Retirement Spots

[boogielicious]

2 minutes ago, Knaresborough said:

First post....getting pretty bored. American (Washington state) retired in the UK. Living in N England. Golf here is pretty decent as long as the weather isn't too bad. This last 6 months (Sept-mid March) was the worst I've seen in 19 years total in the UK. We've been dry the last month....but can't play. I used to live in S UK back in the 80's and the weather is better there and can play more at temps that are a few degrees warmer than in Yorkshire. I play if the course is open.....muddy....wet....frozen....whatever. If you do not like colder weather....probably won't like it here. If you like conditions to be perfect all the time....you won't like it here. I've also spent 10 years in Germany and 5 years in Okinawa (hot and sweaty in the summer).

Washington state- grew up on the west side, so wet a lot of the year and golf is a bit like here. Went to college in central WA and retired to the Spokane area for 4 years. Most of E Washington you can't play for 4 months or so during the winter.....semi-desert and cold/dry. Although.....the Tri-city area is a weird place that is a lot milder and people there can play most of the year.

Welcome to The Sand Trap. Thanks for your perspective. 

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Knaresborough said:

First post....getting pretty bored. American (Washington state) retired in the UK. Living in N England. Golf here is pretty decent as long as the weather isn't too bad. This last 6 months (Sept-mid March) was the worst I've seen in 19 years total in the UK. We've been dry the last month....but can't play. I used to live in S UK back in the 80's and the weather is better there and can play more at temps that are a few degrees warmer than in Yorkshire. I play if the course is open.....muddy....wet....frozen....whatever. If you do not like colder weather....probably won't like it here. If you like conditions to be perfect all the time....you won't like it here. I've also spent 10 years in Germany and 5 years in Okinawa (hot and sweaty in the summer).

Washington state- grew up on the west side, so wet a lot of the year and golf is a bit like here. Went to college in central WA and retired to the Spokane area for 4 years. Most of E Washington you can't play for 4 months or so during the winter.....semi-desert and cold/dry. Although.....the Tri-city area is a weird place that is a lot milder and people there can play most of the year.

@Knaresborough welcome to TST.  Nice introduction.

[Knaresborough]

OK....I used to be good at this. 9 years retired and now I have turned into an idiot. I've resized a dropbox picture to put on my profile.....how the heck do you get a URL from that pic? It's only on this computer I think.

[Mr Puddle]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Welcome to The Sand Trap. Thanks for your perspective. 

Hi mate. Also from the UK, but am British. Live on the Lincolnshire coast. Agree, the weather during the winter was wet wet wet, and now everything is bone dry. Would like to see this pointless lock down finished, but doubt it will for a while

[Knaresborough]

13 minutes ago, Mr Puddle said:

Hi mate. Also from the UK, but am British. Live on the Lincolnshire coast. Agree, the weather during the winter was wet wet wet, and now everything is bone dry. Would like to see this pointless lock down finished, but doubt it will for a while

Yeah.....if I get sick, it will be from going to the store. The course had taken adequate steps to prevent infection....No way was I going into the clubhouse, and they had shut all but the toilets anyway. I can't even go to the practice field to hit balls....because...?? deadly squirrels?

[FlyingAce]

Where do you live now and how many years until retirement? Affordability is really subjective. I am from California, lived in Michigan for a few years and currently in New Mexico. 

Weather-wise, NM has it really good. We have four seasons but no extremes. Summer is hot but not hot like AZ and it is dry, so not unbearable like the South. Winter is colder and can get snow but it’s quick moving and mostly sunny. You can still play golf if you want to. No earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc. Even less wildfires than CA. That said, there is nothing else here and it does not really fit anything else on your list. I will never return to Michigan. Winter is too harsh and summer is too humid for my liking. 

