Should You sell Your Home, When You age?

Many homeowners asked themselves this question, because they fear that their today’s home might not fit for their later life. How can you find a better way to enjoy your home even when you age? Is the better question and you might like the answer to this question even more.

Many adjustment can be made in your home, that will simplify your life. Think about what challenges you might have in the future. For example when you might need a walker or a wheelchair, the widening of doorways will be a good idea. You also should look into options to make your kitchen and bathrooms better usable and easy to access for your later needs.

When your bedroom is on the second floor, evaluate your options either to move your bedroom to the ground floor or install an elevator. Option one is easier and cheaper than option two. However, when you are an anxious person, you will be more comfortable with option two. For option two – elevator – you have to spend more money in the installation process and you might need a loan for the successful realization.

These are only a few ideas for your home alteration for your retirement and you should always think about what you need and what it may cost you. Before you start with such a project you should always seek the advice of a professional, so that you get best available option for your needs.

You need help and some ideas how to start? You can reach us at andrea@florida-informations.com  

 

The life begins beyond 50

In the first half of life the focus is often on having a family and providing for spouse and children. Looking for the better job and earning a good income so that everyone in the family is happy. That is the normal life in many countries but as soon as you enter the second half of your life your daily life is different when you live in Germany or in the United States.

In Germany the people start their working life circle when they left school and got their education. They often stick to their profession for decades and they are not very interested to look for different alternatives in life. The life besides the work is mostly based on hobbies, sports, vacation and a little bit community involvement. They work until they can retire with the age of 65+ and they dream from their retirement and what they would do when they get there. When they get there they are often to exhausted to try new things and stick to what they already know. That is the normal German culture of life.

In the United States the people have a different expectancy of life. In their first part of life they are already very active in their jobs and additional education is big part of their life. They are always looking for better opportunities to make a little bit additional money for retirement. Their most important interest besides the work is their home, their neighborhood and their community where they often do volunteer work. But the most important difference in this way of life is that American people are more sliding into their retirement. They have already plans and they often start the realization for their retirement dreams beyond 50 or 55.

Based on a market study the plans of the retirees in the United States include for example to sell their homes but not for downsizing purposes. They often buy a bigger home so that their family – their children and grandchildren – can come for a visit and live with them during the holidays and vacation time. They slowdown in their work life und enjoy more the life balance. Friends and community work takes over the most important interest. They offer their live experience and knowledge often to community work and projects where they meet will many other folks from different ages and different cultures.

In Fort Lauderdale for example many elderly persons are spent their time as tour guides at historical side and explain the history of the city to tourists. Such services are very much appreciated by the municipalities and they add value not only to their lives of the retirees but also to the lives of others.

You want to know more about different cultures please ask us at
andrea@florida-informations.com

Are you looking for adventures abroad?

Sometimes everybody has the dream to get on the next plane and seek a new live far away from home. Before you make this huge decision you should dig a little bit deeper into your mind and make a plan. Not every country is a good choice for such an adventure.

When you still have to work for your living, you need to find out where your specific work skill and work experience is in demand. You also have to find out what requirements apply for your dream country: do you need a visa, a health insurance, a work permit. Will you get a health insurance there or do you need to speak to an insurance person and much more.

In case that you are already in retirement, you do not need to worry about creating income and all the work related requirements. Your most important objective should be where you can live on your retirement income and where the necessary health care system is available for you. Please keep also in mind you are a guest in that foreign country and should adapt yourself to the country culture.

Based on a study about common expenses like grocery, utility, transportation and entertainment abroad, the most affordable places for retirees are countries like Nepal, India and Tunisia. These countries might not be your first choice. Countries that are often selected as abroad residence are countries like the United Kingdom and France, but these countries have much higher living expenses. The most expensive retirement locations are Switzerland and Norway.

In case you are looking for more details to this topic please contact us at info@florida-informations.com    

55+ People are on the move

The time of waiting is over for these homeowners. The people that are 55 and older stayed in their homes during the last years. During the recession and the financial crisis the house lost a big portion of its market value. When you as a homeowner have a mortgage on your property that exceeds the market value of your home you would have realized that loss and maybe have jeopardized your retirement funds. In case you as a homeowner had already paid off your mortgage and you have only equity in the home it would have been wise to sell the home either because the sale proceeds would have been much less than today.

Now it is time to make the move and sell their property. The market statistics show that movement clearly. The home sales in this specific market segment have increased by 5 points to 58 % during the last year and it is expected that this trend will last.

However, when these elder people sell their homes they need to move to a different home – either a smaller single family home or a condominium. This movement creates a demand either for a purchase or for a lease of a property in a 55+ community.

This particular market segment is constantly growing. This demographic segment of retirees and pre-retirement increases because the people are much healthier and they live longer. The live expectancy is in average 79 years and is moving upwards. All these people need a home for this portion of their lives and that makes this senior market segment very attractive for developers that focus on elder people housing projects.

You want to know more? Please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Florida’s Economy is growing

During the recession Florida was one of the hardest hit state in the United States. The state has one of the highest unemployment rates, the housing sector was a disaster, manufacturing had decrease and the tourists and visitor numbers also went down. Based on the market down turn the retirees could not afford to come down to Florida and enjoy their retirement as they had planned before the recession. This had a negative impact especially for the southwest region of Florida which is preferred for the retirement.

This hard economic time is over and each day more than 700 people move to the Sunshine State. This number adds up to more than a quarter million a year and that gives the housing market a big boost in that area. The low rate mortgage opportunity help the new retired home owners to buy a home here in the sun.
 

This new home requests helped the housing market to improve. This economic improvement also triggered new developments in the Sarasota area and the existing home value moved into a positive direction. The economic movement assisted the job market to recover and made unemployment rate to decline. However, after the more dramatic improvement of the overall economic data, this trend will go to a slower pace in the near future.

For more information contact info@florida-informations.com