<p>My plan is to get the heck out of Dodge, aka west of Woodinville, every February. Born and bred in the PNW, the gray from Nov to March does me in. </p>
<p>We’ve seen from grandparents, elderly relatives, and now parents, how important it is to have family and medical services nearby. That and Nordstrom, LOL. 40 miles and a ferry ride for medical treatment was more than some could take. </p>
<p>Our house is two floors with the bedrooms on the 2nd floor, so we will have to move at some point. My mother’s condo was on one floor, but there were steps down from the parking (and then up those few steps when she’d go to her car). She can no longer go down stairs and isn’t too comfortable going up them w/o someone holding her arm. She moved into an apartment with an elevator, but is now considering assisted living. The ILs moved to assisted living 18 months ago & are doing ok. All-in-all, it makes us think about future living a bit more seriously.</p>
<p>My ideal arrangement would be to retire in 5-7 years (before 60), move around that time to a condo in the city - definitely a more walkable area, and then plan on assisted living ~80. I expect to be able to self fund senior care. </p>
<p>We have a tech who comes from Atlanta every year to service our elevator. He does preventative maintenance and sometimes suggests an upgrade. One year he installed a switch that turns on the lights when the call button is pressed so that you don’t open the door to a black hole. We don’t spend as much on elevator maintenance as we do on HVAC maintenance and it’s well worth the minor cost for the peace of mind. We also have a phone in the elevator, which is one reason we keep a land line. The elevator was one of the major reasons we bought this house, since at the time we thought one of our kids might be living with us permanently. </p>
<p>I’ve looked online and there are lots of accessories for wheel chair, even Lowes have ramps and accessories if the house needs to be fitted immediately for medical reason. There is no need to spend your 40s worrying about your 70s or 80s.
I have one bedroom downstairs and a large living area downstairs that can be turned into a room if needs be. However, I didn’t like one story house, I bought a 2-story house for views and large master bedroom and large bathroom. So when my husband and I can’t climb stairs then we must live on the first floor only, but so far we enjoy the second floor as well. It’s a 3000sqft and we think it’s just enough for the two of us. I’m getting used to my empty space. Let’s hope both kids won’t move back home permanently for whatever reason.</p>
<p>“You’re going to find me equally depressing, then, because the spouse and I started doing this in our 40’s. Whenever we need to do some remodeling or replace something, we’ll use any options that improve accessibility. We bought a one-story home intentionally–it was a boon when one of our kids was in a wheelchair following an accident, and it’s continued to be a boon as our parents move through their 80’s. The increasingly elderly dog appreciates it, too.”</p>
<p>I guess it’s just good planning, if you know you want to stay in the same house forever. I just have a hard time envisioning a time when we will be disabled, but the reality is that it could happen at any time. We do have a place where we could put an elevator, but honestly, I think if one of us was disabled, we’d just have to move.</p>
<p>This guy was also completely into routine too, which probably helped depress me further. He kept talking about what he was going to do that day. I’m going to eat at 6:00pm, at XX restaurant. I’m going to order XX, I’m going to go to bed at 8:00pm, I’m going to get up at (I forgot what time). I’m going to eat breakfast at XX restaurant. It seemed very soothing to him, and his constant routine. And then he brought the leftover chicken to put by the window in the cockpit, to warm it up in the sun for his supper (which he had told me about in his master plan). Just that old person routine thing…creeped me out! And that chicken smelled nasty.</p>
<p>Yea, being in a wholly predictable routine (rut) when you’re still young and healthy doesn’t appeal to me and never has. I know some folks who love routines–have never been one of them either. </p>
<p>Yes, nasty smelling lukewarm chicken. Sounds like food poisoning to me.</p>
<p>I don’t know, I like some of the little rituals and habits that I have, but I don’t want every single thing to be completely predictable. It seems that way you don’t have to think anymore, or do anything differently. For some people if they get out of their routine, they are very disturbed. I would like to be adventurous and try different things as I get older, not be controlled by fear and routine.</p>
<p>I am going to take bioidentical hormones until the day I die. They help to take away fear and insecurity, feelings of weakness, lack of confidence. I think I have more testosterone than many guys I work with. No lukewarm day old chicken for me!</p>
<p>Yes, I think most of us like SOME rituals and some changes and adventure. The particular mix differs over time and by individual. </p>
<p>When I was in college, I tried a lot of different things and even personas. It was very enriching. I had to be somewhat more predictable when raising our kids but now am able to be more spontaneous again and am GREATLY enjoying the change. </p>
<p>Food poisoning is definitely something I am no longer as casual about, having suffered several bouts of it in Jan/Feb and been MISERABLE!</p>
<p>Yes, food poisoning is awful…but it sure is a quick way to lose weight. Just kidding! Kind of.</p>
<p>Though I have a little different take on food poisoning now. This woman I really respected told me about a time she had food poisoning. She had violent vomiting, dizziness, and her heart was pounding like crazy. Food poisoning, right? She called her doctor, who immediately directed her to the emergency room. That is a sign of a heart attack in women. Completely unrecognizable as normal heart attack symptoms, and mistaken for food poisoning. They didn’t find anything wrong with her.</p>
<p>The next time I saw her, we waved hello, but everyone was busy, so we both went on our way. A couple of months later, she died on her ranch. They didn’t find her until she’d been dead for days, and they don’t know the cause. But it does make me wonder if she had a heart attack, and they just hadn’t detected a heart problem that earlier time. She was only 62.</p>
