Where to retire?

[SomewhereonNeptune]

On 7/12/2024 at 9:40 PM, Newportbottom said:

Seems details are missing.

I live on a island south of Sarasota. 2.5 blocks / 10 houses to the gulf.  I do have different policies on my home. Not in a flood zone. If a insurance company requires a roof replacement, there are other issues. Details are missing. 

Right there is a case for not living right on a coast. As everyone else has already said about Homeowner's insurance in Florida, I can only echo the sentiment and extend that right out to car insurance. Even with a bundle, it's a King's Ransom and I have an accident-free record. 

On 7/16/2024 at 8:20 AM, ellentonboy said:

I do live in category A, so I have to evacuate if told. As far as the insurance is concerned, I tried with Progressive and they gave me a flat NO, when it came to bundling with my car insurance.   When I ask why, they simply answered they were no longer writing policies in Florida.   I was able to get coverage for my interior.

Still opportunities for home owner's insurance rates are becoming few and far between.  The age of house comes into play as well.  As you said you have different policies on you home, I suppose different insurers as well.

I was able to get State Farm and bundle just to get off Citizens (the state run insurer of last resort) because Citizens typically under-insures any property. State Farm. Is. Not. A. Bargain. But I can get HO coverage only because I'm far enough from the coast (about 20-25 minutes drive depending on lights and heaviness of a foot), in masonry construction with few exterior windows, and in the area where they evacuate people into when you get told the first few categories are under mandatory evacuation. My house is 20 years old and even that was outside what some insurers wanted to cover. It's gotten absurd.

I would not recommend the Gulf Coast south of St. Pete for any sort of gay scene. I think there's a rule someplace that stipulates that the gay community cannot cross the Sunshine Skyway without penalties. 🤣😂 (clearly kidding) It's also pretty dead for other nightlife as you head south, but I didn't choose my home or location for those reasons. You can find bargains around St. Pete if you're diligent, patient, and willing to put in some work.

And if you're like most others, the current governor has taken things to the far, far right on many levels. (Yes, even I said it) So I hope we swing back to a better middle ground.

[ejaculaTe]

On 7/12/2024 at 8:37 PM, RawNYTop said:

I know of some new residents who are self insuring, as the costs are way too high.

Also the condo fees and HOA's are rising way out of control. There will be a ton of condos on the market once residents get their new monthly bill.

A couple of observations -- if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owns the mortgage, the borrower has to have homeowner's insurance (and flood insurance if applicable). There doesn't appear to be any provision in the servicing guide of either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac for self-insurance. (For an explanation of what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do, check out [think before following links] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Mae.)

The same pressures that lead an owner to sell also lead prospective buyers to look elsewhere -- buyers don’t want a unit in an aging building requiring expensive mandated upgrades with hefty COA fees and special assessments. (This article tells you more than you want to know about the situation: [think before following links] https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/floridas-condo-crisis-why-condo-sales-are-plummeting.)

Enough of real estate for now -- I have more work to do because of Helene. (At least I won't have snow to shovel in January.)

[SomewhereonNeptune]

16 hours ago, ejaculaTe said:

A couple of observations -- if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owns the mortgage, the borrower has to have homeowner's insurance (and flood insurance if applicable). There doesn't appear to be any provision in the servicing guide of either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac for self-insurance. (For an explanation of what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do, check out [think before following links] [think before following links] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Mae.)

The same pressures that lead an owner to sell also lead prospective buyers to look elsewhere -- buyers don’t want a unit in an aging building requiring expensive mandated upgrades with hefty COA fees and special assessments. (This article tells you more than you want to know about the situation: [think before following links] [think before following links] https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/floridas-condo-crisis-why-condo-sales-are-plummeting.)

Enough of real estate for now -- I have more work to do because of Helene. (At least I won't have snow to shovel in January.)

Yeah, good luck with that man. Just hope Jim Cantore doesn't setup camp near you, that's a sure sign you're screwed. 🤣

[BlueSaphir]

I plan to live and stay in California till the day I die. I have no desires to retire elsewhere. 

[hntnhole]

Best of luck to all the guys on the West Coast of FL.  Stay safe !!! 

Here on the SE coast, not much of anything happening.  C'mon over if you need to ditch for a while .... 

[AlwaysOpen]

Just a casual thought- unless you are a very social butterfly, or already have a solid circle of friends where you might retire to- you might want to reconsider picking up and relocating. A vacation here or there for a week may be better suited once you have stopped working, versus a move. You already ought to have your favorite places to eat, shop, play , doctors and friends where you are currently. You know your way around, and know the culture.

When you just abandon your established ties at any age is a challenge, but the younger you are the easier it is to hangout and make a whole new circle of contacts. Hanging out at a club and/or party till 4 AM is a LOT easier when you are 40, versus 65. And as much as gay men like to believe they are sensitive and open-minded, lets be honest- the pulse and focus is directed at the younger market in general. Are you in perfect health? Can you find reliable doctors who can get up to speed on you and your body, and any issues you have dealt with for 40 years?  What perils and risks exist where you think you want to move {hint- real estate agents will not be bragging about mud slides, wildfire dangers, tornado risk, hurricanes or flooding as they show you around. And they might not be too upfront about infrastructure issues you never thought to ask about- like are the water pipes in the city lead based, or is there a huge issue with cast iron pipes decaying in the area, is the city you are looking to live in in fiscal distress and behind on essential services upkeep?)

