Where to Buy a Retirement Home for Under $600 a Month

Live near family and friends. Any city (except perhaps Manhattan, San Francisco and Aspen) has neighborhoods where costs are lower. Home is where the heart is. Moving to another home is one of the most stressful experiences of all, one notch down the ranking from a death in the family. Moving to another town is even more stressful.

The prices mentioned in this article probably pay for homes that have health problblems, such as proximity to a highway, or mold. Car fumes kil fasl. Mold kills faster. Loneliness kills fastest.

-Sol Biderman MA 1962, Visiting Fellow, 1972-72(living two blocks from eight relatives, including two grandchilden)

Sol Biderman 12:54AM October 14, 2010

I retired to Phoenix from San Diego in 1994; by 2004 traffic, crime, pollution, and building had become intolerable; yes, it is inexpensive to live there if you are in a self contained community; but even then, as with Sun City West, an outer loop (301) was built so close to this once premier retirement community that you could hear and smell the traffic skirting Phoenix 24/7. Advisories are issued to stay inside due to air pollution. Thus, I took advantage of the then Strong real estate market and moved to San Antonio, where the pace of life seemed slower, the cost of living less, and real estate still represented good value; plus there were no state income taxes. In five years, my home has been reappraised from $176K to $246K; property taxes with my senior and homestead exemptions are reduced 20% per year and equal $100 a week. Energy and water costs average about $325 a month; not to mention telephone, internet, and cable TV. I also question where those $600 a month houses are and then you add the costs mentioned plus realize that we have only one major grocery store, HEB, unless you count Target or Walmart. Who ever did the research to help us, did not really look at the whole picture. Not to mention, that it is very difficult to find a Physician who will take medicare even if you have a supplementary policy since medicare sets the cost of your care. All in all, Seniors are losing where ever they go since we are now considered a burden on the economy. Good Luck and don't believe everything you read; do your own due diligence before you depend on another's opinion.

In the know! of TX 8:44AM October 05, 2010