My husband and I have been planning for retirement since he started working a few years ago. We know we want to be in good weather for golf, have access to an international airport and good healthcare. CA and AZ are both on our short list and if we end up staying in NM, that’s ok too. Since he still has a few more years before retirement, we have decided to buy our retirement homes now, while he still have an income. We have a house in Southern California that’s been rented for the last 8 years and we would have bought a house in North Scottsdale if it wasn’t for the pandemic. We still plan to move forward with it when life is back to normal. 

We know we won’t be able to afford a home in these areas once my husband retires, so we want to get housing out of the equation now. By the time he is ready to retire in 10-15 years, our homes would be paid off already. One less expense to worry about. I don’t know if this is smart to do financially, but it is what we are doing and we know we will at least have an option in CA when the time comes.

[Effington]

4 hours ago, FlyingAce said:

Where do you live now and how many years until retirement? Affordability is really subjective. I am from California, lived in Michigan for a few years and currently in New Mexico. 

Weather-wise, NM has it really good. We have four seasons but no extremes. Summer is hot but not hot like AZ and it is dry, so not unbearable like the South. Winter is colder and can get snow but it’s quick moving and mostly sunny. You can still play golf if you want to. No earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc. Even less wildfires than CA. That said, there is nothing else here and it does not really fit anything else on your list. I will never return to Michigan. Winter is too harsh and summer is too humid for my liking. 

My husband and I have been planning for retirement since he started working a few years ago. We know we want to be in good weather for golf, have access to an international airport and good healthcare. CA and AZ are both on our short list and if we end up staying in NM, that’s ok too. Since he still has a few more years before retirement, we have decided to buy our retirement homes now, while he still have an income. We have a house in Southern California that’s been rented for the last 8 years and we would have bought a house in North Scottsdale if it wasn’t for the pandemic. We still plan to move forward with it when life is back to normal. 

We know we won’t be able to afford a home in these areas once my husband retires, so we want to get housing out of the equation now. By the time he is ready to retire in 10-15 years, our homes would be paid off already. One less expense to worry about. I don’t know if this is smart to do financially, but it is what we are doing and we know we will at least have an option in CA when the time comes.

I'm in Illinois now and have a ways away from retirement.  You make NM sound pretty good!

[FlyingAce]

53 minutes ago, Effington said:

I'm in Illinois now and have a ways away from retirement.  You make NM sound pretty good!

I think weather-wise NM is great. Lots of retirees here. We also have diversity. But not everyone likes to be in the middle of nowhere and crime is not exactly low.  Housing not as affordable as one would think and property tax is high.  We like it here because we are avid skiers and have a great mountain nearby for the winter.

Edited April 13, 2020 by FlyingAce

[Buckeyebowman]

On 4/13/2020 at 9:48 AM, Knaresborough said:

OK....I used to be good at this. 9 years retired and now I have turned into an idiot. I've resized a dropbox picture to put on my profile.....how the heck do you get a URL from that pic? It's only on this computer I think.

Uh, you don't want a URL. URL is shorthand for Universal Resource Locator, and is what functions as .com addresses. What you want is to "post a file". 

On 4/13/2020 at 10:55 AM, Knaresborough said:

Yeah.....if I get sick, it will be from going to the store. The course had taken adequate steps to prevent infection....No way was I going into the clubhouse, and they had shut all but the toilets anyway. I can't even go to the practice field to hit balls....because...?? deadly squirrels?

I feel the same as you do. Some of this crap is ridiculous! I drove past my "nearest to me" driving range, and noticed that the gates were open for business. It's pretty much a "self serve" operation, and plenty of room to spread out. Was so glad to see that. At least I have some place to hit balls!

[Effington]

On 4/13/2020 at 3:46 PM, FlyingAce said:

I think weather-wise NM is great. Lots of retirees here. We also have diversity. But not everyone likes to be in the middle of nowhere and crime is not exactly low.  Housing not as affordable as one would think and property tax is high.  We like it here because we are avid skiers and have a great mountain nearby for the winter.

Gotcha, thanks for the additional insight.  I'm surprised by the comment about house prices and property taxes, I wouldn't have expected that.