And remember something else- just because a place is a gay mecca today, and you would be walking distance to the popular bar{s} and coffee shops, in 5 years that might not be the case anymore- either the economy killed them; or the boys all moved to the next town away; cashing in for a huge profit on their property where you just settled in, scooping up depressed houses  for next to nothing in the new hot spot and doing what we do best- breathing new life into a dead area. 

And as has been pointed out- what you think the cost of living will be may not even be close to reality. If you moved to Ft Lauderdale for example, in 2000, you could buy a decent house for a little over $100,000 and taxes would have been $700 or so. Now, quadruple that. And that doesn't touch on what others have pointed out- insurance rates have broken a lot of peoples bank accounts- to the point many are having to dump and run. This is not just a FL issue either- but every part of the globe has it's inherent surprise costs.

And ,on a sad but realistic point- if you and a partner move here , and in a year the partner dies- do you think there is going to be the support in the new location that you may have had established in the old place? 

[cumdumpstersf]

From a completely different point of view, I'll be retiring on a sailboat. I currently live on a sailboat near LAX, but once I detach from work in 4-5 years, I'll toss the lines and raise the sails. As someone who grew up in Florida, I am not going back there - I've spent too many years outside that bubble to return (my family tells me enough about how they wish they could leave). 

Picture it—the boat on autopilot, open water, a swing hanging in the living area, and the motion of the sea determining the direction and velocity of the swing. As the bottom in this scenario, I can't think of anything more fun, and exciting. Not knowing when the next wave hits, how deep it will plunge you into your sex partner, over and over. And the list of adventures is long.

[Poz50something]

5 minutes ago, AlwaysOpen said:

 

And ,on a sad but realistic point- if you and a partner move here , and in a year the partner dies- do you think there is going to be the support in the new location that you may have had established in the old place? 

I would like to thank the akash (the sky) for the fact that hubs and I  didn’t move to Chiangmai in the North of Thailand before he died. I got the distinct feeling that, when our mortgage came up for renewal in March 2018, he would have sold our condo, and at the cheapest price ever just to wash his hands of it, even though I was half owner, and would have kicked up a fuss about not making repairs so we could get top dollar. 

Even more thankful that we hadn’t actually made the transition to Thailand. It’s already heart-rendering enough to lose a spouse; it’s even more anguishing to be confronted by a spouse who didn’t prepare for his demise. Greg just couldn’t be bothered to make his will. How do I know? Coz I fucking chased him for it, but he connived his way out of making his will because he wanted to leave something to his son and the condo was the only thing he had of value. I can’t fathom how I would have managed in a country where I would’ve been a long-term retiree, not even a permanent resident. 

[BareBackBubbleButt]

I retired to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Great beaches and culture but horrible politics. My current job is in Palm Springs so I get out there often. I love it there. No hurricanes!! Plus the City is 60% gay.  Might move there eventually. 

[RawNYTop]

On 10/11/2024 at 4:27 PM, AlwaysOpen said:

Just a casual thought- unless you are a very social butterfly, or already have a solid circle of friends where you might retire to- you might want to reconsider picking up and relocating. A vacation here or there for a week may be better suited once you have stopped working, versus a move. You already ought to have your favorite places to eat, shop, play , doctors and friends where you are currently. You know your way around, and know the culture.

When you just abandon your established ties at any age is a challenge, but the younger you are the easier it is to hangout and make a whole new circle of contacts. Hanging out at a club and/or party till 4 AM is a LOT easier when you are 40, versus 65. And as much as gay men like to believe they are sensitive and open-minded, lets be honest- the pulse and focus is directed at the younger market in general. Are you in perfect health? Can you find reliable doctors who can get up to speed on you and your body, and any issues you have dealt with for 40 years?  What perils and risks exist where you think you want to move {hint- real estate agents will not be bragging about mud slides, wildfire dangers, tornado risk, hurricanes or flooding as they show you around. And they might not be too upfront about infrastructure issues you never thought to ask about- like are the water pipes in the city lead based, or is there a huge issue with cast iron pipes decaying in the area, is the city you are looking to live in in fiscal distress and behind on essential services upkeep?)

And remember something else- just because a place is a gay mecca today, and you would be walking distance to the popular bar{s} and coffee shops, in 5 years that might not be the case anymore- either the economy killed them; or the boys all moved to the next town away; cashing in for a huge profit on their property where you just settled in, scooping up depressed houses  for next to nothing in the new hot spot and doing what we do best- breathing new life into a dead area. 

