Maybe you are one of the many Americans who dream of moving to a perfect location where you’ll spend your retirement years. You are planning the perfect time when you will end your working days and turn them into more playful days. Have you ever considered taking a test flight to try out your dream location before you retire there? If you don’t already know the area, pack your luggage, take a trip and spend some time in your dream location before you move there.
If you are relocating for retirement, you need to remember to add in the additional expenses to your retirement planning. There are some variables with retirement relocation such as the moving expenses, housing costs, taxes, insurance, and energy bills. It’s also important to be sure you have access to quality medical care in addition to the recreational items, family, friends, amenities, restaurants, and connections you may have in the new area. Is it an area where you are going to feel safe, comfortable, be appreciated and embraced?
One way to move to your new retirement relocation with confidence is to take a test flight. Instead of doing the skydiving from a plane approach, consider making a slow and smart test flight.This test flight will help you evaluate the location and get a better feel for the culture, social, and political atmosphere of the community. This test flight can be as long or short as you need for it to be. It’s a temporary test to see if you want to spend your retirement years in your dream retirement location.
Test Flight Recommendations
Rental Properties
You can rent many homes, apartments, and spaces on a temporary basis for any amount of length. Select what is best for you based on how long you can take a test flight of the dream retirement location. This will help you be able to participate in the community and experience what real life might be like instead of diving into it with so many unknowns.
When you take on the responsibility of renting a property for an extended amount of time, you’ll be doing normal things instead of merely vacationing or visiting relatives. You won’t be entertained each moment, and you’ll even have to grocery shop and cook. You’ll have to look around town for the things you need in your life. It’s challenging to arrange a test flight because you’re not retired yet; however it is essential to experience the dream retirement area by being in it pretending to be a resident instead of a guest or tourist.
Social Media
Take advantage of social media pages and groups for the dream retirement community. Also, subscribe to any local print publications to discover more about the city. Post and ask for recommendations and information from the experts who are active on social media. They will give you an authentic perspective about the area. Participating in social media and reading local print publications can help you gain valuable information that you may not have otherwise learned until after living in the community permanently.
Perfect Realtor
As you take a test flight, be on the lookout for the ideal realtor for you. Consider making the decision early and beginning conversations about your dream retirement home. The realtor will be able to get to know you, your wishes, wants and needs which will help you get to live in the perfect dream retirement home someday. You should also be able to start viewing some homes to understand what you will need to invest to get precisely what you want in your home. This can also help you determine the exact neighborhood or location to narrow down your search so you can quickly grab the right property when the timing is perfect. Be honest with the realtor about your time frame! Don’t forget to ask for a realtor recommendation in your local social media group!
Seasonal Test Flights
If you can make it happen despite not being retired, do test flights at different times of the year. Also, if you still have a decade or so to go before retirement, make several extended visits to be sure this is the location where you want to retire. Spend time in different areas of the community to help find the place that is perfect for you. These various test flights will help you get to know the city more like a resident which will help you make an informed decision.
Retiring is a huge decision and adjustment. Selecting the best place to live after you retire that fits into your retirement budget and planning can help you enjoy your retirement to the fullest.
