Retirement: Very Small Houses as Opposed to Condo or CCRC (state, cousin)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
YES I totally agree with you. I feel the same way and am spending SO much time online, looking for this ideal community of small homes, in an area of seniors, with transportation, gardens, walking, and ability to be independent for as long as possible. How can we find this? Does anyone have any ideas? I hate condos and while my yard is giving me backaches, I still won't go to a condo.
Seniors, Empty Nesters, Singles, Bachelors Men and Woman, Investors, first time home buyers--all are potential buyers of small homes. The small, homes in and around my neighborhood are quickly sold.
Livecontent
Yes, Mr LC. Did you put you name in the contest for the person givingh the most helpful advice (or whatever it's called)? You would be a good candidate.
Glad to see you're back - you could have a worse addicition.
If you have an older house, the maintenance costs go up (roof repairs, wood rot repairs, exterior painting, electrical problems, etc.). If you have an older condo or townhouse, the same applies. Want cheap HOA fees? Then you have to buy a newer unit, but the fees will have to go up as the years go by unless the board is deferring maintenance and letting the place deteriorate.
Have a pool at your house? You will spend money maintaining it. Same with a condo. Want cheaper HOA fees? Don't buy a place with a pool. The more landscaping you have at your home, the more it will cost to keep it up (unless you enjoy doing that yourself). Same with an HOA. If you buy into an HOA with extensive green areas, the fees will be higher to maintain those areas. Private roads were mentioned; many condos and townhouse complexes have no roads other than a common driveway. If you buy a place on a private road, then you will be paying to maintain that road.
I am a board member of a 26-unit townhouse complex; we share walls with neighbors, but do not have neighbors above or below us. Our complex was built in 1980, so it is now 31 years old. We have a pool, but no roads. We have flowers and some shrubbery but no extensive green areas; we pay a gardener to come once a week. I have been on the board for over ten years - almost as long as I have lived here. If the board votes to raise fees, each board member is voting to raise his or her own fees by the same amount. Our fees have been raised steadily for reasons I detailed above and are now up to $300 per month, but our property is very well maintained, which means our property values are too. Our board struggles mightly to avoid fee increases, but not at the cost of letting the place go to pot. We do not do "upgrades"; our job is to maintain our property.
Here is what we get for our $300: water, trash pick-up, pool service, gardening service, insurance on exterior of buildings, yearly termite inspections and treatment if needed, a meeting room, exterior lighting on separate circuits paid for by the HOA, and (the biggie) all exterior maintenance. Yes, you would indeed spend that much ($3,600 per year) on your own home if it were that old and if you had a pool.
People talk as if HOA fees are ipso facto out of control and unreasonable. Not so. Some may be, of course, but it's not automatic. The key is doing your homework before you buy; talk to people, talk to board members, get a copy of the budget, find out how long it's been since fees were raised, find out what the reserves are. This is how you protect yourself against unreasonableness.
I think I get it -- AND I don't have to budget monthly to fix those things. We just found some wood rot, and we're going to have to fix it this year and I'll pop the money out of savings and be done with it.
BUT -- the other thing is I can do a lot of the maintenance myself. Labor is EXPENSIVE.
I think I get it -- AND I don't have to budget monthly to fix those things. We just found some wood rot, and we're going to have to fix it this year and I'll pop the money out of savings and be done with it.
BUT -- the other thing is I can do a lot of the maintenance myself. Labor is EXPENSIVE.
That alone holds my costs down a lot.
Labor is generally the major portion of the expense.
Yes, Mr LC. Did you put you name in the contest for the person givingh the most helpful advice (or whatever it's called)? You would be a good candidate.
Glad to see you're back - you could have a worse addicition.
No, I did not. I have more valuable time and no desire to pursue the prize. I looked at the last winner. The winning posts are those that attract advertisers. So that writing about cars, entertainment, marketing/group generated desired items to purchase will bring in more revenue for the site owners. There is nothing wrong with that as that is the purpose of this forum--to make money from advertisers. It then makes sense to give incentives and hang a "carrot" to get these specific interesting posts, from non-paid workers, that attract the consuming readers.
