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

oh forgot i find this realtor through internet

Hi May in Jersey,
My husband and I moved back to our home state of Michigan from South Florida (Palm Beach County) after we retired. People thought we were nuts, but its the best move we've ever made. We lived in a condo in Florida and came up to Western Michigan during the summers and worked on our house. It took three years (summers) to build. We sold our condo in the spring of the third year and finished the house that August. During construction we lived in our travel trailer on site, so hubby could just step out the door to work on the house. We paid for materials as we went along. So now we live in a very nice, new, paid-for, home in Western Michigan. Yes, we have a lot of snow in the winter, but then we're retired and don't have to go out in it if we don't want to. We love the hills, the lakes, the trees, the wildlife, and we are close to family for holidays and visiting and such. The money we got for our condo is our retirement fund. The decision to move back to Michigan was the right one for us, and we are very happy here, but the house turned out to be much bigger than our condo:-)

Wow, it's not often you see someone moving from Florida to Michigan - usually it's the other way around! :)

We just made a cross country move and must agree with Ramona. We purchased our house in February after extensive trips to the area in all kinds of weather. We had the house inspected and were even able to bring the price down based on what we found. Our land in Texas sold much faster (3 days!) than our house but we had planned ahead in case that should happen. Once the land sold, our house sold within 3 months as it was in a great area that was in much demand. Our movers were two guys we picked up and they were solid workers. We had packed most of our stuff already and they basically just had to load the truck. We also made a deal with them about stuff we were leaving behind and ended up not paying them anything in cash, as they were able to sell the items we gave them and made enough money that they didn't charge us for their labor. On this end, we called someone from Craig's List and he ended up being a good source too. We had the truck unloaded in one day and it too cost us nothing as he wanted a working television that had been left at the house and we gave him some used lumber that we had removed from the deck when we were replacing some {lots!} of boards on the deck. All in all, it was a good move. The rental trucks are murder on your back. Noisy as all get out, and you need to make sure it is in good repair because ours had transmission problems. Luckily we found out that UHaul has places that we could stop at and get things taken care of. Would we move again at age 71 and 65? Yes! The heat was getting unbearable and we wanted to be closer to our children. This year for the first time in over 10 years we will be able to celebrate the holidays with our children without someone having to make a 2500 mile trip either by car or plane. I am thankful and glad we moved even though it was a hassle.

We just did that 2 years ago...my husband always wanted to retire to a warmer climate, with some seasons and good fishing. He put in for a transfer with his job (unbeknownst to me) in May or June 2010 and received a letter on July 3 saying he was being considered.....then was notified in August that he was to report for work in Fort Smith, Arkansas on October 9, 2010. We owned a farmette in Wisconsin, with some animals, mini donkeys, horses, pygmy goats and an old farmhouse we had raised our boys and lived in for 23 years. We had an auction and attempted to sell our house and sold everything else but some personal pieces. Everything we owned fit in to an 8' x 10' POD. We loaded up our 5th wheel camper with our 2 dogs and moved south. We lived in the 5th wheel for 3 months before we found a house to our liking to purchase in Greenwood, AR at the end of December 2010....our house in Wisconsin didn't sell until February 2012....2011 was a nightmare and I had a horrible time adjusting away from the kids....if I had it to do over again I'm not sure I would..or maybe change the way I did things....I retired from a job I loved in order to retain some of the sick leave bank I had accumulated...I think I may have remained in Wisconsin and continued to work until the farmette sold and let The Hubs and his dog go south by himself until things sold....

Having moved 3,200 miles away from jobs, friends, my only chick, and 18 years of my life just two years ago, would I do it again? Maybe. You not only have to make weather and home decisions, but also what about the social aspects? We have lived here before and knew (or thought we did) what we were coming to. BUT it has been really, really difficult to be away from all our friends and our son. Even though we came here to take care of my mother and a business, it's rougher than we thought it would be. I see you live in Warren. I grew up there and I can't think of a better place to leave IMHO. Small town. Small minds. Run by a few with money. If you can get your ducks in a row and would be happy in your husband's hometown, go for it.

Hubbby wants to move back to our home state too when retires. Have been looking and telling him what wants now might not be what wants when 6 years older.

I'd put the house up for sale pronto, you can have in your contract up to 90 days after closing to vacate.
If you don't find a new home by then I would consider putting most stuff in storage and take the time to do your homework in figuring out exactly where it is that you want to live. Don't make quick decisions, take your time.

Take my advice & DO NOT DOWNSIZE. I did that 15 years ago and still regret it.

Check out the places you are considering carefully. My DH wanted to move back to the city where he was born too. If I had it to do over again there would be no way. I don't like small towns and this one has no shopping areas. I have to go from 15 to 30 miles away to get any decent stores. There isn't even a decent grocery store. Make sure the area will meet your needs before moving.

Wow, many things to think of n I think for sure we will not downsize on the house itself. Just move to be closer to family n better commnity. Here is very isolated with few stores n restaurants. To see Specialty is 1-1/2 hr drive, which dh has heart problems. To have better shopping experience, you have to drive an hr. We live out of town so we are responsible for plowing n maintaining the road. We love our house but location is wrong. We pray to see where our next step in life takes us. Thanks for all your feedbacks.

I love happy stories like yours! And I love hearing how disciplined you were to build your new house over time and to endure some hardships (living in a travel trailer) while you did it. I have no plans to move anywhere but I still dream of doing something like this....on a lake, surrounded by trees.....:).