[Archie Bunker]

Florida is great from around November thru April, but you might want to go North or up into the mountains for the Summer. It is not surprising that so many PGA tour pros have a home in Florida  - it is year-round golf. You can get stretches of hot and humid days just about anywhere in the lower 48 states, but you are guaranteed that every Summer in Florida.

[screalestateguy]

Info on Myrtle Beach.  I lived here from '05-'09 moved away and moved back in '18....personally I couldn't get back quick enough.  Ideally I would be living in Florida but family keeps me in the Carolina's for now. 

Weather:  It can get hot in the summer time but to me it's not too bad.  Usually can play somewhat year round.  If it's a "bad winter" you can usually count on playing at least a few days in January.  This past winter was very mild and there were not many days in January that you wouldn't have wanted to play.  As far as hurricanes...we get some scares and sometimes have to evacuate for a few days, but fortunately we are usually spared.  I think it has to do with the topography of the coastline.  It seems a lot of times the Gulf Stream tends to keep the hurricanes off of the coast a bit in this area and they usually make landfall north of us around the mouth of the Cape Fear by Wilmington.  That doesn't mean we couldn't get hit massively by one this fall...always a possibility.  As far as flooding...it's avoidable if you do your research and and avoid flood prone areas when purchasing your home.

 

Golf Courses:  They are limitless.  From top notch nationally ranked to cheap under kept tracks and everything in between.  There are a few traditional country clubs still around, but they all offer outside play in some form.  A lot of locals buy yearly membership cards that have a package of courses where card holders get MAJOR discounts.  The cards usually are priced to where they pay for themselves in about two or three rounds. 

Crime:  Parts of the area get a bad rap....a lot of the high crime rates can be influenced by numbers and don't tell the complete story.  Crime rates are based on per capita and do not take in consideration that Myrtle Beach, a city with a full-time population of about 35K in the summer swells to a city of a half a million so the numbers are rather skewed. Like any city there are some rough spots in Myrtle proper...but there are so many other places just outside of Myrtle like Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, North Myrtle, Carolina Forest etc. that are some of the safest places in the nation. 

Homes: Relatively inexpensive with plenty of room to continue growth.  Infrastructure can lag at times but getting better. Wide variety of choices including cookie cutter suburb type subdivisions with affordable single family homes a few miles inland to Ocean Front condos that range from very reasonably priced to up in the millions depending on the building.  VERY low property taxes on everything.

Three hours to both Raleigh and Charlotte, maybe 6ish to Atlanta.  Easy to get to Florida for a quick getaway also if it gets a little chilly in the winter and the mood strikes you. 

 

[70sSanO]

You might want to check out Prescott, Az.

John

[Sandy Lie]

On 3/28/2020 at 8:30 AM, Effington said:

Hey guys, hope all is well and everybody is staying safe.

I am way aways from retirement, but like to play the game of imagining it, so I can at least do my due diligence in planning (which is the most fun part anyway). I was mulling over potential locations and wanted to draw on the knowledge of the masses here, because I was not finding anywhere that fit the bill perfectly.  I have a short check-list here (in order) but don't have a lot of great ideas of places that fit the bill:

• Warm enough for year-round golf (or close to it)
• Not unbearably hot (wife does not do well in excessive heat)
• Low crime / safe
• Low(ish) cost of living, or at least reasonably affordable homes, property taxes, and golf
• Diverse / not racist
• Reasonably close to a big city to drive in a couple times a month
• A plus would be if they had a local professional soccer team
• English speaking (not opposed to leaving the US).  If there is somewhere else in the world that fits this bill the best, I'm not entirely opposed to moving and learning a new language (although that might be too ambitious for retirement life).

Wife has vetoed Florida and Arizona, your typical retirement hotspots (too hot).  Here were the options I was mulling:

• Southern California: Is there is an area with affordable housing?
• Myrtle Beach: Is it one of those places that are good to visit, not to live?
• Australia
• England (are winters too cold?)

