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Colorado was my first choice for so many years! Then I discovered that the Denver area is not affordable to me with the space I need. Also, hate the condo buildings. Pueblo is cheaper but don't really want to be there. Etc.
Sadly, I am at the very low end of the rental/purchase market where ever I look in some desirable area. Especially looking ahead 10 years.
And with the stock market dubious, we cannot count on much more money.
So if you have no financial challenges, go move, just watch out for relocation remorse.
Colorado was my first choice for so many years! Then I discovered that the Denver area is not affordable to me with the space I need. Also, hate the condo buildings. Pueblo is cheaper but don't really want to be there. Etc.
Sadly, I am at the very low end of the rental/purchase market where ever I look in some desirable area. Especially looking ahead 10 years.
And with the stock market dubious, we cannot count on much more money.
So if you have no financial challenges, go move, just watch out for relocation remorse.
Well, one thing for sure, after my wife leaves her job (quits or laid-off), we won’t be in the nice financial state we currently are in. We already know that there will be some changes, financially, for us. But, like I’ve said, we already know that.
We’ve already lived on the Western Slope, really remember what we miss, so, other than coping with the winter months again, don’t think we’ll get “relocation remorse”.
I moved from the Boston area to a mountain town in southwest Colorado last year at age 65, three months after I retired. No family involved on either end (or anywhere). I had vacationed many times since 1988 in this town, which changed and grew tremendously (relatively speaking) in recent years. I had to own because I have multiple dogs and they are critical to me, plus I knew that there were pretty much no rentals available. I also saw that, over one year, there were only two real estate purchases that I would have wanted- one condo, one house- that were small enough to interest me and afford. So I knew I had to build. I spent *a lot* of time on the internet, making contacts for computer care, vet care, dentist, primary doctor, volunteer possibilities. The internet was invaluable for my move.
I hired a wonderful moving company who did all my packing. Hired another local company to take stuff to the dump, the homeless shelter donation program and the library (12 boxes). Hired a dog transporter to drive 2200 miles with me- she took the two girls, I drove the two boys. We sort of convoyed across country. She drove like a maniac and it took 3 1/2 days to get the 2200 miles. She seemed to know where we could stay with the dogs.
While still working, I had bought a building lot in the new town (2015) and hired a builder to build my 800 sq.ft. one-level cabin and told him I must have a fenced yard when I arrive for the dogs. I spent one week in the house before my stuff arrived and my one-week bag of stuff and phone had been stolen my first night on the road with a smash and grab in Columbus Ohio, so was wearing the same clothes for a week, sleeping on the floor without window coverings. Fortunately, it was a heat wave and humidity was EIGHT percent, so could wash out clothes at night and they'd practically crisp overnight.
If I hadn't found this town through my frequent vacations, I don't think I would have looked for a place to move to. I likely would have tried to find somewhere to go in the summer because I couldn't stand Boston-area humidity but would have had my multiple dogs to consider. If I genuinely couldn't afford the new town, I likely would have sucked it up and stayed in my very nice house back East (which I sold when I left, a realtor very decently handling the $17k of repair/sprucing up it needed. My former house was on the market for five days. Boston is nuts.)
I heartily recommend the internet for lining up/exploring all the basics of daily life in a new place. Lucky if there are rentals in a desirable place or you don't have pets.
Oh, and I junked my 15-year-old Toyota and bought a new Subaru with AWD, which I probably needed more for night driving to work near Boston than I have here in the mountains in retirement!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunGrins
I moved at 65, 1,000 miles away from my previous home for 35 years. I'm 70 now. My old friends in the midwest were amazed that I would leave the small, semi-rural, conservative town (where half the people were related to the other half) for a new place all on my own without friends or relatives. It was a no-brainer...I was 65 and if I didn't do it soon I'd die in that place and never live where I wanted to since I first saw New Mexico at age 10. In my experience, once you move away and shake off the dust of your former home you see things a little differently and wonder why you stayed so long.
There is a real learning curve when people of my age move. I never owned a well or a septic tank or used a swamp cooler or had thermal heating in the floor. I always had a basement for storing junk -- I can't do that here. That was all new and even after almost six years, I'm learning things. That's good for my brain and my mental processes -- to learn and experience something new.
Anyone move at 70 alone and knew no one at destination?
No spouse, no kids, no friends? No job.
Change is very hard and I have anxiety/fear just thinking about it,
especially as I have been living in the same small apt. for decades.
We have our ruts that are so hard to break
I am an introvert anyway.
Was Another thread on this a while back.
I am in the process of doing it now, but at 62. I am going from New England to Florida. I will be selling the house first and renting for awhile in FL until I figure out where to live.
I never had insomnia during all of my working years. Now - every night with the thoughts of things I have to do to ready the house, what my new life will be like, how in the world I am going to get my elderly cat down there.
Like you I have a very entrenched rut and I am an introvert. But this late in life it really is the last chance to move, before some infirmity traps you where you are.
I am finding this whole thread VERY inspiring! Thank you all for sharing your experiences.
You can do whatever you feel up to doing. Just plan on the expense of having someone pack and move for you. Don't try this yourself at older ages. Of course it's imperative to declutter first.
I moved to a house 5 months ago at age 71 - I hired a moving company who did ALL the packing and moving. It was and is still a TON of work for the person(s) moving - very strenuous and so much work! And requires a lot of energy.
Unpacking is merciless, and I'm STILL doing it a little at a time. Again, very strenuous and physically taxing.
Moving companies can be paid to also unpack everything. That's part of their service which I did not use.
We are doing our own packing and a good job of it. A Moving Company, like Mayflower, whom we used before, will load, transport and unload our stuff. Not sure if we will find an apartment before moving. If not, will have to rent a spot there, have moving company unload our stuff into the rented spot and then have a local moving company move stuff from rented spot to new apartment. Sort of expensive, but.....
I am looking into an eventual move to a CCRC around 100 miles from here where we would know no one but the location would be convenient for our adult children to visit.
They both live out of state, one north of our present location and one south of here.
I moved from outside of Philadelphia,PA to Sarasota, FL about 4 years ago. I was in my
mid 60’s. I am single, so it was hard. I knew if I didn’t do it soon, I probably wouldn’t
move at all. The only person I knew here was my son-in-law’s mother.
First, I rented an apartment so that way I had time to get familiar with things.
I had made some trips before but I wanted to learn more about the area before I purchased
anything. If possible, renting might be a good idea at first.
I used movers, but did my own packing. I did get rid of a lot of stuff which helped.
Moving is a big adjustment but I’m happy I did it. In fact, this is home now. When I travel
up north to either Pa or NY to visit family, I’m always happy to be back here in Sarasota.
I enjoy my visits but this is where it is most comfortable.
Spouse and I are in our mid-60's and just moved from Utah to California.
Hindsight is 20/20.... and even tho we prepared for this for over 5 years... change is hard. I fractured my ankle 3 months before the move - and spouse has had back pain and will need surgery....so working on a new house getting it ready has been time consuming.
I will say what my former hairdresser said - and she moved from a house she had lived in over 20 years to just the other side of town in a new development - you just WAKE UP and everything is new.... synapses firing on all cylinders.
EVERYTHING is new - even places and things visited before. It has awakened us out of our stupor .... but we really did not want it any other way. We're still processing all the changes - some good some not so good..... I just look forward to relaxing soon.... and I know it's not going to happen soon.
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