My extensive posts have been been about Parks and Trails, Public Transit, Non-Profit Agencies to support the needy, Government Benefits, A Simple Lifestyle, Frugal Buying. Though they are helpful to many readers, they do not attract paying advertisers who want you to spend money on their products. Therefore I have no chance of winning the prize and I will write want I believe, not what pleases as "I have no strings on me".
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 04-27-2012 at 11:25 AM..
So, I should be recommending stuff by brand name? You mean I should be saying I love Direct TV, my vizio Tv and my HP computer? Is that how it works? I thought we were helping people here, by answering their questions about cities and other areas. I too, am addicted to CD. Maybe I will try to break myself of this habit. Maybe the mod could fill us in on how these contests work.
I still want to find the smaller senior community with small homes, trees, sidewalks, and a friendly atmosphere. So, maybe I won't find it on here.
No, I did not. I have more valuable time and no desire to pursue the prize. I looked at the last winner. The winning posts are those that attract advertisers. So that writing about cars, entertainment, marketing/group generated desired items to purchase will bring in more revenue for the site owners. There is nothing wrong with that as that is the purpose of this forum--to make money from advertisers. It then makes sense to give incentives and hang a "carrot" to get these specific interesting posts, from non-paid workers, that attract the consuming readers.
My extensive posts have been been about Parks and Trails, Public Transit, Non-Profit Agencies to support the needy, Government Benefits, A Simple Lifestyle, Frugal Buying. Though they are helpful to many readers, they do not attract paying advertisers who want you to spend money on their products. Therefore I have no chance of winning the prize and I will write want I believe, not what pleases as "I have no strings on me".
Livecontent
I hope your cynicism is wrong while at the same time recognizing that it could well be spot on. It does make sense. I had not given any thought to the matter until now - just knew I wouldn't bother to apply because I didn't think I had any chance of winning.
I am not cynical as I just see and understand the reality of this forum. Hosting this site cost money, so the owners have to pay for it and make a profit. It is not done for altruistic purposes. Obviously, to make money, you need to attract paid advertisers. You make the site interesting and make it serve a need that attracts viewers--it is just like television. That is not to say it does not serve additional excellent services to the user/viewer. It provides entertainment; It provides a way to express opinions; it can help the loneliness and isolation of some; it provides a venue to share ideas.
We all have watched TV for years and see commercials. Some of us really like TV, so much so that we pay extra for cable and satellite and we still get the commercials. TV is not evil; it is what it is, and does provide some of the same benefits of this forum. This forum in also not evil and it has the additional benefit of being interactive.
The owners of this site are going to reward and encourage the posters that get more paid advertising. If I owned this site, I would do the same. The owners are not deceptive, they are good businessmen or women in the capitalistic economy. There is nothing wrong with making a profit. So, accept this site, continue to contribute if it suites you and take away that which helps you. I would also encourage you to read the advertising that you see interspersed in the site and perhaps make a purchase, for those are the businesses that really pay for the benefits of this forum.
Who has moved, or is planning to move, to a very small house (say 1,000–1,200 SF or less, total) in retirement—as opposed to a condo, townhouse, mobile home, or CCRC?
Why, and where (what city/state)?
Part of a community of other small houses, or on its own somewhere?
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
Sorry, can't do it. A small house (1,000 +/- sf) would be like a holding box until I get to go to the real box in the ground.
We have a 3 floor townhouse, we fill (and use) every corner of it. Love decorating, love entertaining, and I'm not trading it for a coffin with windows any time too soon.
To each their own. Your "coffin with windows" (big windows with a beautiful view) is my dream home. I like the simplicity of a small house. No yard/garden of my own? Can't do it. 3 floors worth of stairs to trudge up and down? Would hate it. It's all in your perspective.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
).
.