And as has been pointed out- what you think the cost of living will be may not even be close to reality. If you moved to Ft Lauderdale for example, in 2000, you could buy a decent house for a little over $100,000 and taxes would have been $700 or so. Now, quadruple that. And that doesn't touch on what others have pointed out- insurance rates have broken a lot of peoples bank accounts- to the point many are having to dump and run. This is not just a FL issue either- but every part of the globe has it's inherent surprise costs.

And ,on a sad but realistic point- if you and a partner move here , and in a year the partner dies- do you think there is going to be the support in the new location that you may have had established in the old place? 

You hit the nail on the head. When I was younger, I always dreamed of relocating to Florida. My trips there were amazing, and I focused on making it my future home. However, good-paying jobs were scarce at the time, and for several other reasons, I had to stay put.

Fast forward 20 years, and I find myself having similar thoughts—but now with a different perspective. I’m getting older, I don’t go out as much, and I’ve come to dislike driving at night. Florida no longer seems like an option. After Surfside, condos are off the table, and houses have become far too expensive. My original plan was to sell my house in New York and buy something for half the price in Florida, but that’s no longer realistic.

Now, I’m considering Atlanta and would love to hear what people think of it.

[VersGuyAnon]

Looking at the other side of "the pond", UK guys - where is your place of choice for retirement (bearing in mind the EU is no longer an option)?  

[DNG999]

I would love to retire to a small fishing village in Cornwall. Somewhere quiet and secluded.

[phillygwm]

On 1/16/2023 at 10:28 AM, Guest said:

I am leaning towards Ft. Lauderdale, as the weather is nice, there’s plenty to do, and there’s plenty of men. However, the prices of houses, condos and insurance are through the roof. So now I’m not so sure.

Palm Springs seems nice, but I don’t know anything or anybody out there on the West Coast. I would like to explore other cities. Would love to hear from the older guys on here.

I'm in my late 50's.  I technically already have my retirement number but want to pad it a bit more.  I won't work until 67 but looking at early 60's.

I'm starting to think about where.  I can stay where I am, which is probably my default setting.  But if I were to move, where would it be?  I've always considered myself politically moderate, but the cheapest alternatives tend to be in MAGAland, which I'm not sure I can handle.

On 1/16/2023 at 9:21 PM, Guest said:

I will tell you this, don't just move somewhere. Go spend a month or two somewhere. Do it for a couple of years. Spend that month or two as if you are living there not as if you were a tourist. Best advice I ever got. Because living in some of the places you are talking about is not the same as vacationing there.

This.  A friend talked about moving to Thailand.  We visited decades ago as tourists and I knew, while it was fun for a couple weeks, there were too many negatives to make it permanent (being halfway around the world from home, language, and climate, for starters.)  English speaking Europe is nice but not sure it's much cheaper than the US.  I don't speak any languages, aside from English, and I'm concerned about infrastructure so I'd really want to do a short term lease if I went somewhere in, say, Mexico or Belize.  

Edited February 4 by phillygwm

[hntnhole]

9 hours ago, phillygwm said:

cheapest alternatives tend to be in MAGAland, which I'm not sure I can handle.

If you can maintain two residences, why not rent a small condo/apt and come spend a winter in Ft. L. before you decide.  Fort Lauderdale is the largest city in Broward County (which is the most reliably "blue" county in the State).  There's as much action as you care for - from a couple times a week to all night every night.  The mayor of Ft. L. is gay, all the councilpersons are too. A large percentage of the cops are gay - and over in Wilton Manors, everybody is gay (but it's more costly than Ft. L. too).  

Yes, we get hurricanes during the summer/fall months.  Yes, they can be absolutely destructive. FL isn't the place to buy some big fancy house on the beach, fill it with precious everything's and expect that it'll stay like that forever.  For that matter, homes well inland can be damaged too.  

Yes, there are Magaroids around here .... hmmmmm .... that rhymes with something, doesn't it .... but they're not around the gay neighborhoods.  Maybe they will be one day - but so far they're not what you'd call "a presence" in the city.  Sure - the swamps are full of alligators and magaroids, but they're miles away.  Broward in the most reliably Dem county in the state.  

re; prices - yes, the real estate market has been hot for some time now.  That will cool off at some point, and some realtors seem to think it's already starting.  If you're interested in the arts, welllllll .... not much of the fine arts anywhere around here.  Theatre, galleries are regrettable.  There's a semi-pro ensemble in Miami that comes to offer concerts, and at least they don't attempt scores they don't have the forces to carry off.  It's not that we don't have the facilities - there's a fine new(ish) Performing Arts center downtown, but then a rather bland stew doesn't taste any better when it's served on fine porcelain either.  

It all boils down to, how much do you detest Old Man Winter?  Here in Ft. L., we just wrapped up a week of "Winter" - temps in the 40's overnight, highs in the upper 60's/low 70's daytimes.  That's it.  Plus, we can do outside horticulture all year long (if you like that kind of thing - most don't however). 

I loved Chicago - but I detested the winters, and I have no regrets.  Had all the great stuff about living in a great City, and pleased with where I live now.  

[PozBearWI]

I live in Wisconsin, love it myself but discourage anyone from considering it.