I'm probably not going to have country club money, unless that is the more cost effective option if I'm playing golf very frequently.

Cheers and thanks in advance for your time and thoughts.

Grew up in Southern California, my brother is still there. High costs for housing, rents are high!  I would not recommend.   Myrtle Beach, a.k.a. “The Redneck Riviera”. Lived in South Carolina for 5 years.  Made it up to Myrtle several times,  to my cup of tea.  Hurricanes!  Been through 3 and they are not fun. For that reason only I would not recommend.

Moving overseas?  Think twice about that. Cost of living, medical can be high.  I actually thought about Ireland but after researching it I concluded it would be a pain in the backside!

What do you mean by Country Club $$$$?  I guess it depends on for frequently one plays for it to be cost effective.  I retired to Pinehurst because it checked all the boxes.  Reasonable housing, medical, weather (even though hurricanes are possible).  I joined Pinehurst CC.  My Membership allows me to play 7 of the 9 courses.  I also do the cart program at 3K a year for my wife and I.  But we walk as well when playing #2 and #4.  For me since I retired 3 years ago I a averaged about 230 rounds, my wife about 60.  Based on current dues and cart program cost my rounds are just under $32.00. Today I played my 82 round. 
 

Retirement taxes are not bad by the way.

[Effington]

6 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

Grew up in Southern California, my brother is still there. High costs for housing, rents are high!  I would not recommend.   Myrtle Beach, a.k.a. “The Redneck Riviera”. Lived in South Carolina for 5 years.  Made it up to Myrtle several times,  to my cup of tea.  Hurricanes!  Been through 3 and they are not fun. For that reason only I would not recommend.

Moving overseas?  Think twice about that. Cost of living, medical can be high.  I actually thought about Ireland but after researching it I concluded it would be a pain in the backside!

What do you mean by Country Club $$$$?  I guess it depends on for frequently one plays for it to be cost effective.  I retired to Pinehurst because it checked all the boxes.  Reasonable housing, medical, weather (even though hurricanes are possible).  I joined Pinehurst CC.  My Membership allows me to play 7 of the 9 courses.  I also do the cart program at 3K a year for my wife and I.  But we walk as well when playing #2 and #4.  For me since I retired 3 years ago I a averaged about 230 rounds, my wife about 60.  Based on current dues and cart program cost my rounds are just under $32.00. Today I played my 82 round. 
 

Retirement taxes are not bad by the way.

Thanks, that is great input!  230 rounds per year, that's a hell of a schedule.  I don't really know what my retirement life looks like yet but if you can join a country club and have a rate of $32/round that includes a cart, then it sounds pretty decent on my end.

[stealthduffer]

Been giving this a lot of thought as well. About 2-3 years away so not idle thinking. Right now Raleigh/Durham area would be tops because grandmonster (and our daughter/son in law) live s nearby which is a must for my wife. Housing more reasonable if you get further south. Decent weather though days will be hot or cold at certain times of the year. Need a house with extra garage or basement (rare in that part of the world). My other money-pit is woodworking so need the extra space for my equipment. Pinehurst is an attractive area but my wife thinks too far from the monster. 

Moved from the Atlanta area a year ago for job reasons. Enjoyed where we were at but don't think I'd move back to retire. Can be a great area if you find the right spot. 

 

[cooke119]

I've thought more about you post and if you are willing to move out of the country I would recommend the southern coast of Spain, the western part by Malliga (spelling???). I've been there four times and it is beautiful.  If you have never been to Spain I would highly recommend it. Crime is low outside the big cities but in the cities you just need to watch out for pick pockets.

[Sandy Lie]

...just a quick thought.  Don’t move anywhere, stay put!  At least initially.  Try places out 1st.  Go spend time at places your considering. By time I mean 1 to 3 months.  Get a feel for traffic, housing costs, shopping, activities etc.