]

I might cross the border to live that retirement thing.

I've heard that Costa Rica and the highlands of Guatemala are delightful.

[Kenny]

I've heard that Costa Rica and the highlands of Guatemala are delightful.

Wonderful places to visit, even for lengthy stays. But full- time living would be a bit...challenging.

[+ Topseed]

I've retired in place: Chicago.

 

As for Santa Fe: I've lived there. It has its charms, to be sure. However, health care is dicey; many people who can afford it leave the state for even seemingly-routine procedures (and travel to Mayo in Scottsdale, AZ, as an example). New Mexico is a poor state, and it evidences all the issues of poverty. Santa Fe is, to my thinking, a snow globe.

[LouieD]

@trav05 what are the property tax rates like in Ft Lauderdale? I won't be retiring for 12 years or so, but already thinking about it.

 

I love Austin. The cost of housing is very good. I traded my two bedroom condo in San Diego for a very comfortable home in the suburbs of Austin that will be paid for in 10 years. The problem is property taxes. They are quite high and go up every year when your property is reassessed. There is no such thing as a cap or locking in at the purchase price. Approximately 3% of your assessed value each year can really add up on a fixed income.

 

The offset is supposed to be the lack of a state income tax. However, Florida doesn't have a state income tax either, so if their property tax rate is lower I'm thinking that might be a better bet.

Real estate taxes in Florida are high.

[+ Keith30309]

Medellin

(seriously-check into it)

[+ WilliamM]

Medellin

(seriously-check into it)

 

Yes, I know you are serious...good vacation bet.

[actor61]

I've retired in place: Chicago.

 

As for Santa Fe: I've lived there. It has its charms, to be sure. However, health care is dicey; many people who can afford it leave the state for even seemingly-routine procedures (and travel to Mayo in Scottsdale, AZ, as an example). New Mexico is a poor state, and it evidences all the issues of poverty. Santa Fe is, to my thinking, a snow globe.

I retired in Los Angeles 4 years ago at age 60 and moved to Chicago, which I have grown to love passionately. My criteria were simple - affordable housing. public transportation, an active cultural scene, and no taxes on my pension and Illinois does not tax pensions. The general opinion is that Chicago housing is expensive but I don't know where they're looking. I am in Edgewater/Rogers Park with a 1 bedroom, 3rd floor walk-up (the only disadvantage but it's good for me!) for $175 less a month than I paid for a studio apartment in L.A. I'm 5 minutes from a Red Line station, and there are 4 different bus lines that stop on my corner. I haven't had a car in 4 years and haven't missed it for a second. I spend between $50 and $70 a month on L and bus fares here as opposed to hundreds in car payments, insurance, maintenance and gas. The beach and Lake Michigan are a 10 minute walk from my place and in the summer, it's really heavenly. Today, for example, the lake temperature is 74 degrees. I walk down every day, swim, sit in the sun, and then walk home again when I've had enough. In L.A., going to the beach meant loading up the car, driving to Santa Monica, hunting for free parking, which usually meant a side street blocks away from the beach, hauling a chair and towel down to the beach, hunting for a place to sit that was far away from blaring music or noisy kids (not easy), swimming in the surf, which could be chilly even at the height of summer, then reversing the process to go home. My building in L.A. didn't have parking, so there was always a 15 to 25 minute hunt for a parking spot, even on a quiet Sunday, and if I was unfortunate enough to be on the wrong side of the street for Monday morning street sweeping, it meant getting up before 7 AM, throwing on some clothes, and then circling the block until I could find a spot on the right side of the street.

 

As far as gay life goes here, it's active and there if you want it. At my age, I've stopped hunting but there are several bars in Boys Town that I like because they have good music and friendly people. I'm not looking to get laid, so I can't give you much useful information on that score, but what I have noticed is that there is much less of an emphasis on youth here than - obviously! - there was in L.A., the mecca for Golden Gays, as we used to call them. Being 64 isn't anathema here. I'm an actor/singer/dancer and take classes 3 to 4 times a week. I'm always the oldest person in class but the young dancers here think I'm cool and the remarks I get are always, "God, I hope I'm that good at your age." I also took lots and lots of classes in L.A. and I was frowned on and treated very condescendingly. I once heard 2 guys in the changing room saying that there should be an age limit for class and that someone like me shouldn't be allowed in, no matter how good I was.

 

The winters here can be brutal. The ancient radiator in my bedroom hisses like a locomotive and when it gets down in -25 in January, I just want to huddle under a comforter but even a sunny, freezing day in this town is better because of the congenial and friendly atmosphere here. I'm glad every day that I made the move. In about 10 years, I probably won't want to climb those 3 flights of stairs to my apartment anymore but right now, I don't have 1 damn thing to complain about. And I can tell you that my money goes a hell of a lot further here than it ever would in L.A.

[Epigonos]

I would love to have fled California when I retired but for two reasons, 1.) All my family and friends are here and they are all an extremely important part of my life, and 2.) All my doctors are here -- unfortunately this becomes more and more important as the years pass. Now if the above two were not the deciding factors they are I would have moved to one of the following, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, Traverse City, Michigan, or most likely Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

[MikeyGMin]

no taxes on my pension and Illinois does not tax pensions

 

Is this just for traditional pensions or is it also true for 401K's?