<p>we built a 3 story home with killer views (garage basement), first floor main with a full bath and bedroom, and 3rd floor master and 2 bed rooms- kids gone now. the main level has an option to put in a elevator and doors can be expanded for wheelchair, shower is accessible. I’m thinking that the electric guide of wheelchairs on the stairs is the best option if we need one. we also plan on hiking into our old old age and biking. running I’m not so sure but I want to do more snowshoeing. my plans for retirement are to exercise 2 times a day. I have been practicing it on the weekends- like 9 Am and 6 Pm. surprisingly my body does not seem to mind and seems to forget it already exercised that day. H kindly went along with it and was also surprised how it worked out well. 3 mile walks twice a day seems alot but does not feel like it and I got addicted to it. unfortunately workweeks just don’t allow this- I rarely get any lunch break any more to do anything. </p>
<p>Wow, Bus driver! How awful! I thought there is a blood test and other things they can do to determine if you are having or recently had a heart attack. How tragic for the family (and of course, especially for the deceased! :(</p>
<p>We have a 1960s four-level split, 2400 sq ft. Main floor has no bathroom or bedroom. I think we’ll need to move. Have been looking at some of the split ranchers in the neighborhood – everything is on the ground floor, and guest room/family room/1/2 bath on the walkout basement level. That would work for when the guys come to visit with families. We’d still have to deal with a large yard, though, since this neighborhood was zoned for 1/2 acre lots way back when. </p>
<p>Our home is about 1250 square ft on 7500 square ft of land, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It’s a nice size for just us and can hold guests as needed. My subs all have larger homes–2, 3, and even 4x the size of ours, with 3 of them having upper story. No idea what any of them plan to do as their nests empty. They are in their 40s and 50s, so they have time to figure it out. We all live in suburbs, only 10 minutes or so from town. </p>
<p>Many of our friends are in similar situations–nice larger home for raising kids but a bit large for just two empty nesters. Will see what choices folks make. My folks’ friends migrated to the SR community mostly when they reached late 70s -80s or so–my folks are shortlisted to join them.</p>
<p>My dear brother and SIL are taking care of not only our Mom but her Mom too. Both in their 80’s and not able to do steps. He put in one of the stairway lifts. For his MIL there is a small wheelchair upstairs and regular one downstairs. Mom says she feels like Mary Poppins holding her cane as she rides up along the stair rail. If she had come to live with us we were going to do the same. These do allow for flexibilty in staying in a 2 story house. </p>
<p>We became reluctant landlords back in the early 90’s, which was the previous real estate crash, and our first house (a 2 family) dropped to about $70K less in value than we had in it. But this let us buy our current house at the bottom. As real estate recovered, and our current house more than doubled in value, we were able to tap the equity (yay for 100% financing!) to start accumulating more properties. And the current interest rates have let us refinance at ridiculous interest rates for much shorter terms.</p>
<p>So by the time everything is paid off in 6 or 7 years, the rentals will generate $100K+ net income per year, from an investment of probably less than $200K, with the value over a million dollars, almost all paid for by my tenants. And rents by nature have some inflation protection built in. Add in somewhere between $40k-$70K in SS depending on how long we wait, and another $30-40K or so from our IRAs, and it’s looking like we will have a pretty good retirement. Of course we still have to deal with tenants and maintenance and all that, but it will give me something to do. Eventually we will turn everything over to a property manager, which will cost 10-12% of the gross, which won’t be too bad.</p>
<p>Real estate is the #3 method of acquiring wealth amongst the Forbes 400. </p>
<p>If we were willing to sell our house and move a few miles away to a cheaper town, I could buy a place for cash, pay off three or four mortgages, and retire tomorrow and not starve. I have two more kid-years of college, and after that, when my current job runs its course, I may step out of the rat race, hopefully by the time I am 55 or 56.</p>
<p>It’s been quite a turnaround for us in the last 6 years, when the real estate crash wiped out (on paper) a huge chunk of our net worth, stocks were in the toilet, and we were paying in 7%+ for mortgages.</p>
<p>NRE,
You’re benefiting from the low rates, but also from a “sea-change” in attitudes towards real estate, as people worry about risking their savings in down payments, so they are willing to pay more for rent than previously. This is probably a one-time inflection point, but could persist for some time.</p>
<p>Sam Zell, who is a famous, curmudgeonly real-estate investor is on record saying that renting (especially apartments) is likely to be much more popular in the future as household formation lags because of changes in attitudes towards marriage and other phenomena.</p>
<p>We’ll have to move eventually as well. No full bath on main floor. I recently hurt my ankle and had to wear a boot, and that kind of brought it home to me as I was dragging myself up the stairs.</p>
<p>dadx - I don’t think the reluctance to buy will last all that long. One or two years of a good economy and people will be jumping into houses again. And in my area (eastern MA) the real estate market is insane. My neighbor across the street put is house on at the highest value for any house in my neighborhood ever, and in the first weekend got 25 offers, and it went for over the asking price. In any case, I would characterize my rentals as grade-B housing stock. It’s all small, 2-4 unit buildings, and the people we rent to don’t commonly buy.</p>
<p>
Yes well, my name was a response to colleges telling me we needed no FA when there was no way in h*** we could shell out $60K/year for college without a ton of debt. Our circumstances have changed a bit in the last 5 years…</p>
We don’t spend as much on elevator maintenance as we do on HVAC maintenance and it’s well worth the minor cost for the peace of mind. We also have a phone in the elevator, which is one reason we keep a land line. The elevator was one of the major reasons we bought this house, since at the time we thought one of our kids might be living with us permanently. </p>