True. However, we both share the concept of not counting other people’s money. I wouldn’t want to make future plans that count on the death of a loved one. I don’t think I’ve even uttered the word “inheritance” to my mother. Our family is very skittish talking about these things, though I’ve talked about them with my kids. It’s easy to broach the subject when talking to those that I will leave an inheritance to, but not those that I would potentially recrive it from.
But maybe we’ll get lucky and find a small, old house that’s not terribly far away. Houses that aren’t commuting distance from Seattle are much cheaper.
We never did count on inheritance either, but I still think it’s better to move 2 hours away than a few states away. Honestly I have no idea where Kentucky is.
Just throwing out another idea…. Any chance your mother yearns for a more simplified living situation? If yes, perhaps she could rent her home to your sister, give her a good deal because she’d like to have her closer.
This article about the Cascadia subduction zone has informed my opinion about retiring or purchasing property anywhere in the Pacific NW up to Vancouver, areas that I think are beautiful and were once high on our list of places to live. I hope this event never happens, certainly not in our lifetime, but our seeming inability to prepare adequately for any natural catastrophe keeps this part of the world off my real estate list.
Do any of you consider such information when evaluating retirement locations?
I don’t plan to relocate, so I haven’t thought along those lines, but I have friends who have done so. A few were spending winter in AZ with plans to eventually move there full time. Worries about water shortages made them decide to reconsider. A couple friends who were considering FL are rethinking the area of the state that makes sense for them, due to hurricane concerns. I know that it’s hard to escape Mother Nature’s wrath no matter where we are these days, but it does seem that some are taking it into consideration when planning for retirement.
Another closer suggestion would be somewhere like Kent or Black Diamond (if you are closer to South Seattle) or Everett if you are more North Seattle. Maybe not as desirable but closer and you can get a lot more for the money in those areas.
True, two hours is better than two states. She’s in a suburb of Memphis, further out in the country, not Kentucky. They never even go into Memphis now since it’s turned into a murder hotspot.
I tried to get my Mom to consider assisted living after my Dad died, took her to many places. She doesn’t remember a single one of them, and now seems quite disinterested in leaving. At her point, with mild dementia but being physically able, I think living at home where she’s been for 63 might be the best until there’s a reason to leave. If she did, I’d encourage her to just give my sister the house. But it is a huge project, so maybe she wouldn’t even want it!
There’s always something, no matter where you go. I don’t think I’ve ever lived somewhere where there wasn’t some sort of weather risk. I last lived in Memphis, where we had severe storms and tornados. I’m happier to be here (less crime in the suburbs, safer drivers, no deadly spiders or snakes) and take the tiny risk of the big one. The last major earthquake here was a 6.8, in 2001, and our house is like a fortress, apparently it didn’t even shake. I guess Mt. Rainer could blow, but that might not happen for millions of years, and our house is outside of the mud flow zone anyways.
My MIL tells us that she wanted AL only because of my FIL, who had Parkinson’s. Now that he is gone, she often says that she wishes she hadn’t sold their house. She believes she would be fine living there now. Uh, that’s a huge no … and it’s good that things worked out as they did, because we’d all be worried beyond belief if she were in that big house, alone, 3 hours from SIL & 13 hours from us.
Then it’s a good thing she sold it at the time. Many people just aren’t willing to leave. In my mom’s situation, still healthy, living 20 min away from me and my niece living with her, for now it works. I did have to remove her range, because she kept leaving the stove on.
Induction ranges may be helpful if someone is prone to forgetting to turn them off, since they are less dangerous and less energy wasteful if accidentally left on with no pot on them.
I sometime turn mine really low and then don’t see the flame to turn it off. Not frequent, but it happened once and that’s enough. I prefer to cook with crockpot, electric kettle, and outdoor grill. Now I have a new air fryer, that might be helpful in the future.
