Deciding Where to Retire

Choosing an area in which to retire can be difficult. There are many great choices available to you. But you can use these tips to narrow your choices down and eventually make a final decision on a place that fits your lifestyle and budget, suits your housing needs and desires, and that you’ll love for years to come.

Getting Started
Since you likely live hundreds– if not a thousand– miles away from where you might eventually retire, the best place to start your search is online. Visit the websites of the local newspapers for the cities, towns, or areas you are investigating and do some general exploring and reading. You can often find information on the history of an area, photo tours and sometimes virtual tours. Don’t forget to scan the real estate classifieds to get a feel for home prices in the area. It will also be helpful to read some local articles and editorials. These can give you a sense of the feel of an area, and reveal items of interest or concern for the local residents.

Links to most major newspapers in the U.S. can be found at: http://www.usnpl.com

Radio and TV news stations also have some excellent resources on their websites. Radio stations can be especially helpful for finding information in line with your interests. For example, a community calendar for a country music station might list events that would appeal to their typical listener. These events would be different than events that might interest an oldies or easy listening crowd.

Next, visit the websites of the area chambers of commerce and request an information package. The information packages will usually include a brochure on the area filled with advertisements for local businesses, information on annual events, a guide to local history, and usually a map of the area that will come in handy when you make an in person visit. In addition, request information from some new home builders and communities in the area, to see if the types of houses they offer appeal to your wants and needs. If the area seems like it might meet your requirements, go to the next step.

Links to most Chambers of Commerce can found at http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/directory/default.htm?d=false

Getting Personal
It goes without saying that you should talk to friends or relatives living in Florida, but don’t overlook people in your extended network or sphere of influence. For example, did your golf buddy’s brother-in-law recently move to Florida? Give him a call and get the scoop.

Visit online groups and search for topics involving “retirement,” and “real estate” in the states that interest you. Google Groups and Yahoo Groups are great starting places. You can usually count on people being quite frank with their feelings about each topic in these online groups.

Check out: http://groups.google.com and http://groups.yahoo.com

Government
Visit the website of the local government. By the looks of things, are they up-to-date technologically? Read through official statements and press releases you may find. Does the local government seem prepared to manage the growth their area may be experiencing?

Also, what are the taxes like in the area? Is the government being wise and prudent in their spending, or does it seem like they are plundering windfalls from property tax increases? These are all not easily answered questions but with a little research you can get a feel for what some of the answers might be.

Where is the Best Place to Retire?

It’s impossible to say exactly where “the” best place is to retire. It should be different for everyone. But Money Magazine has compiled data on several areas, allowing you to search for your ideal retirement location based on different criteria such as availability of health care, affordable housing, recreation, amount of population over 50, and other criteria you select.

Visit: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bpretire/2008/index.html

State by State Information
Follow the links provided in this section for information specific to retiring and relocating to each state. These links will lead you to our pages providing reviews of specific retirement communities in each state as well as other pertinent information.

The Relocation Site listed for each state is the official website for each state. This is where you will find information about moving to each state, becoming a resident, learning about local government and other services.

Arizona
Arizona Retirement Communities
http://az.gov/webapp/portal/

California
http://www.ca.gov/

Florida
Florida Retirement Communities
http://www.myflorida.com/

Georgia
Georgia Retirement Communities
http://www.ga.gov/

Nevada
Nevada Retirement Communities
http://www.nv.gov/

New Mexico
http://www.newmexico.gov/

North and South Carolina
North & South Carolina Retirement Communities
http://www.nc.gov/
http://www.sc.gov/

Tennessee
http://www.tennessee.gov/

Texas
http://www.texasonline.com/portal/tol

Home Prices
To get a general feel for what the prices of homes are in the area in which you are looking, visit sites like Realtor.com. They will show you all the homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service for the city or zip code that you specify. Enter your required number of bedrooms and bathrooms as well as your price range and see which homes come up as a result.

Two real estate websites, Zillow.com and Trulia.com, have neat features where you can enter a zip code or city and see a colored-coded map which reveals where the prices are more or less expensive.

http://www.realtor.com
http://www.zillow.com
http://www.trulia.com

Home Guides
There are several real estate and home guides available that can be a good resource for finding retirement real estate. Guides such as Homes and Land, The Real Estate Book, and Digest of Homes can be ordered by phone or on-line for the specific areas you are interested in. These magazines contain ads for available homes and for real estate agents and lenders promoting their services.

