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Thread: How to decide where to live

  1. #91
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Catherine, I believe you need to keep looking. Leased property? Is that common in Vermont?

    I think you need a little more space (but what do I know?) I see pros and cons in both houses, but I bet you can find something that comprises what you want--with civilization included.

    If I were to choose, it would be the first one, I think. I like the leafy privacy. It reminds me of the first house I lived in, on a street called the Ridge Trail on the Oregon Coast. And I'm a fool for water views; I proved that when I bought a house that had one.

  2. #92
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinkytoe View Post
    Another thing to consider (though we'd all rather not) is how we would get on in the place we choose if...we lost our significant other. I think I think too much
    I already think about that. I would jettison all real estate if Dh died and buy something appropriate to my new situation.Alsthough it is possible that I would hang on to our current house, dont know.

    It is far more difficult to decide about real estate when he, or I, become physically frail, and gradually fade in effectiveness.

    Dont you think I have thought about him dying and then "his" side of the garden space is also mine? We are always in competitin for space.
    Last edited by iris lilies; 8-23-17 at 1:44pm.

  3. #93
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    Catherine, I believe you need to keep looking. Leased property? Is that common in Vermont?

    I think you need a little more space (but what do I know?) I see pros and cons in both houses, but I bet you can find something that comprises what you want--with civilization included.

    If I were to choose, it would be the first one, I think. I like the leafy privacy. It reminds me of the first house I lived in, on a street called the Ridge Trail on the Oregon Coast. And I'm a fool for water views; I proved that when I bought a house that had one.
    Yeah, the "leased" thing is a problem for me. The first one is on owned land, which makes it a plus. And leased land is not common at all in Vermont--I believe just maybe in areas like Malletts Bay where investors had the foresight to buy up land and then collect the "leasing fees" from people. Some of the leased land is fairly risk-free--i.e. 20 or 40 year leases. But in other cases, leased land really puts you at risk. There was an article and video in the local newspaper how homes owned by generations of families were destroyed after the landowners evicted the families.

    And yes, to your point, and also, IL's point, the space thing would be a challenge, but the idea is to DOWNsize. How can I save money if I expect to live in 2,000 sq feet forever?? I would love to just pull the trigger and get rid of the crap that's polluting my garage and basement. But, you have a point. I'll report back on our reconnaissance tour.
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  4. #94
    Senior Member herbgeek's Avatar
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    My brother's cottage (in Milton) is on leased land. The original family owned a whole big parcel with waterfront, and has collected rent from a whole bunch of folks, at least since I was a kid.

  5. #95
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by herbgeek View Post
    My brother's cottage (in Milton) is on leased land. The original family owned a whole big parcel with waterfront, and has collected rent from a whole bunch of folks, at least since I was a kid.
    Yup. I remember you talking about Milton, and I'd be willing to look there. Looks like the only houses in Milton on Lake Champlain are way above my budget. I'm sure that the leased land thing is really about being able to get a cheap summer cottage if you're the lessee, and being able to charge a good amount of money for the lot, if you're the lessor.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  6. #96
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by catherine View Post

    ...And yes, to your point, and also, IL's point, the space thing would be a challenge, but the idea is to DOWNsize. How can I save money if I expect to live in 2,000 sq feet forever??...
    sigh, just last night I talked with my 67 year old friend who, still working, cant live on her Social Security income. She also must have a downsized retirement house between 1500 and 2000 sq ft. She "must" have it because she WANTS it. It is just her in the household of 3,000 sq ft, no one else but she has 5 dogs, none of them small. She doesnt maintain the house she has, it needs a lot of work.

    I talked to her about costs of maintenance but she doesnt recognize it. She also wants acreage, around 5 acres. This is someone who never does any exercising, ever. She walks from her house to her car, that is it.

    She will have to hire out all work. It makes no sense to me.

  7. #97
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    Iris lilies, it does not make sense but is so very common. My mother in law always said she wanted to live way out in the country. But she needed a lot of services to even live in the town in a tiny house. The two did not mesh at all. Thankfully, we got her here in a senior apartment where she has or can get all the services she could need until a nursing home or hospice.

  8. #98
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinkytoe View Post
    Another thing to consider (though we'd all rather not) is how we would get on in the place we choose if...we lost our significant other. I think I think too much
    Not at all, pinkytoe. That's an important consideration in discussing any long-term/"forever" home.

    Friends of ours are looking at relocating somewhere in the northern Midwest in the next year or two. He's about 15 years older than she is. He has to be within commuting distance of a branch of the company at which he works. She can work at home. She has some serious chronic illnesses. He himself has back issues serious enough to miss work for days sometimes. They'd like some "acreage".She doesn't want to drive, so they can't be too far from town. So how much space -- which she really cannot care for and which he will have to manage, work schedule and back pain permitting -- do they go for? How far out do they move, away from "amenities", medical specialists -- and family? Does such a property exist for the money they have to spend on it?

    It's a juggling act. And, while it's a little early for them at their age, they do need to think about one of them being in the house solo, particularly her. They're smart to consider this before spending what money they have on a property that may not be easy to unload at anything resembling its purchase price.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  9. #99
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    When I went to visit my aunts and cousins in CT a couple of weeks ago, I as marveling at my aunt/cousin's home (I'm always marveling at it. It's just gorgeous. It was a nursery/landscapt business--they have a ton of land, several outbuildings, and a huge farmhouse. They BEGGED me to stay because no one occupies at least half of the house.

    A few years ago, they were afraid they'd have to sell. My cousin teaches piano lessons. My aunt had retired from her electrolysis business. They had no money and it was hard to come up with the property taxes. So after exploring downsizing, they decided on a reverse mortgage. Once my aunt dies, I don't know what my cousin will do. She said that the reverse mortgage can keep her there for a long time, maybe the rest of her life. I've heard reverse mortgages are a bad deal financially, but in her case, it might be the best option.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  10. #100
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    But there's quite a difference between 750 sq ft and 2000. Maybe split the difference and shoot for 1375? That's about the ideal size for me, so maybe I'm projecting...

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