There Are Creative Choices For Senior Housing Now

Housing during retirement is a major issue that requires thought.

By JIM PURCELL

Sustainability is the key to succeeding in retirement. I was born in 1966, so there was not this solid sense of what should be done when thinking about retirement. My mother and father were both in good union jobs, and they bought an affordable house in the Jersey suburbs at a time when housing was pretty cheap compared to their take-home pays. Success was very attainable.

Through the years, the housing my parents bought, like so many others, accrued a lot more value. When they eventually sold it, since it was free and clear, and combined with their pensions and Social Security -- well, there was not a lot of drama about retirement. They could financially afford to retire.

Alright, flash-forward 30-plus years. There are no unions. There are darn few pensions anyone has anymore and Social Security has not kept pace with the economy when it comes to the cost of living. I lost my housing due to a job loss and a relationship break-up and I have been a renter ever since. However, there is hope: Because, when retirement is re-examined in a 21st century light, retirement can still be done. The word for this century is 'sustainability.'

'The 'tried-and-true' version of retirement may well work for some, but not for others.'

Like many parents, mine could have opted to sell their place in New Jersey and find a smaller home in a gated community in Florida. Hindsight being 20/20 they should have done it. That was then and this is now. There are alternatives to renting, and that, of course, is buying. The "Tiny Home Movement" is something to take a look at.

One example of a "Tiny Home"

Tiny Homes will not be for everyone: Some of them are actually built on wheels while others are constructed like homes...just smaller. If someone were to buy a small patch of property in a state (like North Carolina, for instance) where property taxes are easy enough to live with then there is value there. The same can be said for mobile homes, which lack a regular home's price point, but these days are just as presentable and comfortable as brick and mortar homes. Again, the bullet to duck here is monthly park fees and the like. Whether it is a monthly park fee, a monthly rent or a monthly mortgage -- the terrible word in this equation is 'monthly.' Owning one's own residence is a must for real sustainability in retirement. OK, so there isn't the same amount of money out there as there was a half-century ago -- that is the time to be more innovative and not less.

One example of a double-wide mobile home

A landlord is always a landlord, and the best landlord in the world still owns the property you call home and that is no way to live in this world. The 'tried-and-true' version of retirement may well work for some, but not for others. I am one of those 'others' and I am pretty sure I am not alone.

Where each of us lives allows us a great amount of the lifestyle we either choose to live or choose to not live. I am not ready to be a renter for the rest of my days and live in a way where my income will be so restrictive that my life in retirement is just as complicated as my working life. So, while I have not decided which option I will personally use, I know this -- I am only going to spend my money once and not 12 times a year.

The average construction costs for a Tiny Home is $20,000. This is not including utility hook-ups or any of that -- just the average cost for building a tiny home. Generally, Tiny Homes run between 325 and 700 feet from what I can tell.

The average price of a new, double-wide manufactured mobile home ranges between $37,000 and $73,600. Of course, in the used market, depending on the shape of the mobile home, its location and several other factors, that price will change downward.

What will not change is this: States that have the lowest property taxes include: New Hampshire, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Texas, Nebraska and Michigan, to name a few. Meanwhile, states with no property taxes include: Hawaii, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia, among others.

I say this all the time to other people looking into retirement: Just because you have lived someplace your whole life does not mean it was meant for you in retirement. Looking at things from a strictly financial dynamic, it makes no sense to buy any real-estate in my home state of New Jersey and attempt retirement. In fact, New Jerseyians that spend their retirement years here find someplace where the dollar does not stretch very far and the notion of actually buying property here with the state's high tax rate makes it impractical to find that last home.

Yes, there are government programs to help seniors. However, I think this administration, in particular, has brought into the light that every single government housing program can be wiped away with one administration's disapproval. Yet, where we live in retirement, and whether we retire in dignity or not, is still the main concern for retired persons. So, no, I choose not to put my faith in senior renting initiatives or anything like that. It has been proven they can dry up and blow away without so much as a warning. I am going to to make my own way and install solar onto anywhere I end up buying.

The world has changed. I have very fond memories of younger days and better ways. But, those days reside solidly along Memory Lane and that isn't an address I can live on. So, I am finding the best way for me in this world. It is said that seniors are among our most vulnerable populations. Implicit in such a statement is that there will be some regard by younger people for the welfare of older people. I think my generation and a little older knows it is better to take our chances with our own talent, skill and creativity in the long run than handing over our individual futures to people who are not us.

Thanks, and if anyone has any questions or want some websites to check out, feel free to e-mail me at thepurcellchronicles@gmail.com. 

RETIREMENT: A revolution for me

I started my retirement not so long ago. No, I am not rich, but I am holding my own and I do not think things will get worse, I think they will only get better. But, I am incredibly done with the world and its mayhem and nonsense.

If I retire and change nothing about myself or the world around me, why the hell do I need to retire? I've already dug myself into an early grave in my working life. I'm already disabled from doing my best out there, and I am lucky enough to get out of the working world in one piece, alive and not so disabled I am not yet in a wheelchair full-time. So, I have run on this hamster wheel for 30 years and that has to be done now.

