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My parents successfully snowbirded for 23 years until 2020 due to Covid and their age (early 80s at the time). They maintained a single-family home in an active 55+ community in suburban Philadelphia and had an inexpensive condo in South Florida that they went to for about 3 months (usually mid-December to end of March). They rented in Florida the first year and then bought because my mother really wanted to live with her own clean furniture and things.
It did involve some work "closing" up the PA house and setting up/cleaning up the condo when they arrived in Florida. But they got their systems in place. The only problems I recall were their PA security alarm going off a few times but they had a local contact (my sister) who took care of it. There was one other issue with their hot water heater which I don't recall the specifics, but overall they had no major problems. Arriving in Florida, my mother used to spend the first day cleaning the place due to it having been empty for 8-9 months (it got dirty!), but then they got smart and had someone do it for them before they arrived. They also had someone check in on their Florida condo once per month (condo rules) for a fee.
Then there are little things to think about like having mail forwarded and pausing cable (if you have it) or the landline phone (not as much of an issue anymore). If you have a regular doctor back home for something specific, you may need to find one down there, too. My mom, for example, had to find an allergist in Florida. They did, overall, try to plan doctors' and dentist appointments before they left for Florida and after they got back up North.
I'd say their snowbirding went very well from age 60-80. And then it became a little harder for them. They drove down each year and then drove back home (~17 hours each way). That got a little harder the last few years. They started out doing the drive in two days and then began doing it over three days. The setting up and closing up got to be a little much the last 2 or 3 years. And they did start losing some friends towards the end - either passed away or moved back North.
Overall, snowbirding in Florida was some of the happiest times for them. They loved the weather and not worrying about ice and snow, etc. They made great friends down there as well as met up with friends from their younger days who also retired there. Each of their kids would visit them once during the season. And we had such a good time with them. We all have great memories of that time period. It was very carefree and while they "lived" there it was also kind of vacation mode - they ate dinners out with their friends, played card games once per week, went to shows, hung out at the pool, etc. in addition to food shopping, cleaning, running errands, etc. My mother recently passed away after an illness and up until the last week of her life one topic that we could discuss with her that never failed to bring a smile to her face was talking about Florida.
Alternatively, they never would have wanted to move to Florida or the South year-round. Their life - friends, family, most of their children and grandchildren, etc. was up North. Going away for ~3 months was a good balance for them. My husband and I are planning to do something similar.
Good luck with your decision!
Excellent post! Very accurate representation as I see it. There's a lot to like about Florida, especially for retirees. Yeah, the summers are hot and long, but that can be avoided by some judicious "snowbirding" as your parents did.
Personally, I like spending MOST of my time in Florida, with only a few months up north in a cooler climate. It's usually not too hard to find someone to watch your house in each place unless you live out in the boonies somewhere. My wife and I snowbirded for about 10 years, but now are full time in Florida. Yeah, it's hot in the summer, but tolerable for us.
After 30 years living in Florida, we retired and sold our house and we are going the snowbird route. Looking to buy in VA and spend winters in FL in our camper. There are literally dozens of places not far from our old home & friends where we can pull in for a month or two (or three) and hang out.
My parents successfully snowbirded for 23 years until 2020 due to Covid and their age (early 80s at the time). They maintained a single-family home in an active 55+ community in suburban Philadelphia and had an inexpensive condo in South Florida that they went to for about 3 months (usually mid-December to end of March). They rented in Florida the first year and then bought because my mother really wanted to live with her own clean furniture and things.
It did involve some work "closing" up the PA house and setting up/cleaning up the condo when they arrived in Florida. But they got their systems in place. The only problems I recall were their PA security alarm going off a few times but they had a local contact (my sister) who took care of it. There was one other issue with their hot water heater which I don't recall the specifics, but overall they had no major problems. Arriving in Florida, my mother used to spend the first day cleaning the place due to it having been empty for 8-9 months (it got dirty!), but then they got smart and had someone do it for them before they arrived. They also had someone check in on their Florida condo once per month (condo rules) for a fee.
