If You Could Be A "Snowbird", Would You And Where?

ClassicRockr

ClassicRockr

Well-known Member
Well, we'd have a home in northern Colorado for the summer and a home in ? for the winter. Doubt very seriously that the "?" would be in Florida, since that's the state we want out of. From what I understand, any "Snowbirds" in Colorado have a winter home in either Las Vegas or Phoenix, but those two cities are extremely crowded with their share of crime.

Of course, the finances would definitely have to be there to support both, as well as descent enough health to travel and physically upkeep both. We know two couples that are Snowbirds and, sooner or later, they will have to make the decision on which house to live in full-time and what to do with the other. They will either have to live in a snow area, as in lower Michigan for one couple, or the mountain area of PA for the other couple or stay full-time here in Florida and endure the summer weather here.

I really do wonder how long a Senior couple can stay as Snowbirds?​
 

No; I have no desire to own two homes and worry about the one that's vacant for months. We own a motorhome and can travel anywhere we choose, but we don't like to be gone for more than a couple of weeks at a time. Content to just bloom where I'm planted.
 
Me too!

I have no desire to clean two houses!

I would rather invest the vacation home money and use the dividends/interest to travel to new destinations at any time of the year.
 

We have lived in Florida for a total of 30 years and another 14 in Arizona. We have known many snowbirds, and they very commonly get tired of maintaining 2 homes. Most often they sell the one where they keep the snow shovel.
In Arizona we knew some people who were snowbirds without leaving the state. They wintered in the valley outside of Phoenix and went to the high country in summer. There are a number of nice active retirement communities outside of Phoenix and in other parts of Arizona.
 
​We will be staying put. My husband's cousin (age 64) and his wife are going to start permanently road tripping. They bought one of those huge RV's and plan to travel the country. I have heard of many people doing that, but I never had a nomadic type of personality. My husband said he is not surprised his cousin is doing this.
 
We spent winters in Florida for 16 years. Never bought a place there and never considered it. We're southern coastal New Englanders and are surrounded by family here, and would never leave for any reason - -weather, finances, you name it!

We only stayed at two different places (in Florida) during those 16 years - -both nice little apartments and when we would leave in the spring we would reserve it for the following year. Never headed south 'til after the New Year as we wouldn't choose to miss the family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We're getting ready to head north and spend the month of Sept. at our daughter's cottage in Maine. We still spend a month or so each spring and fall up there and have been doing so for the past 20 years, courtesy of she and her husband.
 
Pixelfun said:
We are considering doing this. Probably Florida.
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Might want to rethink the "Florida" thing. If living here in the so-called "Florida winter" months, have to live in mid-state or south, because the northern/northeastern part of the state can get might cold in the winter. We were totally stunned at how cold it can get. We live in northeastern Florida, aka Jacksonville, and it does get cold here. The crime in this city is pretty high as well.

If you plan on staying in Florida during a summer, it will definitely be heat and high humidity.
 
DaveA said:
We spent winters in Florida for 16 years. Never bought a place there and never considered it. We're southern coastal New Englanders and are surrounded by family here, and would never leave for any reason - -weather, finances, you name it!

We only stayed at two different places (in Florida) during those 16 years - -both nice little apartments and when we would leave in the spring we would reserve it for the following year. Never headed south 'til after the New Year as we wouldn't choose to miss the family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We're getting ready to head north and spend the month of Sept. at our daughter's cottage in Maine. We still spend a month or so each spring and fall up there and have been doing so for the past 20 years, courtesy of she and her husband.
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How did you "reserve" the apartment? Don't you have to pay monthly rent on the apartment, whether you are in it or not? Have never heard of "reserving an apartment".
 
ClassicRockr said:
Well, we'd have a home in northern Colorado for the summer and a home in ? for the winter. Doubt very seriously that the "?" would be in Florida, since that's the state we want out of. From what I understand, any "Snowbirds" in Colorado have a winter home in either Las Vegas or Phoenix, but those two cities are extremely crowded with their share of crime.

Of course, the finances would definitely have to be there to support both, as well as descent enough health to travel and physically upkeep both. We know two couples that are Snowbirds and, sooner or later, they will have to make the decision on which house to live in full-time and what to do with the other. They will either have to live in a snow area, as in lower Michigan for one couple, or the mountain area of PA for the other couple or stay full-time here in Florida and endure the summer weather here.

