Where to retire?

[AlB]

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.

Where are you all headed to?

Florida is a great place; particularly as opposed to California.  No state taxes and while our governor is off-the-rails the majority of the politicians are not.  Neither of those can be said of California; not by a long-shot. 

[Newportbottom]

Palm Springs is nice. But suggest you rent first. It is a strange mix, it can be lonely for a bit as most of the guys have groups. Lot of drama and guys looking to use older men. 

Costs are a big concern, it gets more expensive everyday. The all democratic state government is stumbling over each to see who can come up with the craziest new stupid bills. Property taxes 1.25% based on sale price, income tax ( top tier 13.5% ), sales tax, license plat fees huge, gas tax just jumped .50 gal for the carbon tax, electric bills going up ( you have to help offset for the less fortunate. CA is just not what it used to be when I moved there 25yrs ago. 

I moved to FL last fall, south of sarasota. I feel more relaxed. Close to the beach, great neighborhood/neighborhood. No one cares if you’re gay. The news has everything over hyped about the stupid don’t say gay. 

[ellentonboy]

@RawNYTop - another financial issue to think about with Florida is that insurer's are requiring home owners to put a new roof on their house every ten years.  I got this information from friends who have sold their house and moved near Ashville, NC, just a few months back.  This was not always the case.  My parents moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1987, they owned two homes until their deaths in 2017.   I don't recall at any time they had to replace their roof, I would have known.  Obviously things change in 47 years, I understand that.  But I don't know how many people realize that the ability to garner and keep home owner's insurance is getting increasingly difficult in the "Sunshine State".  If I am mistaken regarding these new requirements I welcome a correction from other BZ members, but I was under the impression that the middle class and those on fixed incomes were being forced out in a way.  Where will everyone go?  I have no clue.

[SpectreAgent]

1 minute ago, ellentonboy said:

@RawNYTop - another financial issue to think about with Florida is that insurer's are requiring home owners to put a new roof on their house every ten years.  I got this information from friends who have sold their house and moved near Ashville, NC, just a few months back.  This was not always the case.  My parents moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1987, they owned two homes until their deaths in 2017.   I don't recall at any time they had to replace their roof, I would have known.  Obviously things change in 47 years, I understand that.  But I don't know how many people realize that the ability to garner and keep home owner's insurance is getting increasingly difficult in the "Sunshine State".  If I am mistaken regarding these new requirements I welcome a correction from other BZ members, but I was under the impression that the middle class and those on fixed incomes were being forced out in a way.  Where will everyone go?  I have no clue.

Funnily enough, I was watching a YouTube channel last week about some Brits who’ve relocated to Florida and learned about the roof thing. At first, I thought I’d misheard. 

[AlB]

13 minutes ago, ellentonboy said:

@RawNYTop - another financial issue to think about with Florida is that insurer's are requiring home owners to put a new roof on their house every ten years.  I got this information from friends who have sold their house and moved near Ashville, NC, just a few months back.  This was not always the case.  My parents moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1987, they owned two homes until their deaths in 2017.   I don't recall at any time they had to replace their roof, I would have known.  Obviously things change in 47 years, I understand that.  But I don't know how many people realize that the ability to garner and keep home owner's insurance is getting increasingly difficult in the "Sunshine State".  If I am mistaken regarding these new requirements I welcome a correction from other BZ members, but I was under the impression that the middle class and those on fixed incomes were being forced out in a way.  Where will everyone go?  I have no clue.

Not quite that bad. 
 

Title XXXVII Chapter 627 Section 7011 Homeowners’ policies; offer of replacement cost coverage and law and ordinance coverage.

(4)

(b) An insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner’s policy insuring a residential structure with a roof that is less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof.

(c) For a roof that is at least 15 years old, an insurer must allow a homeowner to have a roof inspection performed by an authorized inspector at the homeowner’s expense before requiring the replacement of the roof of a residential structure as a condition of issuing or renewing a homeowner’s insurance policy. The insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner’s insurance policy solely because of roof age if an inspection of the roof of the residential structure performed by an authorized inspector indicates that the roof has 5 years or more of useful life remaining.

Edited July 12 by AlB

[SFCumdog]

I find it constantly amazing how some are always so ready to knock on places where others live, and live quite happily at that, while talking about how beautiful the curtains are on the windows on their insane asylum of a state.... They think that if they say it often enough, and loudly enough, even they may eventually come to believe their own hype.

 

[RawNYTop]

5 hours ago, Newportbottom said:

I moved to FL last fall, south of sarasota. I feel more relaxed. Close to the beach, great neighborhood/neighborhood. No one cares if you’re gay. The news has everything over hyped about the stupid don’t say gay. 

I was also thinking about that same area, as I have family in Englewood. 

