Question for those of you who HAVE moved to retire.

Thanks to all of you who chimed in on this topic! Great ideas and experiences-thanks for sharing. Just wanted to let you all know that I just got back, last night, from a trip to Maine and we now own a house there! We ended up with a tiny house - even has stairs - but the location is terrific - the center of a small village just outside of Portland ME. We drove through this area 2 years ago and there wasn't much going on. I remember telling the Realtor that I didn't want to live in "cow country." Since then it has built up and Portland seems to be expanding! We are right across from one of the campuses of Univ. of Southern Maine (the quiet side), within walking distance of a half dozen restaurants, the library, hardware and supermarket. I drove through there after the closing and people were out walking, all over. The house needs some work and we plan to extend the family room to give us some more space. Our plan is to keep it for 8 -12 years then head for the CCRC in Falmouth (north of Portland). We are 10 miles from the nearest ocean but the house prices rose so fast this summer, we were priced right out of that market. So, 10 miles is still a LOT closer than we are now (in TN) Not our dream house but certainly a dream location for everyday life. We can still do the city - less than 10 miles and tons to do! Our Realtor has been terrific since she previewed it for us and we made an offer the day after it came on Realtor.com. We actually flew up and saw it for the first time at the Inspection. Best way to do it!

Just curious...what would happen if you didn't like it when you saw it during inspection? Assuming the inspection was ok would you still have been able to withdraw your offer?
 

Finally had a few minutes to check in here and to answer Grapenutpudding's question - yes, we had until the inspection to cancel our offer for ANY reason. After the inspection we could challenge any of the findings and walk away, but have to pay for the inspection. We got the house after the first couple walked away just before their inspection.

It is not our dream house but the more we look at the price and location we feel it is the best for us right now. The Realtor did a great job of sorting through what was on the market and her experience led us to this place. There was much discussion - back and forth - and we really felt she listened to us and as well as being very aware of her market. This place is under budget but needs a little work and we can walk (or VERY short drive) to so many things. Being just outside of the city, it will most likely continue to appreciate until we're ready for the CCRC. Then, this is our ticket in.
 

Finally had a few minutes to check in here and to answer Grapenutpudding's question - yes, we had until the inspection to cancel our offer for ANY reason. After the inspection we could challenge any of the findings and walk away, but have to pay for the inspection. We got the house after the first couple walked away just before their inspection.

It is not our dream house but the more we look at the price and location we feel it is the best for us right now. The Realtor did a great job of sorting through what was on the market and her experience led us to this place. There was much discussion - back and forth - and we really felt she listened to us and as well as being very aware of her market. This place is under budget but needs a little work and we can walk (or VERY short drive) to so many things. Being just outside of the city, it will most likely continue to appreciate until we're ready for the CCRC. Then, this is our ticket in.

Thanks for the response...I hope it all works out for you and that you're happy in Maine! I love the small towns there and Portland is nice too.
 

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