Thoughts on Downsizing to another State.
 

To my surprise, my dh talked about moving back to his home state and seems to be serious about it this time. I need some feedback or suggestion about Real Estates. We have a house that we would have to sell first. Do you look for a house first? Or do you try to sell yours first? I suggest to dh that we check out some houses before we seriously consider this to be sure it's comfortable. Definitely, we must have space for our hobbies. Any suggestions or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm interested in how others have done this. Everytime we have to fix or remodel something in our house DH suggests moving to a smaller place. We need a nice size kitchen with good dining area for guests, living room, den, master bedroom, guest bedroom, sewing room for me and hobby room for his photography and a 2 car garage. Also DH wants a dry basement for his woodworking tool shop. Gee, that sounds bigger than the house we now how and nothing like anything I've seen at the active adult housing project.

depending on the real estate market in your present location... are you sure that your house will sell quickly?
if so, then go ahead and search the new location and see if you can get a contingency contract on the sale of your present home. another idea is whether you would be able to get an interim loan if you are only short a small amount for the purchase of your new home. best of luck on a happy resolution.

Its probably a good idea to see what is availabe in the area he wants to move to and see the prices they are asking for homes there. The only down side to looking at houses first before your's sells is if you fall in love with one...it may not still be available when your home sells.

rheck out the new area so you know what a home will cost, talk with a local Realtor to see what your place is worth and then, if you can afford to do it - go for it!

Both times that we have moved, we sold our existing house first. We wanted to be free and clear to buy the next house and not have to juggle closings, moving, etc.. It does mean extra moving of the belongings but in the end I think it was a less stressful situation for us and both times we were able to search for a new house at our leisure and both times we found a great new house.
During our move to a new state last spring we intended on downsizing but like May In Jersey said it is just not practical for us. We bought a house with guest rooms and a great 'suite' for my sewing hobby. Real estate is not more expensive in NV than in MN so it was not a financial difficulty to buy here.
We are now totally settled and having a great time with our hobbies, traveling, and enjoying life!

Best wishes to you in starting your new life!

I learned an expensive lesson when I was younger. I was transferred to another state and had to list my house for sale. The realtor and I accepted an offer on my house and a couple of weeks before the deal closed I put money down on a house where I had relocated and also had paid the appraisal fee. Three days before the money was to be deposited from my house sale, the lender discovered the buyers had lied on their credit application. The deal fell through and I lost half of the money I had put down on the house I was going to purchase. Since then I have waited for $$$ to actually be in my bank account, rented a place to live and then looked for a new home.

Moving to another state
 

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What I suggested to my kids, was to actually GO there, more than once. And in every weather pattern,
summer, winter, spring and fall. The spring and fall wouldn't be too bad, but some places have such a
nasty weather that older folks simply can not exist there in good health, mainly in winter. But since this
is HIS home state, I'll assume that you both have visited it often, so you pretty much should know all
about the weather there. Then check with the local police to find out if this street or area have more
than their own share of police calls, and what most of them are for!!! Don't want to wind up next door
to a drug dealer. And this happens in "good" neighborhoods too!!

THEN visit that neighborhood several times, for a week running. And don't forget the week ends, when
herds of kids can rampage through the neighborhood and cause a lot of damage. And evenings, week
end evenings might be a horrid shock to those of us who like a quiet neighborhood.

Another suggestion...insist on 2 (TWO) inspections, from different companies. Lots of people have
been suckered into buying a lovely looking wreck, and having to shell out masses of dough for repairs.
Personally, what I would love to have is a house built BY a contractor, FOR himself. That way it should
be a darn good house with good bones and good quality materials.

As for selling first, you must make up your mind if or if not you are going to move. Getting uncluttered
will make your life easier, staying or going. And you will have far less to move, thus saving a lot of
money. Then it might be a good idea to rent for a few weeks or months in the new area. You might
possibly change your minds. Living in an area where you grew up as a strong young person, might
or might not fit in with our aging bodies...snow is fun when we are young, but now I would not like to
live around it. Visit, yes, that I'd love to do, but not ever live there again.

And as for the moving, I'd strongly suggest that on that day, you get hold of one or two cameras and
take careful, VERY careful pictures of all your furniture that is carried out, with good, clear pictures of
the men doing this. As well as pictures of the empty house with a clear view of that days' newspaper
to prove later that you left the house clean and empty, and with all the plumbing and wiring complete.
Since we have masses of cops in our family, we've all heard horror stories about such things.

Good luck...
Good luck, and let us know what happens.

I agree with much of what Ramona has to say. I'd like to eventually move to a different state/area as well. My thoughts on the process are to rent our current home for at least a year as well as to rent in the area I'd like to relocate for at least that long as well. I want to be able to check out specific areas and neighborhoods for the issues that Ramona mentions as well as others so that when we make that 'final' purchase, we know it's the correct one. I only want to be 2-3 hours south of where we currently are so renting our existing home would not be overly cumbersome. Then again, there are realtors that are willing/able to provide an 'overseeing' service for your rental properties as well if distance is an issue. Those expenses are tax deductible to offset any income you may have from the rental income. Do be sure to check out the area thoroughly. Traffic noise/voume may also be an issue for you - it will be for me so that is something else to think about. Pets/visitors? Lots of considerations which is why I want to rent for an extended period to make sure we're making the best decision for US.

right now i have looking at homes in aother state i live in ca but relocationing to az brfore my husband retires ,im checking a listing daily with a realtor from az, she knows what i, looking for ,just check with a realtor in your husband,s state and area where you what in live ,theyll take from there on for you .hope this helps