Yours is a great success story. Glad you are so happy after achieving that particular dream!

I bought this house in 1986...it is in a rural area, and our neighbors were elderly all around us..so nice quiet neighborhood...within just a few years all of my neighbors either moved, went into nursing homes, or passed away. The neighborhood changed radically..young families, small businesses, farms got chopped up for housing complexes..traffic increased, crime increased...you can never tell..the way a neighborhood is now may be radically different 10 years later!
Having said that, I"ve been happy here for almost 30 years, but the winters are getting harder every year. I have been thinking of moving...my plan would be to sell the house and everything in it except my personal things..then put them in storage and go to the state I have chosen and rent a room in someone's home to use as a home base until I got to know the area... and through several seasons before I buy again. I think a room would be fine for me..I could work on 1 quilt at a time (LOL)..to keep me busy, and I would have a roof over my head until I decided. Also..local people will often times tell you things a realtor won't..
Oddly enough..the thought of moving and selling doesn't cause me any second thoughts or anxiety..it is time. I am looking forward to the next step..I have faith that if I take my time and enjoy each step of the process, it will all go well, and I'll find a home that I can grow old in!

I'm no help about moving, we have lived in this place for 43 years and never planning to move. This neighborhood has changed several times and is about to change again. It has gotten better with each change. Kids growing up and moving out helps too.

Good luck on your move.

I can tell you uncluttering and making your house look bigger and less crowded will sure help it sell faster.

We did that once! Never again, we bought another house then put ours on the market! We were very lucky and sold it right away, but it was stressful having two houses even though our old one was paid for and local. Just very stressful. My dh and I agreed never ever again, we will rent first. Good luck with whatever you decide.

If your dh has heart problems there are four very important things to consider about your move. What heart specialists. what size hospital and what ambulance service will be available to you with the location of the house you select to buy? Will you be able to afford to live in that home if you are a widow? We all have to plan for the future with the best advice that we can get. I hope he lives to be 100 and is rich and you can buy whatever you want, but most of us won't have that happen.

I wanted to move south and went on a real estate adventure for 2 wks in the south. I went home, looked over all literature, (I had contacted several realtors in the cities i went to. I then made a decision on a new build, they accepted a good faith deposit. I did any repairs needed to ready it for the market and it sold in 2 months. I did reduce my price some to accept an as is offer and was glad i did that.I then had to find an apartment near where the new place was being built and had stored most everything in boxes in the 2nd brdm. Everything was packed and ready to move again to the final destination. I took my sectional and recliner but next time, would sell it or donate as I ended up w/ new. Good luck on your search and move.

You sound like me! I'm in the house in which we raised 3 sons (all grown), and now I don't know how we did it, since I feel crowded! Decluttering was my primary goal when I retired but I've not been as successful as I'd hoped. I'd love a bigger house I could just move all my "keepers" into and stop struggling to rid myself of them!

If you really don't have to move; We would not recommend it. Currently; if you like where you are-stay. My DH wanted to move back to his home place and we did and IT WAS NOT WHAT IT USE TO BE....he was very diasppointed and nothing like it use to be. The old saying -you can't go back--is true. Things change so much. When we moved we had no choice in a house but had to take what we could find and it was not big enough for us. But we make do when we have to. He has been very graceous to build or rebuild the house and me a quilting room plus an area for a longarm. Please, think about 70 times before doing it. Cost and expense now is not like it use to be.

We always insist on tasting the water (we usually buy a house with a well). Flush all toilets and run water at the same time (checks out water pressure). I have made a habit of asking the realtor is there is anything about this propery that he has not disclosed...such as, any complaints of ghosts, any murder or suicide (one house had had a suicide "but it's all cleaned up now" and I just could not handle that), drug dealers in the neghborhood, landfills nearby). Found one property that had a landfill close, we were told not to worry about it. Later discovered that the covered landfill (it was all grassy and looked like a park)that had been intended for soccer fields was so contaminated that they could not let children play on it. And our water supply would have been from that area. Needless to say, we did not buy the house.

When I retire and we move, we plan to rent in the area we are interested in to see if we really like it before committing to a purchase. It means we will have to put a lot of stuff into storage, but I'd rather do that than buy and then discover we've made a mistake.

I have wanted to move back to where are kids are, so i have kept a service with one of the realtors and they send me listings daily. I keep an eye on the market and know both financially and stylewise what is available. I can keep a eye on trends, as well. When I'm ready to move i. Will hopefully have a idea where to look.

We had a slightly different situation. We have no kids and both hated our jobs. I was working to pay the mortgage on a big house in Mass. My mother died and left us a paid for condo 1/3 the size of our house in Ga. We had a huge several day yard sale to downsize, even had to give a bedroom set to charity because we couldn't sell it fast enough. We had friends in Ga so that wasn't a problem. We do miss some aspects of Mass. but don't miss the hated jobs. After 20 years, we've finally filled the condo with too much junk, but that's mostly because I'm too sick to swamp it out:).

I agree with those who say to try to sell your house first. Then move to the area for a while on a rental basis to see if you still like it. Things do change over the years and you'll need to be sure you can get the medical care you need. It will be worth while storing your furniture for a while to see if your new area works, much cheaper then buying a mistake!! And May's tips are right on the money.
Good luck whatever you decide.