Then there are little things to think about like having mail forwarded and pausing cable (if you have it) or the landline phone (not as much of an issue anymore). If you have a regular doctor back home for something specific, you may need to find one down there, too. My mom, for example, had to find an allergist in Florida. They did, overall, try to plan doctors' and dentist appointments before they left for Florida and after they got back up North.
I'd say their snowbirding went very well from age 60-80. And then it became a little harder for them. They drove down each year and then drove back home (~17 hours each way). That got a little harder the last few years. They started out doing the drive in two days and then began doing it over three days. The setting up and closing up got to be a little much the last 2 or 3 years. And they did start losing some friends towards the end - either passed away or moved back North.
Overall, snowbirding in Florida was some of the happiest times for them. They loved the weather and not worrying about ice and snow, etc. They made great friends down there as well as met up with friends from their younger days who also retired there. Each of their kids would visit them once during the season. And we had such a good time with them. We all have great memories of that time period. It was very carefree and while they "lived" there it was also kind of vacation mode - they ate dinners out with their friends, played card games once per week, went to shows, hung out at the pool, etc. in addition to food shopping, cleaning, running errands, etc. My mother recently passed away after an illness and up until the last week of her life one topic that we could discuss with her that never failed to bring a smile to her face was talking about Florida.
Alternatively, they never would have wanted to move to Florida or the South year-round. Their life - friends, family, most of their children and grandchildren, etc. was up North. Going away for ~3 months was a good balance for them. My husband and I are planning to do something similar.
Good luck with your decision!
Great post. Thank you for sharing.
We hope to do something similar; however, properties in the Sunshine State currently seem to be two to three times more expensive than what I would consider to be within the scope of reason. We will rent and keep our eyes and ears open. I have a brother near the golf and a sister near Cape Canaveral, so I’m hoping they will help. About three months seems just right to me, maybe end of fist week in January through to the second week in April. Would love to stop at Augusta for the Masters tournament on our way back each year (bucket list).
It's amazing to me how much inflation/real estate prices have altered this equation. We are vacationing in Destin now. Prices have gone absolutely loony, and this is still a "cheap" area. Little condos now going for a million or more.
My understanding is the same has occurred in the Carolinas, etc., as everyone has gotten the idea of the cheap state with less extremes of weather, and so now the western Carolinas, Tennessee, etc. prices are exploded too.
Yes, I'm sure they're not San Diego prices, but when you're talking approaching a million for a small place, it's fairly out of reach for most people.
Also: a furnace could breakdown in cold weather. Before you it, pipes freeze and it's a mess. We had many a tree come down in winter. Thankfully, not one hit the house. You might not be so lucky. Winter is hard on houses and stuff happens.
The worse possibility is squatters but houses get robbed too. An empty house is a risk.
My in-laws were snowbirds. After awhile my mother-in-law complained that all their friends had left Florida. They were replaced by the next generation. As a result, they were the oldest couple there and felt isolated. She should have taken the hint. My father-in-law couldn't do it anymore. They were stuck with a Florida house while living in New Jersey and weren't well enough to go down to clear it out.
You'll sooner or later have to make a decision on one location. You'll spend money on the upkeep on a second home which could have been spent on vacations or kept in the bank earning interest.
I came to write part of what you've stated.
We have a vacation home in New England purchased 20 years ago. It's about 4 hours from our primary home. We used it a lot when the kids were young with the long term plan of moving into it in retirement and snowbirding down south somewhere.
The house sat empty 18 months through COVID and my spouse's cancer fight. All was quiet.
17 years no issues. We visited the house multiple times summer of 2021. September 2021 some dirtbags burglarized the house. The property damage and stolen items totaled over $20,000. I broke down and installed security cameras. In May 2023 the cameras picked up some dirtbag attempting to steal my whole house generator. $2,000 in repairs.
one of the first things we had installed when we bought the house was a low temp/low fuel alarm monitored by the oil company. Twenty years, no issues. January 2024 the notified me that my alarm had failed to test. They sent repairman. All looked good on their end. A week later, same thing. This time the phone line was out. No phone line, no alarm. I called the phone company -- the repair had to be made inside. I had to schedule a day to be there. I arrived a few days in advance of the appointment to a house which was under 40 degrees (the lowest temp which registered on my old thermostat.) The heat had gone out. Thankfully, the oil guy had us up and running within 2 hours. If we had arrived a day later, we probably would have had frozen pipes. We got lucky.