One caution: If you sign up by phone or on-line for a magazine to be mailed to you, they will of course ask for your address so they can send the magazine. They will also ask you for your email and phone number, which they do not need to send you the magazine. Your contact information is then distributed in many cases to the agents and lenders advertising in these magazines. If you do not want anyone to bother you with e-mails or phone calls, keep your phone number and e-mail address confidential.

For more information or to order magazines on-line:
http://www.homesandland.com
http://www.therealestatebook.com
http://www.digestofhomes.com

Magazines and Books
There are two magazines that you’ll want to check out for their informative content as well as community listings and advertisements. These magazines include Where to Retire Magazine (wheretoretire.com), and Living Southern Style (livesouth.com). Each has its own style and there are plenty of advertisers from retirement communities on the pages of each.

Last but not least, to round out your retirement bookshelf, there’s a couple other books you’ll want to check out. First, pick up a copy of The New Retirement by Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald (Rodale, 2007). This book covers a wide spectrum of retirement topics. While the book’s content is not just limited to real estate, it does include a section on recommended locations throughout the country to move to for retirement. The retirement planning forms and worksheets provided in the back of the book alone are worth the price of the book.

NBC Today Show contributor Barbara Corcoran also has a good book titled Nextville: Amazing Places to Live Your Life that covers some retirement places you may not have initially considered.

Real Estate Shows
Real estate shows are a great opportunity to check out some of the new communities without even having to set foot in the state. Home builders, developers, and real estate agents come to these shows in hopes of making a good first impression on potential buyers like you. The shows are set up so that you can wander around and stop for information at booths that look like they may be of interest to you.

Two companies that organize these shows are Live South Shows (run by the same company as the previously mentioned Living Southern Style Magazine), and Florida Lifestyle Expo. Show locations are primarily in the Northeast and Midwest U.S.

For more information on show dates and locations visit http://www.livesouthshows.com and http://www.floridaliving.org

Make a Visit
Now that you’ve gathered a bunch of information on places you think might interest you, its time to make a visit. When you visit an area, especially one you’ve never been to before, there are certain things you’ll want to look for to help you decide if this is an area you might like to live in. Using the map that came in your package from the local chamber of commerce (otherwise you should buy a local map), drive through some different parts of the community.

As you are driving, are you seeing restaurants, businesses, shopping centers and so forth that look appealing to you and that match your ideal lifestyle? Stop in at some different establishments like restaurants or shopping malls and take a look around. Ask people you come in contact with what they like or don’t like about the area. See if they have any recommendations of places to look for homes or any other relevant information they are willing to share.

Keep in mind that every city or town has its skid row. The areas around airports tend to be especially bad, so don’t turn around and get back on a plane if you haven’t ventured more than a few miles from the airport.

Drive Through Some Neighborhoods
Take a detour off the main roads and into some residential neighborhoods. Are the homes what you expected? Are people’s yards well maintained? Visit some of the new communities and model homes in the area or take a tour of some resale homes that you’ve arranged to see ahead of time with your real estate agent.

Facilities and Services
Look for the amenities that are important to you. Are there libraries nearby and are they up to date? What about medical facilities? Check to make sure an area’s cultural activities, recreation facilities, beaches and parks, golf courses, and whatever else is important to you are available at a level that will fit your needs and desires.

Make a list of your current weekly activities (garden club, rotary, church, etc.) and be sure that the area you choose provides you the opportunities to continue to do what you enjoy.

You’ve Got Visitors
Keep in mind the likes and dislikes of friends and family members who will be coming to visit. Do your kids and grandkids love the beach, or is a ten-minute drive to Disney World more important? Presumably you will want them to visit as often as possible, so get their input before deciding on a place.

One of the worst things that could happen to you during this transition to retirement life is you find your dream home, but hate to go out into the community surrounding it for lack of things to do and be a part of. Or you buy your dream home, but find that when the kids and grandkids come to visit there’s nothing fun for them to do. But this won’t happen to you as long as you do some prudent research and investigating before you make a purchase and settle in.

Photo credit: missnexus on flickr