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We’re both 67. I’m healthy, but my wife has 3 autoimmune diseases and wants to get out of the 2-story house we’ve had for 30 years to be closer to one of the kids.


I’m thinking instead of reinvesting the money from the house sale to a much smaller dwelling (out of reality because of needs and cost) it’d make sense to hold onto that and find a modest apartment rental up to $1,300/mo., do a one-year lease and reassess after that. We live in Florida, no income tax, and could move to areas with higher income and property taxes.


Thoughts?

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I would rent, get a lay of the land, then decide about buying or not.
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Reply to MeDolly
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1300 for a two bedroom in an expensive market is not realistic.
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Reply to PeggySue2020
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I'm wondering about capital gains tax if you rent. There is a $250k single or $500k exclusion. Best to ask a professional.
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Reply to Pencarl
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I think the answer is different for everyone, but we downsized and moved closer to our sons and their families last year. It is a much more expensive market, but we were fortunate enough to find a smaller home in a 55+ community with an HOA (no yard work). Paid a little less for our new home than the old one we sold, so we were able to bank the difference. We love living in a neighborhood with people our own age, and close enough for our children and grandchildren to visit. Seems with home prices continually increasing, your own home is a golden asset, but then again, there are HOA costs and property taxes, etc. to consider. The pattern in this neighborhood seems to be to live in these smaller homes as long as you are able, then as you age, sell your home, and downsize even more to independent living, assisted living, or whatever your needs become. The homes in this neighborhood usually sell within 2 days.
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Reply to Lee188
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Ask your son(s) who live in the area.
Ask them or you contact a realtor in their area.
You contact a realtor in their area.
Find out what the current market rates are for rentals.

Due to our current regime, I mean government, you cannot depend on ANY tax breaks as he is changing the laws of the land, Congress required approved or not.

Gena / Touch Matters
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Reply to TouchMatters
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JuliaH May 25, 2025
Please keep politics out of the forum. There's enough issues here without being fear mongered about SS and Medicare,nothing is going to change these programs.
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Big, something else to consider as to location is to what degree are there the specialists she absolutely needs to see and what it will be like to actually become a regular patient for each AND if they participate in your health insurance coverage. Even if her old docs do a referral there could be a lag time.

My hubs has an autoimmune plus a rare disease and for more fun retinal issues. So lots of specialists seen on a very regular basis. Our PCP really is just the wheelhouse for CC of all the others office visits, doctors notes and lab reports. We are in a city with 2 separate medical schools and their separate teaching hospitals / Health Science Centers. Even so there is a 6-10 month wait to have an initial visit with a rheumatologist. A real board certified trained rheumatologist. His rheumatologist takes a narrow group of health insurance and is not on any Advantage Plans (hubs works so we are on employer sponsored coverage). Over & over you hear the phone ring and staff is saying “no, this office does not take XYZ, no I cannot tell you who does”. When he has had his eye surgeries, the vast majority of those in the waiting room for both surgery done in a full-on hospital and at a day surgery center had driven from hours away as they simply had no specialist in their area. Like they had to come in the night before surgery, get a hotel for a couple of nights AND then do the drive again for post op visits. It was t this was a choice they made but more there were no other choices. In talking to others, not only did they have zero trained specialists many had zero actual internal medicine doctors and their primary was a family practice docs. (No shade to family medicine guys, but they are not what an internist is). If you live rural, it’s really a pitiful health care provider landscape; even in smaller towns and cities it can be as well.

If your bride has complex care, please pls look into all that b4 you decide on a move. If she’s apt to use an ER/ED, look to see what the emergency departments type/ratings are for the hospitals as well.
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Reply to igloo572
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You're fairly young - like myself and my husband. We chose to rent for a couple of years in order to see where we should settle: avoid problem neighborhoods, be nearer to good hospitals and doctors, near to stores and "things" we like. Seems reasonable to something similar. Use your "rental time" to assess those options as well as how much time your son and his family can spend with you. If they are not available enough to help on a regular basis, you could get away with living a little farther from them.
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Reply to Taarna
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Don’t guess go see a financial advisor to work out wots best fur you now plus xx years down the line
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Reply to Jenny10
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Look at some over-55 continuum-of-care communities. Florida has a lot of nice ones. In a place like that, wife would have neighbors and organizations to help her, and stepped-up care when she needs it. You'd have lots of people to enjoy the amenities with if wife doesn't feel like being active. You could either rent or buy.
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Reply to Fawnby
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I would suggest you go to a financial planner and plan your options. Whether to invest in a new house versus rent and keep the old, matters a lot on the value and the types of other assets you have (e.g. IRAs, roth, 401ks, pensions, annuities, brokerage accounts, other real estate, etc.) It also matters if you have Long Term Care insurance and the state you live in. Your medical insurance options and coverage might also change if you move cities.

Also, before you move to be closer to one of the kids, be realistic and have an open and honest talk with them. What are your expectations of them should you become ill? Will they be able to (or want to) step up to the responsibility? Are they likely to move away? You might find that you would be better off moving to a senior community that you invest in, or renting in a senior living center.

As for the "expensive market"...don't let that be your guide. The reason for the "expensive market" could be the quality of the education (good if you are thinking of renting to young families), the weather, the quality of health care professionals, etc. You instead might want to think about the opportunities that you and your wife have for social outlet, the "safety" of the neighborhood, the availability of potential volunteer jobs, the choice of food, etc.

I'd consult a independent financial planner and see what they have to say.
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Reply to ChoppedLiver
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