I really do wonder how long a Senior couple can stay as Snowbirds?​
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I have read your posts for a while. You almost always talk about leaving your hated State of Florida and moving to Colorado. I'm curious: Are you just wistful, with your desire to escape Florida and move to Colorado, or are you, in fact, taking real actions to escape The Sunshine State? I ask because I want out of Texas, at least for its hellish summers, but I will need to do a great deal of things to actually leave here. I've been talking about moving to Colorado for over thirty-five years, yet here I am, still in Austin.
 
ClassicRockr said:
How did you "reserve" the apartment? Don't you have to pay monthly rent on the apartment, whether you are in it or not? Have never heard of "reserving an apartment".
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We didn't find it unusual. Both of the places where we stayed, over the years allowed us the same arrangement. A lot of seasonal rentals if look look closely. I have no idea who lived in the apartment during the rest of the year and truthfully didn't care.

We became good friends with the owner and were invited to their home for meals a few times and they dined with us at the small apartment on a couple of occasions. We used to store some of our belongings in his garage rather than carrying them back and forth each year. When we left for the last time, we took a few of our things and told him to offer the rest to any of his tenants that might make use of them. We still stay in touch via phone, etc.
 
treeguy64 said:
I have read your posts for a while. You almost always talk about leaving your hated State of Florida and moving to Colorado. I'm curious: Are you just wistful, with your desire to escape Florida and move to Colorado, or are you, in fact, taking real actions to escape The Sunshine State? I ask because I want out of Texas, at least for its hellish summers, but I will need to do a great deal of things to actually leave here. I've been talking about moving to Colorado for over thirty-five years, yet here I am, still in Austin.
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I would have moved to Colorado or Wyoming in a heartbeat when we were younger, but I could never convince my husband to leave Texas. He has absolutely ZERO interest in living anywhere there are harsh winters. (In Houston we get 3 days of "winter" and run the a/c at Christmastime. :D) So vacationing in the western states is the best of both worlds for us; we own a nice RV and it's fun to hit the road. Also nice to come back home.
 
Manatee said:

In Arizona we knew some people who were snowbirds without leaving the state. They wintered in the valley outside of Phoenix and went to the high country in summer. There are a number of nice active retirement communities outside of Phoenix and in other parts of Arizona.
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That's what I plan on doing, although I won't be in a retirement community.
 
treeguy64 said:
I have read your posts for a while. You almost always talk about leaving your hated State of Florida and moving to Colorado. I'm curious: Are you just wistful, with your desire to escape Florida and move to Colorado, or are you, in fact, taking real actions to escape The Sunshine State? I ask because I want out of Texas, at least for its hellish summers, but I will need to do a great deal of things to actually leave here. I've been talking about moving to Colorado for over thirty-five years, yet here I am, still in Austin.
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We lived in Colorado, first in an apartment and then in a house, 28 miles south of Denver, for 5 1/2 years. Actually we moved there from So California in mid 2002. We were both originally from the snow areas of southeastern Michigan (wife) and northeastern Indiana (me), so we already knew what "winter" was about. Due to stupid thinking, we moved out of Colorado in late 2007.

We visited the areas we are serious about moving to a few weeks ago. We already knew we missed a number of things about Colorado and visiting northern Colorado just confirmed it more. We visited, and moved, to Jacksonville area due to all the water for boating, but just don't like Jacksonville or Florida anymore...…..and we've been to Orlando, Tampa and down to Key West. Just not our "cup of tea" anymore.

So, other than taking a week and visiting, which also meant going to a rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we are currently packing more and more things up. Only have one picture hanging on a wall. All other packed up. Wife is going thru bins of things and either trashing or will give to Goodwill. We have a folder made boat storage areas, regular storage areas, post office and other things we will need to contact before we move. We are getting some medical stuff done, while wife still has her descent paying full-time job. I need cataract surgery and hearing aids, before we move. Our current plan is to leave in May of next year, barring any unforeseen problems.

So, yes, we are making plans and doing things to make the move happen. We just aren't nearly as happy here as we would be there and that was proved to us when we visited.
 
Regarding having 2 homes. We had a beautiful cottage for many years but what I really got tired of is having 2 homes. You are always driving from one to the other. We have sold the cottage, sold the home & have become apartment dwellers where we pay the rent. With money in the bank, we are much happier than when we owned 2 homes. I think that having it homes & loving it is a myth. Life is too short.
 
I would also be a "Sunbird." I hate the hot, humid summers in this area. I'd head for my former home area, the glorious Pacific Northwest. And no, it doesn't rain all the time, at least not in the summer.
 

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