A second home in a cold climate is not for the faint of heart.
We have a vacation home in New England purchased 20 years ago. It's about 4 hours from our primary home. We used it a lot when the kids were young with the long term plan of moving into it in retirement and snowbirding down south somewhere.
The house sat empty 18 months through COVID and my spouse's cancer fight. All was quiet.
17 years no issues. We visited the house multiple times summer of 2021. September 2021 some dirtbags burglarized the house. The property damage and stolen items totaled over $20,000. I broke down and installed security cameras. In May 2023 the cameras picked up some dirtbag attempting to steal my whole house generator. $2,000 in repairs.
one of the first things we had installed when we bought the house was a low temp/low fuel alarm monitored by the oil company. Twenty years, no issues. January 2024 the notified me that my alarm had failed to test. They sent repairman. All looked good on their end. A week later, same thing. This time the phone line was out. No phone line, no alarm. I called the phone company -- the repair had to be made inside. I had to schedule a day to be there. I arrived a few days in advance of the appointment to a house which was under 40 degrees (the lowest temp which registered on my old thermostat.) The heat had gone out. Thankfully, the oil guy had us up and running within 2 hours. If we had arrived a day later, we probably would have had frozen pipes. We got lucky.
A second home in a cold climate is not for the faint of heart.
Consider some backup heat source such as electric heat that is operated by a thermostat. Set the thermostat of the backup heat source several degrees lower (colder) than the primary heat thermostat.
That way, the only time that the backup heat would kick on is if something caused the primary heat source to fail... or if someone broke out several windows and the primary heat source couldn't keep up with the thermostat "demand" temperature.
Consider some backup heat source such as electric heat that is operated by a thermostat. Set the thermostat of the backup heat source several degrees lower (colder) than the primary heat thermostat.
That way, the only time that the backup heat would kick on is if something caused the primary heat source to fail... or if someone broke out several windows and the primary heat source couldn't keep up with the thermostat "demand" temperature.
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Keep in mind, that in rural New England we generally anticipate many power outages that may become week-long, multiple times each winter.
Aside from the normal grid outages, we also experience storms. Storms commonly bring their own grid outages, and the utility companies are not known for restoring power quickly.
Home generators are popular, but they must have sufficient fuel to make it through to next Spring.
We reverse snowbird: ski season in Park City, UT; poker season in fabulous Las Vegas Nevada. We have homes in each location. Each location is a tourist/vacation destination, so friends and family always want to visit us.
Fully 2/3 of the housing stock in Park City are vacation homes unoccupied most of the year. There is a strong property management business so homeowners can just hire a company to take care of everything.
One time it was a bit embarrassing; there is a large slope-side house that is owned by someone who works on Wall Street who only comes to Park City a couple weeks per year. One year, he showed up unannounced only to discover his property manager had, in fact, moved into the house.
Keep in mind, that in rural New England we generally anticipate many power outages that may become week-long, multiple times each winter.
Aside from the normal grid outages, we also experience storms. Storms commonly bring their own grid outages, and the utility companies are not known for restoring power quickly.
Home generators are popular, but they must have sufficient fuel to make it through to next Spring.
Then my suggestion is that you move back to civilization up north OR move south. I've lived in several places throughout the southern states and some of those places were somewhat rural, yet the MOST that we were likely to face as far as power outages was a few hours, and even that wasn't very often.
The worst that we've faced was back in 2004 when a hurricane here in Florida caused a lot of trees to fall over the power lines and disrupt power for about 2 days. Since then, many of those power lines have been moved underground so that eliminates the falling trees problem.
Just to be on the safe side, I purchased a portable generator about 3 years ago, but haven't needed to use it yet other than for ordinary test usage to make sure it still works.
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