Retirement for me means I have made a commitment to change myself and everything around me. I am going to rediscover health, healthy eating, positivity and positive relationships and do so in environments I feel comfortable in, around people I feel comfortable with. My current 'big project' is me. And, that includes balancing my finances and how I get along in the world.

I am my career now. Note the use of 'I.' There is no 'I' in team, but there is an 'I' in retirement.

"OK, let's go the extra mile! When you're body is screaming, power past it! Go!" said my baseball and boxing coach, known eternally as "Coach Mac." He was a badass and he taught me a lot of what I learned about being a man. But, while coach was right about sports preparing his guys for life, his philosophy doesn't cut it in retirement.

Now is not the time to power past the pain. Now is the time to reconcile with our bodies, minds and spirits. Now is not the time for ambition or climbing to the next rung or working all that hard on anything except returning one's self to factory and showroom condition.

If not now...when? When is 'some day' going to happen if not in retirement?

If someone wants to work until they die or work themselves to death, then by all means do so. Then, we don't see eye to eye and that's OK, this is America and people are allowed to disagree.

I proposed a revolution to myself when I contemplated retirement: I no longer live for others, their needs, wants, desires, dramas, careers, health and welfare. I live for my needs, wants, desires, health and welfare. Alright, with that said, what do I want? OK...no one really asked me that before...I guess I want to be healthy again, have good relationships with people, feel well adjusted all the time again and fix my injuries (physical, psychological and spiritual). I want to get closer to God but that doesn't mean going to church.

Then, with that said, there were now tougher choices to make. There were things I had to buy into so that my revolution can work. I have to leave my petty hatreds, jealousies, anger, unhealthy relationships, dramas and most of the old people in my life (not everyone has to do this but I do). I have to remake who I am and live for that new person and transform my world into the positive place I want it to be. And, dragging along old problems and dramas isn't going to let that happen.

I can reconcile all of the leaving behind arguments and dramas in therapy, which I go to loyally.

There are too many children getting raised my grandparents, too many 30-year-old children still depending on parents (even living at their houses), parents who are delaying their exit into retirement because children cannot effectively enter the workforce and start taking care of themselves. And, if that is how people want to live their life...I am not one to get in the way. Then, that is the destiny they made for themselves and their choice. I hope such a course of action allows them whatever they are looking to do.

I choose to not rely on anyone else but me. When my time comes, then I will rely on my health care proxy. But, I will not depend on young people. This generation is horrible with responsibility anyway. I have never seen a worse crop of males, for that matter, and the 'power women' of this generation are more interested in running the world than they caring for anything except...yes...themselves.

I know what I am talking about here. And, I am not being harsh; I am being truthful. And the macro-picture of the world does, to some degree, resemble the micro-picture of my life. No one is going to care for me the way I want except myself. And, I choose not to retire like my Dad (staring at a TV screen until I die a few years later). I choose to use this part of my life to live the greatest journey I ever have: I am going to make things right with my body. I am going to restore myself to the peaceful, positive person I naturally was -- but lost along the way because of all that facing adversity stuff. While I am doing all that, I want to learn to pray like I did when I was eight years old. I want my relationship to God to be as easy as hanging out with a buddy after grade school.

I am seeking to be selfish. There are no two ways about it.

I would love my children to visit. I would love to exchange cards with old colleagues or friends at the holidays. But, that's probably it. I don't want to go back into the trenches that was my life. Nope.

Being there for people emotionally is also a wonderful thing. But, it brings me down and really messes up my day, and I don't need that either. I have to be honest here. When I need to talk about my problems, I go to my psychologist, whom I see regularly, or my pastor, whom I see less regularly. But, I don't put my stuff into my relationships with other people in my personal life. It's going to stay that way too.

Retirement can be the reward each of us has been looking for in our lives. It can be the chance to do all those things you wanted to do in your life. Of course, there isn't the money there that was when I was working: OK. I don't need stress-reliever trips to Puerto Rico or the Amish country anymore. I have been to Virginia and Washington DC dozens of times by now and seen whatever I was actually curious about in my life. Maybe I will move one more time in my life, but that is it basically. Yeah, I look for a warmer climate. Something like Tampa will suit me fine, but no rush.

No hurry.

'Hurry' is over.

I loved some of the things I accomplished in the world. I was really disappointed by some things that happened in the world. But, that was then and this is now.

I want to ballroom dance again with a happy partner. I think I have that one covered, though. I want to either take up Tai Chi again (NOT Yang style) or maybe Yoga (for seniors). I want to have my shoulder repaired and my knees fixed so I can play golf again. And, I want to learn to sew and maybe embroider. If I can walk for fitness, once I have my new knees, that would be swell. If not, I'm going to have to be OK with decreased function...so we'll see. But, no matter what, I am keeping my sense of humor and love of life.

Oh, and in retirement -- there will be romance. Not just masticating pulverized chow in a senior center -- actual romance again: candlelight, low-lit dance floors, warm breezes and nice suits. Sure, it can't be full-court press, but there is room for romance too (albeit on a budget).

Retirement may be my last act, in many ways, but it will be my best one yet. I don't think I really grew up all the way until now, so let the games begin!