[RawNYTop]

3 hours ago, ellentonboy said:

@RawNYTop - another financial issue to think about with Florida is that insurer's are requiring home owners to put a new roof on their house every ten years.  I got this information from friends who have sold their house and moved near Ashville, NC, just a few months back.  This was not always the case.  My parents moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1987, they owned two homes until their deaths in 2017.   I don't recall at any time they had to replace their roof, I would have known.  Obviously things change in 47 years, I understand that.  But I don't know how many people realize that the ability to garner and keep home owner's insurance is getting increasingly difficult in the "Sunshine State".  If I am mistaken regarding these new requirements I welcome a correction from other BZ members, but I was under the impression that the middle class and those on fixed incomes were being forced out in a way.  Where will everyone go?  I have no clue.

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.

[Newportbottom]

4 hours ago, ellentonboy said:

@RawNYTop - another financial issue to think about with Florida is that insurer's are requiring home owners to put a new roof on their house every ten years.  I got this information from friends who have sold their house and moved near Ashville, NC, just a few months back.  This was not always the case.  My parents moved to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1987, they owned two homes until their deaths in 2017.   I don't recall at any time they had to replace their roof, I would have known.  Obviously things change in 47 years, I understand that.  But I don't know how many people realize that the ability to garner and keep home owner's insurance is getting increasingly difficult in the "Sunshine State".  If I am mistaken regarding these new requirements I welcome a correction from other BZ members, but I was under the impression that the middle class and those on fixed incomes were being forced out in a way.  Where will everyone go?  I have no clue.

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. 

[Newportbottom]

1 hour ago, RawNYTop said:

I was also thinking about that same area, as I have family in Englewood. 

Just south of me

[tallslenderguy]

At this point, the only reason i would move is to be around more gay people. i live in a city of about 60K, and while it's gay friendly for the most part, it doesn't have much of a gay population. i visit places like Ft Lauderdale or Palm Springs, and it feels better as a gay guy, But there are other considerations to living. Cost of living is a big factor, and jobs as well. i make twice as much as a critical care nurse in Oregon as i would pretty much anywhere else like Florida. Many nurses from the south and mid west are  moving to OR and WA because we have laws that protect nurses and set nurse to patient ratios that are more doable. We also have unions that ensure a more fair wage than places that do not. 

California has just gotten too expensive, and that is largely government related, high taxes everywhere you turn. A lot of food is grown in the west, but the cost is way higher than places where the food has been shipped 3000 miles? Gas, utilities, real estate. All among the highest in the nation. Both WA and OR still have places to live, real estate wise, taxes are about the middle ground for the country. It would cost me the same amount to buy a place in Ft Lauderdale as where i live. But real estate is less than Portland Oregon, and Ft Lauderdale is way more gay. Insurance is higher in FL, no state income taxes. BUT, that tax savings does not make up the wage difference for my profession. No where near. 

So, i am torn, i do want to be around more gay guys... i long for real interaction vs all internet. But that would come at a high price for me financially. 

[RawNYTop]

14 hours ago, Newportbottom said:

Just south of me

Any places to play around there? ABS, baths, cruising areas?

[hntnhole]

23 hours ago, PozBearWI said:

When I look around the nation from here; while perhaps on a blizzardy winter day those places appeal to me

You've just made the case for all the "snowbirds" flocking to South FL during the winter months. Suddenly (usually just after T-day) the streets are struggling to handle twice the normal traffic, the streets are full of "street-legal" racing cars thundering down the side streets, and the fuckjoints are full of guys ready for 'fun in the sun'.  

It's just the opposite when May/June roll around, and they all go back home for the summer,  There's remarkably less traffic, but at least the fuckjoints are still fairly full, and the quotient of "real" pigs improves.    

[NWUSHorny]

Timely revival of this thread, I've been traveling a lot the past couple of months, and scoping places out and reread this thread in its entirety. A few observations, while I wasn't scoping it out, I've already ruled it out due to taxes and cost of living, but I was in Palm Springs when the mercury rose to 124 F a week and a half ago, which is damned hot even if it is a dry heat, it may not be worse than hot humid locations like Florida. I've also been in Houston and back in the Midwest a few times this summer and can say 100 F with +90% humidity is equally too hot. 

I did have an interesting thought come up in PS last week. While there is an abundance of like minded pigs for me to play with in Palm Springs, I did hear some pretty derogatory comments about guys bringing fetishes/kinks that are common place here in the PNW to the fuck venues in PS. I briefly wondered if those guys were just at the wrong venues or if venues for those kind of things even exist in PS? 

There are many trade offs to consider, if anyone knows a place with a moderate 4 season climate, low taxes, reasonably low cost of living, an abundance of men into casual gay fucking (almost everywhere I have scoped out is better than here in the PNW), preferably in the mountains, with easy travel access to visit back and forth with family in he Midwest, let me know.

[satyricon1]

I prefer New England, where I have retired.  I enjoy stacking the 5 cords of wood which keep me warm in the winter; even if we have 20 inches of snow, we know to stay home for the day (and clear our drives), and the next day the roads will be clear.  Saturday afternoons at the country store for coffee and a muffin provide all sorts of good conversation with people who have lived here for generations.   When I go "south", I prefer southern Quebec in the winter.  The only downside is the interstates tend to be packed on Friday and Sunday evenings when people who realize how great it is here in the winter are on the road from or to  lower New England.