Have you or do you plan to move away from DMV in retirement?

[Anonymous]

Wondering if I'd be happy moving back to my hometown after being in the DMV for 2+ decades. Most of my friends in my hometown also left, so we'd mostly, but not entirely, be starting over socially. Part of me thinks that could be a good thing to have a fresh start. Also, while we know a lot of people in the DMV, we really don't socialize all that much, so we don't really see them that often anyway.

In an ideal world, maybe we'd have two places, but the point of moving away would be largely financial since cost of living is definitely better where I grew up.

Would love to hear about others' experiences with this.

[Anonymous]

My DH and I have always talked about moving "somewhere warmer" in retirement. His preference, not mine. We visited FL multiple times, checking out different areas each time. Came to the conclusion FL is not for us. DH is 66 and 10 yrs ago I think we thought he would have retired right around now, but he was promoted to SES a couple of years ago, and he enjoys his job, and a lot of the folks we have watched retire seem relatively miserable, so he's still working and no plans to retire in the near future. I'm younger than he is by quite a bit, and can't imagine ever not having a job, but I can do my work from anywhere.

I like the idea of going west -- Sedona, Taos, that kind of vibe, but those areas are expensive, and one of the reasons we'd move is to lower expenses. So -- I don't know. I very much thought we would have figured this out by now. If it were up to me, we'd just sell our house and move to our second, much smaller, home on the Shenandoah River and live there -- but DH has this need for "warmer." He truly hates winter. You know what I hate? Having no idea where I'm going to end up living. But that's marriage -- a series of compromises.

I can tell you what I wouldn't do under any circumstances -- move to my "hometown." No thanks. It's cold there anyway, so DH wouldn't do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I have always talked about moving "somewhere warmer" in retirement. His preference, not mine. We visited FL multiple times, checking out different areas each time. Came to the conclusion FL is not for us. DH is 66 and 10 yrs ago I think we thought he would have retired right around now, but he was promoted to SES a couple of years ago, and he enjoys his job, and a lot of the folks we have watched retire seem relatively miserable, so he's still working and no plans to retire in the near future. I'm younger than he is by quite a bit, and can't imagine ever not having a job, but I can do my work from anywhere.

I like the idea of going west -- Sedona, Taos, that kind of vibe, but those areas are expensive, and one of the reasons we'd move is to lower expenses. So -- I don't know. I very much thought we would have figured this out by now. If it were up to me, we'd just sell our house and move to our second, much smaller, home on the Shenandoah River and live there -- but DH has this need for "warmer." He truly hates winter. You know what I hate? Having no idea where I'm going to end up living. But that's marriage -- a series of compromises.

I can tell you what I wouldn't do under any circumstances -- move to my "hometown." No thanks. It's cold there anyway, so DH wouldn't do it.

Have your DH look up where heat trends are going and the next heat wave in the DMV remind him that "warmer" in winter means unbearable summer --and sometimes spring and fall too in these places. I used to want to move somewhere warmer too but after experiencing what extreme heat feels like and seeing the predictions going up--no more. I'll stay temperate and maybe just plan an airbnb month somewhere warm each winter.

[Anonymous]

Florida and other places have gotten very expensive last 4 years. To the point moving at 67 makes little sense.

My brother bought a place in Florida for 550k in 2018 but did not sell his NY house till 2023 which he got 1.1 million.

Today his Florida place is now worth 1.1 million. A doubling of price.

At this point it would make more sense for me to keep my DMV house and buy a two bedroom condo in an older building for 300k cash.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, on a MCPS teacher pension, we have to move outside the country to live reasonably well.

[Anonymous]

We are considering moving to an even more expensive COL area to be closer to my parents. It gives me a lot of anxiety about our finances in retirement.

[Anonymous]

Plan to move south, 10 yrs to go til retirement to save on housing but prices are creeping up but I'll be close to family we'll see....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida and other places have gotten very expensive last 4 years. To the point moving at 67 makes little sense.

My brother bought a place in Florida for 550k in 2018 but did not sell his NY house till 2023 which he got 1.1 million.

Today his Florida place is now worth 1.1 million. A doubling of price.

At this point it would make more sense for me to keep my DMV house and buy a two bedroom condo in an older building for 300k cash.

Not to mention that many FL homes have astronomical insurance costs or are uninsurable at any price with no end in sight.

[Anonymous]

Hoping to keep a condo in DC and move between US and EU depending on the season.
When I'm tired of traveling, I will buy a house in EU and stay put.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, we bought our house from a woman who was retiring and wanted to move back to her midwest hometown. Two years later she was back and inquired if we'd be interested in selling back to her (no!). Hometown had changed, friends moved away, she missed her life here.

Right now I think the only reason we'd leave DMV full time in retirement is if both kids settle elsewhere. But DS at least seems likely to stay in the area and I don't have any desire to leave my friends, volunteer commitments, church, etc. for any reason other than being close to kids/grandkids. I would, however, consider downsizing our home and get a 2nd place for summers in a non-swamp-like area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, we bought our house from a woman who was retiring and wanted to move back to her midwest hometown. Two years later she was back and inquired if we'd be interested in selling back to her (no!). Hometown had changed, friends moved away, she missed her life here.

Right now I think the only reason we'd leave DMV full time in retirement is if both kids settle elsewhere. But DS at least seems likely to stay in the area and I don't have any desire to leave my friends, volunteer commitments, church, etc. for any reason other than being close to kids/grandkids. I would, however, consider downsizing our home and get a 2nd place for summers in a non-swamp-like area.

Yep, you can't step in the same river twice and you can't go back home again.

[Anonymous]

We moved way before retirement because we realized we hated the DMV. We moved to NYC, where DH hadn't lived before but had spent a lot of time, and I'd lived in Queens, so nearby.

[Anonymous]

We have moved to the Portland, Maine area and couldn't be happier. Do not miss the swamp one bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I have always talked about moving "somewhere warmer" in retirement. His preference, not mine. We visited FL multiple times, checking out different areas each time. Came to the conclusion FL is not for us. DH is 66 and 10 yrs ago I think we thought he would have retired right around now, but he was promoted to SES a couple of years ago, and he enjoys his job, and a lot of the folks we have watched retire seem relatively miserable, so he's still working and no plans to retire in the near future. I'm younger than he is by quite a bit, and can't imagine ever not having a job, but I can do my work from anywhere.

I like the idea of going west -- Sedona, Taos, that kind of vibe, but those areas are expensive, and one of the reasons we'd move is to lower expenses. So -- I don't know. I very much thought we would have figured this out by now. If it were up to me, we'd just sell our house and move to our second, much smaller, home on the Shenandoah River and live there -- but DH has this need for "warmer." He truly hates winter. You know what I hate? Having no idea where I'm going to end up living. But that's marriage -- a series of compromises.

I can tell you what I wouldn't do under any circumstances -- move to my "hometown." No thanks. It's cold there anyway, so DH wouldn't do it.

Have your DH look up where heat trends are going and the next heat wave in the DMV remind him that "warmer" in winter means unbearable summer --and sometimes spring and fall too in these places. I used to want to move somewhere warmer too but after experiencing what extreme heat feels like and seeing the predictions going up--no more. I'll stay temperate and maybe just plan an airbnb month somewhere warm each winter.

He knows this, lol. Thanks for the deep insight though.

[Anonymous]

I plan to move to somewhere in the Rockies once I have f u money. I’d keep a simple condo along Conn Ave or Wisconsin Ave for when I come back for the shoulder months