Retirement: Very Small Houses as Opposed to Condo or CCRC (states, friend)
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Livecontent
You may be right or you may be wrong - either way, I see you are as ornery as ever.
I downsized from a large condo to a small house. 1350sq. ft. and it is still too big. I like to enjoy life not work around the house. Back to a condo ( much smaller) for me. Inside work at about 850 sq. ft. is fine with me.
Too many people think everyone is in the same family situation. I need one bedroom. 1 car garage. 1 bathroom. Visitors can use a hotel. Others want room for the kids, and their kids, and cousin Jim and his goofball kids. I will have none of that.
The thing with private home vs. condo maintenance is the freedom you have as a private home owner to decide when to do repairs and who to hire at what price.
In answer to Escort, you've touched on my personal thinking. I do not want the *fixed* expense of a high condo fee that I can never get out of as I age. Condo fees steadily rise and sometimes actually jump.
For my house here, I have a contractor son who will do repairs--he just did my roof and porch stairs. As for repairs or upgrades, I can save for them and do them at my own pace. Everything else is done, except for appliances that will have to be replaced wherever I live.
That said, if I were to find a nice condo reasonably priced for me, and make a decent profit on my current house, I would not absolutely rule out a condo. But with my mobility challenge, I would not go for a multi-floor townhouse. And I'd never go for a "garden" (first floor) condo, or sandwich-floor condo, as the noises above and below would drive me crazy (did that in my college days, and barely stood it). Also, I don't know about other areas of the country, but in some places around here, even upscale areas, the condos tend to attract drug dealers as these folks obviously have no time to be homeowners. Many of these are close to highways.
So, no, no one is "holding a gun to my head," never implied that. The subject of the thread is choosing a very small house as an alternative to all other options....wanting to hear everyone's experience.
I downsized from a large condo to a small house. 1350sq. ft. and it is still too big. I like to enjoy life not work around the house. Back to a condo ( much smaller) for me. Inside work at about 850 sq. ft. is fine with me.
Too many people think everyone is in the same family situation. I need one bedroom. 1 car garage. 1 bathroom. Visitors can use a hotel. Others want room for the kids, and their kids, and cousin Jim and his goofball kids. I will have none of that.
I'm with you. My current house is 1375 SF and although I love it now, and can live on the first floor, in a few years I'm headed for a max of 900 SF. No yard (maybe a sunny strip for peppers and tomatoes and basil).
Is it the size of the house that makes you want to go back to a condo, or just the upkeep in general?
Many of these senior communities have smaller homes (and some larger with silver haired people that like to swing and smile).
Oh no, not another happy couple sitting under a tree drinking wine! I prefer the happy couple with the dog. Even if I had the dough, I would never live in a place like these.
Our home is approximately 750 square feet. By comparison 1,200 would be positively cavernous.
We have 26 rural acres in SW MO and a huge garden space. I'm looking forward to retirement so I don't have to interact with another human being if I don't want to.
Living in a condo or other "tight quarters" would be tantamount to a prison sentence to me. YMMV
20yrsinBranson
I'd love to see a pic of your little house - to serve as an inspiration!
Tryon Farm is an interesting community. I don't know a lot about it but the land is community owned and keeping things ecologically friendly is one of their important goals. Looked online and there were a couple of homes for sale in the 1500 sf range, and this "tiny" one.
Googling "bungalow homes retirement" nothing comes up in the U.S. Lots of possibilities in England and Ireland...they seem way ahead of us in touting the practicality of very small homes for advanced years.
Newenglandgirl, there are some homes in Maine that would probably meet your need for small home, low taxes, and peace and quiet. The one thing that might be a little more challenging would be transportation assistance, but it seems like there are plenty of Comfortkeeper or At Home Instead businesses that can help out. But there are many lovely homes for sale here. The key for low-maintenance privacy is to have some woods and/or marsh around your home.
This is a great thread! I live in a 750 sq ft 1940's house. One floor, two teeny bedrooms (11x 9), small living room, one bathroom, no dining room, galley kitchen. I grew up in this kind of house, feel comfortable in little spaces, and am looking forward to apartment living again. I've had it with snow removal, lawn care and other routine maintenance that I am unable to do. Now if I had another person helping out, it would be a different story. I would never leave! But it's more financial than anything else, as it is for most folks.
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I'm with you. My current house is 1375 SF and although I love it now, and can live on the first floor, in a few years I'm headed for a max of 900 SF. No yard (maybe a sunny strip for peppers and tomatoes and basil).
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